Archives for March 2008

TEMPLE – Scooter Brockette, USDA Rural Development Acting State Director announced today the availability of Housing Preservation Grant funds.

The program provides financial assistance to eligible entities to assist in the repair or rehabilitation of single-family and rental residences located in rural communities.

Eligible entities who would administer the grant funds can include state agencies, units of local government, Native American tribes, and nonprofit organizations.

The Agency’s Housing Preservation Grant Program can also provide assistance through eligible entities to rental property owners to repair and rehabilitate their units providing the owners agree to make the units available to very low- and low-income families. Individual homeowners and rental property owners are not eligible entities for these competitively awarded grants.

The USDA Rural Development Housing Preservation Grant Program provides assistance to residential projects located in eligible communities with a maximum population of 20,000.

Applications must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on April 21, 2008, to USDA Rural Development, Federal Building, Suite 102, 101 South Main, Temple, Texas 76501 or submitted online at http://www.grants.gov by 4 p.m. CST on April 21, 2008. For more information on the Housing Preservation Grant Program, please contact our Amarillo Local Office at 806-468-8600, Extension 4.

AUSTIN – The unemployment rate in Donley County rose to 4.7 percent in January after being only 3.7 percent in December, according to seasonally non-adjusted data from the Texas Workforce Commission.

The state reported 84 people were looking for work locally in January with 1,717 people employed out of a workforce of 1,801.

In December, 69 people were unemployed out of a workforce of 1,845.

One year ago in January, the local unemployment rate was 4.9 percent with 87 people looking for work out of a workforce of 1,790.

Statewide the seasonally adjusted nonagricultural employment grew by 28,000 jobs in January. Texas employers now have added 277,200 jobs over the past 12 months, for an annual job growth rate of 2.7 percent. The January statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3 percent, up slightly from a revised December unemployment rate of 4.2 percent and down from 4.5 percent a year ago.

The U.S. seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in January 2008, down from 5.0 percent in December and up from 4.6 percent in January 2007.

“Banner job gains in January indicate a resilient Texas labor market,” said Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Chair Diane Rath. “Texas tops the nation in annual job growth rates in every industry sector, providing more opportunities for Texans.”

“Texans looking for jobs should feel confident,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Ronny Congleton.
“With more than 28,000 jobs created statewide, the climate continues to provide many possibilities for Texas job seekers despite national economic concerns.”

Three out of seven local boards have attracted enough candidates to hold elections this spring.

The signup period closed Monday with only the City of Clarendon, Clarendon ISD, and Hedley ISD having more citizens interested in holding office than there are seats available.

At the city, incumbents Tommy Hill and Chris Ford will be joined on the ballot by Jim R. Phillie, Billy Ray Johnston, and Kyle Davis in an election for three positions. Alderman Janice Knorpp did not file for re-election.

Two positions are available on the CISD Board of Trustees, and incumbents Weldon Sears and Lance Thornberry will be challenged by Travis Wilson.

Hedley ISD has three positions available on its Board of Trustees. Incumbents Kelly Patton, Blain Burton, and Rex Morris will be joined on the ballot by challengers James Potts, Bonnie Walsh, and Tonja Ruthardt.

Elections for city and school offices will be held Saturday, May 10.

The Donley County Hospital Board, which as been the subject of much talk recently, has four seats open this year but only drew two candidates. Incumbent Mark C. White will run again for his Place 6 position, and former nursing home administrator Vicky Robertson has filed for the Place 5 position. Incumbents Gene Hommel, Carolyn Moffet, and Bright Newhouse are not running for re-election.

The City of Howardwick is electing three aldermen, and has three candidates running  – incumbents Lee Ann Cook and Rod Donaldson along with Tanis McMorries.

The Clarendon College District will choose three members for the Board of Regents, and incumbents John Howard, Bill Sansing, and Jack Moreman have filed for re-election.

The City of Hedley had only Mayor Janie Hill and Aldermen Leon Ward and Ricki Baker running for their current positions.

Local boards with unchallenged candidates will likely cancel this year’s elections within the next few weeks.

With only a few weeks remaining before the Medical Center Nursing Home becomes privately owned, members of the Donley County Hospital Board stepped forward this week to answer criticisms and possible misunderstandings about the sale of the facility.

A potential sale fell through a year ago. The board took bids on the property again in September, accepted a bid in October, and signed the contract of sale in December. But in the last several days have some citizens begun to question deal and pour over the details of the the 26-page sale agreement.

In response, Board Chairman Alan Fletcher and board member Mark C. White spoke to the Enterprise Monday afternoon and addressed many of the common concerns raised by citizens.

To summarize the sale, Community Care Management Services of Denton, under the name of Clarendon Realty, LTD., submitted the lone bid of $1.25 million, which the hospital district accepted. They agreed to buy the Medical Center Nursing Home, the Community Services Building (referred to in the contract as the “Professional Building” and commonly referred to as the dentist’s office), and the undeveloped property east of the professional building and nursing home.

The district retains ownership of the Associated Ambulance Authority building and a strip of about five acres of undeveloped land south of the ambulance building

The district agreed to undertake and complete an eight-bed expansion of the nursing home; and at closing, the district agreed to refund $190,000 to the buyer for operating capital.

Why does the contract list the value of the nursing home as only $760,000?

Fletcher said the hospital district listed MCNH with a Houston-based nursing home broker – Marcus & Millichapas – to get help finding a buyer and to get an appraisal of the facility.

“That ($760,000) is the appraised value they gave us, and we have to pay a commission on that,” Fletcher said.

If the district had sold the facility by itself for $1.25 million, it would have had to pay Marcus & Millichapas a commission on the entire amount, he said.

