Archives for June 2006

Donley County residents and visitors are reminded to exercise extreme caution due to the continuing threats of wildfires in the area.

There is no ban on burning in Donley County, but the sale and use of certain fireworks has been prohibited, including all skyrockets with sticks and missiles with fins. Small or “Class C” fireworks are legal for sale and use.

The Texas Forest Service says most regions of West Texas are experiencing continued hot temperatures and very little to no rainfall.  These conditions have led to an ever increasing wildfire danger for the entire region. 

Here are some common sense safety precaution with outdoor fires: Establish firebreaks down to bare dirt around all outdoor fires. Stay with campfires and other outdoor fires.  Leaving fires unattended is a major act that leads to escaped fires.

Establish a safety zone at least 30 feet wide around your home and out buildings in which grasses and weeds are mowed. Have tools such as shovels, rakes, and a garden hose or bucket of water nearby.

General Manager Bobbie Kidd said Monday that Greenbelt Lake had fallen to a depth of 56.5 feet – its lowest point since 1974 – and that the authority had implemented stage one of its drought contingency plan.

“It’s all voluntary at this point,” Kidd said. “We’re running public notices in all the newspapers in towns we serve and notifying city officials of the situation.”

Stage one seeks a ten percent reduction in the daily demand for water, which Kidd says will not be hard to achieve.

“We just need everybody to be aware of the situation and to cut back when and where we can,” Kidd said.

The water authority is several stages away from implementing penalties on its member cities. Every three-foot drop in the lake level will activate another trigger in the plan, Kidd said, and the next immediate stages will involve the authority not completely filling water tanks in Clarendon and other cities. That reduces water pressure, which reduces water usage, he said.

“Eventually we will ask member cities to implement their own drought contingency plans,” he said.

Kidd also said he believes the next stage won’t come until August or September in the worse case scenario but also says he can’t be sure of that.

“I never thought we’d get to this [first] trigger when we made the plan in 1999.”

The low water level is also affecting recreation at the lake where only one boat ramp – the one at Marina Point – is really usable, Kidd said.

Demand for water from Greenbelt has actually been declining in recent years. Kidd said the declining populations in the cities served by Greenbelt is the man reason for lower demand.

New water-saving plumbing fixtures have also probably helped, he said.

WASHINGTON, DC – The House of Representatives today gave its final approval to an Emergency Supplemental spending bill.  The vote was 351 to 67.

The bill focuses on providing needed resources for troops engaged in fighting the War on Terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan.  It also includes additional funds for relief and reconstruction of the Gulf region affected by last year’s hurricanes and communicates Congress’s intent that any unused agricultural assistance for hurricane relief be used to provide assistance for Texas wildfire losses involving livestock.

The exact language contained in the measure is as follows:

While the assistance provided by this title is limited to producers in areas affected by Gulf Coast hurricanes in 2005, the conferees fully recognize the losses suffered by farmers, ranchers, and rural communities in all parts of the nation.  At such time as may be reasonably determined by the Secretary, the conferees direct the Department to apply any unused funds from this title, and any unused funds from the May 10, 2006 announcement (71 Fed. Reg. 27188) relating to 2005 Section 32 Hurricane Disaster Programs to respond to disaster-related events including wildfires in Texas and other states, drought, flooding in Hawaii and other states, and other natural disasters.

“As with most pieces of legislation, this bill is not exactly the way I would like it,” Thornberry said.  “But my primary goal is to get help to those who need it as soon as possible, and this bill helps do that.  I’ll continue to work closely with USDA to see that the livestock losses from wildfires get covered.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has previously provided more than $8 million for a cost-share program that helped agricultural producers rebuild or repair fences destroyed in the fires, in addition to assistance provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other government agencies pursuant to the Presidential disaster declaration.  The Supplemental spending bill includes funds to replenish FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Thornberry expressed his appreciation to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and especially to Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman Henry Bonilla and his staff who worked to include the directive.

