News

Clarendon College faculty will be getting a pay increase following the regular meeting of the CC Board of Regents last Thursday, July 16.
CC President Bill Auvenshine said the board approved a one percent step grade raise and an additional three percent raise for all faculty for a total raise of four percent.
Auvenshine said he will recommend at the board’s next meeting a four percent raise for all other college employees as well.
Also last week, representatives of US Wind Energy met with the board, and Auvenshine reports that the board and US Wind are still negotiating a lease that would allow the placement of wind turbines on the southwest side of the college campus.
The board heard from one student who was appealing a grade and upheld the grade given by the instructor, ratifying decisions by a grievance committee, the dean, and the president.
An update was given on the process of issuing bonds in Gray County for expansion of the CC Pampa Center. Those funds would be paid for with tax revenue in that county.
Regents approved a four percent increase as requested by Great Western Dining, but student fees will not increase because of this since the possibility of the increase was known when the fees were set.
The board approved the purchase of 136 bed frames from KNL Steel for $293 each. Those are being installed in Phelan, Vaughn, and Knorpp residence halls.
A bid to replace vinyl flooring in the Courson Center, Vaughn Hall, Phelan Hall, Knorpp Hall, and the downtown vocational building was awarded to Johnny Cooper.
Regents considered bank depository bids and elected to keep the college’s deposits with the Herring Bank.
A new audit firm was selected for the college for this fiscal year. CMMS of Amarillo has experience in community college audits, working with both Frank Phillips College and Amarillo College, and had a lower bid than the college’s previous auditing firm.
The board accepted a workers’ compensation insurance proposal from the Texas Association of School Boards and a property and casualty insurance proposal from HRH.
The board accepted the resignation of Jimmie Dean Murphy, who is moving to the coast.
New hires for the month included Terry Noble as a mechanic/maintenance worker, Kim Jeffery as criminal justice instructor, Gregg Lawler to teach mathematics, Sharon Hannon to teach developmental English, Tenna Joos as an assistant softball coach/dorm director, and Jamie Ward as Enrollment Services Counselor.

The Donley County Commissioners’ Court met in regular session on Monday, July 13, at 9 a.m. in the Commissioners Courtroom in the Courthouse.

Roger Estlack attended the meeting to request $500 for the Saints’ Roost Museum for the Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon CookOff, which was approved.
A Contract Agreement between South Plains Forensic Pathology and Donley County has been approved for one year.

Dr. John Howard was named as the Local Health Authority.

Democratic alternate election judges were appointed for the primary election in March 2010.
The alternate judges are as follows: Precinct 101; Henry Hermesmeyer, Precinct 102 (Howardwick); Dorthy Arnold, Precinct 201; Gay Cole, Precinct 303 (Hedley Lions Club); Brenda Swinney, Precinct 401; Bunny Owens. There is no alternate election judge appointed for Precinct 301 yet.

There were no added additional fees or changes to optional fees made to the Chapter 502- Transportation Code.

Judge Willis Smith was re-appointed to the Board of MHMR.

The Annual Criminal and Civil Law Update for September 23-25, 2009, with Landon Lambert as County Attorney was approved.

The collection of $5 for each civil suit filed in the County Court, Statutory County Court, Probate Court and District Court in the County was approved.

Brenda Mawlin from the Donley County Soil and Water Conservation District asked for assistance in a tree program for kids.

The skyline of Clarendon will soon be changing when the city’s west water tower is replaced by a new, taller water standpipe this summer.

City aldermen awarded a $335,882 bid to Tank & Vessel Builders of Baird, Texas, during the regular city meeting last Tuesday. The company will build the 120 feet tall standpipe about 75 feet north of the present water tower.

City Administrator John Webb said he believes replacing the tower, which was constructed in 1922, will improve the water quality.
“I think 80 percent of the rust and brown water incidents will be alleviated with the new standpipe,” Webb said. “And I think the rest of the problem will be taken care of by new pipes.”

