Volume 13, Issue 1

Callender Lake Lines

Covering Your Community News

January 2013

Board of Directors

President

John Bradfield

903-469-4390

Vice-President

Bill Faulkner

903-469-3413

Secretary

Rick Tavern

214-676-5143

Treasurer

Jo Ann Ishmael

903-469-3200

Security

John Bradfield

903-469-4390

Architectural Control

Jo Ann Ishmael

903-469-3200

Community Center

Ted Caro

903-469-3581

Fish & Wild Life

Rick Tavern

214-676-5143

Public Areas

Eddie Hueston

903-469-3292

Publicity / Lines

John Harwood

903-469-3457

Sanitation

Don White

903-469-4292

Restrictions

Dennis Keith

903-469-3005

Roads

Bill Faulkner

903-469-3413

Audit

Eddie Hueston

903-469-3292

Legal

Dennis Keith

903-469-3005

Dam

Dennis Keith

903-469-3005

Office

903-469-3080

Tue, Thu - 8:30 to 5:00

Saturday - 9:00 to 1:00

Visit the Callender Lake Website at

callenderlake.info

Our thoughts and prayers for Charles Tait, Anna Viana and Anna Cor-net. Our thoughts and prayers to all those who may be fighting the Winter viruses. Our condolences to Charles and Marion Tait for the loss of their baby boy, Aper.

NEIGHBORLY SUPPORT

Thank You

Arlene Jones expresses her gratitude for your love and support during her ordeal of the last few weeks. She was really comforted by your cards, gifts, calls and prayers.

SilverSneakers is a fun, energizing program that helps older adults

take greater control of their health by encouraging physical activity

and offering social events.

Unlock the door to greater independence and a healthier life with Sil-

verSneakers. Health plans around the country offer our award-

winning program to people who are eligible for Medicare or to group

retirees. SilverSneakers provides a fitness center membership to

any participating location across the country. This great benefit in-

cludes:

• access to conditioning classes, exercise equipment, pool, sauna and

other available amenities

• customized SilverSneakers classes designed exclusively for older

adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and

endurance

• health education seminars and other events that promote the ben-

efits of a healthy lifestyle

• a specially trained Program AdvisorSM at the fitness center to in-

troduce you to SilverSneakers and help you get started

• member-only access to online support that can help you lose

weight, quit smoking or reduce your stress

• SilverSneakers Steps for members without convenient access to a

location. Please call 1-888-423-4632 (TTY: 711) to find out if your

health plan offers SilverSneakers Steps Information from http://www.silversneakers.com

SilverSneakers Fitness Program

CALLENDER LAKE LINES VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1 CALLENDER LAKE LINES VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1 January 2013

Red Hat

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We are welcoming in the New Year starting January 17 at 12:30. We will be meeting at Bernard's Mediterranean Restaurant; 212010 Grande Blvd. Tyler. It is becoming a favorite of this group .Wilma Hogan is Hostess.

February 21 at 12:30 we will be going to Clear Springs Texas Sea-food Restaurant ,6519 South Broadway Tyler. They have a great menu and if you like Po--boys, you’re in luck. Jan Marler is the day’s Host-ess. March 21 at 12:30 we will be going to Moore Store in Ben Wheeler. Betty Cockrell will be the Hostess. So come joining in on the fun. Questions: call Charisse 903-469-4824.

February is "Heart" month,

We observe "President's" birthdays,

And shower our Valentine with "Love"

Also "time to visit"

THE RESALE SHOP

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Will do your HEART good

and

you will LOVE our prices!!

*** All proceeds go back into the Callender Lake commu nity ***

CALLENDER LAKE LINES VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1 CALLENDER LAKE LINES VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1 January 2013

CUSTOM HOME BUILDERS

Keith Dillion

460 Island Dr

972-979-7008

New Homes, Add-ons & Remodeling

Free Estimates

Coffee

& Donuts

January 26th

Bright and early

8 to 10 AM

Callender Lake Community Center

Come and join your friends, bring your neighbors and have a good ole’ fashion early morning get together....with

FRESH COFFEE & DONUTS.

