Archives for June 2005

School’s out for the summer, but there is still plenty of activity at Clarendon ISD where a $500,000 asbestos abatement and renovation is underway.

The project calls for the removal and replacement of the floors and ceilings in all the 1961-era buildings on the campus. And it’s all got to be over and done with before classes start again this fall.

“It almost seems like an insurmountable mountain,” said Superintending Monty Hysinger, “but we’re going to make it.”

The administration building, elementary school, junior high school, library, and cafeteria all had to be abandoned. The contents from those buildings were boxed up with junior high, cafeteria, and library contents going to the Old Gym and elementary contents going to the Colt Gym.

“We used about 2,600 boxes to move everything,” Hysinger said.

Remodeled in 1989, the high school building has become the hub of all school functions with administrative offices temporarily relocated to the second floor and summer school being held on the third floor.

Work started in the Administration Building and is expected to be finished this week. Abatement workers are currently taking up floor tile and removing ceiling tiles and grids in the C-Wing of the elementary school. Hysinger said work will then proceed to the junior high or A-Wing, then the D-Wing of the elementary, and finally the B-Wing, which includes the cafeteria, library, and home economics room.

In additions to new floors and ceilings, all lights will be replaced or retrofitted with new high-efficiency fixtures, all classrooms will be repainted, and all the old green chalkboards will be replaced with new marker boards.

The school’s old boiler was removed several years ago, but the current project will finish that job by removing the old pipes and radiators from the classrooms.

The school is also conducting this work with an eye on the future.

“We’re putting new heavy R-30 insulation in the ceilings,” Hysinger said, “but we’re suspending it in chicken wire so that we have a dead space above the new ceiling tile to run future wiring and cabling.

The abatement work will cost about $150,000, and the new ceilings, floors, insulation, lights, and marker boards will cost some $350,000. Hysinger said CISD will pay for the work with money from its reserves.

The project has to be completed by August 5 and for each day (up to seven days) the contractor gets through ahead of schedule, CISD will pay a bonus of $1,000.

Hysinger said the project should extend the life of the 44-year-old facilities.

“The contractor and I were talking about these buildings,” Hysinger said. “It’s such a simple design, but it’s the type of design that will last a long time with a little care. There’s no reason these buildings shouldn’t last another 30 years.”

A man described by witnesses as “a lunatic” led Donley County’s Chief Deputy on a wild car chase last Friday before he was subdued, escaped, and was subdued again.

Sergio Adrian Silva, age 19, was in Donley County Jail at press time facing charges of Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer, Aggravated Assault, Evading Arrest in a Motor Vehicle, Kidnapping, and Escape.

Danny Hill works at West Texas Gas and witnessed part of the chase and its conclusion.

“He was just a lunatic,” Hill said. “He didn’t care if he hurt anybody.”

Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn said Silva took his girlfriend, 23-year-old Celestina Arrevla, against her will from Pampa and headed for Houston. In Clarendon, Arrevla convinced Silva that she needed to use the restroom, and he let her out at West Texas Gas at US 287 and Orpe St., where she told employees there to call the police.

Blackburn said Silva apparently figured out what was going on, and he fled the scene in his Dodge Durango, jumping a curb and blowing out his left rear tire in the process. He drove back downtown and pulled into the alley behind the Clarendon Fire Department to change his flat.

Watchful citizens alerted law enforcement to Silva’s location, and Chief Deputy Randy Bond pulled into the alley from US 287 where he saw Silva attempting to jack up his vehicle. Bond said Silva jumped into the Durango, sped backward down the alley to First Street, and then took off east, running a stop sign before heading back south on Kearney Street. He ran the red light at US 287, barely missed a vehicle, and headed back east toward West Texas Gas, where Arrevla still was.

Bond said the suspect sped through the West Texas Gas parking lot, crossed Orpe Street, went through the parking lot of Cornell’s Country Store, and back out on the highway. Bond then tried to stop on-coming traffic at this point to keep him from returning downtown.

Silva, meanwhile, reportedly turned around in the parking lot at the Clarendon Veterinary Hospital, almost hit a Trailways bus, got back on 287, and headed west. He hit the pickup of Bobby Tolbert in front of White’s Feed & Seed, losing his front left wheel and hub in the process.

As Silva passed by Cornell’s again, he was rammed by Deputy Bond’s patrol truck.

“His vehicle just started fish-tailing at this point,” Bond said, “but I wasn’t letting him back downtown.”

Silva’s vehicle finally spun almost 180 degrees and came to rest near the curb in front of West Texas Gas. He continued to gun the vehicle, trying to get it to move, and Bond pinned his patrol truck against the Durango.

