Archives for August 2003

More traffic equals more troopers on the job this Labor Day weekend.

The Texas Department of Public Safety will have all available troopers on the roadways during the upcoming Labor Day weekend targeting speeders, seat belt violators, and drunk drivers.

DPS-along with law enforcement agencies throughout the state-will increase patrols from Friday, August 29, through Monday, September 1, in an effort to cut down on highway deaths and injuries.

Last year, DPS issued 26,577 citations during the Labor Day holiday, which is more than three and a half times the number of a non-holiday weekend. This includes 1,297 alcohol-related citations or arrests.

“Labor Day tends to be a holiday with a large number of DWI fatalities,” said DPS Director Col. Thomas A. Davis, Jr.  

“Because Labor Day is traditionally the last weekend of the summer, more people are out celebrating-creating potentially dangerous situations on our roadways.”

A new state law, effective Sept. 1, makes driving while intoxicated with a passenger younger than 15 a state jail felony, punishable by a maximum of two years in jail and a $10,000 fine.  Another new law will result in a $3,000 surcharge (paid over three years) if an offender is convicted of driving while intoxicated.

“Our job is to make sure the highways are safe for everyone, so drivers who insist on endangering others run a much higher risk of getting a ticket or going to jail this holiday weekend,” said Davis. 

DPS is a participant in Operation CARE-Combined Accident Reduction Effort – a nationwide effort by police agencies to reduce fatalities during holidays.

Local tourism boosters are welcoming the issuance of a new map from the Texas Parks & Wildlife (TPWD) which features Donley County.

The map is part of the new Panhandle Plains Wildlife Trail opening this month and features 97 different parks, ranches, and other locales where motorists can discover the best places to see wildlife and get back to nature. Road signs will go up this fall to help drivers find sites on the trail.

“We have been working on this for three years,” said Clarendon Economic Development Director Dee Dee Autry. “This will be a great opportunity for ranches to diversify and for local nature and birding tour operators.”

True to the Lone Star tradition of all-things big, the new driving trail runs through 60 Texas counties stretching from just south of Abilene up through the Rolling Plains and Panhandle to the Oklahoma border.

It’s the second of four driving trails developed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and local communities with funding from the Texas Department of Transportation, all modeled upon the success of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, which was done in the late 1990s.

“When the maps on the coastal trail came out, tourism increased by 13 percent,” Autry said.

The Panhandle Plains trail is organized into 13 loops, which provide travel itineraries for those who want to check out a particular region. Unlike the coastal birding trail, which was largely fashioned around public parks and refuges, the new trail features 29 private properties, from small bed and breakfasts to large ranches offering many activities.

“An outstanding feature of the Panhandle Plains Wildlife Trail is the awesome private ranches that are now open to guests,” said Linda Campbell, TPWD nature tourism coordinator.

“We’ve got more private ranches on this trail because of the limited number of public lands in this part of the state. These are some of the state’s best-kept secrets-places few people have ever seen before that are now opening to serve nature-based recreationists.”

Donley County has six of the eight locations on the Salt Fork Loop. Those attractions include Lake Greenbelt, the Bar H Dude Ranch, the James Pinkney Rodgers Bird Sanctuary, the Taylor Lakes wildlife area, Coyote Ridge Ranch, and the Finch Ranch.

The back of the 35”x33” full-color map gives precise directions to each location and details what native flora and fauna can be found there.

Texas was the first state in the nation to build wildlife viewing driving trails that provide economic incentives for landowners and communities to conserve habitats while providing recreational opportunities for the traveling public.

The Panhandle Plains and Heart of Texas Wildlife Trails were funded with $948,480 in grants approved by the Texas Transportation Commission. The Panhandle Plains trail was also supported by a $25,000 grant from The CH Foundation of Lubbock.

Local and regional groups that helped gather information for the maps were the Clarendon EDC, the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce, Donley County Tourism Development, Texas Prairie Rivers, and the Panhandle Tourism & Marketing Council.

Autry said TPWD will have 500,000 of the maps printed and distributed to Texas travel and visitor centers around the state. The CEDC office in the Newhouse Building has a few of the maps available now, and more are expected to arrive soon. Otherwise, TPWD’s wildlife trail maps may be purchased for $3 each by calling toll-free (888) 900-2577.

City Hall is answering criticism of a comprehensive paving plan with officials saying they have an eye on the future and are prepared to properly maintain new streets.

Voters in Clarendon began early voting Wednesday, casting ballots “for” or “against” issuing $2.5 million in certificates of obligation to pave, curb, and gutter 152 blocks across the city.

Critics of the proposed project worry about the future maintenance of the pavement given the old water and sewer lines currently running underneath Clarendon’s streets. But City Administrator Sean Pate says those are issues that can be dealt with.

