Archives for July 2001

Donley County’s architect is negotiating with a Dallas company to find cost alternatives after the only bid to renovate the 1890 courthouse came in more than $1 million over the project budget.

Phoenix 1 Restoration and Construction Ltd. of Dallas was the only firm to submit a bid when the commissioners’ court met last Thursday. The bid was $3.998 million.

Project architect Chris Hutson with the Austin-based firm Volz & Associates said Monday that Phoenix 1 was preparing a list of alternatives to bring the project down to the $2.838 million budget. A meeting between the architects, County Judge Jack Hall, and the Texas Historical Commission (THC) is anticipated for next week.

The contractor will review every aspect of the project to look for ways to cut costs using different materials or different product vendors, Hutson said.

The THC will have to approve any alternatives proposed by the contractor. Hutson said the state historical commission’s goal is to make sure THC money is well spent and that the concerns identified in the Master Plan are being addressed.

Previously, Hutson and county officials had identified several deductive alternates, but even using those, the bid would still be about half a million dollars over the budget.

Hutson said he thought the Phoenix 1 bid was too high, but he said the company does have a good reputation and has experience with historic renovations. He said Phoenix is the contractor for the Llano County project and has been involved with the projects in Gray and Shackelford counties.

Bids for several other courthouse projects are also coming in high. Hutson said he doesn’t know if that is a factor of current market conditions, a shortage of qualified workers, or a combination of the two.

 “We had hoped to get several bids – maybe three from Amarillo and one from Abilene,” said Judge Hall.

One Amarillo company did not attend the mandatory pre-bid conference because they were too busy, another pulled out shortly after the pre-bid conference, and a third worked late into the night last Wednesday but finally said they couldn’t make the Thursday deadline.

If negotiations with Phoenix 1 fail, Hall said the county could re-bid the entire project.

“We’re going to work on it until we get it where it needs to be,” Hall said.

Commissioners took no action Thursday, which Hall said left all their options open. The county has the right to reject the bid.

Two new buildings are on the horizon for the Donley County Hospital District with the first being rushed to completion for an October 1, 2001, move-in date.

The hospital board and personnel with the Associated Ambulance Authority broke ground on the new facilities last Tuesday, and construction crews are busy forming the foundation for a new Community Services Building this week. Dirt work is also proceeding on an adjacent facility for the Ambulance Authority.

The Community Services Building will occupy 2,700 square feet and will house local offices for the Texas Department of Human Services (TDHS), the Texas Department of Health (TDH), and physical and occupational therapy services for Panhandle Rehabilitation Specialists.

District Administrator Alan Graham said TDHS has already signed a lease agreement with the hospital district, and he expects to have agreements in place with the other two services prior to the October 1 completion date.

The Community Services Building will be a wood frame structure with a brick and stucco exterior and a hipped roof. The interior will have a commercial finish similar to the recent remodeling of the Medical Center Nursing Home. Both new buildings will be designed to complement the Medical Center using the same brick and color scheme, Graham said.

The cost of the Community Services Building will be an estimated $175,000.

As workers finish on the first building, they will move to the ambulance facility, which will be a steel structure with an exterior finish like the Community Service Building.

The ambulance facility will occupy 3,000 square feet and will have four ambulance bays, offices for ambulance personnel, and a crew room. The authority currently just has three ambulances, but Graham said the district is planning for future growth by having the fourth bay available.

Other space in the new facility is also dedicated for future activities. Room is being made available to provide telemedicine and expanded hours care for minor emergencies.

Telemedicine services would likely be provided through Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo while the staffing of a minor emergency center is still in the planning stages, Graham said.

“There is a need during some parts of the year to have after hours care,” Graham said, noting that one individual came to the Medical Center Nursing Home after hours recently. “He had a cut on his head and thought he was at a hospital.”

Graham said the nursing home isn’t equipped to handle those kinds of situations, which have happened more than once. Having the ambulance crew nearby would be beneficial in those cases.

The estimated cost of the ambulance facility is $325,000.

Both buildings will be located south of the nursing home, and Dr. John Howard is planning to build a new health clinic nearby. The goal of the district is to create a central location – or complex – for health services in Donley County.

Graham reported Tuesday that workers were planning to pour the foundation for the Community Services Building this week and that framing should begin next week.

Local citizens whose homes were damaged by flooding on May 3, 2001, could receive help to fix the damage if a grant application is successful, but they need to contact officials immediately.