Donations gladly accepted…..

SEE YOU THERE!

“CHILI AND SOUP COOK OFF”

Fun with games and Fellowship!!

(No Charge---donations will be accepted)

Make your favorite SOUP or Chili and bring to the Community Center

Feb. 9th, 2013 at 6PM Enter the contest and everyone who attends will

Judge who has the best Soup or Chili. Prizes will be awarded.

Call Andy Lutz @ 903-469-3361 Sign up to enter the contest.

Also, Frito’s, Cheese and onions along with Fresh Homemade piping hot Cornbread, Saltine Crackers and delicious Cookies will be provided.

Plus…… Ice Tea and Coffee Sponsored by the Recreation Committee of Callender Lake

Come and join in the fun

Merry Christmas Lighting Contest winners have been chosen from so many beautiful light displays in our community.

1st place Gerald & Sara Kesler home 2nd place Ken Baker family home

3rd place Greg Bolle home

Prizes were awarded Jan. 12th at the monthly Board meeting.

Thank you to each and everyone who worked very hard stringing lights and making our community sparkle each evening during the holidays. Thank you Judges for your time at looking over all of the

beautiful lights and displays, it was a large task. Everyone put on your thinking caps and

let’s start to plan for next year.

“Happy New Year” from The Callender Lake Recreation Committee

LIBRARY NEWS WINTER 2013 Some of you might have noticed that the Library is overflowing with additional books. Two weeks ago, I had just finished working in the Library and the desk was all cleared from return books and donations. A person who donates books frequently to our library drove up to the community center and said, “I have some donations for the library.” Did he ever, box after box were carried and placed in front of the library desk? We have so many wonderful persons who donate to our library and we are so grateful. I am listing just a very few who have put their name on the sign up sheet and have donated books to us. They are: Andy Lutz, Adel Richmond, JoAnne Seberger, Ed and Rica Garcia and Charles Lins.

THANK YOU ALL. The library has purchased a large selection of one of my favorite authors she is Elizabeth Lowell. If you wish to read some of her books just look in the L section. We hope you will come in and check us out. We have many new books for your reading pleasure. Happy Reading………..

Fi tness • Invo l ves ca rd io and s t rength /

res is tance t ra in ing .

• Low- impact

• You may b r i ng a bo t t l e o f wa te r .

• Wear comfo r tab le c lo thes .

• I f you have you r own res is tance

bands o r we igh ts , and mat fee l f ree

to b r i ng them. L im i ted bands and

we igh ts ava i l ab le .

Yoga • Invo l ves s t re tch ing , deep b reath -

ing , s t reng then ing and ba lanc ing

• Can be mod i f i ed to f i t you r own

leve l o r capab i l i t y

• Show up w i th an empt y s tomach.

( I t ' s bes t no t t o ea t a t l eas t 3 hou rs

be fo re hand) .

• You may b r i ng a bo t t l e o f wa te r .

• Wear comfo r tab le c lo thes tha t

s t re t ch .

• Please b r ing you r own yoga

mat . These are ava i lab le a t mos t

spo r t i ng good s to res and even Wa l -

Mar t may ca r r y them.

After an hour of yoga practice, you should feel

more energetic and relaxed than when you ar-

rived.

CLASSES BEGIN JANUARY 15

YOGA:

BEGINNER: TUES & WED 8:00 - 9:00 AM

ADVANCED: TUES & WED 9:45 - 10:00 AM

TUESDAY EVENING: 7:00 - 8:00 PM

WEDNESDAY EVENING: 5:50 - 6:50 PM

FITNESS:

CARDIO/STRENGTH : TUES & THUR 6:00 -

6:30 AM

CORE: TUES 6:00 - 6:30 PM

CARDIO/STRENGTH: WED 7:00 - 7:30 PM

COST: $5 PER SESSION OR 10 FOR $40

SPACE LIMITED, SO SIGN UP EARLY!!

