| EAST RENFRO TO GET MAJOR FACELIFT! |
Beginning July 22, 2010, the portion of East Renfro from C.R. 529 south to F.M. 917 (approximately 3.1 miles) will be completely rebuilt with the subgrade being chemically stabilized and additional road base to be added. The result will be a much stronger road that should last for years to come. For details and up to date information on the status of the project, go to our "Scheduled Road Repairs" link to the left.
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| BEWARE! PAVING SCAMMERS WORKING JOHNSON COUNTY! |
Now that warm weather is upon us, we've received numerous complaints of unscrupulous businesses who are scamming homeowners by offering services to pave their driveways. County law enforcement actually assisted in shutting down one such business and impounded their equipment but there are several more still working the area.
If you suspect that someone is trying to take advantage of you, don't agree to their services. You can also call the sheriff's department or your commissioner's office and talk to them about it.
Here's a Wise Eyes alert that was recently released:
WISE EYES -PAVING SCAMMERS
This time of year it is common for various roofing and seal coating scams to rear their ugly heads with individuals overcharging victims for jobs they promise to complete. Aside from the exorbitant prices for the jobs, the scammers will frequently convince the victim to pay for the job prior to completion and never complete the job; or the scammers will use less than quality material for a job they have agreed to do.
Just, one example of a confidence scheme we have investigated in the past would be the seal coating of a driveway or the paving of a driveway. The scammer generally approaches the victim and informs them he is doing either paving or seal coating work in the area for another individual and has over ordered material for the job. The scammer then tells the victim, that in an effort to keep from losing money on the job, he is willing to seal coat or pave their driveway at a “reduced” rate. But if the victim wants the cut rate price they need to take it then or it will be offered to someone else in the neighborhood. Often the material they use is “reclaimed” paving material which amounts to ground up pavement that has been taken off a road elsewhere. When this re-claimed material is used it is imperative that the material be properly prepared and installed or the material won’t last and will have to be re-done. REMEMBER, scammers are not interested in the quality of the job. Additionally, the only equipment you may see will be a large pick up and/or a dump truck with the paving material.
If you are approached by anyone who is offering you a reduced rate to pave or seal coat your driveway; or they are offering a reduced rate on a roofing project, we urge you to get their business information and check with the better business bureau. Call the law enforcement authority in the city or county where you live and inquire about the individuals.
Don’t become a victim thinking you have to act quickly to avoid losing a “good deal”. If the person you are dealing with indicates you have to take the deal or it will be offered to someone else; a good rule of thumb is to pass on the good deal and call law enforcement.
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| Check out "The Scoop" in the Alvarado Star! |
| The Alvarado Star newspaper asked Commissioner Stringer to write a monthly article about county business with an emphasis on Precinct #3. He agreed and the first printing of "The Scoop" (title idea by the editor!) was published in early January. We received lots of positive comments about the article so we're looking forward to the next issue in February. Watch for it! |
| Our Open House / Christmas Drive!! |
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Our December Open House was a huge success! We had a constant flow of guests during the entire time we were open and received some great feedback.
The employees of the precinct had decided to get involved and help others who were not as fortunate to have a great Christmas this year. Pastor Rick Hope with 1st Baptist Church Lillian had discussed the possibility of our crew sponsoring a food, toy, and gift drive at the precinct office during the open house. The public helped us out tremendously by making donations of non-perishable food, toys, gift cards, and even cash. (We used the case to purchase items and gift cards).
As it turned out, our office was able to sponsor FOUR FAMILIES living in Precinct #3 to give them a good Christmas!
Santa delivered one family's gifts and food in a front loader that was escorted by the Precinct #3 Constables Office. It was amazing! The kid's eyes were as big as pie plates and they were thrilled. More than one tear of joy fell as our crew saw how they had made a difference in those kids' lives. We can't wait until next year!
The Alvarado Star did a great job of documenting the event with a story that made their front page (Good job, Chris!)
Thanks again to the public for helping!
