News

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen last week gave engineers the authority to begin advertising for bids for paving work to be done this year.

An invitation for bids will begin running in the legal notice section of this newspaper next week and continue the following week. Bids are scheduled to be opened at City Hall on July 23 at 2 p.m.

According to a copy of the notice, the city is considering contracting 8,661 linear feet of concrete curbs and gutters, 12,510 square feet of base material, and the same amount of two-course penetration paving.

This year’s paving project is being planned for West Seventh Street from the western city limit to Sims Street and West Fourth Street from Koogle to Jefferson Street.

In other city business last Tuesday, the aldermen heard the annual report of the Local Housing Authority as presented by Donna Hicks.

The board re-appointed Alderman Mark White to serve as mayor pro-tem.

The city’s 2005-2006 application for Texas Community Development Project funds was discussed. Alderman Bobbie Kidd will visit with the city’s grant writer concerning her recent performance before a decision is made on the current application.

The municipal budget for 2003-2004 was amended as needed.

City Administrator Sean Pate reported Joe Shadle had received his certification as a municipal solid waste Class C operator as well as his RSES refrigerant usage certification.

A crowd of local and state officials, Donley County residents, and a sea of blue FFA jackets were on hand when Clarendon College held the grand opening of its new Livestock & Equine Center (LEC) last Tuesday.

The event was timed to coincide with the FFA area leadership conference held at CC last week, and speakers at the open house used that connection to encourage FFA members to consider Clarendon when they go to college.

“This building is farsighted,” CC Regent Jack Moreman said. “The Livestock & Equine Center was built for students just like you.”

The $1 million facility and its adjacent stalls and storage building is the home of CC’s equine science and livestock and meats judging programs as well as the college’s intermural rodeo team.

The 73,600-square-foot building on the west edge of the campus features a covered arena that is closed on the west and north sides and open to the south and east. It has skylights for daytime activities and electric lights for nighttime use.

Herring National Bank president Jerry Woodard encouraged the members to be leaders in their communities and praised the completion of the LEC as being an accomplishment of local leaders.

“This facility a year ago was a dream,” Woodard said, “and today it is a reality due to leadership.”

Woodard, who also serves on the Clarendon Economic Development Board, also pointed to the economic impact of the LEC and said the new facility is an example of the way Clarendon continues to build to stay progressive.

“Seeing this college thrive is to see our community thrive,” he said.

CC President Myles Shelton also addressed Tuesday’s event and thanked the donors who provided the funds for the new center.

The LEC was intended to be an enclosed structure with a classroom, office, restrooms, and concession area, but those elements were deleted when the bids exceeded the initial estimates for the center. College officials say those items can be added later when funds are available.

Make your plans now to attend the 126th annual Saints’ Roost Celebration and Ranch Rodeo to be held in Clarendon this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, July 1, 2, and 3.

Kicking off the celebration will be the Star Spangled Small Town Celebration held at participating merchants in Clarendon.  Businesses will have sales, give away prizes, and hold special events each day of the celebration.

An Open Ranch Bronc Ride will be held on Thursday night at the Rodeo Grounds.  The Ranch Rodeo will be held Friday and Saturday nights with ten teams competing each night.  Events include Bronco Riding, Wild Cow Milking, Team Branding, and Team Doctoring/Team Sortin’. The rodeo will begin at 7:30 p.m. each night.

There will also be a RHAA Ranch Horse Competition at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday.

The Outdoor Entertainment Association will also hold an open Junior Calf Ride for ages 0-8 and a Steer Ride for the older kids each night of the rodeo.  The entry fee is $20.

COEA will also have the Donkey Ride and Open Calf Scramble. These events are sponsored by Donley County State Bank, Walco, and West Texas Western Store.

Several giveaways will be announced during the rodeo including a $200 beef certificate drawn each night. The National Finals Rodeo Trip and the Utility Trailer Giveaway will announce their winners on Saturday night.

The Rodeo Dance will be held throughout the celebration with Gary Alan Bruce performing on Thursday and Friday nights.  The band for Saturday night is Sante Fe.

On Friday, the Donley County Horse Club will hold its annual Stick Horse Rodeo for the kiddoes at the parking lot by the Post Office beginning at 10:00 a.m.

The Depression Lunch will also be held on Friday beginning at 11:30 a.m.  A meal of beans, cornbread, and dessert will be served in front of the Downtown Ministry building.  Later that day, that will also be the site for the Battle of the Praise Bands, which will begin at 2:00 p.m.

The celebration swings into full motion on Saturday with the annual Arts and Crafts Fair at City Park.  The event is being organized by the Donley County 4-H. The fair will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Bicycle Parade will begin at 10:00 a.m. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. at 601 A. Kearney, which is across the street from the City Park. 

The annual old Settlers Reunion and Shriners Barbecue will be held at the City Park beginning at 11:00 a.m. under the pavilion. 

The Western Parade will begin at 2:00 p.m.

Kids, get your turtles ready for the annual Turtle Race to be held at 4:00 p.m. at Henson’s.

