Denton County Precinct 3 Government Building in Lewisville
The Denton County Precinct 3 Government building has been open now for two years and we are closing in on our Phase 2 for the project that will be completed this year. It has been a long time coming but things are going as planned and should be completed by the end of the year and the departments will be able to move in at the beginning of 2019.
At that time, we will have all Denton County offices together on the Campus style setting we are building for our Constituents here in the southern part of the County. The new building (Lee Walker Government Center) will be the new home to The Denton County Health Department, W.I.C (Women, Infants and Children) and the Juvenile Probation Department.
We are also very excited that the completion of the main Government Center’s parking lot and Gazebo will be finished by the end September, this year! We are hoping with the additional spaces that it will be easier to find a spot to park when visiting the Precinct 3 building. Thank you all for your continued patience with the building process.
Denton County Health Department is always on the move
The month of September brings with it the flu season and the beginning of the busiest time of the year for flu cases, so do not wait too long to get your flu shot and try to stay ahead of the flu this season. Denton County offers the vaccine to its most vulnerable but is waiting for the supply to arrive to begin giving the vaccinations.
Denton County Veterans Department is working hard to keep you informed
A message from your Denton County Veterans Service Officer Paul Bastaich USAF Ret.
From Veterans Day to Agent Orange, things never slow down with their fight to help our Denton County Veterans.
During the Vietnam War, millions of gallons of tactical grade herbicides were used to defoliate and destroy areas of dense vegetation and jungle canopies to deny the enemy a hiding place while US Forces openly fought to maintain stability and security in South Vietnam. Over the many decades that have passed since the collapse of South Vietnam and the US’s hasty, withdraw from Saigon the Department of Veterans Affairs has been tasked with providing benefits to those who were exposed to those herbicides while serving in the US military. The benefits fall into two prominent categories: monthly tax-free cash payments and/or free health services conditions that could be potentially related to exposure or for those conditions that have already been presumed to be caused by the exposure to the herbicides. The tax-free cash payments can vary depending on the medical condition and the severity as defined by VA law. The health benefits allow for reduced cost outpatient/inpatient care provided by the North Texas VA Healthcare System based at the Dallas VA Medical Center, which is the second busiest VA Medical Center in the entire nation. In order to receive these benefits from the VA a veteran must prove they were exposed to the herbicides through documentation or by serving in an area in which exposure has been conceded. For instance, Veterans who served on the ground in South Vietnam have their exposure conceded by the VA along with veterans who operated on the inland waterways and rivers serving on patrol boats or other shallow draft vessels. Veterans who served off the coast of South Vietnam, known as “Blue Water Veterans”, in larger Navy vessels soon too may have the VA concede their exposure. Legislation recently passed the US House of Representatives unanimously to allow the VA to concede Blue Water Navy Veterans were exposed to herbicides. Now the US Senate gets to weigh in when they take up the matter up in the months ahead. If you are a Veteran or a Surviving Spouse of a Veteran who served in the Blue Water Navy during Vietnam War off or near the coast of South Vietnam, please visit the staff at my office to learn more about valuable benefits to file for. You can also visit www.dentoncounty.com under the Veterans Department tab to learn more.
Paul Bastaich served 25 years in the US Air Force and has been working assisting Veterans and Survivors file claims with the VA as an accredited representative of the Texas Veterans Commission since 2008.
Denton County Human Resources Department is making the final selections for Employee of the Year
Each year, since the tragic death of our previous Director of Facilities Management, John A. Scott, in 1998, Denton County has recognized an Employee of the Year in John’s memory. The award recognizes an employee who demonstrates excellence and dedication as John exemplified during his service to Denton County.
Employees are encouraged to nominate a Denton County employee whom they feel is worthy of such recognition. This year, nominations must be submitted to the HR department by August 29. Nominations will be judged on their merits and not by the number of people nominating an individual employee.
On October 9th, the Employee of the Year will be honored in Commissioners Court with a plaque, a resolution and a check for $1,000. Finalists for the award will also be honored in Commissioners Court with a resolution at the same time. A plaque honoring each Employee of the Year is displayed in the Commissioners Courtroom.
It is an honor to be nominated by your peers and selected to represent all Denton County employees.
Special Greetings for a dear woman: Happy 104th Birthday to Oleta Greer on September 1. Oleta was born in Flower Mound in 1914 in a home that still stands today. She was recognized at her church, the Flower Mound Presbyterian Church, on August 26, 2018 as being the oldest member of the Church that was also celebrating their 164th anniversary with Pastor Lucia Kremar.
Maybe Ms. Greer will get lucky, and receive her most wished for birthday present and get to meet Troy Aikman and/or any other former member of the Dallas Cowboys. Happy Birthday Oleta!
Did You Know?
The Denton County Southwest Courthouse is excited to announce that the Texas Department of Public Safety is opening a Driver’s License office in their building on Tuesday, September 4th and will be hosting a ribbon cutting at 1 p.m. for them. Please come out and welcome DPS to the new Government Building at 6200 Canyon Falls Drive in Argyle, Texas 76226.
Connect With Us
Be sure and connect with Denton County on Facebook at facebook.com/DentonCountyTX and on Twitter @DentonCountyTX.
If you have any questions or comments, please let me hear from you. My email is [email protected] and my office number is 972-434-4780.
