DAM B – Twenty twenty-four was a very good year for the Dam B Community Watch. The group brought in a wide range of speakers throughout the year. While most of the speakers were from our elected officials, we also featured those with information of interest to our members.
We began the year in January with an informative presentation from Tyler County Sheriff Deputy Rick Coker, who is in charge of sex offenders, Justices of the Peace Tina Self (Precinct 1) and Mike Hughes (Precinct 3) on sex offenders and the bail system.
February was highlighted by a visit from State Representative Trent Ashby, and his aide Linda Parker, who gave us an overview of his work in Austin.
We welcomed Attorney Tamara Barrett in April and again in July. Tamara was a Delegate to the Texas State Republican Convention and gave us before and after reports. April also saw the group participating in the Dogwood Festival, with a float in the parade, as well as a food booth on the square.
In June, Sallie Odom, President, and several Dam B Community Watch board members attended the Woodville High School scholarship awards ceremony to acknowledge Kamyra White, our 2024 scholarship winner. Kamyra later attended our meeting where we presented her with the scholarship and introduced her to DBCW. Sheriff Bryan Weatherford also attended and presented her with another scholarship from the Sheriff’s office
July saw a visit from John Settlocker, Tyler County Emergency Management Coordinator, as well as a return visit from Tamara Barrett.
August featured one of our most informative presentations, with the Board of ESD#5, Glenn Kenney, President, Rick Johnson Vice President, and Dan Odom, Secretary/Treasurer giving us an overview of how the ESD receives and spends public money. Well done Gentlemen!
In the Fall, things really heated up, with speakers nearly every week. September started with a visit from County Judge Milton Powers and Justice of the Peace Mike Hughes. They discussed recent budget and appraisal issues. Next was a presentation on the new bridge construction on US 190 over Lake Steinhagen. TxDot Area Engineer Bryce Broussard and Engineer Jim Grissom gave us a lot of really good information as well as some great graphics. The last meeting of the month featured Tyler County Clerk Donece Gregory who provided an overview of her offices’ duties and responsibilities for the upcoming election.
October saw a visit from Dr. Allen Williamson DO, who had recently relocated to Woodville with the Tyler County Hospital Family Medical Clinic. The following week had a presentation from Al Johnson and Lisa Jardine of Beaumont Crime Stoppers. They were joined by Deputy Cory LeBlanc of the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office. Their presentation featured some good pointers and handouts with suggestions on how to stay safe. The final speaker of the month was Duncan Foshee of Foshee Insurance in Jasper who provided some good information on changes to Medicare laws.
November saw Dam B Community Watch President Sallie Odom present a check to the Tyler County Child Welfare Board for their Angel Tree program, as well as the lighting of the Dam B Community Christmas Tree at the Dam B Substation.
Our final speaker(s) of the year were Sheriff Bryan Weatherford, joined by Chief Deputy Stephen Holloway, and Deputies Cory LeBlanc and Chase Nalley. They discussed changes in the Sheriffs Department and then gave us some pointers on Situational Awareness for the holidays.
The year also saw some changes to the leadership of the Community Watch. Sallie Odom assumed the Presidency from interim President Glen Kenney. In June, after seven years as Public Relations Officer, Glen Kenney retired. He was replaced by Capt. Tom Tray, and in December, Jan Johnson, announced that she was hanging up her notebook and pen after seven years as secretary. Angie Collins was elected to serve as our new secretary.
We are extremely grateful to Glen and Jan for their service to our group over the years.
We are looking forward to building our momentum and having another banner year. Judge Powers has already announced that he will be joining us in January.
Dam B Community Watch meets every Thursday at 6 PM at the Fairview Baptist Church on FM92.
Meetings are limited to one hour each. All are welcome. Come see what is happening in your community.