Be sure to bring the whole family out to enjoy the festivities.

The Clarendon Enterprise received first place honors Saturday during the Texas Press Association’s 125th annual summer convention in Austin.

The local paper was awarded first place in Division 9 (Small Medium Weeklies) in Sports Photography for pictures taken during the 2002-2003 Hedley varsity basketball season.

The Enterprise also received third place in Feature Writing for articles by Carrie Helms and Roger Estlack.

Attending the convention and accepting the awards on behalf of the Enterprise were publisher Roger Estlack and Web master Ashlee Kidd.

The Clarendon College Board of Regents voted last Thursday to place the name of a Memphis woman on the college’s new library.

The $1.3 million facility, now under construction, will be known as the Vera Dial Dickey Library and is expected to be ready for use by the spring 2005 semester.

Dickey passed away in 1985 and bequeathed in excess of $1 million to the college.

At 10,500 square feet, the new library will be about two and half times bigger than the present library.

The facility will be situated between the Administration Building and the Harned Sisters Fine Arts Center and will be constructed to match the architecture of the rest of the campus with one main difference – the new building will sit at a 45-degree angle to its neighbors. That unique position will allow the building to fit neatly into the existing landscape.

In other business, regents received an enrollment completion report for the last academic year. That report found that 91.9 percent of CC students completed the courses in which they enrolled.

The board approved a motion to engage Fox, Byrd, & Golden to conduct the audit for fiscal year 2004.

The budget for 2004-2005 was discussed, and regents agreed to hold a budget retreat on August 5. A public hearing on the budget will be held on August 19.

An interlocal agreement with TASB was renewed to provide property and casualty insurance for the 2004-2005 year.

The board was notified of the retirement of Nena Hunt this month from her position as the secretary to the dean of instruction. Regents also approved the hiring of Chad Smith as ag instructor and rodeo coach.

The board also received an extensive report on the CC Pampa Center, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary this fall.

An Amarillo man was killed at Lake Greenbelt Monday night after high winds picked up his boat and dropped it on top of him.

Guadalupe Ortega, Jr., and his girlfriend, April Baca, were attempting to better secure Ortega’s 18-foot aluminum pontoon boat on the shore near the north end of the Greenbelt Dam when the storm hit, according to Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn.

“The boat was apparently pointed east,” Blackburn said. “The wind picked it up, turned it north and south, and dropped it on the man.”

Ortega was pinned with part of the heavy end of the boat on top of his upper chest. Baca also received a slight injury to her shoulder.

Blackburn said Ortega’s brother, Lionel, and his family jacked up the boat to get the man free. The call of the emergency was dispatched about 11:30 p.m., and the sheriff responded.

“The brother told me that [Ortega] was choking,” he said, “but when I got there, I could tell he wasn’t breathing and couldn’t find a pulse.”

Deputy Mike Spier began CPR, and Clarendon EMS transported Ortega to Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo, where he was pronounced dead about two hours later. An autopsy was being conducted in Lubbock on Tuesday to determine the exact cause of death.

Sheriff Blackburn said unofficial reports said the wind was blowing 73 miles per hour at the time of the accident. The sheriff also said he had no idea how much Ortega’s boat weighed but said it took seven men Tuesday morning to push it back into the water.

High winds gave Howardwick a beating Monday night, but residents there are giving thanks that no community members were hurt.

“Everybody’s safe,” said Mayor Nancy Davis, who admitted the storm did shake up the town. “We’re walking ghosts some of us, but I’m so proud of this community. I can’t say enough about the good people we have here.”

Residents say they received between 2.25 and 2.5 inches of rain in a very short amount of time and estimated winds were blowing between 75 and 90 miles per hour.

The major force of the storm appears to have hit about 11:30 p.m. when Greenbelt Electric Cooperative began losing service to some parts of the city. Three highline poles were broken down, and several tree limbs were caught in the lines, a Greenbelt official said.

The electric company anticipated having power restored by noon Tuesday. Phone service was also still down in parts of the community Tuesday morning.

Mayor Davis dispatched city aldermen to survey the damage to the community by sectors early Tuesday. The city then directed workers to the areas hardest hit and the residents most in need of assistance.

Damage ranged from tree limbs being broken all over town to an entire trailer house being overturned.

Carolyn Robinson said the trees were blowing terribly at her home on Catfish Street about 11:30.

“We heard something in the distance that sounded like a train,” she said.

Robinson said she and her husband never felt like they needed to go to the cellar, but her feelings changed after seeing the damage around their home Tuesday morning.

“I was kind of scared last night, but I am really scared this morning.”

The Robinsons’ boat, which had been parked under a carport near their garage, was lying in the grass 35 feet away from its original location. The windshield of the boat was shattered with pieces of glass blown clear across the street. The boat trailer was off to the side of the boat, and their carport was a crumpled wreck in a ravine a block and a half from their home.

A tall Russian olive tree was uprooted at the Monty Barefoot residence on Pampa Drive. City workers also discovered more trees down in the Barefoots’ backyard.

