Archives for November 2002

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen voted to take action against property owners at 107 E. Front Street and to tear down an old house at that address.

City officials had declared in July that the house owned by Benny and Janet Harris constituted a fire hazard and was a “dangerous structure” under local municipal ordinances. Weeds and debris on the property were also determined to be a public nuisance at the same time, and the aldermen gave the owners 30 days to clean up their lots and to either fix or remove the house.

Last week, the board found that the property owners had not made any progress in correcting the problems and voted unanimously to clean up the lots and tear down the house.

Aldermen considered taking action on a trailer house at the same address, in which Mr. and Mrs. Harris live, but it will not be demolished. City Attorney James Shelton advised the board that the city would have to go through the district court to touch the trailer since it is considered to be a homestead.

No timetable was set for the clean up and demolition work. According to previous comments in city meetings, municipal workers have cleaned the property twice in the past, and a church group has cleaned it once.

The board also discussed nuisances at other properties in town last week and began the legal steps to take action against those owners as well.

In other city business, engineer Che Shadle discussed the paving work to be done under the NRCS and ORCA grants in the southeastern part of town. The fieldwork has been completed, and paving and curb and gutter work on 14 blocks should begin next spring when warm weather returns. Possible easements needed on Thurman Avenue were discussed.

City Superintendent Jim Roberts reported that Clarendon has been approved for a $29,900 grant for a loader and yard ramp at the recycling center.

City Secretary Linda Smith brought up the annual employee dinner, and a date was set for this. Smith also asked Shelton for clarification on animal permits for residents whose property is only partially inside the city limits. Shelton said anyone with livestock in the city limits must comply with the ordinance.

The employee uniform contract with Unifirst was discussed, and the board directed the city attorney to draft a letter terminating the contract on December 31, 2002. 

The aldermen also voted to write a letter to AEP-WTU regarding a proposed Pole Attachment Agreement informing the electric company that the city already has an agreement and feels a new one is unnecessary. AEP had requested the city sign an agreement to place holiday decorations on streetlights downtown and charge the city for any electricity used.

The contract with the Donley Appraisal District was discussed, and aldermen expressed frustration with the way the appraisal board is comprised. The entity that collects the most taxes has the most votes and can control who is appointed to the board. The city does not have enough votes on its own to appoint someone to the board. The aldermen also discussed the district’s budget.

The contract with the district was approved with Aldermen Bob Watson and Mark White voting in favor, Aldermen Tommy Hill and Michael Tibbets against, and Alderman Janice Knorpp not voting. Mayor Tex Selvidge broke the tie with a vote in favor.

Tibbets said he understood the catch-22 the city was in with needing the district to collect its taxes but said he voted against the contract because he wanted the public to know there is an issue with the district’s budget.

WASHINGTON, DC – Twenty months after he first introduced legislation to establish a Department of Homeland Security, Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) voted for – and the US Senate approved Tuesday – a plan that would do just that.

“I am pleased that we have finally been able to reach agreement on this legislation,” Thornberry stated. “While I had hoped we would have approved the bill sooner, the important thing is that we are doing it now.  Acting quickly is critical to the security of the American people.

“This is not a perfect plan.  I have no doubt Congress will need to revisit portions of this plan at some point down the road.  You just don’t pull together over twenty different agencies and expect it to go off without a hitch.  But we’ve got to start someplace, and this plan will put the foundation in place to make our Nation more secure.

At present, Thornberry noted, more than 40 federal agencies have some responsibility for homeland security.  Under the plan approved this week, a number of these key agencies will be merged into a new Homeland Security Department.  These agencies include the Border Patrol, Customs Service, Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

This bill, which was approved by the House of Representatives by a vote of 299-121 and by the Senate 90-9, mirrors and builds upon HR 1159, legislation Thornberry introduced in March 2001 to reorganize homeland defenses.  Since introducing this bill, Thornberry has worked with the Bush administration and Congressional leadership to craft a reorganization plan.

Improvements are getting underway at Greenbelt Water Authority which will change the way Clarendon’s drinking water is treated.

Greenbelt General Manager Bobbie Kidd said work on the $2.3 million project at the filter plant north of Clarendon will be performed by the firm of R.M. Wright of El Paso.

“They have already been here and rented two houses for their workers to stay in,” Kidd said. “They are just waiting for material to be delivered to get started.”

The project will completely change Greenbelt’s chemical feed system, disinfecting system, filtering process, and reporting process, Kidd said. Half of the money spent at the plant will go toward replacing the old filters which have been in place for 35 years.

 The water authority has until 2004 to comply with more stringent standards set by the federal government. Kidd said Greenbelt started the process of upgrading several years ago.

