Ben Estlack

A major street paving project is getting underway in Howardwick this week after years of planning and months of negotiations.

Howardwick City Hall said Tuesday that G&G Operators of Dalhart will begin work that will see about seven blocks of hot mix asphalt paving laid down on Rick Husband Boulevard from Dawn Drive, just past the country club, to Dana Drive near the entrance of McMorries Memorial Park.

The project will be a major milestone for the community and will address long-time problems with the city’s main thoroughfare.

“This is a big deal for Howardwick,” City Secretary Sandy Childress said. “It’s been long-awaited and hard fought for.”

The project was originally proposed in 2020 and would have paved Rick Husband beyond City Hall, but escalating costs caused the project to be whittled down. When G&G’s bid was first accepted in January of this year, the paving was only going to cover 800 feet from Dawn to Porter, about one block. Since then, city officials have negotiated and approved change orders to the project that allowed for a much greater distance to be covered.

“Basically, we found ways for the city to do more of the work,” Childress said. “We’re going to haul off all the old material, and we’re going to do the signage.”

The city also agreed to change the width of the road and will be taking care of tying the new paving into the intersecting streets.
A Community Development Block Grant is paying for most of the $219,499.50 project. The city will cover about $17,000 of that cost.

Childress on Tuesday was busy trying to notify residents of the coming work and the disruptions to travel in the city. Most affected residents have other ways to access Rick Husband. Folks who life on the Tyng Drive cul-de-sac are being notified of a temporary route across private property that will let them get to and from their homes.

The city was also looking into solutions for the school bus route so kids can still get picked up by Clarendon CISD.

Childress says the project is supposed to take 60 working days with the city hoping for an October 5, 2024, completion date.

It was good news and bad news for Donley County last week when the Texas Historical Commission awarded a $2.3 million grant to help fund preservation work on the 1890 Courthouse.

While county officials were pleased the THC recognized the importance of preserving the Texas Panhandle’s oldest functioning courthouse, they say the grant was not at all what the county had applied for.

County Judge John Howard said the county had applied for a restoration grant to complete more than $4.6 million in needed repairs, specifically to address conservation of spalling sandstone and problems in one of the building’s masonry walls.

The county had pledged a match of $820,000 in its grant application, which amounted to an overmatch of 18 percent instead of the required 15 percent, in hopes of securing the necessary state funds to do the work.

But when the THC made its announcement last week, it awarded Donley an emergency grant, which requires a 50 percent match. In other words, the county would have to put up $2.3 million of its own money to get the state’s $2.3 million to complete the $4.6 million project.

“It all comes down to whether or not we were ‘fully restored’ in 2003,” Howard said. “We believe we were not because there was work that was not done.”

At the time of the original restoration two decades ago, several items – including the stone conservation, masonry repairs, and a fire suppression system – were deleted from the scope of the project to stay on budget.

THC, however, holds that Donley County was fully restored and is therefore only eligible for an emergency grant.

Howard says the county has 30 days to accept or reject the grant and says commissioners will consider the matter during their regular meeting next Monday.

The county has been putting money aside for this work for several years, so it has the $820,000 on hand. Howard said commissioners may consider scaling back the project and seeing if the state will match its $820,000.

The judge himself is reluctant to accept the grant as it was awarded because it would require an additional tax burden to borrow the funds needed for the match, and he says now is not the time for that.

He said the county could also reapply later if the Legislature allocated more money for the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program.

The THC last week awarded matching grants totaling $46,224,812 to nine counties to aid in preservation of Texas’ iconic historic county courthouses, including four grants for full restorations.

Donley, Duval and Refugio counties received Emergency Grants to address critical issues endangering these courthouse buildings and impacting their use.

Comanche, Kimble, Van Zandt and Willacy counties received full restoration grants. Castro and Gonzales counties received Planning Grants that will create planning road maps for future restoration work.

The 13th round of THCPP grants were made possible through a $45 million appropriation by the 88th Texas Legislature. An additional $3-4 million is anticipated in September 2024 from the Historic Infrastructure Sustainability Trust Fund.