The new structure is also designed to help water pressure problems in the city. Webb said Greenbelt Water Authority and OJD Engineering believe the standpipe will create equal water pressure throughout the city.

Engineer Che Shadle said the current tower produces 32 p.s.i. at the tank and said the new standpipe will produce 52 p.s.i. at the tank. The standpipe will hold about two and half times the amount of water the existing tank does.

Shadle said beginning construction on the standpipe is about 30 days out, and he expects the work to take four to six weeks.
The city received a Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $255,000 last year to replace the aging water tower. The project has been delayed as city officials worked to tie it in with the STEP grant project that laid new waterlines in the west part of town.
Webb said the city will still need to tie those new lines into existing meters and transition over to the new standpipe after it is constructed, and then he plans to begin replacing older lines throughout the city.

“We have 16,800 feet of new PVC pipe to install,” Webb said.
In other city business at last week’s meeting, Mayor Chris Ford administered the oath of office to Municipal Judge Jimmy Johnson for another two-year term; and aldermen approved spending $5,000 from the Motel Bed Tax fund to support the Buck’N Blowout Rodeo.

By The Numbers
$335,882
Bid amount from Tank & Vessel Builders.
$255,000
Grant city received for the project.
120
Height of new standpipe in feet.
19
Diameter of new standpipe in feet.
44
How many feet taller new tank will be.
250,000
Gallons the new standpipe will hold.
1922
Year current water tower was constructed.

A Wellington man is in the Donley County Jail this weekend after he led sheriff’s deputies and state troopers on a high-speed chase into Clarendon Saturday evening.

Carl Franklin Bedwell III is facing charges of Aggravated Assault on a Public Servant, Evading, and Resisting Arrest, according to Chief Deputy Randy Bond.

Donley County dispatchers began receiving multiple 911 calls at 7:08 p.m. Saturday with reports of someone driving erratically – going on the left and right shoulders, eastbound on US 287 west of Clarendon – at speeds in excess of 100 mph.

Bond said a trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety got the suspect stopped at the turn off to FM 3257 about three miles west of Clarendon. A local deputy arrived on the scene; and as the trooper spoke with a witness, the suspect started his vehicle and fled despite warnings and three gunshots fired by the deputy.

The suspected crossed the west city limits at approximately 85 mph, and the trooper and two deputies boxed in his vehicle as he neared the intersection of Allen Street and US 287. The suspect stopped, exited his vehicle, and put up a brief struggle as he was arrested, Bond said.

The Donley County Sheriff’s Office assisted the DPS with this case,
and Bond says other charges may be filed as the case is investigated.

AUSTIN – Clarendon’s sales tax allocation dropped more than 11 percent in July, mirroring a dip in state sales tax revenue.

According to information released Friday by Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, the City of Clarendon received an allocation of $21,518.55 this month, which is down 11.89 percent from $24,423.44 for the same period last year.

Overall, the city is almost staying even compared to last year with year-to-date revenue down less than one percent at $170,499.27.

Hedley’s sales tax revenue was also down this month by 14.47 percent to $302.52 and was down for the year-to-date by 17.08 percent to $3,528.92.

Howardwick was the one bright spot in Donley County. That city’s July allocation was up 10.42 percent to $1,300.57, but it was still behind 8.97 percent with a year-to-date figure of $7,096.67.

Statewide, the comptroller announced that the state collected $1.57 billion in sales tax revenue in June, down 11.2 percent compared to June 2008.

“The oil and gas, construction, and retail trade sectors showed continued weakness, resulting in a sharp decrease in sales tax collections in June,” Combs said.
“Contributing to the decrease was not only the weakness in these three sectors, but also the strong level of collections received from them in June 2008.”

Combs sent July sales tax allocations totaling $426.7 million to cities, counties, transit systems, and special purpose taxing districts, down 8.8 percent compared to July 2008.

