Honored service
Archives for January 2022
Lady Broncos beat Panhandle
Last Friday night, a deep-ranked Panhandle Pantherette team rolled into Clarendon looking for a big win in the opening game of their District schedule; but the Lady Broncos met them at the door and handed them a 44-30 loss.
The teams were fairly even after the first eight minutes, but the Lady Broncos turned up the heat and jumped out to a six-point lead at halftime. Picking up where they left things in the second quarter, the Lady Broncos quickly found their rhythm and made a statement to their opponents, but putting big points on the board. High scorer Hayden Elam made a move in the second half and scored 11 of her 19 total points to help her team secure the win. Elam made good on two three-pointers in the game and went two for two from the bonus line.
Finley Cunningham left no doubt from the arch and hit three-three pointers for nine points. Madie Smith put on a clinic from the free throw line sinking 8 for 8 and Makenna Shadle finished the game with eight points as well.
Earlier in the week, the Lady Broncos hosted Amarillo High junior varsity and lost 35-51. The ladies struggled from the opening quarter and could never get anything going. Trailing 18-26 at the break, the Lady Broncos could not stop the Sandies and took the loss. Shadle led the way with 10 points and Jayde Gribble put in eight. Aubrey Weatherton finished with six, and Smith and Elam put in five points each.
The ladies will continue their District schedule on Friday, January 14 at home against Wellington and at home against Shamrock on Tuesday, January 18.
Test of strength
Joe Charles Poole
Joe Charles Poole, 72, of Hedley passed away on Saturday, January 8, 2022, at his home.
Funeral services were held on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, at the Hedley First Baptist Church with Rev. Bruce Howard, officiating. Burial followed in Rowe Cemetery.
Arrangements are under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors in Clarendon.
Joe Charles Poole was born on May 21, 1949, to Bobbie Joe and Doris Covington. He was later adopted by his stepdad, William A. Poole, Jr. He graduated from Wichita Falls High School. He worked in the oilfield and was an airplane mechanic for 15 years at Tradewinds Airport. He was very talented in lots of areas and would gladly share and train anyone who wanted to learn. He was a paramedic for Clarendon EMS for about 10 years. He was a Deacon at the First Baptist Church in Hedley. He loved doing mission work in Haiti, the Children’s home, and other missionary work. He was the Assistant Chief of the Hedley Fire Department for many years. He loved working with the firefighters. Joe was a father figure and mentor to many. He married Lucy Cox in 1975.
He was preceded in death by his Dad, adopted dad, mother, sisters, Pamela Haas and Carole Poole.
Joe is survived by his wife, Lucy; daughter, Jennifer Ingraham; grandchildren Ashton Wansbrough and Cheyenne Ingraham; brother, Forest Poole; sister, Sue Gatewood and husband, Travis; niece, Crystal Lowrey and husband, Frank, who were our rock taking care of Mom; many nephews, nieces, and an ex-wife, Coco Partridge.
Thank you to Clarendon EMS, Hedley Fire, family, and friends for being there for Joe and me. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Hedley Vol. Fire Dept., PO Box 275, Hedley, TX 79237, Clarendon EMS, Rowe Cemetery, or Hedley Sr. Citizens.
Naomi “Joyce” Woodard
Naomi “Joyce” Woodard, of Hedley passed away on Friday, January 7, 2022.
Private services will be held. A memorial luncheon will be held Saturday, January 15, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Hedley Fellowship Hall.
Cremation & Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Joyce was born on January 5, 1935 in Amarillo, Texas to Sam and Flora Sanders. She attended Hedley High School and married Toby Woodard on May 23, 1953. They resided in Hedley where they raised their family.
Joyce’s children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were the pride and joy of her life. The legacy of Joyce’s kind spirit, passion for sports and love of cooking will live on through them. Joyce “Nana” loved being surrounded by family, she enjoyed when everyone came together and sang along to the guitar. If you ever met Joyce she instantly became your Nana and she would make sure you left her house with a full belly and a cold glass of sweet tea.
Joyce was preceded in death by her husband Toby Woodard; two sons Raymond and Randy Woodard; her parents Sam and Flora Sanders; five sisters, Lillian Fowler and husband Jimmy; Oretha Potts and husband James; Betty McGuire and husband Charle; Jean Rice; Sammy Housden and husband Kenneth; brother-in-law Frank Lindsey; two great grandchildren, Joseph and Shaley Wootten.
Joyce is lovingly survived by her two daughters, Kim and Jonny King of Hedley; Twannah and Eric Hall of Borger; her daughter-in-law Nancy Woodard of Hedley; eight grandchildren; sixteen great grandchildren; one Brother Tracy Sanders and wife Sharon; three sisters Helen Lindsey, Tobytha Wiggins and husband Billy and Delores Simpson and husband Terry.
