Archives for September 2003

AMARILLO – Bryan Daniel, Texas State Director for USDA Rural Development, announced last week that Panhandle Community Services was awarded a $157,920 grant through the Rural Housing Service Housing Preservation Grant (HPG) program.

USDA funds will be used to assist 35 families with essential home repairs in 26 Panhandle counties.  The estimated population of these counties is 360,000, with nine percent being very low income.  Each county will receive assistance based on the total population, percentage of low income and amount of funds available, and areas of greatest need.  The funds will be used to conserve energy and improve accessibility for the handicapped.

For more information regarding USDA Rural Development programs, contact the USDA Local Service Center in Amarillo at 806-468-8600, ext. 4.

The Donley County Sheriff’s Office is reminding kids to be wary around strangers following last week’s arrest of an Amarillo man here.

Larry Lee Lincoln, age 39, was arrested and booked into the Donley County Jail on prohibited weapons charges after making advances on two local girls.

According to Sheriff Butch Blackburn, the juveniles came to his office after school last Thursday and reported a man in his 30s was trying to pick them up. The suspect had given his phone number to one of the girls, and Blackburn had the girl call the man.

The subject made several sexual advances during the phone conversation and made arrangements for a date despite the girl’s mentioning that she is a minor.

The sheriff met the subject at 8 p.m. that evening on the Clarendon High School parking lot, discovered prohibited weapons in the man’s possession, and took the man into custody.

Lincoln has a lengthy criminal history and was on parole for delivery of a controlled substance. At press time, he was being held on second-degree felony charges and a Texas Department of Criminal Justice blue warrant, which is not bondable.

“I want to thank the two girls for having the mental fortitude to bring this to my office,” Blackburn said. “I believe this person is a predator of small children. Even though I can’t mention the girls’ names, they did the community and all area communities a service when they came forward.”

Blackburn said the suspect possessed maps of several area towns and said he thought it looked as though the man was preying on small towns.

“The community needs to be aware that there are predators out there; and although we may not have many here, they can come from 60 miles away and be in our school parking lot,” he said. “Kids need to be aware of the old saying, ‘stranger – danger.’”

Clarendon College Regents approved a $5.5 million operating budget for the 2003-2004 fiscal year during their regular meeting last Thursday.

The board also adopted a tax increase for the Clarendon College District, which changes the ad valorem rate from $0.183240 per $100 valuation to $0.1987, an increase in the rate of slightly more than 1½ cents. The total local tax levy accounts for only $294,275 in income for the college.

The increase this year will cost the owner of a $50,000 property an additional $7.73 per year.

CC President Myles Shelton said the tax increase was necessary in the face of funding cuts on the state level. Clarendon College’s direct state appropriation for fiscal year 2004 is $356,887 less than FY 2003.

“We can’t make it all up, but there is a portion we had to make up to continue to operate,” Shelton said. “If we were fully funded, then we would be better off.”

Community colleges in Texas haven’t been fully funded since 1985, Shelton said. Now, the state is only paying about 51% of the cost of community college education expenses.

Earlier this year, state budget cuts led to staff reductions and increases in the tuition and fees paid by students, and Shelton said Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn has as much as said that the state budget was balanced on the backs of teachers, schools, and colleges.

“…the share of the state budget reductions borne by school folks will total $1.1 billion in the next two years,” Strayhorn wrote in the September issue of her Fiscal Notes newsletter.

Shelton said the Legislature this spring mandated the formation of a study group to make recommendations about the future funding of higher education in Texas. The findings of the study group will not be released until 2005.

In other college business, regents received updates on construction projects now underway or nearing completion.

CC is nearing the closeout phases of the Livestock & Equine Center (LEC) and the softball field, both of which were built with donated money. The LEC is expected to be ready in October. The new dorm is operational and full of students. It was built with revenue bonds, which are funded by student fees.

Work continues on a new library facility, which has been mandated by the college’s accrediting agency and will be built with donated money. CC expects to have blueprints next month and to begin construction by late December or the first part of 2004.

Regents discussed a possible lease of CC’s property near Conway to a renewable energy company, but no action was taken.

A Request For Proposals (RFP) was discussed for a new motor coach, but the board decided to reject all the proposals.

In personnel issues, the board hired Cliff Sandin as a custodian at the CC Pampa Center, and regents learned of Ranch & Feedlot Operations instructor Jerry Gage’s intention to retire after the current school year.

A busy day is in store at the Saints’ Roost Museum as the ninth annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff gets underway this Saturday, September 27.

Sixteen wagons are set to compete for top prizes, and the day will provide great family entertainment for all ages. Two other wagons were also scheduled to compete but had to pull out in recent days due to circumstances beyond the museum’s control.

The gate opens at 7:30 a.m. with breakfast and lunch concessions provided by Boy Scout Troop 433, and museum tours will be available throughout the day.

The tradeshow starts at 10 a.m. with exhibits by Jack & Lindy Craft, Iron Buckboard Silver, Cowboy Fudge, G-B’s, Cortney Shaller, Millie B’s Country Corner, Delbert Trew, Clarendon Assembly of God, Ed Bright, Katherine Ariola, the Friends of the Library, and many more area businesses and organizations.

Patrick Robertson and KEFH-FM will provide music beginning at 11 a.m. Live entertainment follows with afternoon performances scheduled by Dan Hall of Clarendon, Cozy and the Red River Valley Band of McLean, Robert Shelton of Clarendon, cowboy poet Oscar Auker of Clarendon, Dusty Michele Armstrong of White Deer, Gary Alan Bruce of Clarendon, and the Maskils of Panhandle.

The Chuckwagon meal will be served at 5 p.m. with a menu of chicken fried steak, potatoes, beans, and cobbler.