Combs sent July sales tax allocations of $284.3 million
to Texas cities, down 8.8 percent compared to July 2008. So far this calendar year, city sales tax allocations are down 1.6 percent compared to the same time period last year.

Combs sent $16.6 million to 151 special purpose taxing districts, down 5.5 percent compared to last July. Ten local transit systems received $99.6 million in sales tax allocations, down 8.9 percent compared to a year ago.
State sales tax collections in June and local sales tax allocations in July represent sales that occurred in May.

The Comptroller’s next sales tax allocation will be made on Friday, August 14

Area farmers are facing some big decisions on what to do with their land as hundreds of thousands of acres of USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts are due to expire in the next few months.

USDA personnel from the Farm Service agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service are in the latest stages of finalizing guidance and options for producers with expiring conservation reserve program (CRP) acres.

On July 8, 2009, personnel from both agencies in the Panhandle and South Plains regions met in Lubbock to discuss how to best serve farmers and ranchers for CRP land expiring from the program.

“With so many landowners coming into our offices seeking help, uniform guidance among agencies is critical for landowners and producers to make the best decisions for land that’s coming out of the program,” said Mickey Black, NRCS assistant state conservationist for field operations in Lubbock.

The bulk of the CRP acres are in the High Plains region of the state where there is significant concern about the future of the conservation of the land. According to FSA records, over 78,000 acres expired in 2008, with an additional 680,000 to be expired in October of 2009, and over 507,000 acres in October of 2010.

FSA State Executive Director Juan Garcia addressed 150 FSA and NRCS employees in the region saying, “Many producers are going to be faced with changes, and it’s up to all of us to educate the general public and provide landowners with the options available to help them.

“This is a serious issue,” said Garcia. “The NRCS and FSA offices are making a joint effort for a successful outcome.”

According to Garcia, FSA will be able to restore crop acreage bases beginning in October, 2010. Landowners need to be aware of this information because it will be a determining factor as they decide what they will do once their land expires from the program.

Black said, “Landowners have several options, including grazing or haying the existing grass cover, making enhancements to target wildlife, putting it back into production, or utilizing it for recreational purposes.”
For long-term planning, producers will need to stay informed of the latest policies for farm programs and benefits that might affect them and their operations.
“We expect to see some producers choose to return their CRP fields back to annually-tilled cropland production,” said Don Gohmert, NRCS State Conservationist.

“Most of the acres in the CRP program are classified as Highly Erodible Land (HEL),” said Gohmert. “This type of land is very susceptible to wind and water erosion.”
NRCS and FSA will encourage producers to keep the permanent grass cover, however, in cases where the landowners’ decide to plow up the grass; the NRCS will provide alternatives to help landowners understand the need to meet certain measures that ensure those acres will not erode beyond a level that the soil can tolerate.

These alternatives will help the producer apply best management practices to meet conservation compliance requirements.

Conservation compliance, which began with the 1985 Farm Bill, is still in effect. Compliance means that farmers need to control erosion on highly erodible land, which includes CRP acres, in order to stay eligible for USDA program benefits, including farm loan programs, disaster assistance, commodity price supports, and conservation programs.

According to NRCS, the most common ways farmers get out of compliance with USDA is by eliminating soil-conserving crops, such as forage species, and adding a tilled crop.

When the farmer changes his soil cover from permanent grass to annually-tilled crops, he/she should always consider conservation compliance when planning their rotations, in addition to commodity prices
Conservation compliance could entail the implementation of a crop rotation that includes high residue-producing crops like wheat or sorghum, or the installation, repair and maintenance of structural practices like terraces.

FSA and the NRCS, working with the local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD), urges producers to contact someone at the local USDA service centers to discuss expiring CRP options and to check on eligibility for USDA benefits.

For more information, call the USDA Service Center in your county, listed under USDA in the Yellow Pages, or access the information on the Texas NRCS website at www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov.

