Archives for June 2014

Addie Lees had been selected to lead the Clarendon College women’s basketball team.

Lees, a graduate of Plainview High School, was recently hired as head coach of the Lady Bulldogs and is most excited to work with the young ladies who are joining the basketball program this fall.

 “I am also looking forward to working in the positive environment,” Lees said. “There are many people on campus and in the community who support the athletic teams and coaches.”

 Lees started playing basketball in grade school and says she loved the challenge and truly wanted to improve her game.

 “Each year I looked forward to attending Plainview High School, where it would count.”

 While at Plainview High, she helped lead the team to three state championship games, coming away with a pair of titles in 2002 and 2003 and runner-up in 2004.

 “I played the point guard position,” she said. “After high school I had the opportunity to play college basketball at Midland College.”

 After earning an associate’s degree at Midland, Lees went on to play basketball at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in health and physical education at UAM, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and earned a Master of Science in Sport Administration from Eastern New Mexico University in 2011.

 “My coaching career began immediately after receiving my bachelor’s degree,” she said. “I worked as a graduate assistant for two years at Eastern New Mexico University before becoming the assistant and then the Associate Head Coach at Howard College. I spent two seasons with the lady hawks before coming to Clarendon College.”

 Lees believes believe that both her playing and coaching experiences have most prepared her for this position.

 “From a young age I always took something away from each coach,” Lees said.

 When asked who has inspired or mentored her, Lees said the person who has taught her much about basketball and running a program is the Head Coach at Howard College, Earl Diddle.

 “His knowledge of basketball cannot be compared to most,” Lees said. “He’s a phenomenal teacher of the game and has proven that over many decades.”

 She said Diddle gave her insight each season and set a great example.

 “Coach Diddle brought a competitive spirit to every single practice and game,” Lees said. “He gives his all to improving the skill of athletes both on and off the court. He gave me the opportunity of a lifetime, and for that I am forever grateful.”

 Clarendon College Athletic Director Brad Vanden Boogaard said Coach Lees comes to Clarendon with a background of the conference and region from her playing days and time as an assistant.

 “Coach Lees is an energetic and confident individual,” he said. “I feel she will be very demanding of our athletes and give them great guidance in representing our college on and off the court.”

Clarendon residents were put on edge in the early morning hours Monday as law enforcement personnel searched the city for a man who fled from police.

Department of Public Safety spokesman Trooper Daniel Hawthorne said a 2011 Ford Mustang was stopped for speeding near the west city limits about 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The southbound car had three occupants, and the trooper asked for IDs from the driver and passengers.

One passenger fled the scene, and the other individuals – identified as Camron Meyers, age 18, of Belton and Kentrel Hilt, age 24, of Killeen – were placed under arrest. The men were charged with Possession of Marijuana and Theft of a Firearm, both of which were found in the car.

The third man, who has not been identified, fled on foot onto the Clarendon College campus. DPS and officers of the Donley County Sheriff’s Office began searching for the man. Search dogs from the DPS and Amarillo Police Department were brought in, and a DPS helicopter also attempted to find the man, Sheriff Butch Blackburn said.

As morning broke, authorities believed the man was still on the west side of the city based on cell phone signals, prompting Clarendon College to cancel its outdoor Kids College activities for that morning. As the morning progressed, the signal moved out of the county, and Sheriff Blackburn called off the search about 8:30 a.m.

The suspect is still wanted on charges of Evading.

Myers and Hilt were arraigned Tuesday and charged with Possession of Marijuana and Theft of a Firearm. Bond was set on both men at a total of $6,500 each. They remained in the Donley County Jail at press time.

By Fred Gray, Clarendon Enterprise

In their regularly scheduled meeting on June 10, 2014, the Clarendon Board of Aldermen began consideration of a new water rate structure designed to bring in more revenue and encourage conservation while protecting small water users from higher rates.

Alderman Sandy Skelton presented a detailed worksheet to the Board that offered several options to be considered regarding raising the city’s water rates. Currently, the City of Clarendon is losing money on water, roughly $52,000 projected for this fiscal year. The city’s water rates must be increased in order to prevent additional losses.

The overall philosophy of the rate increase is “Use More Pay More.” The proposed rate increase will create a projected surplus of $21,000, but 34 percent of water customers (303 accounts) who use only the base 2,000 gallons or less would see no increase in their water bills. The next largest segment, 23 percent of customers (207 accounts) who use 3,000 to 5,000 gallons, would see only a slight increase.

Four rate options were addressed, and the Board favored an option which would result in five-tiered rate structure based on usage as follows: (Tier 1) 0 – 2,000 gallons of water used; (Tier 2) 3,000 – 5,000 gallons used; (Tier 3) 6,000 – 8,000 gallons; (Tier 4) 9,000 – 11,000 gallons; (Tier 5) 12,000 gallons and above.

The base rate for Tier 1 will remain unchanged at $22.40.; Tier 2 rates will increase from $2.25 to $3.25 per thousand gallons; Tier 3 will increase 50 percent, to $4.87 per 1,000 gallons; Tier 4 will increase 60 percent, to $5.20 per 1,000 gallons; and Tier 5 will increase 70 percent, to $5.53 per 1,000 gallons.

