News

Carrie Helms, Clarendon Enterprise

For the last two and a half weeks while other sixth graders were watching TV or eating an afternoon snack, Stormie Garrison, Austin Howard, and Michael Brooks were collecting signatures for a petition to present at next month’s City Council meeting.

A classroom assignment in Jamie Ward’s English class inspired them to start a petition to get a skating park in Clarendon.

“We were studying persuasive writing in Mrs. Ward’s class and had to write a pretend letter to the mayor,” Garrison said.  “We decided to try it for real.”

The boys have been avid skaters for several years, but lately this pastime has gotten them into trouble.

“The best place to skate right now is downtown,” Brooks said, “but some people have complained.”

They have tried to find other places to roller blade, but as the scrapes and bruises tell, none has been found.

“Kids need a smooth surface away from traffic and out of the way of businesses,” Howard said. “The pavement is too rough, and it is hard to keep control with all the vibrations.”      

The boys think they have found the perfect location.

“Across from the [City Park] by the Texas Saddlery is an empty lot,” Brooks said. “Families could go together, and the older kids could skate while the younger ones played across the street.”

The plan the boys have thought up consists of a 25×50 foot oval slab of concrete with benches around the outside of a four-foot wall.

“It would be like a skating rink but with small ramps for jumping,” Garrison said.  “There could even be walking trails and bike paths for adults.”

They are convinced there is nothing safer.

“We would have plenty of adult supervision and safety regulations,” Brooks said.  “The jumps would not be so high that they would be dangerous.”

So far, they have collected more than 130 signatures, but they have encountered a few doubters.

“It would be really funny if three junior high kids could make something like this happen,” Garrison said.  “I want this to happen so much so I can show all those who said it couldn’t be done.”

Carrie Helms of Clarendon High School was named the top winner in the 2A division of the first-ever Lone Star Journalism Writing Contest last Saturday in Irving at the Texas Press Association’s 55th Midwinter Conference & Trade Show.

Helms, the daughter of Eddie and Joburta Helms, received a plaque and a $75 check for her feature article “The House That Buck Built,” which was published in The Clarendon Enterprise last November.

The TPA and the Interscholastic League Press Conference (ILPC) teamed together to create a contest designed specifically for small schools, those classified as 1A, 2A, or 3A. Local newspapers around the state had students write features, published them, then entered the work in the contest. The winners were chosen by the judges in the ILPC office.

Other winners were Anne Cervenka of East Bernard High School and Travis Sutherland of Utopia High School. Finalists receiving honorable mention status included Briana Parramore of Winters High School, Robin Watterson of Ingleside High School, and Jessica Williams of Industrial High School.

Helms was joined at the conference by her mother; her grandparents, Buck and Jo Welty; and Enterprise editor Roger Estlack.

Also during the conference, The Clarendon Enterprise was recognized as a runner-up in Division 8 of the third annual TPA Special Sections Contest for its 2001 graduation edition. Top honors in Division 8 went to the Lytle Leader-News for its football edition.

Hedley High students competed at the West Texas High School Comanche Invitational UIL Meet in Stinnett on Saturday.

Other schools that participated in the meet included Dalhart, Groom, Pampa, Clarendon, Dumas, Canadian, and West Texas High.

The Calculator Team led the way with a first place team finish. Lauren Hill placed first individually, and Samuel Howard came in second with Treva Rowland completing the championship team.

Lora Llewellyn received third place individually in the Science contest, and, with the help of Lisle and Treva Rowland, the team placed second overall.

The Current Events team also placed second led by Aaron Bugg’s fourth place finish. He was joined by Cassie Moore and Amber Solis.

Stephen Howard, Lauren Hill, and Marissa Wells placed second  as the Number Sense team, led by Howard’s second place and Hill’s fifth place individual placement.

The Mathematics team of Stephen Howard, Lacey Wallendorff, and Lora Llewellyn took third with Howard placing fourth and Wallendorff placing sixth individually.

Josh Collins represented Hedley in Headline Writing at the meet.

Jimmy Floyd of Canadian displays 5-cent movie coupons found in the office of the old Mulkey Theater.

Enterprise Digital Photo
 
The Clarendon Economic Development Corporation would acquire the Mulkey Theater if a deal now under discussion works out.

Salem Abraham of Canadian confirmed Tuesday morning that he and his partner, Bob Altman of Central Texas, are exploring the idea of donating the historic theater to the CEDC.

“I’m hopeful this will work out,” Abraham said. “I think it would be better to try to see it in the hands of someone who can do something with it.”

Abraham owns 49 percent of the theatre; Altman owns 51 percent. The two are awaiting the results of an appraisal of the building, which was conducted last week.

Members of the CEDC and the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce toured the Mulkey on Thursday.

“I’m really impressed with the shape it is in,” said CEDC Board Member Dee Dee Autry.

Autry said the idea for acquiring the theater started when the Donley County Tourism Council wanted to put lights on the Mulkey’s marquee during the Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration. Inquiries about that led to the discussion of the 1940s-era building being donated to the community in some way.

