Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce commenced their monthly meeting at Vetoni’s, asking if any veterans were present. Six stood, were formerly thanked for their service and the invocation followed.

Reigning Jewels Fine Jewelry received recognition as sponsoring the November monthly meeting. Reigning Jewels is located east of the Lake in Athens.

Special guest speaker, Senator Robert Nichols introduction was full of achievements done throughout his lifetime and included a story of growing up as a child playing with handmade toys.

Nichols, a current resident and Jacksonville native, holds the Texas senate seat for district 3 and has since January 2007.

Nichols had many praises for the Lake Area Chamber and how the continuous effort done together in a, “wagon wheel” style works to benefit the entire community.

He went on to say Cedar Creek Lake Area holds a, “double continued growth factor because of the lake itself and the growth coming from Dallas down 175 towards it.”

Public education is number one topic in legislation this session, per Nichols stressing the point that public education is important because our children are our future and we have to make sure our children are educated or we, “loose democracy.”

Nichols explained that Texas has had a, “paradigm shift.”

That includes a strong and solid Natural gas reserve. For the first time in the history, Texas is exporting it in liquid form out of the coast in south Texas.

“Over 65,000 jobs were lost recently due to the decline in oil prices, however, after that the Texas economy was able to raise its position from the 12th to the 10th largest economy behind Canada due to the now 100 years’ worth of Natural gas storage” said Nichols.

“Exxon has already committed 42-46 Billion over the next 4 to 6 years on the south coast.” Nichols made sure everyone knew that although a lot of things happen outside of the Cedar Creek Lake area; it will most defiantly impact it directly.”

Mental health and mental health facilities were a huge topic of discussion for the 2017 legislative session and as Nichols describes, “At any given time there are between 400 and 500 citizens in a jail setting waiting a transfer to a mental health facilities that are few and far between in regards of taking care of needs in our state.”

Over the next few years, $300 million will be put into the mental health facilities to upgrade and/or expand current ones. Not only curb the cost of maintaining those needing care not offered in a jail facility but to get the person the treatment the need vs. having to be confined due to lack of resources.

This community has seen unnecessary tragedy due to mental health and/or lack of health care so this comes as a sign of relief, in hopes, knowing some of those resources will be coming right back to the lake area itself.

Child Protective Services, also known as CPS, received a lot of attention this session, due to the, “burn out rate and 40-45% turnover rate” caused by case overload on caseworkers. Sometimes leading to up to being 6 weeks behind schedule before first contact with a child that CPS has been notified as needing some type of help.

Prior to the last session, CPS was linked to the Health and Human Services division of the state and now is their own entity. One great advantage given to CPS is they are given, “more flexibility and oversight” as well as, “new abilities to facilitate a connection between parents and children in the system to faith based services in the community, where before, they had no option to connect with anything faith based. “

Nichols updated the Chamber on the 334 bridge project that is, “going from a 2 lane to a 4 lane and engineers are 90% complete with the plan.” Bridge will start on construction within the next 12 months and Nichols made sure to explain that there are a ton of safety projects throughout Texas underway that will update 2 lane rural roads because of concerns with the high collision rates and the meeting wrapped up with appreciation to the community leaders for a job well done.