Morgan Wheatly

Clarendon school trustees will meet this week to consider naming an interim superintendent as they prepare for the expected January departure of Superintendent Monty Hysinger.

The board plans to meet Thursday, November 20, in a called session at 7 p.m. The agenda includes possible action to hire an Interim Superintendent of Schools and consideration of Superintendent Search Services, Process, and Timelines.

Trustees met in regular session last Thursday, November 13, and listened to a presentation by Region 16 Education Service Center Executive Director John Bass, who discussed processes for hiring a superintendent.

Bass, a former superintendent himself, said he thinks this is a good time for Clarendon to search for a superintendent.

“I think you’ll get a lot of good applicants,” Bass said, noting CISD’s record of administrative stability, its testing scores, and its finances. “There are about 55 openings across the state right now.”

Bass reviewed the legal requirements for filling the school’s top job and discussed the pros and cons of different search methods.

Whatever method the school board chooses, CISD must name a finalist or finalists 21 days before the board acts to hire someone.

Trustee Reneé Mott asked Bass for clarification on that point.

“So we could name two or three finalists,” Mott asked.

Bass said the district can name more than one finalist but said that it is not often that a district names more than a “lone finalist.”

“[An applicant’s] star loses some of its luster at home when people find out they’re looking,” Bass said.

Most districts in Region 16 do the search themselves, Bass said. Consultants’ prices can vary with a search conducted by the Texas Association of School Boards costing in the neighborhood of $7,000 to $8,000.

“This is the biggest job that a school board does, hiring a superintendent,” he said.

The board then met in closed session with Bass for more than an hour to discuss names of possible interim candidates before returning to open session and adjourning.

The second annual Clarendon Christmas Bazaar is set to welcome more than 20 vendors to the Donley County Activity Center this Saturday, November 22.

The event, hosted by the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce, will open at 10 a.m. and run until 5 p.m. with Santa Claus being on hand for photos from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The bazaar seeks to provide local shoppers with all the choices they need to find that perfect gift for everyone on their Christmas list with booths provided by a mixture of local and out of town businesses.

Drawings will be held throughout the day for door prizes and gift certificates.

Vendors this year include Matthew Ryan Photography, Every Nook & Cranny, Straight Off The Ranch, Ronna’s Creations, Henson’s, Morrow’s Wood Design, Alisha Early, The Clarendon Enterprise, Delightful Lil Treasures, The Cowgirl’s Home, Amanda’s Country Whims, Carolyn Butler, Cathy’s Cookin’, Mary Linn Bills & Becky Hillman, Joanna Jarvis, Jewelry-In-Candles, Campbell Online Marketing, Farm Girl Frosting, Scentsy, Theresa Dronzek Limu Products, and Debra Hubbord Fabric Crosses..

St. Mary’s Catholic Church will have a concession stand and will be serving throughout the day.

For an afternoon of family fun and shopping, visit the Clarendon Christmas Bazaar this Saturday.

Call Chamber Manager Bonnie Campbell at 806-205-3150 for more information on this or other Chamber activities. Or check out the Chamber website at www.ClarendonChamber.com or follow the organization on Facebook at www.facebook.com/clarendonchamber.

A Clarendon woman is facing felony charges from a June 26 accident that resulted in the death of a longtime local businessman.

Gina Canon was arrested last Friday, November 14, and charged with intoxicated manslaughter, a second degree felony, after medical experts agreed that C.W. “Dude” Cornell died from injuries he sustained in the accident.

Canon also was charged with intoxicated assault, a third degree felony, because Cornell’s passenger, Ruth Hancock, was also injured.

Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn said Canon was arraigned by County Judge Jack Hall on Friday with a total bond set at $60,000. She was released from jail after posting bond Saturday.

Cornell, a former county commissioner, died July 7 at the age of 86 while being treated in an Amarillo hospital for injuries he sustained 11 days earlier.

Reports show that Cornell had been eastbound on US 287 in Clarendon on June 26 when his vehicle was struck from behind by another vehicle driven by the 34-year-old Canon.

Phase Three work on the Mulkey Theatre project is expected to get underway next month following a called meeting of the Clarendon Economic Development Corp. Board Monday, November 17.

Jake Scott of Pioneer General Contractors outlined work to be done in Phase Three, which will focus on finishing out the Clarendon Visitor Center office in the former Mulkey barber shop and development of a handicapped accessible bathroom in the vestibule of the theatre.

Workers will also put a new ceiling in the Visitor Center office, install central heating and cooling, and also put new lights in the office.

The scope of work also calls for a gallery rail to be installed in the visitor center office for displaying the work of local artists on a rotational basis.

The cost for Phase 3 is expected to be $76,763 with funds coming from the sales tax and Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue administered by the CEDC board.

In other business this week, the CEDC formally declared the property at 100 S. Kearney an EDC project. The move does not commit the CEDC to any action on the property, but it allows the CEDC to study the old hotel building to see if there are any possible uses for the structure.

The board also met in closed session to interview Laura West and Linda Williams-Holt as finalists for the position of executive director. The board will meet on December 1 to make a final decision on that job.

More local businesses have signed up this week to help make holiday shopping at home is easy and affordable again as the Donley County State Bank and the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce have teamed up to provide zero-percent interest “Christmas Cash” loans for the 18th season.

As in the past, anyone can make application for a loan up to $3,000 interest free with the Donley County State Bank. Eleven local businesses are now participating in the Christmas Cash program this year.

The program has proven popular in the past with many consumers and is seen as way to encourage folks to shop at home.

Once a Christmas Cash loan has been approved, the borrower will be issued Christmas Cash Dollars, which may be spent like US currency toward new purchases at all of the participating businesses.

Christmas Cash must be spent by December 31, 2014.

The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce is currently signing merchants up to participate in Christmas Cash. Chamber members in good standing may register to take Christmas Cash for $25. The merchants then redeem the cash certificates at the Donley County State Bank for 95 cents on the dollar.

As of Tuesday morning, participating Christmas Cash merchants this year are: Cornell’s Country Store, Osburn Appliance, Country Bloomers, Ronna’s Creations, Stavenhagen Video, Henson’s, Every Nook & Cranny, Straight Off The Ranch, The Clarendon Enterprise, Mike’s Pharmacy, Lowe’s Family Center & Ace Hardware.