At 6:30, the museum will raffle off a pair of James Owens Handmade Boots, and the cookoff awards will be presented at 6:45.

Admission to the all-day event is free. Tickets for the authentic Chuckwagon supper are $10 each and can be purchased in advance at Henson’s in Clarendon by calling 806/874-3517. Boot tickets are also available at Henson’s or from any museum board member.

This year’s cookoff will also be accompanied by the first Saints’ Roost Gun & Knife Show located inside the Clarendon Community Center. Admission to the show is free with a cookoff ticket or $3 at the door. The gun show will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

On Sunday morning, cowboy church will be held under the tent at the museum with preaching by Shannon Hall of Loco, Okla.

Proceeds from the cookoff and the gun show will benefit the Saints’ Roost Museum’s continuing efforts to preserve the history of Donley County. The museum is located just off State Hwy. 70 South.

By Tyler Lewis, Clarendon FFA

Clarendon FFA Chapter competed in the Ag Mechanics Project Show and Livestock Judging Contest on September 13 at the Tri-State Fair & Rodeo.

Seven ag mechanics exhibitors and four livestock judgers attended the competition.

The following students exhibited the first place cattle feeder in Class 5 (livestock production projects): J.C. Blackburn, Haley Shelton, Matthew McCabe, and Kimberly Tolbert. In Class 5, the following students exhibited the second place doggin’ chute: Dusty Martindale, Tyler Lewis, and Joaenea Horn.

The two projects also resulted in second place overall chapter award, several prizes and premiums for Clarendon FFA.

The Livestock Judging Team placed fifth overall in the contest and consists of the following members: Ryan Petty, Ashley Petty, Joel Horn, and Martin Oliver.

On September 12, Eric Flieger competed in the youth culinary at the Tri-State Fair and received a second and a third in the baked goods competition.

“I anticipate great things are in the future for these students,” said advisor Mr. Robin Wheelus. “We have some motivated ag mechanics students who want to compete, and our livestock judging team is very young and promising. The Tri-State Fair was just the start that these students needed to get them rolling into a competitive year.”

Clarendon FFA Officers that will be leading the membership for 2003-2004 term are: President – J.C. Blackburn; Vice President – Dusty Martindale; Secretary – Joeanea Horn; Treasurer – Blake Frye; Reporter – Tyler Lewis; and Sentinel – Haley Shelton.

Tickets are on sale now for the ninth annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff to be held next Saturday, September 27, at the Saints’ Roost Museum.

Officials with the museum say 16 wagons are signed up to compete for top prizes, and the day will provide great family entertainment for all ages.

The gate opens at 7:30 a.m. with breakfast and lunch concessions provided by Boy Scout Troop 433. The tradeshow starts at 10 a.m., and museum tours will be available throughout the day.

Patrick Robertson and KEFH-FM will provide music beginning at 11 a.m.

Live entertainment follows with afternoon performances scheduled by Dan Hall of Clarendon, Cozy and the Red River Valley Band of McLean, cowboy poet Oscar Auker of Clarendon, music by Robert Shelton of Clarendon, Dusty Michele Armstrong of White Deer, Gary Alan Bruce of Clarendon,  the Maskils of Panhandle, and cowboy poetry from Justin Hagel.

The Chuckwagon meal will be served at 5 p.m. with a menu of chicken fried steak, potatoes, beans, and cobbler.

At 6:30, the museum will raffle off a pair of James Owens Handmade Boots, and the cookoff awards will be presented at 6:45.

Admission to the all-day event is free. Tickets for the authentic Chuckwagon supper are $10 each and can be purchased in advance at Henson’s in Clarendon by calling 806/874-3517. Boot tickets are also available at Henson’s or from any museum board member.

This year’s cookoff will also be accompanied by the first Saints’ Roost Gun & Knife Show located inside the Clarendon Community Center. Admission to the show is free with a cookoff ticket or $3 at the door.

The gun show will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

On Sunday morning, cowboy church will be held under the tent at the museum with preaching by Shannon Hall of Loco, Okla.

All proceeds from the cookoff and the gun show will benefit the Saints’ Roost Museum’s continuing efforts to preserve the history of Donley County.

Work began on the renovation of the old Ft. Worth & Denver Railroad Depot last week after more than three years of planning and setbacks.

Representatives of the Saints’ Roost Museum Board met with Dallas-based contractor Phoenix I Restoration & Construction last Wednesday and signed the contract on the $200,000 job. The finished depot will be used to house transportation-related exhibits.

Project manager John Swanson said his crew would begin immediately working on demolition of deteriorated elements and getting new materials ready.

The depot, which was moved from Kearney Street to the museum grounds in 1996, will undergo a total restoration inside and out, Swanson said. The building will be re-wired and re-plumbed to meet modern needs and codes. The baggage and ticket areas will be restored, and a kitchen area will be put in behind the ticket office.

All windows and doors will be made operable, and alterations will be made to meet federal handicapped requirements.

The hardwood floors will be repaired and sealed but not refinished, and the ceilings and walls will be scraped, sanded, and repainted. Exterior walls will be filled with blow-in insulation, and a plastic vapor barrier will be installed above the tongue and grove bead-boards on the ceiling.

The exterior of the building will also be scrapped, sanded, and painted; and new trim will be added around the top. A reproduction of the “Clarendon” sign will also be affixed to the end of the building.

Clarendon’s depot was originally constructed in late 1887 or early 1888, and this is believed to be at least partially the same building, although it was substantially remodeled more than once, specifically in 1915 and 1927.

The depot renovation is being funded by a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation and through the generous donations of many individuals and businesses. The project is expected to take about 90 days to complete.