AFTERNOON SESSIONS AVAILABLE UPON

REQUEST

Instructors

� � �

Yoga: Jennifer Wood (903) 469 - 3715 Fitness: Debra Abbuhl (903) 802 - 3377

Yoga & Fitness Classes Next door to the Callender Lake Store

Please call for more information

Board Meeting Minutes

Callender Lake Property Owner Improvement Association

12 January 2013

The CLPOIA Board meeting was convened by President John Bradfield at 1:03 PM in the CLPOIA

Community Center. Board member Ted Caro was absent but all other board members were present; Bill

Faulkner, Vice President, Treasurer, Jo Ann Ishmael, Secretary, Richard Tavern and Directors Dennis

Keith, Don White, Eddie Hueston and John Harwood. Thirteen guests attended the meeting.

The invocation was given by Eddie Hueston who also led the pledge of allegiance.

The agenda was approved as written.

OPENING COMMENTS

President John Bradfield opened the meeting with a few brief welcoming remarks including announcing

that Ted Caro was out of town and unable to come to the meeting and that he has been down in the

back and not getting better. He noted the below average attendance and thanked those present for

attending.

OFFICER’S REPORTS

Secretary’s Report Richard Tavern noted that the minutes of the previous meeting had been circulated

via email and were found to be correct as written. Then, with no objections, the Board dispensed with

the reading of the minutes from the December 2012 meeting. Richard Tavern moved that these

minutes be approved and filed for record; the motion was seconded by John Harwood and passed

unanimously.

Treasurer’s Report Jo Ann Ishmael gave the Treasurer’s Report that is attached to these minutes and

moved that the report be approved and filed for audit. She explained that annual dues payments

totaling approximately $106,000 have been collected to date. John Harwood offered a second and the

motion passed unanimously.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Dam Repair Project John Bradfield reported that the contractor that performed the repair work on the

Callender Lake side of the dam finished the work on Tuesday, January 8 just before the rain on

Wednesday. They did an excellent job, cleaned up after themselves, submitted pictures and as-built

drawings for the work and did so for $3,000 less than contractually allowed. We are very pleased with

their work.

Slater Creek Silting Issue John Bradfield reported that he has walked the area in question at the upper

end of Slater Creek with Bill Gramley and Ben McElroy. We have two sources researching the required

“fix” for the silting which appears to be the addition of Gabion Silt Fence Tubes in one or more locations

in the creek. Upon determination of the work required to manage the silting issue we will have the

work priced and determine how to fund the required work.

NEW BUSINESS

Maintenance Fund Agreements Jo Ann Ishmael reported that there were five (5) new Maintenance

Funds agreements to consider or approve this month. She indicated that all five were compliant and

made a motion that they be approved, John Harwood seconded the motion and it was approved

unanimously.

ACC Fee and Permit Revisions Jo Ann Ishmael provided a new Application for Building Permit

document and a new Building Permit Fee Schedule prepared and proposed by the Architectural Control

Committee. Jo Ann Ishmael made a motion that they be approved as submitted and the motion was

seconded by Dennis Keith. The motion passed unanimously.

Septic Tank Easement Issue at 371 Callender Lake Drive The Association owns the land adjacent to this

property and the property owner needs to replace their existing septic system with a new system. The

new laws governing septic systems require more space (land area) than the old laws required. The

property owner at this address made a formal request of the board to grant an easement to use a

portion of the Association property in the area calculation for an aerobic septic system.

Dennis Keith made a motion that the request for the Association to grant an easement be denied and

the motion was seconded by Eddie Hueston and passed unanimously.