Summer fun has just begun at the Clarendon City Park. Thanks to the cooperation and combined efforts of citizens and organizations, a shared vision of building a park that Clarendon can be proud of has been fulfilled.

“A lot of citizens have commented on how nice it looks,” City Administrator John Webb said. “Young mothers are grateful that they now have a place they can take their toddlers to take out their high energy.”

One of those moms is Meghan Gribble, who likes to take her daughter to the park.

“I’m really glad the city put the new playground in,” Gribble said. “It’s where my daughter loves to play, and we go there often.”

Improving the park was definitely not a walk in the park. It took a total of three years for the park to appear as it does now; one full year of research, paperwork, approvals and disapprovals, and two years of labor. The city received a grant for almost $40,000 towards the project. This covered costs for necessities such as new playground equipment, picnic tables, grills, trees, plants, shrubs, tree and telephone pole removal, and new lights.

“We have made these improvements because we want citizens to have a nice, shaded place to meet,” Webb said. “It’s so nice when people get out and meet their neighbors.”

In addition to the grant, there were also many donations given towards the park. All of the following donated to the project: Bobbie Kidd from Greenbelt Water Authority, Alma from Home Depot, Johnny Floyd from Floyd’s Automotive, Earl Hartman from J&W Lumber, Mark White from Wallace Monument, Joe Fraust from BNSF, Nancy Breedlove from NVB Playground Equipment, Greg from Pampa Concrete, and Jimmy Cobb from AMA TechTel.

There were also many locals who donated their labor, such as: Mark Lutrell, Connie Sparks, Kelly Hill, Marcus Smith from PRPC, Roxana Eli from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Roy Williams, Boy Scout Troop 433, John Webb, and city employees. Locals who donated cash or tangible donations were: Vernie Ford, Duane and Wanda Nichols, John and Jeannie Molder, Jim Riley, and Sara SoRelle.

“We would like to say a big thank you to all the locals and organizations who have donated towards this project,” Webb said.

Among renovations and additions to the park, there is a new play area called Tot Town. According to City Clerk Jeannie Molder, Tot Town was the idea of former city superintendent, the late Jim Roberts, who wanted a place for his toddler grandchildren to play.

“Jim asked me to ask the board to pursue it, so I did, and it just went from there,” Molder said. “I don’t think anything does my heart better than to see that playground full of kids.”

As far as the grant is concerned, improvements to the park are complete. But that doesn’t mean that there are no ideas for the future in progress. Webb says that possible plans for the park include a waterfall at the entrance, solar lights, and decorating the park for holidays. Plans for the 1908 trussle bridge have not been finalized yet.

“Making the park beautiful makes it a focal point in Clarendon,” Webb remarked. “I really think that with the help of citizens we can bring back community pride into Clarendon, because that is important.”

All citizens are encouraged to take pride in the park, and
not to destroy something that has taken a lot of time and effort to look so nice.

“Help and support from Clarendon citizens in giving back that community pride is appreciated,” Webb said. “We want to show what a beautiful town Clarendon really is, and how is has so much opportunity to expand into the future.”

The Courthouse Square was packed with familiar faces and visitors from all over eager to celebrate this year’s 132nd annual Saints’ Roost Celebration on Saturday, July 4.

The celebration started off with the annual Craft Fair on the square. The Al Morrah Shrine Club served 812 plates of barbecue this year, which is up from 750 last year. Funds from the annual barbecue are used in conjunction with the Khiva Temple of the Shrine in Amarillo to help pay for the transportation of kids to the Shriners’ burns and crippled children’s hospitals.

The Old Settlers Reunion was also held that morning. Bernese Rattan Moreland traveled the greatest distance of 500 miles from Lowell, Arkansas, to be there. The oldest woman present was Roberta Pittman at 95; and J.T. Lamberson, 96, earned the right to be called the oldest man present. The oldest pioneer present was Roy Chauveaux at 100, who lived in Donley County for a long period of time before he moved to Armstrong County several years ago. J.T and Helen Lamberson, who have been married for 76 years, were once again named the old settlers that have been married longest.