The proposal under consideration would also do away with the commercial and residential rates in favor of one unified rate. Aldermen plan to vote on water rates next Tuesday, June 24.

Gary Campbell, representing Greenbelt Water Authority, suggested that Greenbelt is scheduled to increase their rates sometime next year, which could result in another increase in Clarendon’s water rates. Water is becoming even more precious and rates could be subject to increasing accordingly.

In other business, the Board listened to a presentation by the Director of the Donley County Senior Citizens Center, Mary Shields. She pointed out to Board that the Senior Citizens Center provides 100 meals a day, five days a week, in addition to delivering 70 meals to the homebound. Ms. Shields added that the State of Texas has cut funding $50,000 a year, which is a 65 percent cut in their budget. Most of the senior citizens are living on $400-$500 a month and the meals provided are vital to their health and welfare. The center is running a $3,000 to $4,000 monthly deficit and is in dire need of help. Donations are down and the Center requested financial aid from the City of Clarendon. The Board unanimously approved the donation of $1,000, and expressing their wish that it could have been more.

In other action, the Board of Aldermen approved replacing a sewer line on Park Street extending one-half block south from Sixth Street. The cost of the project is $2,896. The City will use the remaining funds from the 2012 Tax Notes to finance the water and sewer project.

Mayor Larry Hicks also reported to the Board that the recent rain flooded the current street and curbing project on Sixth Street and delayed the project for a few days while the street dried out and the dirt that washed away is recaptured.

The Board then approved the hiring of a temporary, part-time employee to help in the office. They approved paying the new employee $8.00 an hour for 20 to 25 hours per week.

Sales tax revenue for the City of Clarendon is better than normal but down when compared to last year’s economic high.

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs distributed sales tax allocations for the month of June last week, and Clarendon posted revenue of $32,143.34, a drop of 9.61 percent when compared to the same period last year.

Last year’s economic indicators, however, were sharply above normal with an influx of pipeline workers to Donley County, which sent 2013 sales tax receipts for this period soaring 41.76 percent above the level of the same month in 2012. When compared to two years ago, this month’s sales tax revenue is an increase of 28.14 percent.

For the calendar year-to-date, Clarendon has received sales tax revenue of $193,307, reflecting a 0.52 percent decrease over last year’s $194,329.54 at this point but a 23.38 percent increase over the $156,680.37 collected by this time in 2012.

Hedley also was down this month compared to last year but is still up for the year so far. That city collected $310.32 for the month, a decrease of 22.36 percent from one year ago but an increase of 4.02 percent compared to 2012. Hedley is at $3,886.78 for the year-to-date, up 8.97 percent.

Howardwick is down sharply this month with sales tax revenue of $973.81, down 45.23 percent compared to last year and down 0.33 percent compared to 2012. Howardwick is down for the year 12.34 percent at $6,853.41.

The sales tax figures distributed to cities in June represent monthly sales made in April.

April marked the first full month of alcoholic beverage sales in Clarendon restaurants since Donley County voters approved such sales last November. Package sales began in February, and the first restaurant sales began March 18.

Statewide, Combs distributed $622 Million in monthly sales tax revenue to local governments and said that state sales tax revenue in May was $2.45 billion, up 8.5 percent compared to May 2013.

“Sales tax growth was evident across all major economic sectors,” Combs said.

“The growth was led by the retail and wholesale trade sectors, the oil and natural gas mining sector, and the services sector. This marks the 50th consecutive month of increased state sales tax revenues, and brings the fiscal year-to-date growth to 5.4 percent.”

Clarendon College Regent Delbert Robertson was honored for more than 50 years of service during the annual Community College Association of Texas Trustees meeting in San Antonio recently.

Robertson was appointed to fill an unexpired term in 1962 at the age of 28 and was later elected to his own full term in 1964. A half of century of service is rare on any board and more so on community college boards.

Robertson said what he enjoys most about serving is the chance to enable some form of higher education in the community. Also, providing the local kids with an opportunity to improve themselves that they may not otherwise have. He also said he enjoys making sure the taxpayers are getting a fair product for a fair price.

Described as a board member of steady leadership and quiet reflection, Robertson has helped guide the College from less than 100 students taught from one building to over 1,200 students at four campuses.

During his time on the board, Robertson has worked with more than a half dozen presidents during his time on the Clarendon board and has helped shape Clarendon College into the present day college it is. He has been involved in the construction of the home campus, has seen the College expand the taxing district from the city limits to all of Donley County, and voters in Gray and Childress counties pass two branch campus maintenance taxes.

CC President Robert Riza called Robertson’s service “amazing.”

“Last week at the CCATT Conference many were talking about serving for 15-20 years as a long time, I just chuckled at them,” Riza said. “It was great to see the response from the other trustees in the room and the presidents that came by to congratulate him on his recognition.

“I told him when I met him at my interview, ‘You have served this College six years longer than I have been alive, and he just laughed,” Riza recalled