“Right now, citizens are seeing the way it’s been done,” Pate said. “To go in at this point – with our streets in such dire shape – and try to square off the holes and patch them all correctly, it would be very time consuming and ineffective. I think if the city was given another chance, things would be done differently.”

Pate said future repairs will be made using different techniques, including using a special saw to cut holes to make repairs when needed.

“We’re going to make sure we patch ‘em right,” he said. “When we patch a line, we’ll dig out all the wet dirt, replace it with dry material, let it settle, and pack it good. We’ll cut the pavement and roll the cold mix.”

Pate said the city already has a roller and should be able to purchase a saw – possibly one that can be fitted to the backhoe – that shouldn’t be too expensive.

“If we cut the pavement and patch it right, then when you put a fresh seal coat on, it’s like nothing ever happened.”

The condition of the city’s waterworks varies in different parts of town, Pate said. Some areas are in good shape, and there are some areas that need to be replaced where there’s old clay pipe. The administrator said one possibility is that when lines need to be replaced is to relocate them to the rights-of-way to avoid damaging the paving.

“The biggest part of this project is to do the paving right and to see that it’s done by a professional, who is bonded,” he said. “I compare it to buying a TV. You can buy a cheapo set, or you can spend a little more and get one that’s better made and has a better warranty. If we do the paving ourselves, it wouldn’t be as good.”

The city’s engineers, administrator, and board consultant have also all advised the Board of Aldermen to get on a rotating seal coat plan to maintain the streets in the future. Pate said many small cities do this now with all of them contributing money to help offset the cost.

“I’m talking to Oller Engineering now because they’ve been highly recommended by other cities,” Pate said.

The rotating seal coat plan would kick in about five years after the paving project with engineers doing a needs assessment to evaluate which streets needed to be resurfaced, he said. A certain number of streets would be done each year, which, along with proper routine maintenance, would provide a good driving surface for many years to come.

“Let’s do this right,” Pate said. “Let’s get it paved and then take care of business.”

Early voting by personal appearance continues at City Hall through September 9. The election will be held on Saturday, September 13, 2003.

Early voting by personal appearance begins next Wednesday, August 27, in an election that will determine the fate of Clarendon’s street paving proposal.

Registered city voters may cast ballots “for” or “against” the issuance of $2.5 million in certificates of obligation. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at City Hall, and early voting will continue through September 9, 2003.

Election day will be Saturday, September 13, 2003.

https://www.clarendonlive.com/2003/08/2842/

While the State of Texas continues to struggle with declining sales tax revenue, the City of Clarendon is not going along with the trend.

The city saw a 19.52 percent increase in its monthly sales tax rebate when Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn sent the payment last week.

Clarendon’s rebate of $28,329.71 was up from $23,702.80 for the same period last year, and the year-to-date total is up more than four percent.

Hedley’s rebate of $547.24 reflected a 3.84 percent drop from the same period a year ago, but the city was still running 14.98 percent ahead for the year-to-date. Howardwick’s rebate dropped 4.34 percent to $1,059.42, and the year-to-date total is trailing 1.51 percent.

August sales tax rebates include local sales taxes collected in June by businesses that report sales taxes monthly, and in April, May and June by quarterly filers, and reported to the Comptroller in July.

The state’s share of sales tax collected during this period was $1.16 billion, down 4.6 percent compared to a year ago. The 4.6% decline means Texas collected $55,880,870 less than July 2002. The significant drop ranks as the third worst single month decline for Texas in the last ten years.

“This is very negative news.” Strayhorn said. “When the sales tax catches a cold, our state gets pneumonia. We’ve had a decline in sales tax collections for twelve of the last thirteen months.

“This unfortunate, historic drop of 4.6% shows that our Texas economy remains weak and there is still no turnaround in sight.”

Strayhorn went on to say, “We can’t afford to go whistling past the graveyard. State government must work even harder at finding ways to save taxpayers dollars.”

With just one month left, sales tax collections for fiscal year 2003 are down 1.8%, $236,504,862, from last fiscal year. That number is even worse than the 1.1% decline Texans experienced in fiscal year 2002.

A state team found no deficiencies at the Medical Center Nursing Home last week when the Texas Department of Human Services conducted its annual review of the facility.

Donley County Hospital District Administrator Alan Graham said it’s rare for a nursing home to have zero deficiencies given the broad scope of the inspection.

“They look at everything – life safety code, state and federal regulations compliance, food preparation and sanitation, and administration,” he said.

Graham said there is a lot more to operating a nursing home than meets the eye, and the annual inspection examines every facet of that operation from patients’ rights issues to how tight doors seal under the fire code to the amount of light at bed level.

The four-member state team made its unannounced visit Monday through Wednesday of last week; and while they did discuss some items that will need to be addressed under upcoming code changes, Graham said the inspectors told him there were no deficiencies and they were very complimentary of the facility.

