Archives for December 2016

Clarendon’s baseball and softball fields are now entirely the property of the public school following action by the city council and school board in the last few days.

The city and school district have had split ownership of the ballparks for many decades, with the city owning the McClelland Field adjacent to Prospect Park, the school owning Hart-Moore Field where the little league plays, and each entity owning half of the softball field.

The City Council at their regular meeting last Thursday, December 8, approved conveying the properties to the school, and the Clarendon ISD Board of Trustees accepted the deal Monday night.

Talks about consolidating ownership of the ballparks started several months ago as the city began preparations for a USDA-funded water system improvement project. As a condition of that $3.9 million project, USDA has mandated that the city can no longer give away water to anyone and all water use must be metered.

“We estimated that about two million gallons of water was being used on the baseball and softball fields annually,” City Administrator David Dockery told the Enterprise.

The city’s wholesale cost of that water was about $5,200 per year, but the primary user of the properties is the school district.

CISD Superintendent Mike Norrell said the deal just makes sense for the school district.

“We fertilize, maintain, and utilize the fields,” Norrell said. “They are covered on our insurance.”

Both sides say there are no conditions on the deal, although the school board did give assurances to the city that the properties would always be used for athletic purposes to benefit youth.

The city conveyed the entirety of McClellan Field, including a four-foot easement beyond each existing fence and a 20-foot right-of-way easement along the north side of Seventh Street between Jefferson Street and Prospect Park where the right outfield fence already encroaches on the platted street.

The city also conveyed to the school the west half of the block on which the softball field is situated.

As far as water usage going forward, Norrell says the school district is weighing its options, including the possibility of drilling a well to irrigate those fields.

Clarendon’s City Hall may have to be significantly remodeled to meet the conditions of USDA funding for a water system improvement project, the city council learned during their regular meeting last Thursday, December 8.

In order to bring the 1918 building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the city could have to spend between $100,000 and $200,000, City Administrator David Dockery told the council.

The administrator tells the Enterprise that ADA compliance for City Hall never came up as the city prepared to apply for federal funding for an upcoming $3.9 million water system improvement project, despite years of planning and USDA officials being in the building during that time.

It wasn’t until USDA officials were in City Hall in September to formally announced that the project was being funded that ADA compliance came up, Dockery said.

After that, the city spent $950 for a complete ADA evaluation of the building which came up with a list of issues ranging from bathroom facilities to office doors to counter heights to meeting space. Now more money must be spent to draw up specific plans for how to address the issues.

The concerns focus entirely on the first floor offices used by the city. The building’s second floor, which has no handicapped accessibility, is used by the fire department, and the basement is primarily used for storage.

Dockery says for the money the city is looking at, it may be better to close the current municipal building and build a new City Hall.

Nothing has been decided at this time. The city is asking for more information from USDA, and the government agency itself wants to review the compliance report.

In other city news, aldermen approved a variance request from Donley County to allow a water well to be placed on the courthouse square.

The council also approved repealing the Dangerous Structure Ordinance and replacing it with a new ordinance governing substandard buildings.

Aldermen gave the go ahead for city officials to prepare an ordinance setting water tap fees at $700 for a ¾-inch line, $900 for a 1-inch line, actual cost for larger meters, and $400 for future sewer taps. The measure will come back to the council for final approval.

Publicity and tourism agreements with the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation and the Chamber of Commerce were approved as presented for two-year terms. The CEDC will continue to manage 75 percent of the city’s Hotel Occupancy Tax funds, and the Chamber will continue to administer 25 percent of those funds.

A Donley County case was one of four heard last Monday, December 5, when the 100th District Court met in Childress.

District Attorney Luke Inman, assisted by Greg Buckley, prosecuted the cases for the State of Texas, with the Honorable Judge Stuart Messer presiding.

Martin Flores was placed on probation for a period of three years for the third degree felony offense of possession of a controlled substance. Flores pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication for the offense.

Flores, 27 from Las Vegas, Nev., was arrested in Donley County for the offense that took place on October 8, 2015, by DPS Trooper Kelly Hill. Flores plead to an information filed by the State on January 14, 2016.

Pursuant to the plea agreement, Flores was required to pay a fine of $3,000 to Donley County, $458 in court costs, $180 lab restitution, successfully complete 200 hours of community service, and a $500 probation transfer fee. If Flores violates probation, he could face up to ten years in the Institutional Division of the TDCJ.