The CEDC board has not formally made a decision about what to do with the building, but Autry said she personally would like to see it restored for live entertainment or motion pictures with the old barber shop area being utilized as an office for the chamber and CEDC.

“I would love to see it done like Canadian’s [Palace] Theater,” Autry said.

Abraham and his wife restored the Canadian theatre and installed a state-of-the-art sound system. Today, it runs movies every night with a new movie on Friday and a matinee on Sunday.

Autry says the CEDC is looking into the possibility of grants to restore the building and has contacted the Texas Commission on the Arts for assistance.

It is hoped that revitalizing the Mulkey would spur activity on Kearney Street like it did in Canadian.

“On the block with the Palace four years ago, there was a bank, a dilapidated theatre, three vacant buildings, and a caliche parking lot,” Abraham said.

“Today all the buildings are full, and the parking lot has been paved and landscaped.”

Abraham says he sees the Mulkey as having the potential to be nicer than the 1909-era Palace because the local theater was fancier to start with.

Abraham warns restoring the theater will not be a small project, but he thinks it is more doable in the hands of something like the economic development corporation which can go after grants for the benefit of the community.

Autry said if the donation of the building works out, the first step will probably be to consult an architect to see what work needs to be done on it.

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen agreed to help the Donley County Sheriff’s Department buy a new computer during its regular meeting January 8.

Mayor Tex Selvidge said the old computer in the sheriff’s office is a used PC donated to the department by a bank in Memphis. The county will put up $1,000 for a new PC, and the Probation Department of the 100th District Court will add another $1,000. The aldermen agreed to provide $500 for this purpose.

A building permit for the county courthouse project was discussed. Alderman Mac Stavenhagen agreed to talk to the county judge about this matter.

Plumbing inspections were discussed. Board consultant Colby Waters said the state is now requiring inspections to be done by a licensed plumbing inspector in cities with populations less than 5,000. Previous rules required this only of cities of more than 5,000 people. Waters told the board that no rules have yet been adopted governing these inspections. The board took no action.

A resolution was passed authorizing the city to apply for a grant that would benefit the bailing operations at the city’s Three Feathers Recycling Center.

The board discussed a citizen’s request to pave her driveway. The citizen had agreed to pay for the paving, but the city denied the request.

Librarian Carolyn Blackerby said the contractor will begin on the library renovation in about five weeks. The job should take four weeks to complete. The library will also be purchasing a new computer for the librarian.

Local phone customers were disconnected from making out of town calls for nearly eight hours last Wednesday after a farmer near Panhandle cut a fiber optic cable.

The disruption affected more than 10,000 Valor Telecom customers in Clarendon, Hedley, Panhandle, Lakeview, Memphis, Groom, Claude, Wellington, and Estelline.

Valor crews began repairing the cable at 3:30 p.m. and had service restored by 11 p.m.

Last October, more than 8,000 Valor customers were disconnected for more than three hours when a crew with the City of Panhandle also cut a fiber optic cable.

Donley County has gotten an extension for Emergency Grazing for certain Conservation Reserve Program acres.

The required payment reduction is 25 percent of the per acre annual rental payment rate times the number of acres actually grazed. This authorization is in effect from now until February 28, 2002.

Additional guidelines include:

• Temporary cover or dead litter crops are not eligible for this program.

• Only fields established to permanent cover will be eligible.

• You must contact FSA and NRCS before any grazing takes place.

• CRP may be leased to an eligible livestock producer located in an approved county.

• CRP participants must leave at least 25 percent of each field ungrazed for wildlife.

For more information, call 874-3561. This extension is for grazing only.

AUSTIN — Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs last week announced that 10 groups, including the local groundwater district, have received matching grants from the Texas Department of Agriculture to conduct weather modification or precipitation enhancement over almost one-third of Texas, covering 51 million acres from the High Plains to the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

The Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District, which includes Donley County and is based in White Deer, was awarded $183,412.

Precipitation enhancement, also known as cloud-seeding, stimulates clouds to generate more rainfall than normally produced. Rainfall is maximized from clouds through the introduction of seeding agents, such as silver iodide. The 77th Legislature moved the grant portion of the weather modification program from the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission to TDA on Sept. 1. The program’s permitting and licensing section, which authorizes political subdivisions to conduct cloud seeding, was also moved Sept. 1 from TNRCC to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

“Precipitation enhancement is an integral part of the state’s long-term water management plan,” Combs said.

“Many districts involved in precipitation enhancement have seen positive results. For example, the Colorado River Municipal Water District in Big Spring has compared seeded years with unseeded years from 1971 to 1990 and found rainfall totals to be 2 ½ to 4 inches above normal during seeded years. During this same time frame, cotton yields were 64 percent above normal during seeded years.

“In addition to higher crop yields, precipitation enhancement can improve grazing conditions for livestock, reduce irrigation costs, and improve water quality. The practice also helps to increase rainfall runoff into reservoirs and aquifers.

“The High Plains Water District has estimated that increased crop yields resulting from one inch of extra rain at the right time on major crops in the area could have a market value of about $81 million with a regional economic impact of about $284 million,” Combs said.

