Songs of praise
CC Bulldogs start season strong
By Fred Gray
The Clarendon College Bulldogs’ basketball team start season strong, with three victories in four games. The Bulldogs’ beat Onpoint Prepatory College 118-81, then defeated Character Prepatory 111 – 79. They then beat Ranger College 90 – 80, before falling to Northwest Kansas Tech 55-67.
The Bulldogs then dropped a game to Pratt Community College, 80-86, and lost a heart-breaker to Dodge City Community College, 95-96, in the Dodge City Classic. They now stand at 3-3 on the season.
The Bulldogs return home on November 29 and 30, for games against Murray State College, Weatherford College, and Carl Albert State College.
A special gift
County okays abatement for wind farm
A $200 million wind farm is one step closer to construction after Donley County Commissioners approved a tax abatement for the project Tuesday afternoon.
The incentive provides Cielo Land & Cattle, LP, with a ten-year, 100 percent abatement from ad valorem taxes but also sets up payments to the county in lieu of taxes during the period of the agreement.
Cielo, which is developing the project as Salt Fork Wind, LP, will pay Donley County $2,000 per megawatt of electric generating capacity up to a maximum of $200,000 per year. The agreement also stipulates that Cielo will develop a minimum of 80 megawatts of capacity in Donley County, which would result in no less than $160,000 in income for the county annually for ten years.
The first payment in lieu of taxes is due October 1, 2015, the agreement states.
Commissioner Dan Sawyer described the agreement with Cielo as historic as it will mark the first development of wind power in the county.
“This is a historic legendary meeting,” Sawyer said. “It is one of the most important meetings we’ve had since this county was organized.”
In addition to making whatever improvements are needed on county roads to support the project, Cielo also has pledged to spend $1 million during construction to purchase services, materials, and supplies from businesses and individuals in Donley County.
Cielo representative Robert Peña said his company will hold a job fair at some point before construction starts and will also be seeking local vendors and individuals who can perform needed services associated with construction.
Peña declined to give a definite start date for construction but said work would begin in 2014 and that design and development costs are already being incurred this year so that Cielo can take advantage of the expiring federal production tax credit.
The $200 million project will be split with 55 percent in Donley County and 45 percent in Gray County. The Donley portion will be constructed in a 21,700-acre area in the northwestern part of the county and bordered on the north by Interstate 40. Peña said after construction, seven permanent jobs will be created to service the entire project.
Gray County officials have approved a reinvestment zone for that portion of the project and will likely approve a tax abatement there next month. Peña was also meeting with Groom ISD and Clarendon ISD officials this week to work on tax limitation agreements with those schools – an agreement similar to the county’s payment in lieu of taxes but based on each district’s average daily attendance and subject to the scrutiny of the state comptroller.
Peña again confirmed that his company is not seeking tax abatements from the Donley County Hospital District or the Clarendon College District, both of which stand to reap a big windfall in tax revenue when construction is completed.
As part of Cielo’s agreement with Donley County, the company will keep the project improvements in place for no less than 20 years, Peña said.
Clarendon sales tax revenue keeps climbing
City Hall continues to enjoy higher sales tax receipts following Texas Comptroller Susan Combs’ latest allocation last week.
Clarendon received $38,081.87 for its October allocation, up 11.9 percent over the same period in 2012. The city is also up 23.03 percent for the calendar year-to-date with revenue of $379,504.17 compared to $308,446.79 for the same point in 2012.
Howardwick was almost even for the month with an allocation of $1,436.24, an increase of 0.06 percent compared to $1,435.35 last year. That city is up 2.56 percent for the year at $15,969.66.
Hedley dropped 6.73 percent to $835.68 for the month put remains up 27.85 percent for the year-to-date at $15,969.66.
Combs said statewide sales tax revenue in October was $2.14 billion, up 5.4 percent compared to October 2012.
“Growth in sales tax revenues was led by collections from the telecommunications sector,” Combs said.
“The construction sector also showed significant gains. State sales tax revenue has increased for 43 consecutive months.”
Combs will send cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts their November local sales tax allocations totaling $654.6 million, up 7 percent compared to November 2012.
The sales tax figures represent September sales reported by monthly tax filers and July, August, and September sales reported by quarterly filers.
US 287 to be improved west of city
The Texas Transportation Commission recently approved $2.2 million project for an asphaltic concrete pavement overlay on US 287 in Donley County in an ongoing effort to improve safety.
J. Lee Milligan, Inc. of Amarillo, TX is the contractor for this project. This project will begin at the Armstrong County line and continue to the Clarendon west city limits, in the southbound lanes only.