The Kids’ Parade led the full parade; and winners were Courtlyn and Ashlyn Conkin with Greyson Noble in the 0-4 Division, Kyli Tuttle in the 5-8 Division, and Keely Keebler in the 9-12 Division.

In the Western Parade, the Chamber of Commerce reports that Country Bloomers was named Best of Show, the Donley County 4-H won first place in the float division, and Roger Finch placed second with his “Tow Mater” truck. In the Riding division, the Mule Skinners won first place for the third year in a row.

In the Antique Vehicles division of the parade, Redell Johnston won first with a 1968 Mustang and Sherrol Johnston placed second with a 1966 Mustang. The VFW IH 25 Unit 6 Motorcycle Club won first place in the Miscellaneous division, and Diane’s Tax Service placed second.

Several organizations took advantage of this occasion to hold fundraisers, and the results are as follows. The winners of the Lions Club Cow Patty Bingo were Sharron Winfrey; $50, Nichole Shule; $50, and Greg Collins; $250, who gave half of his earnings back to the Lions Club. The Clarendon Firebelle’s Penny Raffle winners were Rhonda Newhouse; $50, Steve Reynolds; $50, and Beth Newman; $100. Jan Farris was the winner of the $500 worth of gas from the Chamber of Commerce.

Laban Tubbs won the John Deere riding lawn mower given by the Friends of Donley County Activity Center that supported Donley County 4-H. Russell Estlack was the winner of the custom commemorative spurs from the Clarendon Masonic Lodge. Doris Homer of Groom was the winner of the St. Mary’s Catholic Women Quilt Drawing.

The Cash for Kids drawing fundraiser raised a total of 10,000, half of which went to the grand prize winner of $5,000, which was Greenbelt Water Authority. Heather King was the winner of the $200 certificate to Edes Meats, Clarendon Veterinarian Hospital won a $200 certificate to WalMart, and Charlie Brown of Amarillo was the winner of a $200 certificate for gas. The community’s support towards this fundraiser was appreciated.

The Henson’s annual Turtle Race was held the day before the Fourth of July celebration on Friday afternoon. There were altogether 200 participants; and the winners were Easton Frausto for the 0-4 division, Samantha Smith of Hall County for the 5-8 division, and Jennifer Sweet of Round Rock for the 9-14 division.
The Turtle Art Contest winner for the 13-16 age division was Cody Wood. The 7-9 age division winner was Colt Wood.

Wilson Cattle took top honors during the Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association’s annual Ranch Rodeo last Friday and Saturday.

Wilson Cattle’s scores beat out 19 other local and regional teams as working cowboys put their skills to the test as part of the 132nd annual Saints’ Roost Celebration. The team was made up of Rody Wilson, Tyler Rice, Jason Thomas, Jesse Valdez, and John Wilson.

Finishing second was Bit Ranch with the team of Danny Bennet, Teal Bennet, Tate Bennet, Klay Waters, and Rex Green.

Rafter L Cattle Co. was third with the team of Lonny Brown, Seth Brown, Brad Overstreet, Shannon Vincent, and Andy Adams.

The Top Hand and Top Horse award was won by J.D. Roberts of Britten/Prethro.

The Wild Mare Races were canceled after an injury occurred in the middle of the event on Friday.

The Calcutta winners were Kevin Huddleston, 1st; Bit Ranch, 2nd; Rafter L, 3rd.

Calf scramble winners from the four nights were Marshal Johnson, Caden Bennett, and Button Kennedy (Thursday); Cody Crump and Clayton Moore (Friday); and Cade Williams, Casey McCleskey, and Sage Coley (Saturday).

Junior Calf Riding was held all four nights. Winners were Jake Baca (Thursday), Jake Baca (Friday), and Dalton Benson (Saturday). Overall Calf Ride winner was Dalton Benson.

