Archives for May 2018

Clarendon’s water recreation project has received a $100,000 grant from the Don and Sybil Harrington Foundation, according to information presented to the City Council last Thursday, May 10.

City Administrator David Dockery made the announcement in his report to the board and said that funds available for the swimming pool now total approximately $1.9 million.

Mayor Sandy Skelton told the Enterprise that the city’s focus will now turn toward construction of the facility.

“Speaking on behalf of the Steering Committee, we are very pleased with the recent $100,000 gift from the Don and Sybil Harrington Foundation,” Skelton said. “With that significant donation, we can now plan for the construction of the aquatic center/pool and those discussions will begin at our next Steering Committee meeting on June 5.”

The mayor also said he wanted to reiterate some basic facts about the funds available for the water recreation project.

“I would like to remind Donley County residents that the approximately $1,900,000 raised thus far was for the exclusive purpose of constructing Clarendon’s first ever public swimming pool,” Skelton said. “The anonymous benefactor who challenged the City with a $500,000 matching grant in 2015 indicated that those funds could only be used for a swimming pool (not the paving of streets or for any other purpose). Several local and area foundations as well as numerous property owners and individuals in Donley County believed in the project as evidenced by their generous donations.”

Skelton said the location selected for the pool, on the southeast corner of Fourth and Kearney, was also chosen for specific reasons, specifically its ownership by the city and its existing connection to Prospect Park via a lighted walkway.

“That location was attractive to the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife and, as a result, a donation in the amount of $500,000 was received a couple of months ago,” Skelton said. “Once the pool is constructed, the City will continue to make improvements to that area and keep it well maintained in the future. The size of the property will accommodate the pool and associated structures plus parking.

“Although local and area foundations as well as the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife made large donations, I want to especially thank Donley County residents for their financial gifts. Without local citizens and property owners stepping up to the plate, this project would not have been successful.”

In other city business last week, aldermen approved raising fees related to animal control procedures and updated policies and coverages related to financial controls within the city. The council also considered bids on the USDA funded water system improvements but took no action pending further review by city staff, city engineers, and USDA.

Bids did come in within the project’s $3.9 million budget, but officials are reviewing everything to make sure the bids meet the specs of the project.

Local and area wildfires kept Clarendon and neighboring volunteer firemen busy last week as hot, dry conditions continued to make for extremely dangerous conditions.

Clarendon Fire Chief Jeremy Powell said his department fought fires from Tuesday evening through Saturday, starting on the JA Ranch and then later assisting Silverton firemen with fires in Briscoe County.

In Armstrong County, several fires merged into what has been called the Mallard Fire that has consumed more than 74,000 acres of canyon and ranch land since last Tuesday. The wildfire even generated enough heat and smoke to alter the local weather on Friday with a pyro cumulus cloud forming and bringing with it, thunder, lightning, and some rain.

At one point Friday afternoon, the Goodnight community and areas south were evacuated due to the threat of fire spreading that direction.

The Mallard Fire encroached into Donley County Friday evening, jumping US 287 and burning 1,200 acres between the county line towards the Ashtola community, Powell said.

The Texas A&M Forest Service called in help from across the United States under the command of the Southern Area Red Incident Management Team. Red Team Incident Commander Mike Dueitt joined Texas A&M Forest Service Incident Commander Rich Gray in unified command.

Local volunteer firemen were turned away from the fire Sunday, Powell said. Clarendon firemen attempted to respond to another possible encroachment into Donley County late Monday afternoon but were turned back by federal authorities, Powell said.

As of Monday afternoon, Red Team sources were reporting the Mallard Fire was 20 percent contained. The fire was being attacked by four large helicopters, two small helicopters, five single-engine air tankers, 45 engines, six dozers, three hand crews, and personnel totaling 340.

Texas Forest Service Public Information Officer Kari Hines said Tuesday morning that the containment of the fire was unchanged at that time. The area did receive some decent rainfall Monday night, but that precipitation largely missed the area of the fire.

The new Howardwick City Council took office in a called meeting last Friday, May 11, but will revisit one of its first actions to stay in compliance with the Open Meetings Act.

Four of the five citizens elected to the council on May 5 took the oath of office. City Secretary Sandra Childress administered the oath to Aldermen Doc Holladay, Marietta Baird, Debbora Sharpton, and Brice Hawley. Alderman-elect Johnny Floyd was not present, but was chosen by his fellow council members as the city’s new mayor pro-tem.