Graham said there have been no quality of life issues at the home in the last several years; but in looking at old reports back through the early 1990s, he could find no instance of another time when their were zero deficiencies. Glenda Wilson, who has worked at the nursing home for 21 years, said she could not remember a time when there were no deficiencies in any department.

The report is something for the Medical Center and the community to be proud of, and it is the result of people working together, Graham said.

“The cohesiveness of our team at all levels is what made this possible,” he said. “We have a highly qualified staff, and we’re committed to giving the best care and the best service.”

Graham also credited the residents and the hospital board for adding to the family-like atmosphere at the home.

Director of Nurses Vickie Robertson agreed with Graham’s comments.

“The resident is always our first concern,” she said. “We all work together, and there is no one person who is solely responsible for resident care.”

Medical Center Nursing Home also has a high employee retention rate and boasts a five-star rating for 1999-2003 from the Gannett News Service’s Nursing Home Quality Report.

Classroom parties at Clarendon Elementary will never be the same following new rules handed down by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs that took effect August 1, 2003.

In an effort to combat what Combs calls “an obesity epidemic,” the Texas Department of Agriculture has amended its policies on Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value (FMNVs). But the new rules have some local people scratching their heads, and Superintendent Monty Hysinger says it seems like Combs just has her own mission.

“There is no way the quantity (of FMNVs) they get here is causing an obesity epidemic,” Hysinger said.

Nevertheless, new state policy now prohibits access to carbonated beverages, certain candy and chewing gum by elementary school children at any time during the school day and to junior high school students during meal periods. In addition, junior high schools must not serve or provide access to carbonated beverages larger than 12 ounces at any time during the school day. 

“You already couldn’t serve these things at lunch,” Hysinger said, “but now you can’t bring them to parties either.”

Parents can no longer bring such items as soft drinks, lollipops, rock candies, cough drops, jelly beans, candy-coated popcorn, gum drops, or bubblegum to classroom parties.

“Our cafeteria serves decent meals that follow nutritional guidelines,” Hysinger said. “But we used to give Dairy Queen Blizzards for meeting reading goals; now we can’t. We used to have pizza parties with Cokes. Now we can probably have the pizzas but no Cokes.”

The new rules do not apply to sack lunches, but kids will prohibited from sharing any FMNVs with their classmates.

Combs department says an increasing consumption of junk food and carbonated beverages are to blame for increasing obesity and Type II diabetes in American school children, but local school and health officials say there is no such epidemic in Donley County and that nutritional habits must go beyond the school door.

“We don’t have any cases of Type II diabetes,” said CISD Nurse Tiffany Shadle. “We do have maybe 25 to 30 percent of the kids overweight.”

Shadle said she thinks the new rules are good in that teachers should give healthier rewards than M&Ms and soft drinks, but she also thinks that parents should be able to bring what they want to school parties and that behavioral changes need to be made at home.

“The kids don’t do anything except just go home and watch TV,” she said. “People also are eating out a lot more than they used to.”

Dr. John Howard of Clarendon Family Medical Center says the local community doesn’t fit the national pattern in this case.

“Obesity in America is a huge problem, and I’m concerned about it,” Howard said, “But in this respect, Donley County is not a reflection of the nation as a whole.”

Howard said there are probably 25 percent of kids overweight but that is far different from being obese, which is defined by having a Body Mass Index greater than 30. There are not a lot of local kids with Type II diabetes, he said, but there are a lot of adults.

“Part of it [Type II diabetes] is genetic predisposition – it’s more common in Hispanics, for example – and it’s exacerbated by obesity.”

Howard said he thinks it’s good to set goals and to educate children about nutrition and good health. But he also said school is only six hours out of the day.

“The problem is people aren’t exercising; they’re watching TV and playing Nintendo and are less active,” Howard said. “The real question is this: ‘Is this the kind of thing government can or should be doing?’ I think it is probably overreaching.”

Combs’ authority in dictating what foods can be served in school came in July, when the USDA Child Nutrition Programs, formerly located at the Texas Education Agency, moved to TDA, and USDA designated TDA as the administering agency for the programs.  The federal programs provide funding and nutritional guidelines and services for public schools in Texas.

If a violation is found, TDA will disallow all federal meal reimbursements for the day and require the school to reimburse the foodservice account for any lost revenue. 

“If we don’t follow this, they could stop funding our [food] program,” Hysinger said, “and we’ve got 60 percent of kids on free and reduced lunches.”

The superintendent said CISD has benefited from its vending relationship with Coca-Cola, through donations of “three or four scoreboards” valued at an estimated $5,000 each, and additionally the school gets money off its own vending machines.

“We get $5,000 to $6,000 per year off vending machines, and that all goes right back to things for the kids.”