Archives for June 2001

Clarendon’s Mac Stavenhagen hasn’t had very good luck with pickup trucks lately.

Stavenhagen’s old pickup was wrecked on March 29 when the partially loaded fertilizer spreader he was pulling started fishtailing, spun the lightweight Dodge truck 180 degrees, and flipped it over on its top.

Stavenhagen replaced that truck with a ’94 Chevrolet only to have it stolen from his home last week.

Donley County Deputy Bruce Burrell was on patrol about midnight last Thursday when he saw a suspicious subject near Duckwall’s variety store, according to Sheriff Butch Blackburn. The deputy circled around behind the store with his lights off and discovered ’94 Chevrolet pickup parked there.

Burrell called for assistance, and Chief Deputy Randy Bond picked up 17-year-old Daniel Curry and took him in for questioning. Curry confessed to stealing Stavenhagen’s pickup and was planning to go to Pampa in it, the sheriff said.

Curry remained in the Donley County Jail at press time on a charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and Blackburn said he will face a June 21 grand jury.

Curry is already under indictment for breaking into the vocational agriculture building at Clarendon ISD on April 8, a crime to which he also confessed.  He was out on bond when he stole Stavenhagen’s pickup, Blackburn said.

“I was very fortunate to have recovered [the truck] so quickly,” Stavenhagen said. “I went to bed about 11 p.m. and had gone outside just before that. I didn’t notice if it was gone then.”

The sheriff’s department called Stavenhagen about 12:30 a.m. to say they had found his pickup, he said.

“I’d like to thank the sheriff’s department for being on the ball. They prevented me from losing the truck.”

Sheriff Blackburn commended Deputies Burrell and Bond for their quick action on this case.

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen heard from two citizens during their regular meeting last Tuesday, June 12, who each plan to make improvements in the city.

Bill Cornell addressed the board regarding his plans for a new farm and ranch supply business to be built at US 287 and Orpe Street.

Cornell, the local Purina Feed dealer, told the council he hopes to have his business open before Christmas. He asked the city to maintain Orpe Street in order that he and his customers can have access to the new store. The aldermen agreed to maintain the street after Cornell’s building is erected.

Dr. John Howard addressed the board regarding his plans for a new clinic and asked the city to abate his taxes.

Howard said the present health clinic has grown from three fulltime employees to eight fulltime-equivalent employees since his arrival. He has purchased land south of the Medical Center Nursing Home and intends to break ground this summer on a new 5,000 square foot facility on that site.

The board discussed Howard’s plans and agreed the new clinic will be an important addition to the city. The aldermen voted to give the doctor a tax abatement for a period of ten years. The vote was 4-0 with Alderman Bob Watson abstaining. Watson said he was in favor of the new clinic, but being new on the board, he didn’t feel he knew enough about the abatement process to vote.

Roger Estlack presented a proposed advertisement for the city to be run in the Pioneer Edition of the Enterprise. The board approved the ad.

Don Stone spoke regarding the property at 217 E. Third Street, which burned a couple of years ago. Stone said the building was unsafe and the yard needs work. The board voted to hold a public hearing regarding a dangerous structure and notify the owner as prescribed by Ordinance No. 306.

Alderman Watson was appointed to the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation board.

City Superintendent Jim Roberts reported on the progress of the water grant and the recycling grant. Carolyn Blackerby reported on the summer reading program at the library.

The property at Wood Ave. and Jackson St. was discussed, but no action was taken as no papers were provided by the property owner or his attorney as requested previously be the board.

Donley County began the process of redrawing precinct lines last Friday in the Courthouse Annex.

The commissioners’ court met in a called session with a citizens advisory committee and Bobbye C. Hill, an attorney from Wheeler who was hired by the county to oversee the redistricting.

Unlike many rural West Texas counties, Donley grew in the last ten years. The 2000 federal census found a total of 3,828 people here, an increase of more than 3.5 percent from the 1990 census.

The growth was centered in the City of Howardwick, which more than doubled its population from 205 to 437 people.

Howardwick lies entirely within Precinct One, and the lakeside city’s growth has created an imbalance with the other three precincts. Precinct One has 223 more people than the next largest precinct, which is Precinct Two with 935, according to information presented Friday. Precinct Four has the lowest population with 843.

Hill said precinct populations under the law should be split as evenly as possible to insure everyone is equally represented and that their votes count equally. The overall deviation between the precincts needs to be less than ten percent.

One solution discussed at the meeting as being the simplest would be to put part of Howardwick in Precinct Four, taking population from the largest precinct and moving it to the smallest.

The alternative would be to try to move people out of Precinct One by redrawing the precinct lines in Clarendon.

One advisory committee member said that precinct lines are confusing enough in Clarendon without redrawing them, and another said that since growth in Howardwick is where the problem lies, the solution should be in Howardwick also.

Pct. One Commissioner Ernest Johnston will get input from Howardwick on the issue facing his precinct.

Precincts Two and Three are within tolerances with their populations, but moving Clarendon’s business district from Precinct Four to Precinct Two was discussed. The move would not affect population but would allow downtown businesses to file certain small claims actions with the justice of the peace court in Clarendon rather than travel out of town.

Hill said she hopes to have the redistricting completed by the middle of July. She will hold one more meeting at some point with the citizens committee before submitting a plan to the commissioners for approval.

Sue Church, County FCS Agent

The new site of the annual Arts and Crafts Fair in Clarendon will be the City Park located at the corner of Kearney and 6th Street on Saturday, July 7th.  The hours of the event will be from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  The relocation lends itself to the new “Art in the Park” designation.

Artisans have reserved booth spaces to sell birdhouses, bits, spurs, buckles, interior decor items such as floral arrangements and painted wood signs, cookbooks, purses, t-shirts and more.  Additionally, there will be homemade ice cream, baked goods and several raffled items such as a trip to Las Vegas, a microwave, and a quilt.

