Morgan Wheatly

Renovations continue on two historic buildings in downtown Clarendon after the owner of the properties received assistance from the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation.

David Koehler of Dallas received the 19th and 20th awards, amounting to $2,000 each, under the CEDC’s Façade Grant Program for improvements to properties at 206 S. Kearney and 300 S. Kearney.

The first building, commonly known as the Poor Boy’s Antiques building or Greene Dry Goods building, was erected by pioneer merchant H.W. Taylor about the turn of the century. The building has been idle for many years, but Koehler has added a new deck to the front of the building and utilized the façade grant program to install a bead board soffit and replicate historic signage and decorative images on showcase windows.

Koehler’s representative, Vicki Munie, says she and Koehler want to put the building back as close to its original state as possible.

“This grant allowed us to install the bead board,” Munie said. “I’ve always liked history, and it is fun to work on this project.”

Munie will next be working on the floors of the showcases and doing some more exterior painting. She says the goal is to open the building back up as an antiques store.

Koehler’s second grant was for improvements to the 1927 Latson Building, more commonly known as the JAMZ building. Munie constructed or repaired windows and doors on the north face of the building, which stands at the corner of Third and Kearney.

The improvements greatly enhanced the building, but work still needs to be done to the east face of the building. Munie and Koehler are examining historic photos to determine how best to proceed on the property. No definite plans have been set for the building’s ultimate use.

Since the Façade Grant Program began in 2008, the CEDC has awarded $25,397.04 to property owners in downtown Clarendon. The Façade Grant Program provides 50-50 matching grants, up to a maximum of $2,000 per project, for improvements done to commercial storefronts.

The program grants awards to eligible properties located in the city’s entire Central Business District and on the US 287 corridor.

Projects eligible for consideration could be anything from a coat of paint to new signage to sidewalk improvements to a complete rehabilitation of a storefront. Property owners interested in Façade Grant funds must get approval before beginning their projects.

For more information about the Façade Grant Program or to apply for a grant, contact Jack King at 874-2421 or Roger Estlack at 874-2259.

 

The 138th annual Saints’ Roost Celebration coming up on July 2, 3, and 4 as organizers continue to get ready for the big event.

The Chamber of Commerce again reminds people that the biggest change for this year centers on the Herring Bank July Fourth Parade, which has been moved from its afternoon timeslot to 10 a.m. Line up for the parade will start at 9 a.m., and $850 in prize money is up for grabs for parade entrants.

The complete celebration schedule rundown is as follows.

The Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association will kick off the activities with a Junior Ranch Rodeo on Thursday night, July 2, at 7:30 at the COEA Arena followed by a dance at 9 p.m. featuring Chris Albracht as the deejay.

Clarendon merchants will have sales on Friday, and the Ten Commandments marker at the Courthouse will be dedicated that morning at 10 a.m. followed by the Depression Lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Downtown Crossties Ministry building. COEA’s Ranch Rodeo will start that night at 7:30 with No Dry County providing live music for the dance at 9:00.

Saturday, July 4, the Arts & Craft Fair on the square will start at 9 a.m. The Craft Fair is sponsored by the Donley County 4H, and booth space is $25. Booth space needs to be reserved by June 27 by calling 874-2141.

The Old Settlers Reunion and the Kids’ Bicycle & Tricycle Parade also begin at 9 a.m. The Kids’ Parade will line up and register at 8:30 at Keith Floyd’s shop at Third and Sully.

Line up for the Herring Bank Parade will also start at 9 a.m. on Sixth Street north of Prospect Park. At 10:00, the parade will then take its usual route – north on Kearney to Third Street, west on Third to Sully, south in front of the Courthouse, and then wind back to the ball parks.

The Herring Bank Parade features $850 in cash prizes with $200 available for the best float, $100 for the best car or truck entry, $100 for the best animal or riding unit, $100 for the best tractor or farm equipment entry, and $100 for the best “other” entry. From those first place winners, judges will select a Grand Prize winner who will receive an additional $250. Parade winners will be announced at 1 p.m.

Entry forms for the Kids’ Parade and the Herring Bank Parade are available in this week’s Enterprise. Forms are also available at the Clarendon Visitor Center at Mulkey Theatre and online at www.ClarendonEDC.org.

Ed Montana will be handling the parade and celebration announcing and will also be performing live music during the festivities on the square.

Following the parade, the Al Morrah Shrine Club will have its annual barbecue lunch at approximately 11 a.m. and will serve until the food is gone. Tickets will be $10 per plate. Tickets can be purchased on the Square or in advance at the Clarendon Visitor Center.

The Clarendon Lions Club has retired its cow patty bingo fundraiser and will instead have Bounce Houses and Water Slides at the Lions Hall from about 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. A five-dollar wrist band will let kids bounce and slide to their hearts’ content all day.

The annual Henson’s Turtle Race will be held on 3 p.m. on Saturday. Registration is ongoing at Henson’s. Kids ages zero to 14 can enter the races free to win a cash prize. Adults and kids over 14 can enter the senior races for $5 with the winner getting half the pot and the other half going to charity.

