Archives for December 2002

Local residents and people in other small towns are now being represented by a new organization created to become a strong voice for rural Texas.

The City of Clarendon recently became a member of the Association of Rural Communities in Texas (ARCIT), which will be working for towns west of I-35, according to Mayor Tex Selvidge.

“We feel like it would be beneficial to Clarendon and other small towns to have one voice for rural communities,” Selvidge said.

ARCIT was initially formed in response to the creation of the Office of Rural Community Affairs.  The new state agency will be monitored by ARCIT to ensure State and Federal funds designed for rural areas end up in rural areas.  As the association grows, its membership will direct the board and staff as to other state agencies they would like ARCIT to monitor and advocate for rural issues.

Eligible entities include cities under 50,000 and counties under 200,000. Also eligible to join are economic development corporations and utility district, that serve those areas.

ARCIT will act as an advocate for rural communities during the upcoming 78th Legislative Session.  The organization is governed by an eleven-member board and has about 200 members.

High Spring City manager George Fite is president. 

“At a recent House Committee Hearing discussing rural issues, thirteen State Agency Directors were in attendance, and ARCIT was the only voice there to represent the rural cities and counties,” said Fite.  “We intend to be a strong voice for Rural Texas.”

To learn more, visit arcit.org.

LUBBOCK – Some ag producers believe the new farm bill will simplify their marketing options, choices, and decisions.  That may not be the case, according to a Texas A&M economist.

“The new farm bill does provide an enhanced income safety net.  But that doesn’t mean your marketing decisions will be any easier… in fact, marketing may become more complicated,” said Jackie Smith, Texas Cooperative Extension economist based in Lubbock.  “The methods we use to attain the best cash price haven’t changed, but a portion of our income safety net is now market dependent.”

The new farm bill includes a counter cyclical producer payment that is directly tied to market prices.  That payment will be highest when market prices are lowest, but it may not be there at all when market prices improve.

“That’s what makes marketing plans and methods so important to producers operating under the new farm bill.  Learning how to manage farm bill provisions/options such as the counter cyclical payment should be an integral part of your marketing plan,” Smith added. “Educating producers on these options and helping them develop strategies to reduce price risk is a key goal of the instructors in our next series of Master Marketing classes.”

The first of four 2003 Master Marketer Program sessions begins on January 22, 2003.  The registration deadline for this in-depth intensive marketing and risk management education program is January 7, 2003.

Participants will learn how to identify and evaluate marketing opportunities and then design and follow through with sound marketing plans.

Master Marketer training pays direct dividends to the bottom line.  A recent survey suggests past participants were able to increase their average annual gross revenues from three to ten percent, or about $30,000 each, simply by applying their new-found marketing skills and knowledge, Smith said.

Master Marketers learn from top industry and university professionals, who apply case study examples and simulation exercises in the classroom.  The 64-hour curriculum is offered in four, two-day sessions held every two weeks.

Registration costs $250 per person, plus a commitment to work with your county agent back home to try to start a marketing club.  Anyone interested should register as soon as possible.  The first two times the class was offered in Lubbock, it filled up before the deadline, Smith said.

Checks or money orders for registration should be payable to the Texas Extension Education Foundation.  Enrollment for the 2003 Master Marketer Program in Lubbock may be limited, so prompt registration is recommended, Smith said.

Registration fees pay only a small portion of the program’s cost.  Grants from Extension partners such as the Texas Corn Producers Board, Texas Wheat Producers Association, Texas Farm Bureau, the Cotton State Support Committee, and agribusiness also help fund the training.

Texans can get registration forms or information on the Master Marketers Program by calling Smith at 806-746-6101, or the local county Extension office.

By Cheryl Johnson, Clarendon Enterprise

Donley County will celebrate the second annual Old Fashioned Christmas on Saturday in Clarendon. The event is sponsored by the Donley County Tourism Council.

The day begins at 9:00 a.m. with the Breakfast with the Star at the Community Fellowship Church.  Participants will enjoy breakfast at the church, hear a story, sing songs, and make crafts.  Adults and children are invited to attend.

Santa will join the festivities at Cornell’s Country Store from 10 a.m. to noon and then at Janie’s Beauty Shop from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.  Children can have their picture taken with Santa at either location.

Downtown merchants and business around town will hold special sales at 10:00 that morning.

The Family Treasure Hunt will also begin at 10:00 a.m. at the Burton Memorial Library. Children can pick up their map at the library and visit each merchant for a special treasure.  The hunt will continue until noon. The library will also host a cookie walk from 10:00 a.m. to noon.

The Friends of the Library will provide come and go child sitting services for ages 3 and up at the library while parents shop in Clarendon from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.  The kids will enjoy story time and crafts.  The service is free but donations will be accepted to benefit the Children’s Story Time.

A Charity Tree Forest display will be at the Downtown Ministries Building from 10:00 to 1:00. Businesses, organizations, and individuals are encouraged to purchase a tree, decorate it, and then donate it to an organization or individual of their choice.

Nightwinder will be providing entertainment at the Downtown Ministries Buildling from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Praise Band will play at 1:00 at the Ministries Building followed by Barbara Collins at 3:00.