By Cheryl Johnson, Clarendon Enterprise

The 129th annual Saints’ Roost Celebration and Ranch Rodeo kicks off next weekend in Clarendon.

Activities get rolling on Friday, June 30, at Stanley Auto Ranch with the Chevrolet Blood Drive.  The drive will begin at 10 a.m. and wrap up at 2:00 p.m.

Friday is also the first night for the Saints’ Roost Celebration Ranch Rodeo. The Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association presents the 10-team ranch rodeo at 7:30 p.m. Team events include Bronco Riding, Wild Cow Milking, Team Branding, and Team Doctoring/Sorting. The youngsters are also 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 of charge. 

The rodeo will also feature the Open Wild Mare Race.  Six horses will be furnished each night.  There is a $90 entry fee with $150 added money.  All rough stock will be provided by Bill Hext of Canadian.

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

You can dance the night away Friday to the sounds of the Brant Moore Band.  The dance will be held at the rodeo grounds from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The COEA will start the fun early Saturday morning with the Cutting Horse Competition at 8:00 a.m. at the arena.

The Downtown Depression Lunch will be held on Saturday beginning at 11:00 a.m. at the Downtown Ministries building. The Kids’ Tricycle/Bicycle Parade will be held downtown beginning at noon.  Registration forms are available inside this issue of the paper.

The Turtle Race will be held Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. at the intersection by Henson’s.  Youngsters are encouraged to sign up now at Henson’s for their numbers. 

Saturday’s events wrap up with the second night of the Ranch Rodeo at the arena.  Dance to the tons of Lonesome Goat Saturday night at the open air dance.

The Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department is celebrating 100 years of service with their Centennial Open House at the Fire Hall beginning at 2:00 p.m.  The public is invited to celebrate this milestone with the fire department.

Monday begins will the Downtown Merchants holding sales in their stores.  Residents and visitors can enjoy savings while shopping in the downtown area.

New to this year’s rodeo line up is the Junior Ranch Rodeo at the COEA arena.  Youngsters will be competing in several events. The rodeo will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday’s activities begin with tours of the Donley County Courthouse, sponsored by the CHS Jr. Historians.  These students will give tours of the 1890 courthouse from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. The Craft Fair will open at 10:00 a.m. at the Courthouse Square.  For booth information, please contact the Donley County Extension.  The Old Settler’s Reunion will also be held at the square beginning at 10:30 a.m.

The annual Shriner’s Barbecue will be held on Tuesday also at the Square beginning at 11:00 a.m.  Tickets are available at Henson’s or from any Shriner.  Tickets will also be sold at the barbecue.  The meal will be served until all gone.

The Western Parade will be held at 2:00 p.m. in Downtown Clarendon.  Entry forms are available in this issue of the paper or at the Chamber of Commerce office. Line up for the parade begins at noon at City Park. 

Activities wind down on Tuesday night with the Open Ranch Bronc Ride at the Rodeo Grounds.  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.

Clarendon Aldermen voted to purchase land for a potential new city landfill during their regular meeting last Tuesday.

Alderman Michael Tibbets located the land southeast of the city and said the land would be the perfect location.

Tibbets also reported that the caliche and gravel found on the site would make it worth the purchase price even if the city did not pursue a landfill.

Mayor Mark White had also visited the property and supported the idea of having the city’s engineer look at the site and develop a plan to open a landfill, rather than paying to haul trash to Memphis and paying Memphis for the use of its landfill.

The board approved a motion to purchase the 160-acre tract at a cost of $700 per acre.

Tibbets said he would like to see revenue from a new landfill go first to replace monies taken from CDs to buy the land and second to supplement the city’s income in order to stave off future tax increases.

In other city business, the board approved giving $3,000 from the Motel Bed Tax Fund to the Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association to promote this year’s Saints’ Roost Celebration.

The board considered and approved revisions in the bylaws for the library and appointed Freddie Jo Moreman, Sharon Knox, and Gail Shelton to the library board.

The board also approved a resolution authorizing the city’s participation in the Panhandle region mutual aid agreement and adopted an e-mail and Internet policy for city employees.