The COEA’s Ranch Rodeo will close out the official celebration Saturday night at 7:30 with No Dry Country again headlining the dance at 9:00.

Box seating tickets are still available for all three nights of rodeo for $150. Contact Theresa Shelton for 654-2993 for information.

Also next weekend, the Be Brave Scholarship Fundraiser event will be held Sunday, July 5, at the Donley County Activity Center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. A ten-dollar admission charge will include a hamburger meal, entertainment, and kids’ bounce houses. Tickets available in advance at Every Nook & Cranny or at the door.

More celebration details will be printed as they become available. To add your event or activity to this listing, contact the Enterprise at 874-2259 or the Visitor Center at 874-2421.

 

Clarendon College has named 125 honor students for the spring 2015 semester this week.

Seventy-nine CC students were named to the President’s list. Each achieved a grade point average of 4.0 while completing at least 12 credit hours.

The students are listed by hometown:

Raylynn Cruz, Amarillo; Libby Kelley, Amarillo; Ashlea Callen, Amarillo; Penny Garman, Amarillo; Vicky Snelson, Amarillo; Jaci Black, Amarillo; Melisa Bowman, Amarillo; Aimee Diaz, Amarillo; Lindsy Donathan, Amarillo; Emily Espino, Amarillo; Kiayra Greer, Amarillo; Leigh Ann Hickmott, Amarillo; Cheyenne Kincanon, Amarillo; Tabitha Kincanon, Amarillo; Brieanne Meza, Amarillo; Amber Miller, Amarillo; Jason Paulk, Amarillo; Erica Pimentel, Amarillo; Bettima Schuster, Amarillo; Caleb Urbanczyk, Amarillo; Taren Lee, Amarillo; Briana Gardner, Amarillo; Cassidy Brumaghin, Bailey, Colo.; Cheyenne Luna, Canyon; Amanda Schaeffer, Childress; Savannah Topper, Clarendon; Jodie Lockeby, Clarendon; Robert M. Riza, Clarendon; Sabra Barnett, Clovis, New Mex.; Jose Flores, Friona; Megan Chambers, Gatesville; Paige Chambers, Gatesville; Taos Anderson, Gruver; Deborah Howard, Hedley; Camra Smith, Howardwick; Korynna Lara, Las Cruces, New Mex.; Allison Lafferty, Leander; Amanda Hicks, Lefors; Daisy Leon, Lovington, New Mex.; Bailey Chavez, Magdalena, New Mex.; Virginia Gutierrez, Matador; Samantha Albritton, McLean; April Ramsey, Mclean; Reese Clark, Morse; Colt Wetterman, Mountainair, New Mex.; Jessica Humphrey, Okeechobee, Florida; Misty Wilkerson, Paducah; Luis Cano, Pampa; Spencer Estes, Pampa; Allison Leigh, Pampa; Martin Maldonado, Pampa; Victor Perez, Pampa; Chad Russell, Pampa; Juan Salazar, Pampa; Robin Scott, Pampa; Luis Servin, Pampa; Melissa Watson, Pampa; Mario Armenta, Pampa; William Downs, Pampa; Steven Mitchell, Pampa; Iriscel Quezada, Pampa; Woodie Sons, Pampa; David Weller, Pampa; Elizabeth McLatchy, Pampa; Heidy Sanchez-Navarro, Pampa; Crystal Lewis, Pampa; Andrew Santacruz, Pampa; Jesus Santacruz, Pampa; Peyton May, Pampa; Phillip Detten, Panhandle; Marissa Wilcox, Perryton; Megan Kitch, Rolla, Kan.; Nicholas Kitch, Rollo, Kan.; Symantha Sandee, Seguin; Tiffany Martin, Seminole; Amy Hernandez, Tulia; Evonne Zuniga-Hernandez, Tulia; Kaitlan Perryman, White Deer; and Colby Rahm, Yuma, Colo.

Clarendon College named 46 students to the Dean’s List. Each achieved a grade point average of between 3.6 and 3.99 while completing at least 12 credit hours.

The students are listed by hometown:

Helen Morrow, Alpine; Henry Nighswonger, Alva, Okla.; Kobie Jordan, Amado, Ariz.; Whitney Lane, Amarillo; Misti Garcia, Amarillo; Rachel Heide, Apple Valley, Calif.; Kyla Baker, Borger; Pamela Ezzell, Borger; Sasha Jahay, Clarendon; Jacob Owens, Clarendon; Courtney Wilson, Clarendon; Brayden Hawkins, Cleburne; Hayden Bach, Cleburne; Michal Robertson, Garden Plain, Kan.; Esther Van Dijk, Hartley; Austin Adams, Hedley; Amy Alfeld, Houston; Ryata Daniel, La Luz, New Mex.; Reed Papay, Meade, Kan.; Jessie Smith, Miami; Courtney Wingate, Myakka City, Florida; Dominic Obunaka, Nairobi, Kenya; Sara Koepp, New Braunfels; Tracy Cain, Pampa; Maggie Hayes, Pampa; Skylar Estes, Pampa; Alejandro Salazar, Pampa; Viola Hoganson, Pampa; Chrystal Boling, Pampa; Kaycee Brown, Pampa; Casey Sark, Pampa; Rachael Whinery, Pampa; Zane Thomas, Perryton; Makenna Etie, Petersburg; Luka Jovicic, Pontpierre, Luxembourg; David Bell, Quail; Isela Sandoval, Rice; Haley Kinney, Santa Fe; Kiersten Scott, Scott City, Kan.; Dillon Hopkins, Seminole; Samantha Green, Shamrock; Penny Holdren, Snyder; Kenna Faulkenberry, Stephenville; Kyera Abram, Teague; Kyle Fitch, Waco; and Edward Ibarra, Waco.