The Art-in-the-Park event will be held in conjunction with many other activities taking place in Clarendon throughout the day.  The VFW will host a breakfast for the public from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m.   Along with the Art in the Park, the city park will be the site of an old settlers’ reunion, a barbecue sponsored by the Shriners, and the Lion’s Club Cow Patty Bingo.  Following the annual parade at 2:00 p.m., a turtle race will be held downtown.  In the evening will be a Cowboy Ranch Rodeo and dance at the rodeo grounds.

If you would like to be a part of the action in Clarendon by exhibiting at the Art in the Park on July 7th, contact the Donley County Extension Office at 874-2141 to reserve a space.  You’ll be glad you did!

Five years ago, folks in Clarendon felt like they were in an Internet no man’s land, forced to pay long distance charges to hook up to most service providers. Then Extended Local Calling opened up the phone lines to Amarillo and Pampa, bringing the digital world affordably within our grasp.

Now in 2001, we again find ourselves on the communications frontier as broadband Internet services have not yet found their way to our humble hamlet. As a result, local Internet users are stuck hopelessly in the digital slow lane – poking along at a pathetic 56k bps when all the planets are aligned properly and at 28k or less the rest of the time.

Cable Internet is unknown here. Digital Subscriber Line service (DSL) is also no where to be seen. But hope springs eternal. There is a possibility of attracting a high speed, wireless Internet service to come to town, but to do so we need your help.

An Amarillo-based company wants to know how many folks in Clarendon would be interested in their service. If you think you might be one of those people, then please pick up the phone and call the Enterprise at 874-2259 or e-mail us at Clar1701@aol.com.  We’ll give you all the details.

Donley County officials will have a means of keeping the $3 million restoration of the 1890 courthouse within its budget if a state agency grants its approval this week.

Commissioners met Friday in a called session with project architect Chris Hutson of Volz & Associates for the purpose of approving a set of “deduct alternates” – options that would allow the county to scale back parts of the project if the bids come in higher than expected.

This week the county authorized advertising for bids and release of construction documents.

Hutson identified 15 possible deduct alternates totaling more than $800,000. If the bids are too high, the county could exercise one or more of those options to keep the restoration within the budget. The alternates range from not repairing the big stained glass window on the first floor for an estimated savings of $6,037 to not restoring nor replacing existing exterior stonework for an estimated savings of $294,147.

The deductive alternates have to be approved by the Texas Historical Commission (THC). Advertising for bids will begin as soon as THC makes its determination on that issue.

Hutson told commissioners he had estimated the Donley County project at $267 per square foot based on similar projects in Gonzales and Caldwell counties, which cost $131 per square foot and $250 per square foot respectively. The concern is that bids for Llano County’s project recently came in at $350 per square foot.

But officials say estimating a project this size involves a lot of guesswork because of the number of variables involved. While Llano County and other projects have come in higher, Hutson said he had seen it go the opposite way also. One library restoration his firm worked on was estimated to cost $2.2 million, but the bids came in at $1.2 million.

“It’s always easier to hope for the best and expect the worst,” Hutson said.

In other county news, the commissioners’ court met in regular session on Monday. Clarendon Mayor Tex Selvidge addressed the court regarding the new solid waste transfer station being built by the city.

The Board of Alderman are asking the county to close its dump near the municipal airport and use the city’s new facility. The county currently operates a dump box three days a week and has an $11,000 contract with BFI to haul the trash. According to Judge Jack Hall, the mayor said the city would charge the county $10,000. The city plans to keep its new facility open seven days a week. Commissioners took no action on this item, saying they want to hear from rural citizens on the matter.

The court approved a motion to have the Courthouse Annex sprayed for pest control on a monthly basis.

A cell phone for Justice of the Peace Ann Kennedy was approved, and the court authorized the county paying for one-half of the cost of new shelving in the district attorney’s office with the DA paying the other half. The county owns that office building.

A letter authorizing a fire drill on lots 662 and 665 on Gary Drive in Howardwick was approved, and a resolution was passed supporting the state’s Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Program.

The county budget was amended to allow the county clerk’s office to use office money for the salary of records management personnel.

The court also adopted a new employment policy requiring county offices to advertise employment opportunities for two weeks in the local newspaper. Employment notices will also be posted on the county bulletin board at the Courthouse Annex.

For more information about the Donley County Courthouse project, click here.

Building permits are not often thought about in Clarendon, but they are required for any project costing $250 or more.

City officials brought the issue of permitting to the public’s attention last fall when private encroachments in city alleyways threatened a waterworks improvement grant project. Some recent residential projects around the town of again called attention to the problem.

A 1952 city ordinance requires a permit for any wall, structure, building, or part thereof that is built, enlarged, altered, or repaired. A plan of the proposed work and a list of materials must be provided for approval by the city.

Officials say the purpose of the permitting process is to insure that structures are not build on city property, in city rights of way, or in city streets.

The process also protects people from encroaching on their neighbor’s property and is a way to ensure the safety of the public.

Not obtaining a permit can cause problems for the city as well as for the property owner. This was highlighted last month when the board of aldermen was approached regarding a home in south Clarendon where part of the porch on a residence and a fence were built out into a platted street. Financing for the sale of that house can’t be obtained because of that situation, the board was told. The city was asked to deed over part of the street to clear up the matter. The aldermen took no action at that time.

 The cost of a building permit is $1.25 for the first $1,000 of a project and an additional 25¢ for each additional $1,000. For example, the cost of a permit to build a $50,000 home would be $13.50. 

The ordinance calls for a penalty of up to $100 per day for persons convicted of a violation of the permitting process.