Mayor Greta Byars discussed the appointment of a Planning & Zoning Commission for the city as provided for by ordinance.

The code says the mayor and aldermen make up the planning and zoning commission or it allows the mayor and aldermen to appoint people to serve as the commission. A motion was approved Friday night to appoint the mayor, council, and resident Sam Grider to the commission, pending Grider’s acceptance of the appointment.

After the meeting, it was brought up that a commission made of up a quorum of the council would have to abide by the Open Meetings Act, including posting an agenda 72 hours before each meeting.

Just over one year ago, the Clarendon College Board of Regents found themselves in a similar situation after appointing half of its then members to a committee. Don R. Richards, a Lubbock attorney specializing in media law and serving as an Advisory Director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, told the Enterprise at that time that state law is clear on such matters.

“Committees appointed by a governmental body also are subject to open records requirements,” Richards said. “In addition, committees of the board, as well as committees appointed by the board which may involve a mixture of either board members and private members, are also ‘governmental bodies’ under Texas law and are therefore subject to open meetings laws when such committees have been delegated final authority by the board.”

The powers of the Planning and Zoning Commission, according to the code of ordinances, “include the enforcement of restrictions in force and the addition of certain other amendments to be determined, that contribute to the orderly and pleasing development of a genteel retirement and recreation city.”

Howardwick City Hall said this week there will be no meetings of the planning and zoning commission until a called meeting of the city council can be held to revisit this issue.

City and Chamber of Commerce officials are urging local businesses to attend a public hearing on Clarendon’s sign ordinance next Monday, May 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the Burton Memorial Library.

Municipal regulations on signage have been in place for several years, but recent questions have prompted the city to call for the public hearing to consider whether to change the ordinance or enforce it as it currently written.

City Administrator David Dockery told the Clarendon Economic Development Board of Directors Monday that one of the city’s concerns is over what’s known as “off premise signs,” which are prohibited by the current ordinance. An off premise sign is one that is not attached to a business or not on property owned by the business and where the business is located.

Dockery said there are currently several signs in violation of the ordinance, but completely doing away with the city’s prohibition on off premise signs would open the door to the city having signs everywhere. The city would like to have input on how best to deal with this issue.

Billboards are considered off premise signs also, the administrator said, and having no control on those signs could be detrimental to the appearance of the city.

The ordinance also currently prohibits variable message signs such as digital signs that are currently in place in certain locations. Input is also being sought on those signs.

The Chamber last week alerted its members to the upcoming hearing and emailed a link to the current ordinance to its membership. Copies of the ordinance are also available at City Hall and at the Visitor Center.

Tommy Waldrop will join the Clarendon College Board of Regents after he and two incumbents were elected in a close vote Saturday, May 5, to serve six-year terms.

Edwin Campbell was returned to the board with 103 votes, which was the most out of the four candidates running. Incumbent Jerry Woodard was second with 89 votes, and Waldrop rounded out the top three with 80.

Lance Wood was also running but was one vote short of Waldrop at 79.

Less than seven percent of Donley County voters turned out for the college board election with just 145 people out of 2,202 registered casting ballots.

Almost half of all registered voters in the City of Howardwick turned out to elect a new city council Saturday in a combined regular and special election on one ballot.

In the regular election for three full two-year terms on the council, Alderman Doc Holladay was re-elected with 117 votes, Debbora Sharpton was elected with 105 votes, and Marietta Baird was elected with 96 votes. Also running was Kay Dye, who received 49 votes.

In the special election to fill two one-year unexpired terms, Johnny Floyd was the top vote getter with 116, and he will be joined on the council by Brice Hawley, who received 60 votes. Also running for those seats were Mary Grady 52, James Wix 12, and Vol Lindsey 12.

Howardwick officials were scheduled to canvass the election results Tuesday night, May 8; and a called meeting has been set for Friday, May 11, at 6 p.m., for administering the oath of office to the newly elected council.

Friday’s meeting will also include some regular business, and City Hall says Mayor Greta Byars plans to appoint a planning and zoning commission at that time as well.

Saturday’s election saw 127 people cast ballots, and County Tax Assessor / Collector Linda Crump says the city has 261 registered voters, putting the turnout at 48.7 percent.