Morgan Wheatly

Shopping small can have a big impact this weekend as Clarendon merchants mark down prices and roll out the savings for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.

While the big city may lure some people to forego their sleep and start shopping way before the crack of dawn on Friday, local stores are encouraging people to shop at home and enjoy the benefits of wide selections, no traffic, no hassles, and smaller crowds.

“Black Friday” – the day after Thanksgiving – is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year in the US and gets its name because so many businesses see it as the chance to get their books “in the black.” But many Clarendon stores are viewing it as a great day to provide customers with their usual outstanding customer service as well as great savings.

Sales and promotions will continue on Saturday as part of the fourth annual “Small Business Saturday,” which is being promoted nationwide by American Express as a day to support the driving force of our local economies.

Small Business Saturday began in 2010 when American Express founded it to help small businesses get more exposure during one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year.

Last year, more 100 million people came out nationwide to shop at independently-owned small businesses on the day. Now, in its fourth year, Small Business Saturday will be even bigger.

According to small business advocates, every $100 spent in locally-owned stores returns $68 to the local community through taxes, payrolls, and other expenditures. That same money spent in another town returns nothing to your local community.

One effort to tout the benefits of shopping at home can be found in the special section appearing in last week’s issue of The Enterprise and now available at www.ClarendonLive.com. There you’ll find Seven Reasons for Buying Local as well as deals and tips for shopping at home this holiday season.

The deals in the section are all good for Friday and Saturday, November 29 and 30, and the section also includes the third annual Enterprise coloring contest for the kiddoes with the chance to win $50 cash.

Local merchants and the Donley County State Bank are also making shopping at home easy this year with zero interest loans available for the holidays for those who qualify. Contact the bank at 874-3581 for details.

Support the merchants who support our community by shopping at home this holiday season.

 Clarendon officials will meet with representatives of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) next week as they consider how to govern the sale of alcohol in the city.

City Hall is currently not signing applications for alcohol permits until local rules can be adopted, and the Board of Aldermen first took up the matter for discussion during their meeting last Tuesday, November 19.

Alderman Will Thompson presented five draft ordinances on the subject, but said he prepared them just as a starting place for discussion.

“I think the meat of the matter is underage drinking,” Thompson said. “I want to make there be some consequence to selling to underage drinkers.”

Thompson said whatever rules are put in place could be undone by a future board, but he felt that it will be better for the city to do more than to do nothing.

Mayor Larry Hicks said he believes the citizens expect the board to do something on the issue. Hicks said citizens had spoken to him with different points of view on zones of 300 or 1,000 feet from churches or schools and on possibly exempting downtown Kearney Street and US 287 to foster commercial development in those locations.

The board took no action at all last week. TABC representatives will address the aldermen at a called meeting next Friday, December 6, at 3 p.m.

In other city business last week, aldermen nominated Wilma Lindley as a member of the Donley County Appraisal District Board, and voted to approve the annual contract with the appraisal district for property appraisal and tax collection services.

The board approved an annual computer maintenance agreement with CyberMedics and also approved an updated solid waste disposal agreement with the City of Pampa as a backup to the city’s primary contract with Memphis.

Chandra Eggemeyer presented the annual budgets for the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation and the Clarendon Hotel Occupancy Tax Fund, and aldermen approved both documents.

Aldermen appointed Jacob Fangman and Jack Craft to fill the unexpired terms of Ann Huey and Abby Patten on the CEDC Board of Directors and appointed Terri Floyd, Steve Hall, and Roseann Mayer to full two-year terms on the same board.

SHREVEPORT, La. – The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) has approved a base rate increase for Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO), a unit of American Electric Power (AEP).

In Texas, the bill for a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) will increase approximately $7.00 per month, or 8.9 percent. The PUCT approved this increase in base rates to recover costs associated with two major power plants and for vegetation management to maintain and ensure reliability.

The changes will begin with December 2013 customer bills, with the increase retroactive to January 29, 2013, which is pursuant to an agreement between the PUCT and SWEPCO in order to allow the Commission and other participating parties more time to review the case. SWEPCO filed the rate increase request in July 2012.