Addition of C.A. Cockrell to the Legal Advisory Committee Dennis Keith made a motion to add

C.A.Cockrell to the Legal Advisory Committee to make the committee four persons instead of three

persons. The goal is to have two members working on issues regarding past due maintenance fee

collections and two members using the new provisions allowed in our restrictions to pressure property

of unkempt and delinquent properties to “clean-up”. The motion was seconded by Jo Ann Ishmael and

passed unanimously.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Recreation Committee Ted Caro was absent and Dick Bolle announced the winners of the Christmas

Lighting Contest as the Kessler’s 1st place, Ken Baker 2nd Place and Greg Bolle 3rd place. Coffee and

donuts will start again in January 26, 2013.

Public Area Maintenance Eddie Hueston reported that Doug Ferris continued with the removal of

saplings and weed growth near intersections to improve sight lines. In addition some property owners

have assisted in this effort by clearing brush on their properties at these intersections. Doug also

maintained the dumpster area and cleaned up the Community Center and Community Center parking

lot after several events held in the month of December.

Road Maintenance No report this month.

Community Center Report No report this month.

Dam Maintenance Report See Dam Repair report in Unfinished Business.

Architectural Control Committee Jo Ann Ishmael reported that one permit was issued in the last four

weeks for a garage and one permit was issued for a dock. No violation letters were issued in the last

month.

Publicity John Harwood reported that distribution boxes were installed in the rose garden area for the

distribution of the Callender Lake Lines. He also reported that a section of the plexiglass cover on the

existing notification board had been damaged and he will attempt to repair it to a functional condition

while we determine if this will be replaced this spring.

Audit No report this month.

Security and Fire John Bradfield reported that a young man was witnessed tearing up property with his

truck and his relative was notified of the issue and assured John this behavior and destruction will end.

John has not spoken with the new sheriff yet, but has had promising conversations with two deputies

regarding changes in the department protocol and cooperation between Van Zandt County and

Henderson County departments.

Fish and Wildlife No report this month.

Sanitation and Pollution Don White reported that he has been policing the dumpster area and that

Doug Ferris has also been doing an excellent job of keeping these areas looking good. In response to

complaints regarding water collecting on top of the compacted paving material, we will be considering

applying a half inch of pea gravel over the paving to raise the walking surface above the drainage

surface.

Restrictions John Bradfield reported that there is no report from the Restrictions Committee. This

committee has been officially disbanded until there are additional restrictions to consider.

OTHER REPORTS

CA Cockrell was in attendance and there his update regarding the Council of Van Zandt County

Communities (CVZCC), Greater Lake Palestine Council (GLPC), Texas Neighborhoods Together or Texans

Against Monopolies Excess Rates (TAMER) is included below:

CLPOIA MONTHLY Board Report

January 12, 2013 Council of Van Zandt County Communities (CVZCC)- The CVZCC met on Tuesday, January 8th. We were presented a check for $1100.00 as our part in a fund raising effort. The effort was to develop a Guide to Van Zandt County. A copy of this guide is available in the office. It identifies interesting facts about each city in the County and includes a page on Callender Lake. There will be no meeting in February as we will be in Austin for VZC Days. Greater Lake Palestine Council (GLPC)- The Board met on Thursday, January 10th at the Forest Grove HOA Community Center. Tentative agendas & speakers for the next General membership meeting, which will be held in Chandler at 7:30 P.M. on February 21, 2013, were discussed. Many HOAs are experiencing a surge in crime within their areas. Concerns are that Counties which border each other such as Henderson/Van Zandt/Anderson/Kaufman police forces do not have collateral agreements and do not seem interested in responding to calls within their immediate areas but across county lines. Many have newly elected Sheriff’s & Constables and they have not reached out to the HOA’s. Ronnie Brownlow, ex-Henderson County Sheriff and Vic Massey, Head of Forest Grove POA crime watch, have been contacted and requested to be the speakers at the February meeting with the intent of providing guidelines for developing a program that would allow co-operation across county lines. Callender Lake is a paid member of the GLPC and is welcome to attend any of the General Membership meetings. GLPC has a new Directory and a quarterly News Letter is also published. I would like to thank the Board for allowing me to forward the last Newsletter through the Association e-mail listing. If anyone would like to get either of these documents electronically, let me know and I will send them to you as they become available. T.A.M.E.R has an impressive list of 13 Senators and 16 Representatives who have indicated interest in working on rural water and HOA/POA issues this session. This will probably be the best chance and last resort to get the rate making authority removed from TCEQ and placed under the PUC. Legal costs have reached a point that we will no longer be financially able to compete with the IOU’s financially. TAMER owes our attorney approximately $15,000 and it will increase over this legislative session but he said he would stick with us through this session. A Motion was made, Seconded, and passed unanimously to contribute $ 2000.00 to TAMER. Yesterday I received a letter to all rate payers that has been approved by our attorney and I will try to get it in this month’s CL Lines. It is eye opening and I hope you will take the time to read it. I also received a letter from Charles Profilet who holds several different titles ranging from Senior VP position in the SWWC to Managing Director of Monarch Utilities 1, L.P. He was somewhat upset with my testimony to the Sunset Commission about water quality issues at Callender Lake.

