Community Cleanup Project
   In February 2002, Wharton County Commissioner’s Court made my office responsible for environmental enforcement in Wharton County. Since that time, I have worked with Deputy Constable Mark Somer, who heads the environmental crimes division, in coming up with new ways and ideas to make Wharton County not only a safer place, but also a cleaner place to live.

County Judge John Murrile revived a program that he was very successful with while serving as Justice of the Peace in Precinct #2 involving community cleanup using community service personnel. Judge Murrile, working with Commissioner’s Court, Adult Probation, and the Justice Courts started a program that places supervised community service personnel in different precincts of the county picking up literally thousands of pounds of discarded trash, tires and appliances. This program is headed by Simone Sanders who oversees as many as 10 to 15 probationers that are performing their court assigned community service hours cleaning Wharton County one road at a time. Judge Murrile and I met to discuss plans to place the program under Wharton County Constable’s Office Precinct #2 and it’s Environmental Enforcement Division. Commissioner’s Court then approved the plan and then the program was placed under the control of my office.

The Wharton County Community Service Cleanup Project has been extremely successful. Currently, the program spends 8 hours per week in a different area, or precinct, of the county each week. It is not unusual for the crews to gather more then 80 - 120 bags of garbage in an 8-hour day. Each Commissioner and their employees have been extremely helpful assisting with clean up of large, difficult to reach areas, like creeks and large ditches. On occasion the crew has used the precinct barn’s Gradall’s to reach debris in creeks and ditches.

In June 2004, my office received the news of the approval of approximately $37,000 in the form of a grant from HGAC. The grant will provide a new vehicle, trailer, supplies and four dumpsters for the clean-up program.

If you have areas that are in need of cleaning up, please contact the Wharton County Constable’s Office Precinct #2 at 979-335-6210 or e-mail us at cleanup@whartonconstable2.com.