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| Precinct #3 Sports a New Look! |
You may have noticed a different look on some of the county trucks driving around Precinct #3 lately. After taking office on January 1, 2009, Commissioner Jerry Stringer noticed that the facilities housing the Precinct #3 offices and maintenance facility were in much need of a facelift. The carpets were badly worn, the office walls were begging for new paint, and the parking lots were in need of repair.
It didn't take long for upgrades to to be put into place. Carpets and countertops were replaced, a new coat of paint hit the walls, and a donation from Chesapeake took care of the parking lots. But to complete the picture, the Commissioner felt that the precinct needed a new logo - one that caught your eye, displayed some color, and set a progressive tone for the future. He enlisted the donated time of a graphic designer to come up with some ideas, and presented them to the employees for their input. A new design was quickly chosen and has now become the icon for Precinct #3. The employees and staff love it . . . and it looks great on the trucks and equipment!
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| Thanks to Chesapeake for our new parking lot |
| Chesapeake Energy has leased the back portion of the Precinct #3 property to put a gas well drilling site. Because of the poor condition of the precinct office parking lots, Chesapeake agreed to hire an asphalt contractor to completely resurface the lot and picked up the tab for slightly over $28,000.00. THANK YOU, CHESAPEAKE! |
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| Commercial Vehicle Weigh Station Is Now Complete |
| We've been working for some time now to complete a Commercial Vehicle Weigh Station in the front yard of the Precinct #3 office. It's a result of a cooperative effort between Precinct #3, the Texas Department of Transportation, and Premier Tank Truck Lines (a private trucking company who donated the concrete!) and is used by the Texas Highway Patrol Troopers and The Sheriffs Department Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Deputies to weigh large trucks to keep them within the legal weight limits. We'll have more information as well as photos shortly! |
| The Asphalt Zipper is doing a great job! |
As part of a strong push to catch up on some of the much needed road repairs in Precinct #3, we researched several different ideas to work more efficiently and be more productive during our work days. One idea was to consider a piece of equipment called the Asphalt Zipper. It's a portable grinding machine (called a "reclaimer") that can quickly be taken to a job site, and selectively repair failed portions of roadways.
We have assembled a team of equipment operators that are becoming very proficient with the Zipper and their efforts are doing a better job of road repair while saving many hours of work over methods previously used. The ZIpper has turned out to be a great investment for Precinct #3! |
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| Precinct #3 Makes Channel 5 News! |
| On July 21, 2009, a reporter and cameraman spent the day at Precinct #3 to do an in-depth report on our efforts to repair and protect our county roads. A large portion of the report covered our new Commercial Vehicle Weigh Station where large trucks are weighed by Highway Patrol Troopers and County Deputies and overweight or unsafe vehicles are cited. Part of the news story showed our crew repairing roads using the Asphalt Zipper. If you would like to read the story and see the video newscast, go to this URL: www.nbcdfw.com/traffic/transit/Johnson-Co-Puts-Gas-Well-Trucks-on-Weight-Watchers.html |
| We Also Made Channel 33 News! |
| On August 4, 2009, Channel 33 contacted Precinct #3 and asked for assistance with a story they were doing about the unsafe practice of drivers texting while driving. The reporter and camera crew went out on the job with our "patch crew" while they repaired potholes. They interviewed the crew and got some great video for their story. The reporter got a first hand experience when a driver on a cell phone almost hit her while she was doing an interview. The URL to that story and video is here: http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-shana-texting-driving-story,0,6333206.story |
| Precinct #3 offers an Auto Tech Intern Program with Burleson High School! |
| Beginning in the spring of 2009, Precinct #3 offered an Auto Tech Intern Program for senior level students enrolled in the Burleson High School Auto Tech program. Through this program, every semester a senior level student is allowed to spend part of their school day at the Precinct #3 equipment maintenance facility where they get hands on experience in working on heavy equipment, while also getting school credit. Burleson High School has been very successful placing these students in mechanic shops where they can work on cars and light trucks, but Precinct #3 was the first to offer experience on heavy equipment. The first semester was a hugh success, and we even helped the student assigned to us gain employment with a local trucking company as an entry level mechanic. The program will continue with the beginning of the next school year. |