“He then tried to get out his passenger side door,” Bond said. “It was jammed, so he climbed out his back window, which had been busted out.”

Silva then reportedly ran north across the parking lot. Bond told him to stop twice and then fired a warning shot into the air. The suspect lay down, and Bond cuffed him and led him back to the patrol truck.

As other law enforcement personnel began to arrive, the cuffed Silva took off on foot again, and Sheriff Blackburn, Deputy Mike Spier, corrections officer Joe Hall, and Game Warden Adrian Smith of Dennison, who was just passing through town, brought the man down.

Silva was booked into the Donley County Jail, where he has “pulled several incidents,” Blackburn said. Bond was initially set at $80,000, but that figure was expected to rise as additional charges are filed.

“He [Silva] could have killed a lot of people,” the sheriff said. “He showed no regard for other people and still doesn’t at this time.

“I think Chief Deputy Bond did an exceptional job. It could have been a lot worse.”

Activities are lining up for the 127th anniversary Saints’ Roost Celebration and Ranch Rodeo to be held July 1, 2, and 4 in Clarendon.

Activities begin Friday, July 1, with the Donley County Horse Club Stick Horse Rodeo at 9 a.m.across from the Post Office. Youngsters will ride stick horses in several events.  Registration begins June 24 at Saye’s.  Cost is $5 per child. 

Also on Friday, the annual Depression Lunch at the Downtown Ministries building will begin at 11 a.m. and will consist of beans, cornbread, dessert, and a drink. 

The Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association will start the 10-team ranch rodeo at 7:30 p.m.  Friday. Team events for the night include Bronco Riding, Wild Cow Milking, Team Branding, and Team Doctoring/Sorting. Kids are invited to participate in the Open Junior Calf Ride (ages 0-8), the Steer Ride (age 9-12), and the Donkey Ride (age 0-12).  Entry fee is $20 for each event. The Open Calf Scramble, sponsored by Donley County State Bank, is open to age 0-12 and is free. 

The rodeo will also feature the Open Wild Mare Race.  There is a $90 entry fee with $150 added money. 

A $200 beef certificate will be drawn each night at the Rodeo.

You can dance the night away Friday to the sounds of the Brant Moore Band at the rodeo grounds from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

COEA will start the fun early Saturday morning with the RHAA Ranch Horse Competition at 8 a.m.

The Arts and Crafts Fair will begin at City Park at 9 a.m. Booths selling food and craft items will be open until 3 p.m. The Donley County Extension Office is renting booth space for the fair for $25.  For an entry form or information, contact the Donley County Extension Office at 874-2141.  All entries must be received by June 27.

A big change to this year’s celebration is the Bicycle Parade and Western Parade.  The two parades will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.  The bikes will go first, follwed directly by the Western Parade.  The Chamber of Commerce is accepting entry forms for both parades.  The deadline to enter is June 24.  Entry forms are available in this issue, at the Chamber office, or at Burton Memorial Library.

Line up for the Western Parade begins at 8:30 a.m. two blocks west of the City Park. Bicycle Parade participants can fill out the entry form in this issue or register 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning at the park. 

The Old Settlers Reunion will be held at the City Park Pavilion beginning at 11:00 a.m. along with the Shriner’s Barbecue.  Tickets for the barbecue are available from any Shriner or at Henson’s.  Tickets will also be sold Saturday.

The Turtle Race will be held Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. at the intersection by Henson’s.  Youngsters are encouraged to sign up now at Henson’s. 

The ranch rodeo begins its second night at 7:30 Saturday.  All events will be the same with ten new teams competing. You can dance with the Lonesome Goat band on Saturday night at 10 p.m.

Monday night COEA hosts an Open Ranch Bronc Ride.  Competitors will ride 30 head of stock that evening.  They will also have the Open Junior Calf Ride, Steer Ride, and Donkey Ride for the youngsters along with the Open Calf Scramble.

If your organization is planning an event during the celebration, call the Enterprise at 874-2259.

The Donley County Hospital District Board accepted two budget proposals to help it deal with a projected shortfall during a called meeting May 31.

Administrator in-training Vicky Robertson submitted revenue projections for Medical Center Nursing Home based on occupancy of 51 residents with no increase in Medicaid funding and no change in employee benefits. The board considered three MCNH budget proposals and approved one that increases LVN salaries by $1 per hour and CNA salaries by 50¢ per hour and gives all other MCNH staff a three percent raise.