Texas Neighborhoods Together- No Report

January 14, 2013

Dear Ratepayer:

SouthWest Water Company (SWWC) has been steadily increasing its water rates. It has also undertaken

various public relations efforts aimed at blunting opposition to those increases. Most recently, SWWC wrote

you on December 7th

. That letter quoted articles from USA Today and the Wall Street Journal, and it tossed out

some “infrastructure” numbers attributed to the Texas Water Development Board. The theme of the letter was

that SWWC’s rate increases have been moderate, in line with national trends and driven by drought and the

need to replace ancient water-supply infrastructure. The SWWC letter leads one to believe that the relatively

lower rates charged by cities are possible because of taxpayer subsidies.

SWWC’s letter was full of errors and self-serving conclusions that are impossible to verify or have no relevance

to your water rates.

SWWC relies on a USA Today article to say that Austin rates for (apparently) 7,500 gallons/month increased

96%, San Antonio’s rates increased by 85% and Dallas’s rates increased by 75% between sometime in 2000 or

2001 and the end of 2012. There are two problems with the use of these statistics. First, the USA Today article

looked at rates for only one consumption level: for households using, on average, 7,480 gallons/month. That is

not an unusual usage, but it is roughly 36% more than is typical of SWWC’s Texas customers (5,488

gallons/month, 2010 data). Second, it evaluated rates based on ¾-inch meter connection when, in fact, most

residential connections are 5/8” in diameter. If USA Today had used the meter size that is more representative of

the average consumer in Austin, it would have reported only a 75% increase in water rates from 2000 to 2012.

And, SWWC did not tell you that its rates increased much more in an even shorter time frame. SWWC

became responsible for imposing rates on Texas ratepayers in July of 2004.1 Between then and the end of 2012,

Blue Mound residents’ rates increased 113%, and the TCEQ-sanctioned rates in rural subdivisions such as

Beachwood Estates and Callendar Lake increased 93%. At the end of 2012, an Austin resident consuming

8,000 gallons/month of water paid $32.32; an SWWC ratepayer in nearby Hornsby Bend paid $91.99 – 184.6%

more. In 2013, Monarch’s2 rates are already authorized to increase, while City of Austin rates will drop in

February.

SWWC’s letter told you Austin’s taxpayers subsidize the City water utility’s rates. This simply is not true.

While it is true that property taxes in some cities help support water and wastewater infrastructure, Austin has a

stand-alone water and sewer utility. In fact, the Austin water and sewer utility routinely subsidizes taxpayers; it

returns roughly 8.2% of its gross revenue to the City.3 Generally, municipal utilities are revenue generators for

municipalities’ general funds.

1 Southwest Water Company SEC Form 10-K , 2008, United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Form 10-K. Annual

Report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. 2 Monarch is SWWC’s principal Texas utility. It has roughly 2/3s of SWWC’s Texas ratepayers.