Donley County, through the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission (PRPC), is applying for disaster relief through the HOME program administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. If awarded, the funding will be available to make repairs and might also be available for Homebuyer Assistance if repairs are not feasible.

Eligible homeowners must have received damage as a result of the May storms that were not covered either by insurance or public assistance sources.

Currently, county officials are soliciting information from all residents of the county regarding damages that their homes may have received in the flood. This information is necessary before the county can proceed with its application.

The county is also soliciting local contractors who might be interested in bidding on and performing repairs approved under the grant.

All homeowners with flood-damaged homes and all contractors interested in being included on the potential bidders list are asked to contact County Judge Jack Hall at 874-3625 before August 1, 2001.

Jarrett Atkinson with the PRPC says its important for Donley County to get its application in as soon as possible because substantial damage from floods in the Houston area will be applying for funds at the same time.

Local officials should know by the end of September whether the Donley application has been approved.

The Clarendon Enterprise and The Albany News tied for top honors during the West Texas Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest this past weekend.

The two newspapers were recognized as Sweepstakes Winners in the Division D category for weekly papers under 1,800 in circulation during the WTPA’s 71st annual summer convention at the YO Ranch Resort Hotel in Kerrville on Saturday night.

The Enterprise won first place plaques in News Writing and Advertising Composition. Christi Ross’ “On The Mark” column was awarded second place, and the paper received a second place in Features by Valerie Avery and Roger Estlack.

The local paper was also awarded second place in Photography and third place in Special Sections for its annual pioneer edition of The Donley County Leader.

 This was the Enterprise’s first time to compete in the West Texas contest. Other newspapers representing the Panhandle region at the convention were The Perryton Herald and the Plainview Daily Herald.

Cheryl Johnson, Clarendon Enterprise

The tennis courts at Clarendon ISD were the subject of several improvements earlier this summer.

In June, the courts were cleaned with a powerwash, and the surface was overlaid with Laykote. The courts were them completed with a fresh coat of paint.

CISD budgeted over $13,000 to refurbish the courts, according to Head Coach Keila Cruce, who raised additional funds for the windscreens surrounding the courts by working the grill at the varsity basketball games.

“The response to the tennis program has been overwhelming,” said Cruce.

A tennis camp was at the new courts with 25 students learning the fundamentals the last week and 15 students attending this week.

Currently there are 25 junior high students and 15 high school students signed-up to participate in the tennis program. With the new facilities, Coach Cruce hopes to have both a junior high and varsity tournament in the spring. 

Coach Cruce, who is also the elementary physical education teacher, said the United States Tennis Association will provide a program for elementary students in the spring that will provide rackets and t-shirts. Rackets will also be available for the students to purchase for a low price from the association.

“I appreciate the support we have received on refurbishing the courts,” said Cruce. “This will help in building a good tennis program in Clarendon.”

The tennis courts were re-built in 1989 with a grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Service through a cooperative agreement between the City of Clarendon and Clarendon ISD.  Among the improvements at that time, new concrete courts were poured, new lighting installed, and the facility was fenced in.

It was a homegrown production featuring local and area cowboys, the local I Bar Ranch won it, and supporters say overall it met with great success.

The ranch rodeo during this year’s Saints’ Roost Celebration exceeded the expectations of the Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association (COEA), said Ken Shelton, who is the group’s president.

A big attendance was reported for both nights of the rodeo and the dances which followed, and comments around town have generally been positive.

For decades, COEA had hosted an annual amateur rodeo in conjuncture with the annual celebration, but the event had consistently lost money in recent years, Shelton said.

“We were just going the wrong way with the PRCA rodeo. Our attendance was down, and I think the community had just lost interest,” Shelton said. “We had to do something or split up.”

To offset their losses from the July 4th rodeo, COEA held a ranch rodeo in August 1999 and June 2000. Shelton said the 2000 ranch rodeo was a pilot program to see if the community would support it as an Independence Day activity. This year the group decided to make the change.

The ranch rodeo concept is more family oriented, Shelton said, and generates more interest because it features local cowboys in competition.

The response from area ranches was reported to be overwhelming. COEA had planned to have 20 teams compete over two nights. But the response was such that 24 teams competed, and officials had to turn other teams away.

The self-produced rodeo was a learning experience for COEA, and officials say they hope to overcome difficulties and improve the ranch rodeo for next year. It is possible that the event could be expanded to more than two nights to allow more teams to compete. Other changes may be made to quicken the pace of the competitions.

Officials aren’t sure how much money they made on the 2001 rodeo, but they feel certain they came out ahead. Shelton said any profits would first go to make improvements to the Community Center and the arena and to the COEA’s scholarship fund.