Interim administrator Ron Wetzel told the board it was necessary to increase nurses’ salaries to stay competitive.

“It will just be more expensive if you don’t retain your LVNs,” he said.

Following a closed session, the board also voted to increase the salary of the assistant administrator by three percent and raise the salary of the Director of Nurses by $3,090.

Associated Ambulance Authority Directory Anita Aaron submitted four budget proposals for the ambulance service, each of which called for reducing the subsidy the ambulance service receives from the hospital district.

After a closed session concerning Aaron’s salary, the board approved a blended proposal that preserves all employee benefits, reduces the annual subsidy from the hospital district by $16,380, and increases the director’s salary by three percent.

The ambulance service plans to make up for its subsidy reduction through cuts in other areas and improved collections.

Work on the 2005-2006 budget continues this week, according to district officials. Hospital board members on the budget committee said last month that the district has been operating at a loss for several years and has depleted its cash reserves. The district’s fiscal year ends on June 30, and MCNH is facing a projected budget shortfall that could be $80,000.

Cost-cutting measures and last week’s adopted proposals should put the new budget in the black. The district tentatively plans to hold a public hearing on June 20 and to approve the new budget during a board meeting following that hearing.

The Clarendon Enterprise has launched a new digital version of the newspaper in celebration of its 127th anniversary this week.

Enterprise-D has every feature of the print edition and also introduces new benefits to readers, according to publisher Roger Estlack.

“The D stands for digital, and that brings new aspects to the experience of reading the Enterprise,” Estlack said. “Readers can search the entire text of each issue for names or topics at the push of a button, they can zoom in and read small type easily, and they can save each edition indefinitely without cluttering up their home or office with old copies of the paper.”

But the biggest benefit of Enterprise-D will likely be to out of county subscribers who will be able to get their hometown paper much sooner than before.

“We’ve got subscribers on the east and west coasts who report delays of three or four weeks in receiving the paper. Even in the Dallas area, a subscriber can sometimes wait five to ten days for their paper,” Estlack said. “With Enterprise-D a digital paper is delivered to their e-mail box the same day the print edition hits the press. There is no waiting.”

A 12-month subscription to Enterprise-D costs just $9.95, and readers can place their order online or over the telephone. To try out the paper, readers can purchase a single copy from the Enterprise’s Web site for just $1.

Print subscribers can add Enterprise-D to their subscriptions for just $5 and enjoy both versions of the paper.

“This digital concept is something we’ve discussed for about three years, but it has really been spurred on lately by the frustrations our subscribers have experienced with the US Postal Service,” Estlack said. “While we get great service from our local postal carriers, on a national scale, the USPS places newspapers on a low priority when it comes to delivery; and we don’t foresee that getting any better.”

Accompanying the introduction of Enterprise-D, are rate increases for all out-of-county subscriptions and the introduction of a new out-of-state subscription rate. Texas readers outside of Donley County will pay $30 for annual subscriptions. Continental US subscribers outside of Texas will pay $35.

“We don’t want to raise these rates, but the high cost of postage has forced our hand,” Estlack said. “We hope subscribers will at least try Enterprise-D and avoid paying more for the same old snail mail.”

The Clarendon Enterprise was established as The Clarendon News on June 1, 1878 and was the Texas Panhandle’s first newspaper. Enterprise-D is the first weekly newspaper in a digital format in the Panhandle.

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen accepted the low bid on the 2005 street paving project Tuesday night, but directed city engineers to negotiate with the contractor to scale back the job to meet the funds available.

In a called meeting, aldermen voted 3-2 to accept the low bid of Jordan Paving for $1.38 million. Aldermen Mark White, Bobbie Kidd, and Janice Knorpp voted in favor, and Aldermen Michael Tibbets and Tommy Hill opposed the measure.

The only other contractor to turn in a bid by last Thursday’s deadline was J. Lee Milligan, who put in a figure of $1.73 million.

Mayor Tex Selvidge informed the board that slightly more than $1 million is available to the city for the project, but he reminded aldermen that more than $133,000 would be needed for the first tax note payment in February and $45,800 is still owed to the engineers. He said he figured the city has $833,759 available to actually pave streets.

“If we use our improvement fund now and don’t have it to make the first payment, we’re going to be scratching at the end of the year,” Selvidge said.

City engineer Michael Adams said Jordan Paving is willing to work with the city and also said the reason the bids were so far off from the money available was that the engineers had not understood that only about $800,000 would be available for the job.

“We were looking at $1.2 to $1.1 million and that’s the project we put together,” Adams said.