A Country Christmas Extravaganza craft show, cake walk, face painting, and concessions will be open to the public at 10:00 a.m. at the Old Gym.  KEFH will hold a live remote broadcast from the location. The cake walk starts at 1 p.m.  Hay rides will ferry shoppers from downtown to the craft show.

Exhibitors are lining up to share their wares at this annual event.  Baked goods, candies, Christmas ornaments, collectibles, candles, sterling jewelry, sand art, Watkins products, home décor, metal sculpture, glass jewelry, western crafts, and cosmetics are among some of the items available. Door prizes are being offered.

It is still possible to reserve a space to rent a booth space.  For information, contact the Extension Service at 874-2141.

The Clarendon College Nursing School in downtown Clarendon will hold a bake and craft show Saturday morning. They will also give free blood pressure checks.

Poor Boy’s Antiques will host an Art and Quilt Show from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The day will end at the Community Center for the Saints’ Roost Museum annual Christmas Party.  The dinner begins at 7:30 followed by dancing until 12:30 a.m.  Tickets are $50 per couple, and a drawing will be held for $5,000.  Tickets are available at Henson’s.

A 30-block seal coat plan by the City of Clarendon has been put on indefinite hold following last Tuesday’s Board of Aldermen meeting, in which city officials discussed exploring a larger, more extensive paving project.

Aldermen voted unanimously to accept Gene Barber’s final engineering report for the seal coat plan and to explore other options for paving.

Seal coating existing streets was originally referred to as Phase I of a future paving project, but board consultant Colby Waters said the expense of engineering Phase I wasn’t wasted.

“After viewing Phase I, we realized that it was not going to help us,” Waters said. “We could have spent $500,000 on seal coating and not really been any better off. It showed us that we need a more comprehensive plan.”

Alderman Janice Knorpp said the consensus of the board is to definitely get something done about the streets but to do it right.

“We are going to do this properly,” Knorpp said. “We want to look at curb and gutter and hot mix. We need curb and gutter to control the water flow and to help maintain the streets.”

The new plan is still in the early stages as the city explores what it would take to pave and curb streets throughout Clarendon and how such a project might be financed.

In other city business last week, the aldermen discussed the possibility of hiring a city administrator.

“We’re just running in circles,” Knorpp said, referring to the city’s goals and projects. “We need to do this [hire an administrator].”

Alderman Michael Tibbets raised concerns regarding how to pay for an administrator and expressed his desire to maintain the city’s reserve funds. Currently the city has enough money in reserve to operate for three months with no income.

“I would be against going below three months,” Tibbets said. “In fact, I’m not sure three months is enough, but we should never go below that level.”

Alderman Mark White answered Tibbets with a question: “So we never better ourselves?”

Mayor Tex Selvidge pointed out that the city had actually budgeted for a city administrator salary for the last couple of years, although that line item was removed from the current budget. He said the money the city usually puts into reserve could be used to cover an administrator.

The board also discussed ways an administrator could pay for himself through grant writing, increasing efficiency, and identifying cost savings.

Mayor Selvidge directed city officials to identify money in this year’s budget which might pay for an administrator and asked aldermen to bring all their questions about the position to the January board meeting for further discussion.

Also on the city’s agenda last week, Brent Wheeler of GreenLight Gas addressed the board regarding the regulation of natural gas rates in the city. He said the city currently governs those rates but could by ordinance release that authority to the Texas Railroad Commission. The aldermen voted to retain their authority.

A pole attachment agreement with AEP-West Texas Utilities was discussed. For the first time ever, the electric company is going to charge the city for the electricity used by the Christmas decorations on the streetlights downtown. The cost will be more than $200 for the season. Aldermen expressed their outrage at the meeting but had no choice but to accept the agreement.

The budget for 2002-2003 was amended to consider employee pay raises.

Engineers and city officials worked feverishly this week to apply for a grant that could pay for curb and sidewalk improvements along Fifth Street near the Clarendon Public Schools.

Clarendon aldermen only found out about the grant last Tuesday, November 26, during their regular meeting after it was presented by board consultant Colby Waters. The deadline is 5 p.m. this Friday.

With only three days left to fill out the application, city officials at press time were consulting with engineers, the Childress District TxDOT office, local law enforcement, and the Clarendon ISD administration in order to gather necessary information.

The grant through the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) Safe Routes to School Program provides funding for up to $500,000 for improvements within a two-mile radius of a school. The grant covers items such as pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements, curbs and sidewalks, and widening roadway shoulders.

The grant requires a 20 percent match, which might be waived if the improvements are related to the state highway system. Fifth Street from Koogle Street west is a state farm to market road.

If successful, the city hopes to use the grant to construct curbing and sidewalks along Fifth Street from CISD west to the city limits. Other improvements might also be done on the side roads which connect to Fifth Street near the school and on Bugbee Avenue from Fifth Street to the Clarendon College campus.

City officials will likely be working on the grant right up to the deadline and say they intend to hand-deliver their application to the district TxDOT office Friday.

Late Night Shopping gets underway this Thursday with businesses in downtown Clarendon turning their Christmas lights on at 6 p.m.

Girl Scouts will gather at the Lions Hall at 5:30  to turn on the community lights there Hot drinks will be served afterward in the Girl Scout office.

Merchants will be staying open late every Thursday between now and Christmas. Shop Clarendon first and support your hometown businesses.