Winners of the Junior Steer Riding were Brock Baldwin (Thursday), Brock Baldwin (Friday), and Jake Baca (Saturday). Overall Steer Riding winner was Jake Baca.
Junior Donkey Riding winners were Zack O’Neal (Thursday), Dalton Benson (Friday), and Dalton Benson (Saturday). Overall Donkey Riding winner was Dalton Benson.

The Overall Junior Rodeo winners from Thursday night were Smith SJ, first; Voo Doos, second; and Out of Grass Cattle Co., third.

The Top Hand winner for the Junior Ranch Rodeo was Chance McAnear, and the Top Horse went to Hunter Kennedy.

Is it time to consider a ban on alcohol at Greenbelt Lake?

That’s a question being raised by Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn after a series of calls received by his office over the July Fourth weekend.

Blackburn says 90 percent of the 911 calls from Greenbelt are alcohol related, and he also says those calls are getting rougher.

“We’re getting more calls with guns or other types of weapons involved,” Blackburn said.

Carson County officials this week are investigating a case where a woman allegedly shot and killed her boyfriend Sunday. The couple was returning from Greenbelt, and alcohol was involved according to published reports. Blackburn said that case could have happened in Donley County.

“That’s how close we came,” Blackburn said. “There has not been a killing at Greenbelt that I know of; but if things don’t change, I won’t be surprised if we do have one.”
Greenbelt Water Authority General Manager Bobbie Kidd said his board kicked around the idea of a ban on alcohol several years ago but never took any kind of action on the subject, but he said it may be time to bring it back up.

“I think the ‘no alcohol’ deal is something we’ll have to look at again,” Kidd said.

Kidd said he couldn’t say the situation at the lake is getting worse, but he did agree that 90 percent of the calls from the lake were probably alcohol related and agreed that those calls can be rough.

Lake Meredith has a partial ban on alcohol, Kidd said, and only allows alcohol in certain areas and prohibits open containers after midnight.

“I don’t think we could have a partial ban,” Kidd said. “I think it would have to be a total ban.”

Kidd said he would hate to see it come to a situation where a guy couldn’t have a cold beer while he’s fishing, but also noted that Greenbelt gets a lot of inebriated visitors and that alcohol does play a role in a lot of drowning at the lake.

Thirteen people were arrested from last Thursday through Sunday, the sheriff’s office said. All of those were alcohol related, and all were at or near Greenbelt Lake.

People arrested at the lake cannot return, Kidd said, noting that Greenbelt is private property.
“We have a hard and fast rule: If you get arrested at our lake, you get banned from the lake,” Kidd said.
Among the calls this weekend from the lake, Blackburn noted these alcohol-related cases:

• At 4:18 a.m. on Saturday a fight started over someone urinating next to someone else’s tent and, during this, someone fired a .12-gauge shotgun in the air.
• At 7:13 p.m. on Friday a fight broke out over a campsite.
• At 1:50 Saturday morning a female had a diving accident near Sandy Beach.
• “One idiot” stabbed himself in the leg after he got off a boat with a knife and tried to swim to shore.
• A person nearly drowned on Friday but was rescued by someone on the shore who saw them bobbing in the water.

One side effect to a ban on alcohol might be how it would impact traffic at the lake. From Monday through Sunday, Greenbelt sold approximately 8,000 lake permits, and Kidd said over the weekend between 3,000 and 4,000 people were at the lake.

Kidd said an impact on traffic wouldn’t bother him.
“I wouldn’t really care,” he said. “You’d lose some people and probably gain some other people.”

The sheriff said he believes fifty percent of the people coming to the lake are just here to party and that many of them have criminal histories and no respect for rules or laws.

“It’s just sad that [the water authority] has done so much work out there and we have so many family people go and can’t have a good time because of the thugs that show up,” the sheriff said.