Archives for September 2020

The City of Clarendon is out of the trash collection business following last week’s city council meeting at which Diversified Waste Management of Amarillo was given a five-year franchise for those services.

With one motion September 24, the council approved a series of agreements with Diversified that was the culmination of months of negotiations between the company and City Hall.

Mayor Sandy Skelton said only one citizen had complained about the proposed deal at a city council meeting since The Clarendon Enterprise first reported the details of the negotiations with Diversified on July 30, and he said it had been a pleasure working with Brandon Brown on behalf of the company.

Brown, who has a weekend home near Brice, said he looks forward to becoming more involved with Clarendon.

“I want to thank the city for the time spent on this agreement,” Brown said. “I really would like to become part of the community. This is home for me. It’s my backyard. We will go above and beyond with service and community involvement.”

In the deal which took effect this week, Diversified Waste agreed to purchase all of the city’s sanitation vehicles and equipment as well as the city’s Dumpsters. The company will retain all the city’s sanitation workers, other than sanitation director Joe Shadle, who is retiring; and Diversified will provide the service at a rate equal to or lower than what the city is currently paying. Diversified will also continue to service several grass and leaf Dumpsters that are also located around town.

Brown again said last week that he felt like the local employees were incredible assets and that he hopes to let them be models for how employees are expected to be in his company.

The agreement also outlines how Diversified might lower or raise sanitation rates based on the cost of diesel if it exceeds $3.25 per gallon or drops below $1.65 per gallon.

“I know everyone fears price increases, and I’ll let my actions speak for themselves,” he said and drew attention to the service he provides in Claude, where he says rates have not gone up in three years.

In addition to providing sanitation services to the city and several accounts in rural Donley County, Diversified also will lease the city’s facilities on Front Street to base his sanitation service locally and use that potentially as a hub to service other nearby cities or accounts.

Billing for sanitation service will still go through the city, and the city will be the point of contact for residents who have questions or concerns about their trash service. To pay for that service, the city will receive a portion of Diversified’s fee.

In other city business last week, the council declared five more properties and public nuisances; approved the annual budgets of the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation as the hotel occupancy funded budget of the Chamber of Commerce; and approved the annual contract for services with the Donley County Appraisal District to assess and collect property taxes.

The Donley County Community Fund is now accepting applications from qualified non-profit organizations for a $1,000 grant to be awarded this fall.

Those eligible to apply for the grants include local governments, non-profit organizations holding a 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service, and other qualifying non-profits or civic organizations. All grant applicants must be from Donley County.

Grant applications must be received by Friday, October 30, at 5 p.m., and the grant recipient will be announced in November.

To receive a grant application and determine your organization’s eligibility to apply, contact Jacob Fangman at 874-3556 or Roger Estlack at 874-2259. Applications are available from Fangman at Herring Bank or at the Clarendon Visitor Center.

The Donley County Community Fund is an affiliate fund of the Amarillo Area Foundation (AAF) with the focus of building an Endowed Legacy for the entire county for the benefit of future generations.

Christian band Big Daddy Weave will perform live on stage at Clarendon’s Sandell Drive-In Theatre next Friday, October 9, as the 2020 music series continues here.

Casting Crowns set the drive-in’s attendance record in July, and Sandell owner John Morrow says tickets are already selling fast for next week’s concert.

The Big Daddy Weave concert will also feature Grammy-winner Zach Williams in the latest of the critically acclaimed Drive-In Theater Tour series, produced by Awakening Events. Tickets are available at driveintheatertour.com.

“It has been truly amazing to see the impact of these drive-in theater concerts. Fans and theater owners alike have all told us how much this was needed in their communities, and how much they appreciate us being there, providing this message of hope through music,” said Dan Fife, Founder and President of Awakening Events.

Known for honest songs that tell personal stories of freedom in Christ, Big Daddy Weave fans have long admired the band for their particular brand of real-life, real-person openness. With songs like “My Story,” “The Lion and the Lamb,” “Overwhelmed,”

“I Know,” and “Redeemed,” Big Daddy Weave has cemented its status as one of the most beloved bands in Christian music. Millions have taken their anthems of Jesus’s chainbreaking love as their own and sung along to songs about the radical act of redemption.

But while creating their latest album, When the Light Comes, the men of Big Daddy Weave, Mike Weaver (lead vocals, guitar), Jay Weaver (bass, vocals), Jeremy Redmon (guitar, vocals), Joe Shirk (saxophone, keys, vocals) and Brian Beihl (drums), found themselves working from a new and unfamiliar place. The inspirational themes and uplifting messages many find in the group’s music were desperately needed by the members themselves.

Tickets for the tour will again be sold by the car load at $100 per car. For more information, visit the Sandell’s Facebook page.

Registration is open for the eight annual Chance Mark Jones Roar & Run 5K, which will be held Saturday, October 3, at the Clarendon Aquatic Center.

Those interested in running or walking the 5K (about 3.1 miles) are encouraged to sign up before September 25 to take advantage of the early bird discount. Registration costs $25, but those who sign up early save $5. Signing up by September 25

also guarantees participants the official 5K t-shirt.
The race will begin at 1:30 p.m. Race registrations are available at the Clarendon Visitor Center at the Mulkey Theatre, at the Enterprise, or online at https://bit.ly/32tPXcL.

Sponsorships are also available, and potential sponsors are also asked to sign up by September 25 to ensure their names are on this year’s T-shirt.

For more information, contact Lion Ashlee Estlack at ashlee.estlack@gmail.com or 806-662-4687 or Lion Roger Estlack at publisher@clarendonlive.com or 806-874-2259.