Rich Paces, Kerr County Commissioner, Precinct 2

Rich Paces, Kerr County Commissioner, Precinct 2 I am a Christian conservative, committed to serving my community fairly, faithfully, and transparently.

I want to serve my community using my executive management skills and my financial and commercial acumen in the role of County Commissioner. Kerr County's Christian Conservative Choice for County Commissioner, Precinct 2

Memorial Cross in Flat Rock ParkIt was an amazing day in Kerrville. Michael Collins and his cross arrived around 11:30 ...
06/06/2026

Memorial Cross in Flat Rock Park

It was an amazing day in Kerrville. Michael Collins and his cross arrived around 11:30 am. Final preparations were made and it was lifted off his trailer and slowly lowered into its final resting place. J3 then poured concrete into the 20' casing and the 6' diameter slab form. All went perfectly and as we finished, the clouds parted.

Pastor Tim Radkey from Hosanna Lutheran Church offered the following prayer:

We pray in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

O God of mercy and of the waters that sustain all life,
We stand beside this river today with hearts that remember.
Before us rises this cross - a sign of love stronger than death,
a marker of lives taken too soon, and a promise that none who were lost are forgotten.

We dedicate this cross as a place of truth and tenderness.
May it hold the names, the stories, and the silence of the more than one hundred souls who were swept from this world in the flood.

Receive them into Your eternal peace and let this ground be hallowed by their memory.

For the families who still grieve,
for the rescuers who carry the weight of that day,
for this community that learned how fragile life can be -
pour out comfort like a gentle rain.

Let healing flow through this place as surely as the river flows beside it.

May all who pause here find rest for their spirit, strength for their journey, and hope that rises again like morning light.

Let this cross stand as a witness to compassion, to resilience, and to the sacredness of every life.

Bless this river.
Bless this community.
Bless this memorial.
And bless the memory of those we honor today.

In the name of Jesus Christ…

Amen.

Lorraine LeMon also offered an amazing prayer. I wish I had recorded it. Many thanks to all who participated in this amazing project. In particular, thanks to Michael Collins who donated the cross and transported it from Mineral Wells, KPUB, J3, Bad Company Excavation, and Pro Rentals, Comfort. All services and materials were generously donated by these individuals. I thank God that He allowed me to play a role in making this happen.

06/06/2026

As part of our annual fundraiser, CPVFD is holding a raffle. This year we have twice as many prizes to win as we have all of the items we bought for last year (sadly we had to cancel our fundraiser due to the tragic flood) plus we added a bunch more prizes that are included in this raffle. Please see below for details. I always have raffle tickets available with me if you want to purchase any. Any other member of the CPVFD will also have tickets available. $20 gives you a chance to win one of these great raffle prizes. Even better, $100 gives you five chances!

Save the Date: July 11, 2026For: CPVFD BBQ & Dance FundraiserCome out and support your local volunteer fire department ...
06/06/2026

Save the Date: July 11, 2026
For: CPVFD BBQ & Dance Fundraiser

Come out and support your local volunteer fire department on Saturday, July 11th. The CPVFD annual BBQ & dance fundraiser will start at 11:00 immediately following the Center Point Down Home Country Parade. The parade starts at 10:00 am and will conclude at the CPVFD fire station on the corner of Kelly Street and Skyline Drive. Details are shown below. This amazing group of dedicated men and women serve our community steadfastly and are there whenever the need arises. Enjoy a delicious BBQ meal after the parade and join us later for the dance. We have a lot of new members, so take the time to get to know them. Hope to see you there!

For those following the story of the 20' memorial steel cross that Micheal Collins is donating to Kerr County, here’s an...
06/06/2026

For those following the story of the 20' memorial steel cross that Micheal Collins is donating to Kerr County, here’s an update:

Earlier today with the incredible assistance of KPUB and J3, the final resting place for the cross was prepared in Flat Rock Park. J3 Superintendent, David Long, showed up early with a crew, skid steer and materials and prepared the drill site and installed a 6’ diameter raised circular form for a concrete platform that will surround and support the 20’ tall cross. A KPUB crew led by Toby Geurin showed up at 9:00 am and started drilling the hole. As our location is close to the river, within the floodplain, but outside the floodway, sure enough we hit water at a depth of around 4’. KPUB kept drilling the hole to 8', but it became apparent that the water flow was bringing in too much water and the hole was collapsing. So J3 brought an 8’ long section of 20” steel casing and it was run in the hole with minimal resistance. As there was a lot of sand and gravel inside the casing, KPUB brought in a jet vac trailer and were able to vacuum out most of the sand and gravel while jetting water to stir it up. KPUB were released and the J3 team then ran heavy rebar into the casing and installed more within the circular platform form. Everything was completed by 11:30 am.

Micheal Collins, the cross fabricator, has it loaded on a trailer and is ready to head our way from Mineral Wells, TX first thing in the morning. I expect him to arrive at around noon. J3 will be ready to pour concrete. Devon Burger with Bad Company Excavation and Land Management made arrangements to provide a skylift telehandler to install the cross. Pro Rental, Comfort are providing the skylift free of charge in support of this project. The skylift is already on location in the park.