“Safety is the top priority at TxDOT and the basis for planning, building, and maintaining our transportation systems,” said Marty Smith, TxDOT’s Childress District Engineer. “Keeping travelers moving safely and efficiently will continue to be an ongoing priority as Texas welcomes nearly 1,000 newcomers each day.”
“In a state as vast as Texas, it’s imperative to not only have reliable roadways connecting our rural and urban citizens, but also to be diligent in designing and maintaining them with safety in mind,” said Commissioner Fred Underwood, Texas Transportation Commission. “Keeping everyone safe on the road is our first priority. We must do everything we can to get the driving public safely to their destinations and home to their families at the end of the day.”
Construction for this project is expected to begin in the spring of 2014. A TxDOT spokesperson said the duration of the project won’t be known until a preconstruction meeting is held closer to the project start date.
For more information, contact Barbara Seal, TxDOT Public Information Officer at Barbara.Seal@txdot.gov or (940) 937-7288
Local services honor the sacrifices of veterans
Donley County citizens paused Monday to honor the contributions of American veterans during five separate services.
The first service hosted by the Adamson-Lane Post of the American Legion, was scheduled for Monday morning at Rowe Cemetery but was moved to the Hedley Lions Hall due to inclement weather. There more than 80 people gathered as Army veteran Will Thompson delivered the keynote address, and Bufford Holland covered a vacant chair in silent tribute to those listed as Missing In Action and as Prisoners of War.
The services then moved to the Hedley public school where veterans were again recognized.
Also, Monday morning, the Donley County VFW Memorial Post and Ladies Auxiliary hosted a brief ceremony at the Donley County War Memorial on the Courthouse Square. Auxiliary member Glenda Day gave a history on the origin of the song, “Taps.’
On Monday evening, a large crowd assembled in the Clarendon College Harned Sisters Auditorium where CC President Phil Shirley gave opening remarks and former American Legion district commander Barry Schoenals gave the keynote, focusing on the personal friends he lost in the Vietnam War, who were, he said, more than just names on a wall.
Schoenals also discussed the sacrifices of other veterans and blended poetry with prose.
A video presentation also honored veterans of each branch of the military, and the ceremony also featured solo performances by Brit Patten and the posting of the colors by Clarendon Boy Scouts.
Opinion: These are historic times in Donley County
Wow! Things are a poppin’ in beautiful Donley County these days. Only last week, for the first time in over 100 years, the official “watering hole” drought ended, thanks to our forward thinking citizens. Somewhat surprisingly, the margin of victory for the imbibers was larger than I expected.
Then, just today, the Donley County Commissioners’ Court approved a 10-year tax abatement program for a company that wants to create a wind energy project in the northern portion of the county, along I-40. The tax abatement was critical if the project was going to be successfully done in Donley County.
Also noteworthy, while the project is being built, the company, Cielo Land and Cattle, L.P., will commence a “local spending and support” plan, in which the company intends to spend one million dollars with Donley County merchants while the project is being completed. Now that we are wet, that spending could buy a lot of booze to help shepherd the project along during trying times – which usually accompany a project of this magnitude, even with the most meticulous planning possible.
When the project is up and running, it will sweeten Donley County coffers by some $160,000 to $200,000 a year for the first 10 years – the period of the initial tax abatement. After that 10-year period of time passes, the revenues to the county could be immense.
Wind energy is a huge part of America’s future energy equation, and Donley County will finally be a player in that industry. We all owe our county commissioners a large debt of gratitude for their foresight and ability to get this done. It’s also a wonderful legacy for outgoing Donley County Judge Jack Hall.
We also, for the first time in a good while, have a soon to be fully functioning city council. Well, sort of. It seems that the three aldermen who tarried, folks we can’t seem to get rid of, have decided to petition his honor, Judge Stuart Messer, to fire the mayor, if such a thing is possible.
Debbie Roberts-Hillis, Jesus Hernandez, and Tommy Hill have actually accused Mayor Larry Hicks of official misconduct, and want the judge to put him out of office, no matter that the voters put him in office. Talk about a dampener on local democracy, and the pots calling the kettle black, or vise-versa – whatever.
Meanwhile, back to the city aldermen; we now have a full roster of aldermen in place, ready to re-commence taking care of the city’s long neglected business needs. The voters have selected these fine folks to represent us and I hope we the people do all we can to support them in their efforts.
If his honor, Judge Messer, frees the mayor from his horse collar in the timely fashion, the city council will finally be at full strength and everyone can focus on leading the city into a new era of prosperity and bounteous living. Do I hear an Amen!?