The THC received applications from 31 counties requesting grant funding of nearly $150 million for projects totaling over $200 million. The agency determined grant awards by assessing 23 criteria including the building’s age, endangerment, historical designations, the project proposals, local support for the project, county revenue and more. This round includes a new scoring criterion, longevity. The new criterion provides points for previously unsuccessful applicants that recognize the county’s ongoing commitment to these preservation goals.

Emergency grant requests were scored based on seven criteria, while emergency requests for previously restored courthouses were scored on 14 criteria.

“The requests we received this year demonstrate both the counties’ enthusiasm and their need for the funds this program provides,” said THC Executive Director Joseph Bell. “We look forward to partnering with these nine recipients and preserving their real histories and authentic characters.”

Howard said Donley County appreciates the THC grant and the state’s recognition of the importance of the local courthouse, but he said commissioners will ultimately have to do what’s in the county’s best interests.

The Clarendon CISD Parent, Family, & Community Back To School Bash will be held Monday, August 12, from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.

Clarendon Elementary School parents and students can meet the teachers that evening starting at 5:30 through 5:50 for students with last names beginning with O-Z, names A-G will be 6:00-6:20, and names H-N will be 6:30-6:50.

Clarendon Junior High and Clarendon High School students can meet their teachers in Bronco Stadium beginning at 6:00 p.m.

The overall Back To School Bash at the stadium will feature pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, chips, and water; and organizations will be selling homemade ice cream, tea, lemonade, and t-shirts. Those in attendance can sign up that night for Little Miss Cheer and Donley County 4-H. Games will be available for the kids to play until 7:15 p.m., and the district will hold its annual Title I meeting that evening.

The evening will wrap up with the annual Meet the Broncos event starting at 7:30 p.m.

August brings public notices to Texans as local governments begin to figure their budgets and tax rates for the coming fiscal year.

This week’s Enterprise includes notices from the Donley County Hospital District, which will set its tax rate on August 20 at 6 p.m.; the City of Hedley, which will have a budget hearing on August 22 at 6:30 p.m.; Hedley CISD, which will consider its budget and proposed tax rate on August 19 at 6:00 p.m.; and the City of Clarendon, which will hold a hearing on its proposed budget on August 22 at 5:30 p.m.

Public notices last week announced that the Claredon College District will hold budget and tax rate hearings on August 15 starting at 5:30 p.m. and the City of Howardwick, which will hold a hearing on its budget and tax rate on August 13 at 6 p.m.

The public’s involvement is encouraged at these meetings.

Golden Spread Electric Cooperative, Inc. celebrates its 40th anniversary with a look back at its storied legacy and optimism for the innovation that drives its future.

“Initially, Golden Spread was comprised of 11 Member Cooperatives, and over time, membership grew to include 16 Members providing electric service to a rural territory that includes 24 percent of Texas’ land and portions of Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado,” said Kari Hollandsworth, President and CEO of Golden Spread. “Those Members joined with a true cooperative spirit, realizing the benefits of being an integral partner with other cooperatives.”

Greenbelt Electric Cooperative, which services rural Donley County, is a member of Golden Spread.

“Our Members came together so they could meet the financial and operational challenges involved in delivering cost-effective, competitive and reliable power to their end users,” said Hollandsworth, who was named CEO in 2020 and was preceded by Bob Bryant from 1984 to 2008 and Mark Schwirtz from 2008 to 2020.

Strategic Board decisions in 1995 led to the construction of Mustang Station near Denver City, Texas, to manage peak load needs. Mustang Station not only fulfilled its initial role but also became a reliable year-round power source for Golden Spread Members.

The early 2010s marked a pivotal era, as the Golden Spread Board charted a transformative course from primarily purchasing power to directly sourcing its own power supply.

The journey to deliver competitive energy solutions yielded significant milestones in 2011 when Antelope Elk Energy Center (AEEC) at Abernathy, Texas, and Golden Spread Panhandle Wind Ranch, a renewable energy source near Wildorado, Texas, each achieved commercial operation. In 2016, AEEC cleared all the regulatory hurdles to connect the facility to two grids, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and Southwest Power Pool.

These achievements redefined Golden Spread’s operations, increasing its generation capacity and growing its workforce.