3 Fox, M., Austin Energy Financial and Performance Review; Analysis of Transfers from Municipal Utilities to General

Government (May 9, 2011);

http://www.austinenergy.com/about%20us/newsroom/Reports/2010NavigantGeneralFundTransferReport.pdf

T.A.M.E.R. Texans Against Monopolies’ Excessive Rates

P.O. Box 1590 Chandler, Texas 75758

Phone 903-849-4689 Email: tamertxinfo@gmail.com

Website: http://www.tamertx.org

The Wall Street Journal article SWWC cited in its letter is “pro-and-con” piece with, as you may imagine,

advocates who are hardly neutral. The only source the Journal, itself, cited was the National Association of

Water Companies, a hardly-neutral source of information. American Water Intelligence, which SWWC’s letter

cites as saying investor-owned utilities have been better than other utilities at “avoiding” health-related drinking

water violations, bills itself as “the new magazine for America’s water business” – another improbable source

of balanced analysis.

In the end, it may be that water and sewer rates have to rise over time. But, SWWC and its predecessors have

used the past decade or so to exact increases that were much higher than the increases imposed by municipal

utilities. Its (Monarch’s, actually) 2012 rate for 5,000 gallons of water was higher than that of 99.4% of the

state’s municipal utilities. 4

There are doubtless multiple reasons why IOU rates are higher than are municipal

rates, but at least one reason is that IOUs lavishly reward their top executives: during the most recent recession,

SWWC’s top Texas executive received $572,497 (2008) and $321,528 (2009) in total compensation5 – to

administer a utility with fewer than 34,000 water ratepayers and fewer than 13,000 (mostly duplicative) sewer

ratepayers.6

Don’t let SWWCs’ PR efforts confuse you. Keep your eyes on the numbers.

Sincerely,

T.A.M.E.R.

Texans Against Monopolies’ Excessive Rates

4 Texas Municipal League, Residential and Commercial Water Costs (2012).

5 SWWC, SEC Form 10-K (amendment no. 1), April 28, 2010. Later years’ compensation figures are not publicly available.

6 Cities of 90,000-100,000 residents – say, Pearland or Odessa -- would have roughly this many water ratepayers.

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

Happy New

Year!!

2 3 4

Exercise

8:00

5 Resale

Shop

9:00 to

2:00

6 Epiphany

7

Exercise

8:00

8

Ceramic

Class

1:00

9

Exercise

8:00

Cards

1:00

10

11

Exercise

8:00

12

Board

Meeting

1:00

13

14

Exercise

8:00 AM

Friend-

ship Club

15

Ceramic

Class

1:00

16

Exercise

8:00

Cards

1:00

17

Red Hat

Ladies

12:30

18

Exercise

8:00

19

20

Inaugura-tion Day

21

Exercise 8:00 Martin Lu-ther King Day

22

Ceramic

Class

1:00

23

Exercise

8:00

Cards

1:00

24

Thanksgiving

25

Exercise

8:00

26

27 28

Exercise

8:00

29

Ceramic

Class

1:00

30

Exercise

8:00

Cards

1:00

31

CALLENDER LAKE LINES VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1 CALLENDER LAKE LINES

January 2013

CALLENDER LAKE LINES VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1

February 2013

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 Resale Shop 9:00 to 2:00

3 4

Exercise 8:00

5

Ceramic Class

1:00

6 Exercise

8:00

Cards 1:00

7

8

Exercise 8:00 AM

9

Board Meeting

1:00

10 11 Exercise 8:00 Friendship Club 12:00

12

Ceramic Class

1:00

13 Exercise

8:00

Cards 1:00

14 Happy

Valen-

tines Day

15

Exercise 8:00 AM

16

17 18

Exercise 8:00 AM

19

Ceramic Class

1:00

20 Exercise

8:00

Cards 1:00

21 Red Hat

Ladies

22

Exercise 8:00 AM

23

24 25 Exercise

8:00 AM

26 Ceramic

Class

1:00

27 Exercise

8:00

28