Why is the district refunding $190,000 of the purchase price?

Because it takes 30 to 60 days for Medicare and Medicaid to start paying a new provider, which is what MCNH will be under new ownership, Fletcher said. “That’s about 45 days of operating expense, and it saves them from having to get another loan for operating capital. Is it beneficial to get more money if they can’t keep it open?”

How much is the addition costing and how is that being financed?

White said the addition will end up costing about $403,000 but none of it is financed. It is all being paid for with cash the district has on hand.

Is the district just giving away the professional building and the extra land?

“We’re just throwing that in,” Fletcher said, because the board felt like the professional building lost value after the state health office announced its intention not to renew its lease. “(The new owners) are going to put their offices in there and bring in physical rehabilitation services, and they wouldn’t take the facility without the extra land to expand.”

What assurance do we have that the buyer will maintain the level of care MCNH is known for?

“These people’s other facilities are rated A+, no complaints have been filed by family members of residents there, and all of their facilities are up to standards,” Fletcher said. “They invited us to look at any facility they owned without notice.”

Fletcher said they couldn’t find anything that indicated the new owners wouldn’t keep the level of care up.

“Maybe we could have shopped it around for a year and got more money,” he said, “But we wanted to get someone in here for the sake of the community. I think we’re lucky to have this buyer.”

Ultimately, Fletcher said, the sale is about keeping the facility open and keeping 50 jobs in the local economy.

How much is the district’s bonded indebtedness and when will it be paid off?

White said the district owes $1.3 million, but that it will be paid off in three years.

“In October 2011, the hospital district will be debt free,” White said.

The bonds were originally set to run through 2022, but White said the bonds are “callable,” which means they can be paid off early at specified times. The first date they can be “called” or paid off is in 2011. After the sale closes, the district will put about $1 million from the sale into a trust fund and will borrow about $375,000 to put in the trust with the sale proceeds. The financing will be structured to where the interest earned on the trust will match the interest on the bonds, and in September 2011, the bonds will be called and the debt paid off. White said the note for the $375,000 necessary to make this happen will also be paid off at by that time.

“We feel like the taxpayers elected us to take care of their tax dollars, and we’re going to be debt free.” White said. “We’ll keep enough money on hand to run the ambulance service and maybe replace an ambulance if we need to.”

What is the future of the hospital district?

The Donley County Hospital District will remain intact to run the ambulance service and pay for indigent care expenses and will still have all the authority granted to it by the state.

“We’ll still have to have about $160,000 in tax revenue to run the Associated Ambulance Authority – increasing wages there and probably replacing a high-mileage ambulance,” Fletcher said. “Plus, we’ll have to pay for indigents, but that’s limited to a percentage of our budget.”

Fletcher said a significant reduction in taxes is probably three years out – the same time the bonds are paid off, but he said the personal property tax would likely be done away with in the next tax year. He would not be in favor of doing away with the district – and thereby the tax – altogether.

“I don’t see any reason to abolish it,” he said. “We have the premier ambulance service in the area, and we want to keep it that way. And maybe we can entice more health care providers here. What we have is already an unbelievable asset.

Will the public have a chance to speak on these issues?

Fletcher said a time for public comments would be on the agenda for next week’s regularly scheduled hospital board meeting, which will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, in the ambulance barn.

Citizens who have comments or concerns are urged to attend the meeting.

The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce has released the schedule for this year’s Saints’ Roost Celebration, which will be held July 2-5.

A ten-team junior rodeo will kick things off this year for kids 16 and under on Wednesday, July 2, at the COEA Arena. The event will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Action begins ginning up downtown on Thursday, July 3, with the Merchants’ Western Days Street Sales all day and a Depression Lunch beginning at 11 a.m. That night the fun continues at the rodeo arena at 7:30 with a 20-head bronc ride.

The biggest day will be Friday, July 4, with the Country Craft Fair and Senior Citizens Bake Sale beginning at 10 a.m. on the Courthouse Square. The Old Settlers Reunion starts at 10:30, and the Al Morrah Shrine Club’s Annual BBQ begins at 11 a.m. and continues until the food runs out.

The Kids’ Bicycle Parade begins at 1 p.m. followed by the annual Western Parade at 2 p.m. The Lions Club Cow Patty Bingo will follow the parade.

The annual COEA Ranch Rodeo will open at 7:30 Friday night with 20 teams competing and an outdoor dance to follow. The rodeo follows the same schedule Saturday night.

During the day Saturday, downtown merchants will have their street sales going again; and concessions, wagon rides, and other games will be available downtown.

At this reporting, the date and time for the annual Turtle Race have not been announced.

To sign up for the parades, contact the Chamber office at 874-2421. For booth space at the Country Craft Fair, contact the Donley County Extension Office.

An accidental fire destroyed a storage building and damaged another structure in southwest Clarendon Saturday afternoon.

First Assistant Fire Chief Jeremy Powell said the blaze was started accidentally by a cutting torch and quickly spread through tall grass with south-southwest winds.

The fire moved across a neighbor’s property, destroyed a small storage building, and damaged a small house.

“We were able to save the second structure,” Powell said.

The Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department had the fire under control within an hour.

Powell said there is a moderate chance of an out-of-control wildfire with the current dry conditions, and he urged people to be careful.

“Make sure you have a clear work area when using any ignition source, such as a welder or cutting torch,” he said. “A fire right now will spread very rapidly.”

Powell also cautioned people to stay away from emergency scenes and let trained personnel do their jobs.

“You will get a ticket if you drive into or through an emergency scene or if you drive around a barricade,” he said. “We had trouble Saturday because everyone was driving around the scene, and it made it difficult to get our trucks in place.”

As a reminder, a county wide burn ban remains in effect.