Shelton said in the past, “when we were making money,” the group used to contribute to the Little League, some local school programs, and other community activities. Shelton hopes COEA can start doing that again with future successes.

“We thank everybody for their support,” he said. “We hope the rodeo will be bigger and better next year, and we welcome any ideas for improvements.”

Results of the rodeo are as follows:

First place team: I Bar Ranch from Clarendon with members Steve Shaller, David Shaller, Cash Gates, Cody Graves, and Mike Wallendorff.

Second place team: Broken G Livestock Co. from Alpine, Texas, with members Jason Owen, Keith Grigsby, Michael Seaton, Juan Naverette, and Marcus Ethridge.

Third place team: Spade Ranch from Clarendon with members Rooster Falcon, Andy Falcon, Kyle Everson, Moe Borchardt, and Marty Daniels.

Top Hand Award was presented to Juan Navarette from the Broken G Livestock Co and the Top Horse Award went to Bubba Withers from the LeMejor Ranch in Seymour, Texas.

Event winners include:

Bronco Riding: Juan Navarette from Broken G. Livestock Co.

Team Doctoring: Bar W Ranch from Clarendon with members Danny Bennett, Teal Bennett, Tate Bennett, Dave Lande, and Clay Waters.

Team Sorting: High Card Ranch from Clarendon with members Morris Crump, Linda Crump, Randy Crump, Ray Crump, and James McCleskey.

Wild Cow Milking: LX Ranch from Amarillo with members Dave Anderson, Marty Crim, Bill Gillaspie, Jim Kingston, and Bob Benton.

Team Branding: High Card Ranch with members Morris Crump, Linda Crump, Randy Crump, Ray Crump, and James McCleskey.

Open Wild Mare Race: Friday night – Kyle Jones, Kyle Everson, and Moe Borchardt; Saturday night – Zack Baldwin, Brad Shadle, and Randy Crump.

The Junior Calf Ride winners were: Friday night – Clay Raglin, first place; Pecos Williams, second place; Paydon Hales, third.  Saturday night – Clay Raglin, first place; Paydon Hales, second place; and Michael Hall, third place.  Overall winners were Clay Raglin, who received a belt buckle provided by West Texas Western Store, Paydon Hales, and Michael Hall.  The event was sponsored by Walco International and West Texas Western Store.

The Junior Steer Ride winners were: Friday night – Devin Cornell; Saturday Night – Caleb Shadle, first place; Wichita Falcon, second place; and Jo Don Shipp, third place.  Overall winners were Caleb Shadle, who received a belt buckle provided by West Texas Western Store, Devin Cornell, and Wichita Falcon. The event was sponsored by Walco International and West Texas Western Store.

Calf Scramble winners were: Friday night – Brett Cauble, Edward Graham, and Jessie Howard.  Saturday night – Jessie Cornell, Arlin Ray, and Anthony Rodriquez.  The Scramble was sponsored by The Donley County State Bank.

Wid Slick was the winner of the handmade spurs.  The $200 beef certificate was won by Jo Don Shipp on Friday night and Carey Thornberry on Saturday night.

The Ranch Horse Competition was held Saturday morning at the Rodeo Grounds.  The winners were:

Cowboy Class: first place – Andy Michael riding Blue Eyed Cougar; second place – Ken Jarosz riding Forest; and third place – Steve Lewis riding Otoe Pepi Badger.

Open Class: Junior Division – Andy Michael riding Blue Eyed Cougar, first place; Colin Land riding Cappi, second place.  Senior Division – Joe Leathers riding Juke Box, first place; Jim Stevenson riding Bud Ro, second place.

Just three years after the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) completed a $3.2 million overhaul of US 287 through Clarendon, the city’s main thoroughfare is under construction again.

A crew from J. Lee Milligan of Amarillo will be in town for approximately two weeks, according to TxDOT spokeswoman Barbara Seal.

Workers will be milling out the ruts that have formed in some places along the highway and laying down a more durable hot mix in their place.

Seal said the work is the first phase of a 77-day project that will take the Milligan crew from Clarendon through several towns along US 287 and ending in Chillicothe. Similar work will be performed in each town. The entire project will cost $621,000.

The crew will return to Donley County in the middle of August to start another project, Seal said.

Starting at the Armstrong County line and working to the west city limit of Hedley, the southbound lanes of US 287 will be receiving a new overlay, costing an estimated $3.5 million. No work related to this project will be done in Clarendon, Seal said.