“Three years ago in October we started with a 12-month evaluation to identify any problems and what needs to be done to meet the new standards,” he said. “We also tried to anticipate the regulations which might be enacted in the next 20 years.”

The new system will change the treatment of Greenbelt water from a chlorine method to a new treatment by chloramines, which uses both chlorine and ammonia.  The system will also stop using dry bulk chemicals and move to liquid chemicals.

Other changes include doubling the electrical service at the plant from 500 KVA to 1,000 KVA and upgrading the computer system in the plant which controls treatment of the water and delivery of the water from the Greenbelt Reservoir from here to Crowell. The present controls were last upgraded 19 years ago, and some parts date back to 1965.

Kidd said the contractor expects to be finished by May 1, 2003, although the contract allows for 56 weeks to complete the job.

Local residents should not have any disruption in their water service during most of the work. But Kidd did say there will be one day next spring that water won’t be pumped to Clarendon. The authority will work with the City of Clarendon to notify customers before that happens.

“If we can pick that day and can pump the water tanks full ahead of time, there should be no problem.”

Greenbelt is also building a new storage tank at Childress as part of the upgrade. The Natgun Corporation was awarded the $1.7 million contract for that job and expects to be finished next July, although they also have a 56-week contract.

Natgun, which is based in Wakefield, Mass., with offices in Dallas, is constructing a new six million gallon concrete tank to replace the old four million gallon steel tank presently in Childress.

Site work has already been completed on that job, Kidd said.

Financing for the project was secured for the project in 2001, and Kidd said the bids have come in lower than expected, which will allow Greenbelt to do some additional work.

Engineering for the filter upgrade and the new tank is under the supervision of Freese and Nichols, Inc. – the same firm which designed the Greenbelt Reservoir and the filter plant in the 1960s.

Citizens in Donley County gathered on two separate occasions over the weekend to remember the sacrifices of America’s veterans.

The Adamson-Lane Post 287 of the American Legion hosted special services in the Rowe Cemetery near Hedley Saturday for the second year. Connie Debord gave the invocation, and the colors were posted by J.D. Skaggs and Doyle Messer. The National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance followed.

Donley County Judge Jack Hall spoke on the history of Veterans Day and its origins with the Armistice which ended World War I. Hall also recited the poem, “In Flanders Fields.”  Legion Post Commander Jack Moreman remembered the 50th anniversary of the Korean War and recited an inscription from a New Mexico war memorial entitled “What is a Soldier?”.

Barbara Collins sang “God Bless America,” and Kristen Dwight performed “Taps.”

A good crowd braved the cold and near rainy weather Monday for the fourth annual Veterans Day service at the Donley County War Memorial hosted by VFW Post 7782.

Visiting groups and organizations amassed their flags, and the colors were posted by James Thomas and T.C. Saye. VFW Chaplain Jimmy Swinney gave the invocation, and the Bronco Band played “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The Hedley School Choir performed “Where the Stars & Stripes and the Eagle Fly,” and the VFW’s Bill Holden gave the introduction and spoke on the symbolism of Old Glory. The Bronco Band played its award-winning medley of war tunes from throughout our nation’s history, featuring songs such as “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” and “The Ballad of the Green Berets.”

Jack Moreman discussed the Korean War anniversary and noted that the men and women serving there today are not much older than the students in the band and choir.

The Bronco Band then played snippets from the service songs of each branch of the US military. Veterans stood as their service song was played.

Speakers for the morning included Judge Hall, Holden, and VFW District Commander Paul DeWolfe.

The VFW held its customary memorial service followed by “Taps” as played by Vanna Holton.

A wreath was laid at the War Memorial, and the benediction was given.

The service ended with visitors placing flags near the names of loved ones on the walkway of the memorial.

A petition regarding the property tax rate in Donley County was officially presented to the Commissioners’ Court Tuesday morning.

Don Smith was sworn in by County Judge Jack Hall during the court’s regular meeting. Hall asked Smith several questions about the petition, which had previously been left at the judge’s office on October 31. Smith answered in the affirmative when asked if he had followed the tax code in preparing the petition and said there were no duplicate pages that he knew of.

The court voted unanimously to accept the submittal of the petition and to meet within 20 days to adopt a resolution on the petition’s validity.

A chimney on the northwest side of the 1890 Donley County Courthouse collapsed last Friday, and officials say they are still investigating the cause.

The 22-foot chimney had originally been removed many decades ago and had been reconstructed as part the ongoing restoration of the courthouse.

Friday morning the structure fell over and broke into three pieces. The top piece, weighing 8,000 pounds, knocked a hole in the roof and then rolled off and crashed into the scaffolding surrounding the building. It hung up in the top level of the scaffold.

No one was injured in the collapse, and other reconstructed chimneys – including an identical 22-foot structure – are receiving added bracing as a precaution.