The difference between the amounts billed under the former rates and the new approved rates from February 2013 through November 2013 will be billed to customers through a surcharge implemented at the same time as new rates go into effect. This additional 7.8 percent surcharge (about $6.00) will continue for about 10 months through September 2014.

SWEPCO completed construction of the 500-megawatt J. Lamar Stall Unit, a natural gas-fueled combined-cycle power plant in Shreveport, La., in 2010. Additionally, the 600-megawatt (SWEPCO owns 440 MW) John W. Turk, Jr. Power Plant, a coal-fueled ultra-supercritical power plant in Hempstead County of Southwest Arkansas, was completed in December 2012. These units are among the first built by SWEPCO in more than 25 years. In 2013, the Turk Power Plant has won several awards, including the Edison Award from Edison Electric Institute; Plant of the Year from Power Magazine; and Project of the Year by Power Engineering Magazine.

“Even with this rate increase, SWEPCO residential rates continue to be among the lowest in Texas, and compare favorably to national averages,” said Venita McCellon-Allen, SWEPCO president and chief operating officer. Residential rates will be approximately 33.6 percent below the national average and 13.7 percent below the state average for comparable investor-owned utilities.

The decision grants SWEPCO an annual increase of $39.4 million, including $5 million marked for vegetation management.

SWEPCO’s original request, filed July 27, 2012, was $83 million for two new power plants and tree trimming. The estimated impact of SWEPCO’s original request was $12 per month, or 16 percent, for a residential customer in Texas using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month.

Base rates refer to the costs of building, maintaining and operating SWEPCO’s electric system, including power plants, transmission and distribution lines, and facilities to serve customers. Base rates do not include the fuel portion of the customer’s bill, which covers the costs of fuel and purchased power and is a direct pass-through with no profit.

SWEPCO serves 524,000 customers, including 182,000 in Texas, 228,000 in Louisiana and 114,000 in Arkansas. SWEPCO’s headquarters are in Shreveport, La.

The annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner will be held Thanksgiving Day, November 28, from 11:00 to 1:30 in the Clarendon ISD Cafeteria.

This is a great opportunity to come together as a community to fellowship and praise God for His abundant blessings for our churches, families, community, and nation. This year’s entertainment will include live music by Danny Mullins and Bunk Skelton.

There will be tables and chairs set up for those who have a hard time getting in and out of the smaller cafeteria seating.

This event is designed to bring the community together for fun and fellowship during the holiday season.

There is no charge for the meal thanks to the generous support of many community volunteers. Transportation service to and from the dinner is available along with delivery service for the handicapped by calling 874-2007 in advance.

Clarendon business leaders are making shopping at home fun and easy this year with several activities being planned for the month of December. Following local merchants’ Black Friday and Small Business Saturday sales this weekend, Late Night Shopping will return the next three Thursdays, December 5, 12, and 19, with several stores staying open until 8 p.m. for your shopping convenience. Santa Claus will be on hand all three nights, and wagon rides will be available.

Cathy’s Christmas Candies and the Nazarene Church’s handmade crafts will be available December 5 and 12. Michelle Hall will be making sandwiches downtown on December 5, and St. Mary’s Catholic Church will be serving a meal on December 12. On Saturday, December 14, the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce will hold the first Clarendon Christmas Bazaar at the Donley County Activity Center from 2 to 8 p.m. That fun-filled day will include drawings for door prizes and gift certificates every half hour, opportunities for photos with Santa Claus, an appearance by the Happy Toy Maker, and booths featuring more than 20 vendors. A gift wrapping service will also be available at the bazaar.

Late Night Shopping will close out on Thursday, December 19, with the main attraction being the first “Great Bowls of Fire” Chili Challenge sponsored by the Clarendon Economic Development Corp. and the Chamber of Commerce. Details for the event are still being finalized, but organizers say the Challenge will pit merchants against each other to benefit the Mulkey Theatre project.

Local merchants and the Donley County State Bank are also making shopping at home easy this year with zero interest loans available for the holidays for those who qualify. Contact the bank at 874-3581 for details.

Christmas is a great time to support the merchants who support your community. Think Clarendon first.