If all goes well, our memorial cross should be installed by 1:00 pm tomorrow (Saturday, June 6th). Pastor Tim Radkey from Hosanna Lutheran Church (my church) will be there to provide a prayer of consecration and dedication for the cross. I have also asked our local radio celebrity, Lorraine LeMon, to provide one of her powerful prayers. Come out by 1:00 pm and join us in prayers of thanks to all who have made this gift possible. You’ll see us in the center of the park near the children’s playground area. I hope you can join us and meet Michael Collins, an incredible man. A huge thanks go out to Micheal Collins, KPUB, J3, Bad Company Excavation and ProRental, without whom this beautiful memorial cross would not be possible!

DSHS provides the following precautions following animal New World Screwworm case in Texas:The Department of State Healt...
06/05/2026

DSHS provides the following precautions following animal New World Screwworm case in Texas:

The Department of State Health Services is alerting Texans to the presence of New World Screwworm (NWS) in the state following confirmation of an NWS detection in a bovine in Zavala County. The three-week-old affected calf was found with larvae from the parasitic fly in its umbilical area. New World screwworm flies have been moving north through Mexico since they were first detected there in November 2024.

NWS flies were endemic in Texas and many southern states until their eradication from the U.S. mainland in 1966. NWS flies are endemic in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and parts of South America. The current outbreak is considered to have begun in Panama in 2022, with the flies migrating north since that time. NWS flies are now present in all countries of Central America and much of Mexico.

The larvae of the parasitic fly primarily infests livestock, pets, wildlife, and other warm-blooded animals, including in rare cases people. NWS flies lay eggs on or near open wounds and body openings, such as the eyes, ears, nose, mouth or ge****ls. When the eggs hatch, the larvae burrow into and feed on the living tissue of the mammal, which can cause severe harm and even death. While not common in people, if you notice a suspicious lesion on your body or suspect you may have contracted screwworm, seek immediate medical attention.

Healthcare providers should consider NWS in patients who have traveled in areas with animal or human cases of NWS and who suffer from a painful, foul-smelling wound containing visible larvae. Deep wounds with extensive tissue damage are also evidence of larval infestation, even if no larvae are seen on initial examination. There is no human-to-human transmission of NWS infestation.
Anyone who sees or feels larvae in a wound should cover the wound and contact their healthcare provider immediately. Larvae should only be removed by a healthcare provider to prevent further tissue damage and illness. Do not attempt to remove or dispose of eggs or larvae yourself.

The food supply in Texas is safe from screwworm. Current state or federal meat inspectors examine each animal to ensure they do not have signs of disease or pests, including screwworm.

05/16/2026

Here is a video of the Michael Collins cross that will be installed in Flat Rock Park. He plans to deliver it on Saturday, June 6th. KPUB has agreed to drill the 20" hole, so now I am looking for a sponsor for the concrete (~1 yard) and a Skytrack lift or tall excavator that can lift the 25' cross and set it in place. Its really taking shape.

Sunday night we had a severe storm pass through the area with extremely high winds and rain (fortunately no hail). At 9:...
05/12/2026

Sunday night we had a severe storm pass through the area with extremely high winds and rain (fortunately no hail). At 9:08 pm CPVFD was called out to “Assist the Public” to extricate a man from his rv trailer after a large tree blew over onto his trailer trapping him inside. The last thing anyone wanted to do was venture out in the driving rain, nonetheless a bunch of our members turned out. While in route, some members found downed trees blocking the roads (on Skyline Drive and CP River Road), which had to be cleared so traffic could pass. So we split up into multiple teams to clear roads and one to clear the tree on the trailer at the Triple T RV Park. In the photo below you can see our Assistant Chief working to clear tree branches from the trailer. We also had to remove the awning which was destroyed. We had him out in short order while other crews continued to clear trees from roads. Fortunately the owner was fine and the damage to his trailer wasn’t bad, other than the awning and a few dents and scratches.

Thank the Lord that we have volunteers who are willing to brave any weather conditions to assist our community. All too often our VFDs are taken for granted, yet they are the backbone of our county emergency response for all natural disasters. While we were clearing trees in Center Point, we heard the Ingram VFD called out for a fire. I hope you will remember your local VFD when they hold fundraising events. They are the best investment you will ever make for your safety.

I am pleased to announce that earlier today our commissioner’ court approved accepting a 17’ 7” steel cross to be instal...
05/12/2026

I am pleased to announce that earlier today our commissioner’ court approved accepting a 17’ 7” steel cross to be installed in Flat Rock Park as a memorial to the lives lost in the July 4th flood. When complete it will be similar to the beautiful cross donated and installed at the Center Point VFD fire station on Kelly and Skyline Drive. The crosses were made and donated by Michael Collins from Mineral Wells, Texas. The one in the video is still a work in progress but should be finished soon and installed in Flat Rock Park in June. Michael has made 10 of these crosses and donated 8 to various organizations in tribute to souls tragically lost (e.g. one in Uvalde and one in Mesa AZ in memory of Emily Pike). We are planning a ceremony on July 4th. There will also be a prayer vigil and breakfast early on the 4th at the CPVFD station. Michael has been invited to attend both events. Additional details will follow.

The best way to contact me is via my county cell phone (830-343-9107) which I carry all the time or by sending me an ema...
05/08/2026

The best way to contact me is via my county cell phone (830-343-9107) which I carry all the time or by sending me an email. I am unable to respond to all of the Facebook messages I receive. But I will respond to any email sent to [email protected] the same day received. If I don't take your call, please leave a message and I will call you back, same day.

Address

PO Box 5030
Center Point, TX
78010

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