On Franklyn Street, Buster Baird reported a 30-foot cottonwood tree broke completely in two about five feet from the ground. Down the hill from him, two highline poles snapped on McCool Drive.

A 40-foot cottonwood at Stan Couch’s Olita Drive residence was also shattered by the storm. Tree limbs were deposited all around the home, but fortunately no damage was done to the structure.

“It was a blessing from God that it didn’t hit the house,” Couch said. “This I can fix.”

An unoccupied trailer house owned by Hulon Bright on Francklyn Drive was tipped over on its side.

On Swanson Street, another trailer house owned by D.W. Rankins had its roof completely ripped off. The roof landed partly on the fence of a neighboring residence, and the north wall of Rankins’ trailer was partially caved in.

The Howardwick City Park also received damage in the form of broken tree limbs.

“It will take days to clean everything up,” Mayor Davis said.

At Lake Greenbelt, water authority officials said the parks and other areas had no damage other than scattered tree limbs. The filter plant reported receiving 1.13 inches of rain. The lake had risen one inch to a depth of 60.58 feet by 10:30 a.m., and Carroll Creek was still running good at that time.

Clarendon experienced only broken tree limbs, and National Weather Service Cooperative Observer Tommie Saye reported an official rainfall of 1.21 inches.

Post Commander Dale Powers of VFW Memorial Post 7782 of Clarendon and Carol Holden District 9 Department of Texas VFW President presented Donley County Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Spier with the National Veterans of Foreign Wars of the US National Life Saving Award. 

Deputy Spier was honored for attempting to save the lives of two citizens of this community, one while off duty.

“We are very proud of Mike for what he does for our community,” said Commander Powers. 

The VFW recognizes individuals who help others by saving lives.  The National award is awarded when a local VFW Post makes application and submits documentation about the life saved.  The application is then submitted to the Department of Texas for review and then forwarded to the National VFW Commander for approval.

Spier was selected by the National Commander to receive this award.

Results from the TAKS test administered to the students at Hedley schools this spring are in, and the administration is very pleased with the outcome.

Students in grades three through eleven were given the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) exam this year, and Hedley ISD superintendent Bryan Hill says the results look good.

“We’re real proud of our test scores,” Hill said. “There are some areas we need to improve on; but for the most part, we’re real tickled.”

State law requires that third-graders must pass the reading portion of the exam to be promoted to fourth grade, and 100 percent of the third-graders at Hedley ISD passed.

The third grade students also were tested in math and scored 90 percent, which meets the state average of 90 percent.

Hedley fourth graders scored above the state and regional averages in reading, math, and writing with 100 percent of the students passing all three tests.

The fifth grade students in Hedley scored above the state average of 79 percent in reading with 87 percent passing, but fell below the state averages in math and science. 80 percent passed in math compared to the state average of 82 percent, and in science 47 percent passed compared to the average of 69 percent.

Sixth grade students in Hedley were tested in math and reading. They outscored the state average of 77 percent in math with 85 percent passing, and in reading 100 percent passed.

The seventh graders were tested in three areas and fell below the state averages in reading and writing. 78 percent passed in reading compared to the state average of 83, in writing 80 percent passed compared to the average of 91 percent, and the students met the state average of 70 percent in writing.

HISD’s eighth graders scored above the state averages in reading and social studies, but fell short of the state average in math with 57 percent passing compared to the average of 66 percent.

Hedley’s ninth graders exceeded the state averages in both reading and math while the tenth graders surpassed the state averages in writing, math, social studies, and science.

Hedley’s juniors scored above state averages on three of the four areas of the exam they were tested in with passing rates of 100 percent on the writing exam, 100 percent on social studies, 100 percent in science, and 83 percent in math. The state average scores were writing 87 percent, social studies 97, science 85, and math 85.

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen voted last Tuesday to begin charging contractors and utility companies who bring tree limbs to the city’s recycling center.

Commercial customers will be charged $1 per running foot per trailer. A 16-foot trailer would cost $16 to dump.

City Administrator Sean Pate said blades on the city’s chipper are having to be replaced every couple of months and running the chipper is consuming 30 to 35 man-hours per month.

“And that was in our slow season,” Pate said.

City officials consulted with neighboring towns and found that no one else is currently charging for this service, but several are reported to be considering it. Alderman Michael Tibbets said the city should not be subsidizing local tree-trimming businesses by providing them with free dumping, and other board members agreed.

Residential customers can still haul their own tree limbs to the recycling center free of charge.

In other city business, the board discussed the solid waste grant received to build a steel storage building at the recycling center. Due to increased material costs since the time of the grant applications, the city will need an additional $3,600 to build the facility. The $8,000 in grant funds has to be expended by August of this year. The board voted to spend the extra $3,600.

Pate discussed the need to amend the budget, and the board agreed to look at that issue at the next meeting.

After some discussion, the board voted to close City Hall all day Friday, June 11, in recognition of the National Day of Mourning for President Ronald Reagan.