Truth be known, I’ll be happy if we can just have a few months of uninterrupted peace and harmony in our town. Thanksgiving and Christmas are looming on the near horizon and peace on earth, good will to men seems especially appropriate this year.
Meanwhile, the Hedley Owls made it through a tough season with honor and good sportsmanship, and no one was seriously injured. They have a lot to be proud of. The Broncos have made the playoffs while overcoming enormous obstacles and still have a few victories to look forward to. Let’s all celebrate with them.
Clarendon College continues to prosper and provide us with an infusion of bright young people that makes our community better and brighter. A new administration will be commencing in early December, and an even brighter future seems possible.
In short, even though the world and America-at-large seem to be facing daunting problems in the near and longer terms, life in Donley County is good and getting better.
We have a lot to be thankful for – especially each other. Let’s not forget that while we celebrate the physical beauty of our county and our magnificent sunsets.
Editorial: City board can chart a new path
The Way Forward, Part 7
Three new City Aldermen being seated this week give Clarendon a chance to chart a path of progress for our community. But to do that the board must start out on the right foot with thoughtful decision-making for the good of the whole.
Citizens have had enough of petty arguments and personal animosity and are ready for a fresh start. Above all else, however, the people of this city want results, and there are a few steps the new board can take to help restore the faith of the people.
There will be several things that will come before the board in the next few weeks, and among these issues, no doubt, will be questions concerning the sale of alcohol in the city following last week’s election that turned Donley County wet for the first time in 111 years.
The city has some regulatory ability in this area, but there is some confusion in the public that the city must do something with regards to zoning. According to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission web site, the city doesn’t have to do anything. State law does, however, allow the city to set a distance of 300 feet between schools and churches and establishments selling alcohol. The city may even expand that distance to 1,000 feet, but in any case the city can grant a variance to a property owner if it chooses.
But in a town with 17 churches (at last count), a zone of 1,000 feet would eliminate most commercial locations and even a zone of 300 feet could catch several existing businesses, restaurants, and/or land that could be ripe for development. Thoughtfulness is therefore warranted in this situation in order to make sure that economic opportunities are not dashed even before they have a chance to bloom. Whatever personal feelings some aldermen may have on this issue, they should respect that the people have spoken.
Exempting properties on most of the US 287 corridor and on Kearney Street between First and Fourth Streets would provide ample opportunities for businesses to expand or develop, and it would eliminate constant requests for variances from current or potential businesses. Again, prudence should prevail, and the goal should be one of growth. City leaders must take care not to enact rules so strict that no restaurant could serve a beer with a meal or that no downtown shop could ever offer a selection of Texas wines, for instance.
Voters largely approved the local option for two basic reasons – personal freedom and the possibility of economic growth, which leads to greater tax revenue. City aldermen should take care not to unduly thwart what the people have said they want.
The next big issue for Clarendon hasn’t changed much in 25 years – the streets. They are the chief source of irritation and complaint in this city, and recent water and sewer replacements have intensified the problem. For months, drivers have been intermittently blocked off from their usual routes, and with every rain lower Third Street and the intersecting Koogle Street have been covered with several inches of dirt and mud that have had to be removed by the state. To say that it has created a nightmare for the people who live on Third and the numerous people who drive this road would be a gross understatement.
For the city to restore the faith of its citizens and for any future bond issue to ever have a snowball’s chance of passing, this all has to have been worth it. And the only way for that to happen is for Third Street to be paved in such a manner that it becomes the absolute best street in town.
The current plan for the Third Street, crafted by former administrator Lambert Little, is to narrow the road to 30 feet, put some little concrete valley’s for the water, and tar and gravel it. This “poor boy” plan has got to go. Third Street connects our central business district with the public school and the college, and it needs to be done up right.
From Bronco Stadium at Allen Street all the way to the First Baptist Church on Bugbee Avenue, Third Street should be kept the same width as it is from Parks Street (near the Episcopal Church) to the stadium, and it should have curbs and gutters all the way to the top of the hill.
How do you pay for this extra work? Simple, abandon Little’s plan to seal coat streets on the college campus. Those are not city streets, they are the responsibility of the Clarendon College District, and we need to focus the city’s resources on the city’s infrastructure. (Why the college would allow the city to touch their streets is a mystery anyway.)
And finally, as a point of community healing, let’s get rid of the elevator on the front of City Hall and restore the building’s façade. The project is a lightning rod for criticism and serves no useful purpose at this time. Its removal could be a gesture of goodwill as our city attempts to focus on new opportunities.
In these and other areas, our Aldermen have their work cut out for them. They will have several hard decisions to make; but if they focus on progress and work together, they can move Clarendon forward.
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