Archives for May 2006

Clarendon Aldermen took up the issue of trash service for rural residents during their regular meeting May 9.

Last month the board made it illegal for any unauthorized person or corporation to use a city Dumpster without paying a monthly fee to do so. The action was aimed at some rural residents who bring their trash to town and fill up Dumpsters that are being paid for by city residents.

Aldermen at Tuesday’s meeting noted that many rural residents were upset with the city but said that anger is misplaced.

“They need to be talking to their county commissioners,” Alderman Mark White said, noting that the county dump is only open three days a week.

City officials agreed that it would not be practical to extend the municipal sanitation service to all rural residents but felt something should be done to meet their needs.

“I think people should pay a residential [trash] rate and dump during regular hours at the city’s recycling center,” Alderman Bobbie Kidd said.

The board agreed with Kidd and approved a motion to allow county residents to bring bagged household trash to the recycling center for the monthly fee of $13.60 plus tax.

The board also voted to have the school, college, and TxDOT pay the posted charges for using the center.

The recycling center is located on Front Street across from the grain elevator and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

In other city business, the board heard from several neighbors of a residence located at 719 W. Sixth regarding the dilapidated house at that address. Grett Betts addressed the board and presented letters from fellow neighbors, who called the house an eyesore and a hazard. He said the house is being used by underage drinkers and drug users and called it a breeding place for skunks, rats, roaches, and other vermin.

City Fire Marshall Kelly Hill said he had inspected the property and said he did not believe it was a fire hazard. He also said it would not fall under the city’s dangerous structure ordinance if the owner would take a few steps, including skirting the house, securing the porch, and covering the openings of the house.

The board voted to send the property owner a letter and give him 30 days to repair and secure the structure or the city will take action to tear down the house.

The board considered and approved a motion allowing OJD Engineering to start the planning for a new water tower that might be funded under a Community Development Block Grant. The west tower has been in service since the 1920s and is in need of repairs. Alderman Kidd has recommended locating a new tower at a higher elevation and eliminating both the west and east towers.

Aldermen considered nominations for the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors. Alderman Knorpp, who is on the CEDC board, reported that Sherol Johnston and Myles Shelton both expressed a desire to stay on but said Jerry Woodard had expressed his willingness to step down. The board voted 2-0 to appoint Johnston, Shelton, and Steve Hall to the CEDC board. White and Knorpp abstained as members of the CEDC board.

Howardwick voters on Saturday chose as their new mayor a man who lost his life in service to that community.

The late volunteer fireman James McMorries was elected 94-34 over his opponent Paul Bartlett.

McMorries died April 9, 2006, from injuries he sustained while helping battle the I-40 wildfire on March 12. The vehicle he was driving overturned, sending him and two other volunteer firemen to the hospital.

McMorries had filed to run for mayor but passed away after the deadline to remove a name from the ballot.

The Howardwick Board of Aldermen met Tuesday night to canvass the election and declare a vacancy in the mayor’s office. They will meet next Tuesday to appoint someone to serve McMorries’ term.

Howardwick voters also had a full slate of candidates to choose from for the board of aldermen. Incumbent Aldermen Lee Ann Cook and Sam Grider were reelected and will be joined on the board by H.L. Buster Baird. Cook received 95 votes, Baird had 94, and Grider had 93.

Other candidates for aldermen were Susie Langford with 31 votes, Stanley Couch with 42, and Milton Brown with 34.

A total of 132 people cast ballots in this year’s election in Howardwick.

Postal rates in May 2007 could rise nearly 25 percent for newspapers delivered to in-county subscribers if the United States Postal Service has its way, and annual increases are in store for the foreseeable future.

The USPS announced last Wednesday that it intended a larger rate hike for local newspapers than for virtually any other mail class. The proposed increase is the highest in more than a decade.

The announcement came with the filing of proposed rate increases for all mail, including a 42-cent first-class stamp. Rates would be expected to go into effect around May 2007.

Stephen M. Kearney, Postal Service vice-president of pricing and classification, said the increases were planned to cover rising postal costs, including health care for retirees and higher fuel costs. He also said USPS wanted rates that send appropriate signals to mailers to change their mail to shapes and containers that were more efficient for USPS to handle.

“The National Newspaper Association vigorously opposes this increase,” Jerry L. Reppert, NNA president and publisher of the Anna (IL) Gazette-Democrat, said. “USPS seems to be saying our mail is no longer desirable because newspapers are shaped like newspapers and have to be transported in containers that the Postal Service no longer wants to use.

“Short of throwing out our printing presses and putting newspapers on tidy little sheets of typing paper,  we are limited in what responses we can make to these price signals.”

But Clarendon Enterprise publisher Roger Estlack said he knows exactly what course newspapers and their readers should take.

“We’ve been saying this for a long time. The post office is becoming irrelevant, and every new rule and postage hike they come up with only hastens their slide into oblivion,” Estlack said. “We can help them get there by encouraging more of our subscribers to switch to digital newspapers such as our Enterprise-D.”

Now in its eleventh month, the all-digital version of The Clarendon Enterprise has more than 75 weekly subscribers who get all the same news, ads, and photos as readers of the paper edition see. As a bonus, digital subscribers have their version of the Enterprise in their e-mail box on Wednesdays before the paper version hits the stands.

“The user-friendly PDF files are fully searchable, small text can be blown up for easier reading, and readers can save back issues indefinitely without taking up space around the house,” Estlack said.