Family requests that memorials be sent to the Memphis Convalescence Center in Memphis.
Sign the online guestbook at www.robertsonfuneral.com
Local youth preparing for stock show Saturday
The Donley County Junior Livestock Show will be held in Clarendon at the Donley County Activity Center this Saturday, January 8, 2022.
The show will begin at 9 a.m. with the buyer’s meal and premium auction beginning at 6 p.m. Weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. this Friday.
There are 39 local kids entered to exhibit 76 animal projects that they have been busy caring for this fall.
Anyone wishing to purchase an animal or donate to the buyers’ club can do so by calling the Donley County AgriLife Extension office ahead of time at 874-2141.
Potential buyers can also request ahead of time to be called when a particular exhibitor’s animal is coming up for auction Saturday in order to participate in the auction via telephone.
The concession stand Saturday will be breakfast burritos and pulled pork for lunch. The buyers’ dinner will be catered by Dyer’s BBQ.
Showing for the Clarendon High School FFA will be Mya Edwards, Darcy Grahn, and Calder Havens.
Donley County 4-H members showing will be Kelby Brownlee, Laney Gates, Levi Gates, Trigg Harper, Tyler Harper, Brock Hatley, Addison Havens, Grant Haynes, Parker Haynes, Emma Howard, Harrison Howard, Hudson Howard, Emily McCurdy, Hayden Moore, Jayton Moore, Kutter O’Keefe, Jodee Pigg, Flint Pittman, Heston Seay, Madison Smith, Presley Smith, Koyt Tucek, Fayde Turner, Hunter Wann, and Maloree Wann.
The Hedley FFA will be represented by Kaitin Ehlert, Taylee Ehlert, Isabella Martinez, Astin McAllister, Danika Middleton, Brandon Moore, Madison Moore, Eli Ritchie, Sabrina Smith, Javier Valles, and Megan Weatherread.
County okays $448k bid for courthouse repairs
Repairing the 1890 Donley County Courthouse took another step forward December 28 when the commissioners’ court accepted a $448,500 bid from Premier Commercial Group, LLC.
The Panhandle’s oldest functioning courthouse received extensive damage almost a year ago when an arctic storm froze water lines in the building’s heating and cooling system in the attic, destroying the county attorney’s office and flooding other areas.
After months of work to extract water from the building, assess the damage, and develop a plan to restore the building, County Judge John Howard said commissioners met in a called session on Friday, December 17, to open bids on repairs.
Premier’s bid of $448,500 was the lowest of the three and the company’s estimated time for repairs – 70 days – was about half that of the other two bidders. Howard said architect Chris Hutson recommended Premier after reviewing the bids. Premier has worked on five historic courthouses in Texas, and its owner has worked on about 17 historic courthouses in total and was a partner in Phoenix I, when that company oversaw the 2003 restoration of the Donley County Courthouse.
Phoenix I also bid on the repair work but had the high bid at $498,300 and estimated taking 135 days to complete the work. Plains Builders also submitted a bid of $460,000 and expected to take 153 days for the work, but Plains did not have the historic restoration experience of the other two bidders.
The county will now proceed to develop a contract with Premier so that a start date can be set for the repairs.
In other county business on December 17, commissioners revised their earlier action on voting precincts to reinstate a voting location for Precinct 3 voters in Hedley.
The county also adopted a new order on its current burn ban, clearly stating that that violating the burn ban is a misdemeanor crime with a maximum fine of $500.
During the called meeting on December 28, the county also held a public hearing on a proposed Community Resiliency Program grant application attended by representatives of the Donley County Hospital District and the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission. The grant, if approved, would provide 100 percent funds for a new ambulance for the hospital district, Judge Howard said.
State Of The City – 2022
On behalf of the City Council and City employees, we wish all citizens of Clarendon and Donley County a Happy New Year. Your current city council consists of the following: Mayor Sandy Skelton, Mayor Pro-Tem Jacob Fangman, Alderman Larry Jeffers, Alderwoman Terri Floyd, Alderman John Lockhart and Alderwoman Eulaine McIntosh.
Looking back over the past three years, city residents have benefitted from several major accomplishments:
- Elimination of the city’s portion of the unpopular personal property tax on automobiles, trucks, boats, trailers, RV’s, and campers while maintaining reasonable property taxes.
- Installation of approximately 800 state-of-the-art electronic water meters allowing city employees to read all meters within a few hours rather than several days and allowing the city to determine if a citizen has a possible water leak based on daily usage.
- Installation of a new water tower (stand-pipe) on the east side of town in order to replace the old tower which was non-functional for several years.