TDA has awarded 10 grants totaling $1,933,197 for fiscal year 2002 to the following programs, which match the grants dollar-for-dollar:

•  Val Verde County Commissioner’s Court in Del Rio — $151,504.

•  Colorado River Municipal Water District in Big Spring — $89,658.

•  Edwards Aquifer Authority in Hondo — $254,874.

•  Evergreen Underground Water Conservation District in Pleasanton — $154,523.

•  High Plains Underground Water Conservation District in Littlefield — $240,000.

•  Irion County Water Conservation District in San Angelo — $224,936.

•  North Plains Groundwater Conservation District in Dumas — $186,700.

•  Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District in White Deer — $183,412.

•  West Central Texas Council of Governments in Abilene — $222,159.

•  Wintergarden Groundwater Conservation District in Cotulla — $225,431.

Internet users in and near Clarendon now have the opportunity to enjoy high-speed connections thanks to an Amarillo company now doing business here.

AMA Wireless began hooking up customers here last week to a broadband service that boasts download speeds up to 50 times faster than ordinary phone lines. Local agents are already signing up customers for the service.

Wireless Internet operates from a microwave signal beamed continuously by towers, then directly into the home or office. A small “patch” antenna – about the size of an adult hand – is mounted outside the home or office. The signal is then carried to a subscriber’s computer via coaxial cable, a wireless modem, and a CAT 5 computer cable. The system does not require a phone line, meaning customers can save money by eliminating their second phone line or can free up their existing line.

With the wireless service, files download faster, Web pages pull up faster, and productivity is increased.

AMA’s service costs as little as $44.95 per month for residential customers and $59.90 per month for businesses. Installation fees vary from nothing for residential customers who will sign up for three years to $150. Customers will also need a network card installed in their computer, and those can be purchased separately or from AMA.

“This new service will be a great benefit to local people engaged in e-commerce and businesses that communicate via e-mail as well as casual surfers,” said local AMA agent and newspaper publisher Roger Estlack. “It will also be an asset to our community in general to have this service available when trying to attract new residents and businesses.”

The Clarendon Enterprise was the first local business hooked up to the service followed by Knorpp Insurance Agency and The Donley County State Bank.

Fed up with slow Internet connections, the Enterprise contacted AMA Online several months ago to see if that company would come to Donley County.

“This is something we’ve been working on since early June,” said Estlack. “We spent a lot of time on the phone with AMA and gathered names of prospective customers for them. E. Wayne Barbee at Clarendon Insurance also helped us gather some names together. Now all that work has paid off.

“Like many people, we were very frustrated by busy signals, poor connections, and no connections when trying to get online. Now, we feel like we’re actually living in the modern world for a change.”

Estlack said the new wireless service is the most important development in local communications capability since Expanded Local Calling (ELC) eliminated long distance charges to Amarillo and Pampa five years ago.

“ELC helped make getting on the Internet in Clarendon affordable. Now AMA Wireless has made it fast, reliable, and modern while still being affordable for most people.”

Internet users can sign up for the new service at The Clarendon Enterprise, Knorpp Insurance Agency, or The Donley County State Bank.

Clarendon seventh grader Kelsea Hoeltzel has been named the first place winner of the local VFW Patriotic Youth Essay contest by Donley County VFW Post 7782.

Local eighth grader Faith Lockhart and seventh grader Jon McGlaun placed second and third in the contest, which was open to seventh and eighth grade students in Clarendon, Hedley, Claude, and Memphis schools. Clarendon Junior High submitted 51 essays for judging.

“Is Freedom Really Free?” was the theme of this year’s contest.

The three Clarendon students will represent Donley County in the district level of judging. Hoeltzel, Lockhart, and McGlaun will each receive a $50 Savings Bond from the VFW Post 7782 Ladies Auxiliary and will have a chance to win the top national prize of a $10,000 Savings Bond.

All students participating in the contest receive a VFW Youth Essay Certificate of Merit for being an Outstanding Spokesman for the Future.

The members of the VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary appreciate the writers and commend Mr. Marvin Elam and Mrs. Jamie Ward for making the contest a success.

Other students participating in the contest were Katie Askew, Joshua Aguirre, Audrey Bennett, Kate Bennett, Will Betts, Michael Bruce, LaDez Captain, Bret Carter, Haley Carter, Holly Cornell, Chris Cox, Keana Daughtry, Erica Depew, Tyler Drackley, Will Drackley, Tomas Elliott, Lauren Floyd, Stephen Ford, Caitlan Hall, Carmen Hamilton, Robert Harris, Michael Henderson, Chelsea Hoeltzel, Tamera Holland, Kaitlyn Howard, Jeremy Jeffers, Melanie Johnson, Courtney Judd, Jessica Krumwiede, Regan Lemley, Kristin McAfee, Daniel Milburn, Shaunda Moody, Megan Morris, Ryan Petty, Andy Roberts, Morgan Robinson, Jesse Rodriguez, Tiffany Salcido, Cody Scrivner, Sarah Scrivner, Bradley Sell, Haley Shelton, Ben Smith, Chrystal Smith, Chase Thornberry, Kimberly Tolbert, and John Vaught.