NNA will intervene in the Postal Service’s planned rate proceeding before the Postal Rate Commission, where it will advocate more reasonable rate hikes for newspaper mail; but Estlack said if the industry can’t stop the hike, subscription rates will go up next year if not sooner.

The cost for the Enterprise-D is only $9.95 per year compared to $30 for Texas subscribers and $35 for out of state subscribers.”

Readers can get a free sample of Enterprise-D by sending a request to news@clarendononline.com.

Clarendon High School has announced the top two students in the graduating Class of 2006 – Samantha Myatt and Carmen Hamilton.

With a GPA of 101.3, Samantha Myatt has been named the valedictorian at CHS.  She is the daughter of Steven and Darla Myatt.  During her high school career, Samantha has been active in basketball, cross country, track, and UIL Academics. 

While involved in UIL Academics, Samantha has advanced to state competition in Literary Criticism, where she helped her team place 4th, was the 2005 state champion in Editorial Writing, and has been a regional qualifier in math. 

Samantha currently serves as the president of the local chapter of the National Honor Society. 

Samantha volunteers her time with the Clarendon High School tutoring program that tutors K-12 students three nights a week during the entire school year.  She is also active in her church and helps with vacation bible school.

Samantha will be attending Texas Tech this fall, where she will be working on a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and then pursuing additional degrees under the master’s program.

Carmen Hamilton has been named salutatorian at CHS with a grade point average of 99.65.  She is the daughter of Ray and Roxanne Hamilton.

Carmen has been named a National Merit Commended Scholar and has been very involved in UIL Academics, where she has placed 4th and 5th in UIL Headline Writing at the state contest.  She has also been a regional qualifier in UIL Spelling and Editorial Writing.  She has been awarded numerous Honor C’s throughout her high school career.

Carmen has remained involved in student activities as a member of the Bronco Band, the Student Council, and the National Honor Society.

Carmen has been involved in tutoring her classmates and has also been involved in community wide service.  She has been active in the community clothes closet and has helped clean our county highways.

Carmen plans on pursuing a career in English and Journalism and some day hopes to publish her own novels.  Carmen will attend West Texas A&M University this fall.

The Class of 2006 will graduate during commencement exercises on Friday, May 26, 2006, in the Harned Sisters Fine Arts Center at 8 p.m.

Howardwick voters will go to the polls Saturday to select three members of the Board of Aldermen and a new mayor for that city.

Early voting was brisk; and with about four hours of early polling time left Tuesday, 75 citizens had cast their ballots.

Six people are vying for three positions on the Board of Aldermen. Incumbents Lee Ann Cook and Sam Grider are joined on the ballot by challengers Susie Langford, H.L. “Buster” Baird, Stanley Couch, and Milton Brown.

But perhaps the most interesting race is that for the title of mayor, which has been vacant since Nancy Davis did not run for reelection a year ago. Voters have two choices for the job – Paul Bartlett and the late James McMorries, who passed away from injuries suffered while fighting the I-40 fire on March 12.

McMorries filed for the office but passed away after the deadline to remove a name from the ballot.

City officials say ballots cast for McMorries are legal and will be counted. If he wins, it will be up to the Board of Aldermen to appoint someone to serve in his place.

Howardwick City Hall will be open for polling this Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Fire up the barbecue grills. The burn ban has been lifted.

General rains fell over the area last week, soaking most of Donley County and slaking the thirst of fields and pastures. With the danger of wildfires reduced, county commissioners on Monday rescinded the ban on outdoor burning that had been in place since New Year’s Day weekend.

But commissioners still urged people to use caution with outdoor flames.

“The burn ban has been lifted but may be reinstated if dry conditions reoccur,” a statement from the court said. “All citizens should be aware that they are still liable if their fire causes damage to other property.”

The heaviest rain and most damaging storm came Tuesday, May 2, when 1.10” was recorded locally by Tommie C. Saye, Cooperative Observer for the National Weather Service.

About 4:30 p.m., hailstones the size of tennis balls pounded homes, cars, and other property on the west side of Clarendon, doing substantial damage. Some reports said the hail was the size of baseballs.

Hail and high winds were also reported around Lake Greenbelt, and officers with the Donley County Sheriff’s Department spotted potential tornadoes forming – one west of the lake and the City of Howardwick and another east of the Greenbelt Filter Plant. Fortunately, the funnels were short lived.

Additional rains fell Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and totaled 0.84 inches.

While the moisture has been greatly appreciated, Donley County still needs more. Last year at this time, Clarendon had received 7.38 inches, but this total for the year-to-date stands at 4.77 inches.

The lack of rain is most noticeable at Lake Greenbelt, where water authority officials say they are nearing the first trigger for their drought-contingency plan.

“We’re at 57.62 feet, and 57 feet is the first trigger,” Greenbelt General Manager Bobbie Kidd said.

If the lake drops to the first trigger, the water authority will implement a public awareness campaign and encourage water conservation. Greenbelt is now at its lowest level since 1997.

Kidd said Greenbelt received 1.40 inches at the filter plant and nearly 2.00 inches at the reservoir. He said the rain raised the lake level by about one-quarter foot.

“It helped, but it’s not enough,” Kidd said.

What did help was the lifting of the burn ban, which Kidd says has had devastating effect on lake traffic because it prohibited even Coleman stoves and barbecue grills.

“It has just totally knocked us in the head,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ll ever recover.”

Kidd said some people who came to the lake and then got tickets for grilling or campfires will never come back.

“I’d say we’re down 50 percent. We’ve got the fishermen but not the campers.”