Alderman Tibbets asked if the city needed to have gone out earlier for bids, but Adams said he didn’t think it would have mattered.

“Everybody’s busy; you can see that from just having two bidders,” he said. “I don’t see a change because of the way TxDOT is letting work out and Amarillo is adding subdivisions. If we re-bid, I don’t think we’ll have any bidders at all.”

The board discussed how to scale back what had been touted as a 60-block project. Adams said, in order for the curb system to work, the city needs to start at the top of the hill and work its way down. He suggested cutting proposed blocks east of Koogle Street and then cutting a few additional blocks west of Koogle. He pointed to Third Street between Collinson and McLean and McLean Street between Clarendon Avenue and Fifth Street as being the least critical on that side of town.

The board voted 3-2 (Tibbets and Hill opposed) to give Adams the authority to negotiate with Jordan and cut the streets as discussed. Adams said he would try to have an answer for the board at their next meeting on June 14.

Cowgirls from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, and Colorado will compete in Amarillo’s inaugural Cowgirl Ranch Rodeo on Saturday, June 4, 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the Tri-State Fairgrounds.

Four-woman teams representing area ranches will compete in sorting, branding, doctoring, team tying, and Ranch Horse Competition.  The winning team will perform at the evening performance of the Coors Ranch Rodeo on Saturday night.

Local teams and their members competing include: Calvary Cowgirls – JR Hall Partnership – members Linda Crump of Clarendon, Pam McCleskey and Loretta Hall both of Hedley, and Lana Ritchie of Prairie Hill; Shields Ranch – members Audra Shields-Lujan of Hereford, Stephanie Spillar of Clarendon, Kristin Rice of Friona, and Tammy Valdez of Dimmitt; High Card Ranch in Clarendon – members Nancy Peirce of Clovis, Amanda Deerman of La Mesa, Patty Moberly of Melrose, and Missy Holmes of Elida.

Linda Crump of Clarendon is the team captain of the Calvary Cowgirls. She is a ranch day worker along with her husband, Morris. She is the mother to seven grown children – Ray, Randy, James, Willie, Elwyn, and Wyman.  Linda was born on the Matador Ranch in Motley County and has lived and worked at several ranches including the League Ranch, Pitchfork, Salt Fork, and High Card. She currently day works for TL Roach Ranch, Allen Creek Division in Donley County.  Linda has competed in several ranch rodeos including the All-Girls Ranch Rodeo in Shattuck, Oklahoma, where she was a member of the winning team in 2002 and 2003.  She also competes in team penning, placing fourth at the 1995 AQHA World Championship Show.  Her hobbies include photography, and she also sings at church functions.

Pam McCleskey of Hedley is a day worker on the TL Roach Ranch. Her husband, Elwyn, also is a day worker and farrier. They are parents of Casey, 6 and Cooper, 1. Pam was born and raised on ranches in Colorado and New Mexico. She has competed in the 2004 Clayton Women’s Ranch Rodeo, placing fourth, and was a member of the winning team in the 2002 All-Girls Ranch Rodeo in Shattuck, Oklahoma. Pam likes to rope whenever she has the opportunity.

Lana Ritchie of Prairie Hill is a ranch hand along with her husband, Wes. The couple was married in December 2004. Lana grew up on the Cash & Rowe Ranch where she helped work cattle. She has competed in junior ranch rodeos and also was the valedictorian of her senior class and played basketball. She enjoys riding horses and working cattle.

Loretta Hall of Hedley is a rancher and farmer with her husband, John. They raise Braunvieh and Gelbvieh cattle. They are parents of grown children, Justin and Jason. Loretta likes the fun and competition of ranch rodeo but considers her greatest honor is being “Gram” to her grandsons. She is very active in church activities.

Stephanie Spillar of Clarendon is involved in sales. Her husband, Bob, is a ranch foreman for Halls Creek Ranch and they the parents of Tyler, 13, and Sam, 7. She grew up on a feedyard operation and competes in barrel racing. Stephanie enjoys team roping, camping and hunting.

“Cowboy Roundup USA has a remarkable18-year history of celebrating the cowboy spirit,” said CRR chair Phyllis Payne. “The Cowgirl Ranch Rodeo recognizes the tremendous contributions of women to our ranching heritage.

“These competitors are real cowgirls from some of the region’s most celebrated working ranches,” Payne said and added that there will be no charge for admission to the Cowgirl Ranch Rodeo.

In conjunction with the event, attendees have the opportunity to win a Coolhorse saddle, with proceeds to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The saddle will be on display at the Amarillo National Center, and tickets for the opportunity to win are $5 each.