“This past year has been particularly outstanding for Golden Spread,” Hollandsworth said. “We achieved record sales, benefited from low natural gas prices and enjoyed strong profits from consumers outside of our membership.”

“We set a new peak usage record of 1,840 MW. This peak surpasses our previous record in 2019 and underscores the continuing growth within our territory. This success translates into direct benefits for our Members, as the value of their investment continues to grow,” she said.

Golden Spread is a devoted corporate citizen, proud to be located in Amarillo and to serve its Members’ rural communities. Among many other charitable activities in its vast territory, Golden Spread has given generous college scholarships since 1991.

This year’s scholarship recipients are Brazos Beck, Lyntegar Electric Cooperative; Maximus Dumbauld, North Plains Electric Cooperative; Julianna Ferrel, Lighthouse Electric Cooperative; Sawyer Francis, Swisher Electric Cooperative; Sage Gaillard, Rita Blanca Electric Cooperative; Paige Luning, South Plains Electric Cooperative; Kamryn Meiwes, Bailey County Electric Cooperative; Taylor Neal, South Plains Electric Cooperative; Meredith Sanning, Golden Spread Electric Cooperative; and Mason Snowden, Concho Valley Electric Cooperative.

“The scholarship initiative reflects our ongoing commitment to support education in the region and encourage the next generation,” Hollandsworth said.

“Golden Spread’s future lies in keeping innovation and collaboration at the core of our solutions to meeting Members’ needs,” she said. “Innovative approaches will be important as we address new developments throughout the territory, including regulatory changes and expected load growth from additional data centers and other mega-consumers such as hydrogen-producing facilities. We continue to adapt and find creative solutions as our Members and industry landscape grow and evolve.”

“Like our peers in the electric industry, we’ve faced trials from severe weather, shifts in demand and supply due to new technologies, and evolving regulatory and market landscapes,” Hollandsworth said. “We are proud to have met four decades of challenges with cooperative strength. This legacy prepares Golden Spread for many more years of success, growth and shared values.”

A former Clarendon animal control officer was jailed Monday on a charge of Cruelty to Animals after a puppy was reportedly killed by her last week.

Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn said 29-year-old Alexandra Armbrust turned herself in July 29 after a warrant for her arrest was issued that morning.

Armbrust was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Sarah Hatley with bond set at $10,000 for the third-degree felony. She was released on bond Monday.

Blackburn said according to his office’s investigation, the puppy was picked up last week by Armbrust and given to a local family. The sheriff said the puppy’s owners went to City Hall on July 25 and paid a fee to get their pet back. At that time, Armbrust allegedly returned to the family to whom she had given the puppy, shot the animal in the head, put it in a trash bag, and returned to City Hall to give it to the owners.

The sheriff said the family who had received the puppy from Armbrust also arrived at City Hall to report what had happened, and a sheriff’s deputy had to be called to calm the situation. The sheriff’s office began taking statements that day and continued the next day.

City Administrator Brian Barboza said Armbrust was fired Friday afternoon, July 26, following the incident on Thursday. He says the puppy, described on social media posts as a four-month-old chihuahua, was picked up July 23 and a picture of it was placed on the front of City Hall in accordance with city policy.

Barboza said he believed originally the dog had been put down Thursday morning because Armbrust had asked him that morning if it was okay to put down a dog because she wasn’t going to have time to take it to Pampa to be euthanized. But when the owners arrived at City Hall Thursday afternoon, he said Armbrust told different stories about whether the dog’s remains were in Pampa or Memphis.

When Armbrust was sent to get the dog, sometime before 2:30, Barboza said she apparently went to the home she had given the puppy to, shot it, and returned to City Hall. He said the family followed Armbrust back to City Hall and said she had shot the dog in front of their kids.

Barboza tells the Enterprise that city rules require a dog without identification to be held for three days before it can be euthanized on the fourth day.

“Her actions do not reflect was this city is about,” Barboza said.
Armbrust went to work for the city in mid-April and had just completed her basic animal control training and was scheduled to take euthanasia training this week.

Blackburn said the charge against Armbrust has a penalty of two to ten years imprisonment and up to a $10,000 fine.