Candice Leann Prentice Hodge was placed on probation for a period of two years for the second degree felony offense of burglary of a habitation.  Hodge pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication for the offense.

Hodge, 32 from Childress, was arrested in Childress County for the offense that took place on June 11, 2016, 2016 by Childress Police Officer Matthew Bradley. Hodge was indicted by a Childress County Grand Jury on September 19, 2016.

Christopher Nicholas Jones was placed on probation for a period of two years for the third degree felony offense of money laundering. Jones pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication for the offense.

Jones, 29 from Baton Rouge, LA, was arrested in Childress County for the offense that took place on February 22, 2016, by DPS Trooper Bo Bowden. Jones was indicted by a Childress County Grand Jury on June 21, 2016.

Nicole Patricia Myers was placed on probation for a period of three years for the state jail felony offense of possession of marihuana.  Myers pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication for the offense.

Myers, 34 from Colorado Springs, CO, was arrested in Childress County for the offense that took place on May 5, 2016, by Childress County Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Warren. Myers pleaded to an information filed by the State on July 13, 2016.

Christmas is almost upon us; and if you’ve still got shopping to do, this is a great weekend to get out and shop at home.

Between the monthly trade days out at the Whistle-Stop and the deals you can find among our local merchants, there should be something for everyone on your gift list.

By shopping in Clarendon this weekend, you can park right in front of your favorite store, be greeted by the business man or woman who knows your first name, and find great gifts for great prices. You will find great selections, great savings, and service that you can only get right in a small town.

Your local merchants are the ones who pay taxes here to support your city, county, college, school, and ambulance service. They are the ones who pony up every time a kid comes in raising money for the third or fourth “worthy cause” this week, and then when they go to the grocery store, they will dig into their pocket and find money for the cookies or pies at the bake sale of the week.

The money we spend in Amarillo pretty much stays in Amarillo. It pays for streets in Amarillo, supports their dream of a new baseball stadium, and supports their schools and their kids. It doesn’t come home, it doesn’t keep the lights on in our school, and it doesn’t keep our senior citizens centers running.

The Enterprise has always supported the “shop at home” theme and encourages people to “be loyal and buy local” whenever it is possible. And likewise, our local merchants have always gone out of their way to try to make shopping Clarendon attractive and fun.

This Saturday morning, you can take your kids to see Santa at the Mulkey Theatre and the let them watch holiday movies at the Mulkey that afternoon.

You can enjoy great concessions from St. Mary’s Church at the Masonic Lodge Hall during the day, and then that evening support a great cause – raising money for Amber Williams – at a chili supper Saturday evening at the Crossties Ministry Center.

And you can also enjoy great holiday booths – many of them belonging to local organizations – at the Arena of Life Cowboy Church downtown and also at the ministry center.

And this year we are fortunate to have the Whistle-Stop Trade Days on the same weekend. The monthly endeavor established earlier this year by Kimberly and Jordan Green draws big crowds to Clarendon each month and has helped our sales tax base expand significantly.

If you haven’t been to the Whistle-Stop at the old Chamberlain Motor Company building, you are definitely missing out. It’s a shopping experience like you’ve never seen in Clarendon. They have vendors selling everything you can imagine – jerky, soap, antiques, collectibles, clothes, tools, furniture, unique gifts, and more. There is stuff outside and inside and everywhere you look.

But it’s more than shopping, it’s fun. There are things for kids to enjoy, and also entertainment for the grown-ups. Where else can you find live music, great food, and cold beer in one spot without leaving town? And there is often typically different musicians playing at the same time in different locations… the beer garden behind the main building, the old showroom, and the old service center.

For several years now, our family has set the goal of getting as much of our Christmas shopping done right here at home and that’s the goal again for 2016. Always remembering which side our bread is buttered on, our intention is to make the majority of our purchases from local merchants – the men and women who support our community and our newspaper.

And now with the Whistle-Stop, we have even more local choices for our holiday purchases. Several of the vendors are local folks and the sales tax from all of the vendors – regardless of where their home base is – stays here in our town.

Think about your purchases. It makes a difference when you shop at home. It is simple economics, and it is common sense. The more you spend in Donley County, the more our local businesses can put right back into the local economy.

We all win when we shop at home, and this weekend is a great time to put your money to work for your community while having fun and supporting your friends and neighbors.