- Replacement of several miles of old cast-iron water pipe resulting in cleaner water for all citizens and significantly reducing water leaks throughout the city.
- Evaluation and coordination of several dangerous properties which were demolished.
- Relocation of City Hall to Sully Street in a more convenient and suitable facility.
- Coordination with our Economic Development Council to re-open the newly remodeled Mulkey Theatre.
- Opening of the new Clarendon Aquatic Center in the summer of 2021 which was enjoyed by approximately 325 swimmers weekly
Good News for 2022
The city has recently been awarded several major grants which will result in the following projects:
- Downtown Revitalization – $413,100: New sidewalks, accessibility ramps and lighting for main street. A citizens committee will help determine the specifics of the project. Matching funds have been budgeted.
- Infrastructure Projects – $481,874: Funds must be used for water, wastewater and/or broadband expansion (to be decided in near future). Matching funds have been budgeted.
- Sewer Enhancement – $385,600: Funds must used for replacement of one of the city’s sewer lift stations on the north side of town. Matching funds have been budgeted.
Additionally, the city will make major improvements in the area of 7th Street and Koogle in order to prevent future erosion of 7th Street. An engineering design is currently being developed to include reshaping the street, adding curbs and concrete paving for at least one block and maybe more. Funds for this project have been budgeted and the project will begin in the spring of 2022.
The city has accumulated a sizable amount of funds over the past several years to begin paving more streets. The City Council is now in discussions to determine which streets can be paved and the associated costs. We hope some paving can begin in the spring/summer of 2022.
City Budget/Personnel
The City has finished each of the last six years in the black (revenue over expense); as a result we have been able to put a significant amount of funds in reserves (to be used for future projects, emergencies, etc.). The current Operating Budget is $2,999,958 (fiscal year ending September 30, 2022). We have 19 employee positions (13 full-time and six part-time).
Supervisors are David Dockery, City Administrator; Machiel Covey, City Secretary; John Molder, Public Works Director; Grett Betts, Code Compliance Officer; Jerri Shields, Librarian; Tommy Waldrop, Municipal Judge; and Jeremy Powell, Fire Chief.
City Council meets on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m., and the public is always invited. David Dockery can be reached at 806-673-4500 and Mayor Skelton at 806-206-7506.
The Council expresses sincere appreciation to all citizens in the community for choosing to live in Clarendon, for shopping locally, and for supporting various events throughout the year.
Once again, Happy New Year to you and your family.
Game time!
McClendon retires from Greenbelt Electric; White new manager
Stan McClendon, general manager of Greenbelt Electric Cooperative (GEC), retired Jan. 3 after almost 37 years of service. His tenure as manager of GEC began in March 1985.
Previously, he served as director of member services for Lighthouse Electric Cooperative in Floydada.
A native of Gould, Okla., Mc-Clendon graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in agriculture education in 1978. His service and leadership have contributed significantly to the accomplishments of GEC.
During his tenure, the co-op’s annual sales grew from 40 million kilowatt-hours to more than 200 million kWh. McClendon spearheaded and instituted aggressive system maintenance programs for right-of-way clearing and pole testing.
Elected to Golden Spread Electric Cooperative’s (GSEC) board of directors in June 1985, McClendon has served as chairman of the board for the past nine years. During his 36 years on the GSEC board, McClendon served as a member of several committees, including those pertaining to performance and salary reviews, policy reviews, legislative affairs, audits and the political action committee. The experience he brought to GSEC’s formative years were instrumental to its success.
McClendon has left his mark on other organizations in his community too. He served as president of the Kiwanis Club in Wellington and has been a member of the Collingsworth County Hospital District board for the past 16 years. He is currently chairman of Greenlight Gas Company.
McClendon and his wife, Nancy, plan to retire to Jacksonville, Ark., where they can explore all the state parks, lakes and recreational areas Arkansas has to offer.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with a phenomenal board, employees and membership over the years,” McClendon said. “They are who have made Greenbelt what it is today. I am honored to have had the opportunity to lead such a great cooperative. I will truly miss the camaraderie and friendships we’ve made during our time here in Wellington.”
The GEC Board of Directors has selected Randy White as the co-op’s new chief executive officer and general manager, effective Jan. 1. White, GEC’s former assistant general manager, has worked at the co-op since 2001. He served as manager of member services before becoming assistant general manager in 2015.
Prior to his years at the cooperative, White co-owned and managed White’s Feed and Seed for 17 years, and he served as a Donley County Commissioner.
White brings continuity and familiarity to the employees and members of GEC. He will serve as the co-op’s fifth general manager.
GEC wishes Stan and Nancy McClendon a happy retirement and looks forward to White’s leadership and vision.
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