Archives for November 2014

Garage sales in the city limits will now require a permit following the meeting of the Clarendon Board of Aldermen last Tuesday, October 28.

City officials began looking at garage sales after complaints about a “perpetual garage sale” being held on US 287 last month. That sale, being operated by Lynn Floyd, has since been resolved, but city leaders wanted rules in place to prevent future problems.

In drafting Ordinance 439, aldermen rejected requiring any fees to be collected for a permit and also struck requirements that would have limited the hours of operation of a garage sale.

Alderman Larry Jeffers said he saw enforcement issues with a permit.

City Secretary Machiel Covey said the state comptroller’s office limits the number of garage sales per address to two per year, and sales may not exceed three days.

The city ordinance covers all sales entitled “garage sale,” “lawn sale,” “attic sale,” “rummage sale,” “flea market sale,” or “any similar casual sale of tangible personal property, not associated with a commercial business properly licensed to do business in the City which is advertised by any means whereby the public at large is or can be made aware of the garage sale.”

The free permit from City Hall is obtained by filling out an application stating the name of the person who is having the sale, the address of such person, the location of the sale, and the dates of the sale. A copy of the permit shall be posted in a conspicuous place during the time and at the place where the sale is being held.

Sale items must be removed from the yard, lot, driveway, or other location in view of the public no later than 24 hours after the garage sale ends.

Violators can face a fine of up to $50.

Clarendon ISD Superintendent Monty Hysinger was named the lone finalist to be the next superintendent at Dumas by the Dumas ISD Board Wednesday night, October 29.

Hysinger, who is in his 16th year at Clarendon, told the Enterprise that the move is a good opportunity for him but that moving will be bittersweet.

“It won’t be easy leaving Clarendon,” Hysinger said. “The staff here are like family. I feel like the district is in good shape, and we’ll just need to find a good person to take it and lead it.”

Dumas must wait 21 days to before formally hiring Hysinger. That’s expected to happen on November 19.

Clarendon school trustees will hold their next regular meeting November 13 and will meet with Region 16 officials to discuss search options.

Hysinger said he will start in Dumas sometime in January, but the exact date will be coordinated with Clarendon ISD so that interim superintendent is in place here.

“We want to make sure we transition in a good way,” Hysinger said.

Hysinger has spent 27 years in education and has been in Clarendon since 1999.

The move to Dumas will take him from a school system here with 480 students to a district with about 4,500 students. But Hysinger said he plans to stay in touch with the people of Clarendon and the community that will always be his kids’ hometown.

“It’s been a great ride and an exciting time.”

Clarendon’s Best Western Red River Inn will soon have a new look inside and out as hotel owner Steve Hall carries out a $400,000 renovation of the facility.

The hotel which opened in February 2004 was upgraded to Best Western Plus status about two years ago. The improvements to the hotel are part of that rating, but Hall said he would have wanted to renovate the 10-year-old facility anyway.

“It’s necessary to this business to stay fresh and new and give the consumer what they deserve,” Hall said. “The consumer today is also a lot more discerning now than in the past.”

Planning for the renovation began in the middle of 2013, and much of the interior has been renovated since that time.

Wallpaper has been replaced by new textured and painted walls, and new tile has been laid in the lobby and breakfast area. New furniture is currently in storage waiting to be installed, and other new finishes such as curtains are on the horizon.

“The interior is being entirely with the exception of the pool area,” Hall said.

The first exterior work was done earlier this year when the driveway was replaced with stamped and colored concrete.

Workers on scaffolding are now resurfacing the exterior EFIS to give the building a new color scheme that is expected to be completed in two to three weeks.

Next on the remodeling agenda, stonework will be added to the façade of the building, and then LED uplighting will be added to the east side of the hotel.

“This will give us a fresh, updated look,” said Hall, who has owned the property since 2005.

Hall says he’s built a lot of repeat customers over the years, and the Red River Inn has a commitment to customer satisfaction that is reflected in surveys of Best Western guests.

Out of some 2,000 Best Western properties in the United States, Clarendon’s Red River Inn is ranked in the top ten percent for overall guest satisfaction.

Hall’s personal philosophy drives that commitment to service.

“I want to operate the best, nicest place we can,” he said.

Veterans who have served America’s armed forces will be honored next Tuesday, November 11, and several local activities have been planned in connection with that national holiday.

Clarendon Elementary students will hold a special music program at 12:15 p.m. next Monday, November 10, in the Bronco Gym.

The American Legion Post 287, Adamson-Lane Post at Hedley, will have its annual Veterans Day Service on Tuesday, November 11, at 10 a.m. at Rowe Cemetery west of Hedley.

The ceremony will take place at the American Legion Veterans Memorial located at the north gate of the cemetery, where 234 veterans are buried.

The Post will place American flags on each veteran’s grave to honor each and every veteran.

The program will be a patriotic event to honor all veterans, living or deceased. There will be a special event to honor those that are still prisoners of war, still interned in a foreign country, or those that are still declared missing in action. The public is invited to attend this special event.

In the event of adverse weather, the ceremony will move to the Hedley Lions Club building on Main Street in Hedley.

Following the Legion service, Hedley Public School will also recognize veterans at the school.

Also on Tuesday, the Donley County Memorial Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars will hold a service at 11 a.m. at the Donley County War Memorial on the Courthouse Square.

Tuesday night, the public is invited to attend a Veterans Day service at the Clarendon College Harned Sisters Fine Arts Center at 7 p.m. Donley County Judge-elect and US Navy Capt. John Howard will be the featured speaker for the evening.