 

Clarendon city officials are still considering a downtown revitalization grant following a public hearing last Thursday, June 11.

The grant through the Texas Capital Fund would be for up to $150,000 for sidewalk, lighting, and accessibility improvements on Kearney Street. The city would have to pay a 20 percent match plus cover any costs beyond $150,000 if the project exceeded that amount.

Clarendon applied for this same grant unsuccessfully two years ago.

During last week’s hearing, comments of both concern and support were made about the possible grant application.

Clarendon Economic Development Board member and former local businessman Bill Stavenhagen raised concerns about spending a lot of money downtown “if you only have two businesses” there, and Mayor Larry Hicks pointed out there are more businesses than that on the city’s main street.

Stavenhagen also said that he did not want his remarks to indicate that he was necessarily against the grant application but said local merchants face stiff competition from the Internet.

Former city alderman Mac Stavenhagen asked questions about the match for the grant and about what economic impact it would have.

Former EDC director and former alderman Bob Watson spoke in favor of the grant application. “We need Clarendon to be the type of city that people want to come to,” Watson said. “I think this is a first step.”

CEDC Interim Director Jack King also spoke in favor of the grant application.

Alderman Doug Kidd said it is important for the city to get input.

“We need everybody’s opinion – negative or positive,” Kidd said. “We need to hear it all.”

The city has until October to submit the application if it chooses to go forward. Last week’s public hearing was a necessary first step in getting ready for an application, and city aldermen will likely be asked to consider approving resolutions associated with a grant application.

City Administrator David Dockery said Tuesday that City Hall is continuing to explore the opportunities presented by the grant but no commitment has been made to pursue the grant at this time.

 

Donley County is asking local landowners for help with improving rural roads the meeting of the Commissioners’ Court last Monday, June 8.

Judge John Howard said the heavy rain received across the county has rural roads in bad shape but that county commissioners and road hands are working on the problems as fast as they can.

“The roads are the lifeblood of people who live in the county, and we have to give attention to that, but resources are limited,” Howard said.

The county would like to improve roads overall, but precincts have no material to use for such upgrades.

Howard said the county would gladly accept donations of usable rock, gravel, or caliche from area landowners.

For more information on this or to make a donation, contact your precinct commissioner.

Howard also said commissioners discussed the best ways to care for county roads with the limited resources available.

The court also reaffirmed apportioning responsibility for county roads equally, as best as possible, among the four precinct road hands.

Precinct boundaries are determined by census numbers to have a nearly even population in each precinct. The miles of county roads, however, are not evenly distributed with Precinct One having about 130 miles of road, Precinct Two having about 90 miles, Precinct 3 having about 150 miles, and Precinct 4 having about 80 miles.

Commissioners agreed on letting road hands cross precinct lines in certain areas to balance the loads on each precinct.

In other county business, the court adopted a new policy on the cremation of paupers, accepted a bid on tax delinquent property in Howardwick, agreed to run an ad taking bids or auctioning surplus or salvage county property.

 

Hedley ISD Trustees will be appointing two new board members this summer after two of its members moved out of the school district.

HISD Board President Dana Bell announced the resignation of Trustee Ted Wright at the board’s regular meeting Monday night, June 15, and said that Holly McCleskey’s letter of resignation is expected at the July meeting.

Bell said the board needs to be thinking about who might be good candidates to be appointed, and he reminded the remaining members of the board – Aaron Harper, Lana Ritchie, Troy Monroe, and Carole Ward – that they need to pay special attention to their attendance at meetings in order to preserve the quorum until Wright’s and McCleskey’s positions are filled.

In other school business, Tresa Alston administered the oath of office to Bell and Ward as they start their new terms on the board. Trustees then voted to organize the board with Bell continuing as president, Ward as vice president, and Ritchie as secretary.

The board also heard administrative reports from Principal Reida Penman and Superintendent Colby Waldrop, adopted policy updates, approved increasing school lunch rates by ten cents, and met in closed session to discuss personnel.

During public comments, the board heard from Clarendon Chamber of Commerce President Roger Estlack, thanking the school for the job it does educating local youth and as one of the county’s largest employers and encouraging the school district to join the Chamber, and from Robert Papa, who commented about how well his son has done as a student at HISD.