This Week

By Carrie Helms, Clarendon Enterprise

Frank and Terry Hommel, owners of local restaurant Sam Hill’s Pit B-B-Q, will be facing weeks of clean up and repair work after fire damaged the building before the business opened Friday morning.

The call came in to the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department at 9:17 a.m.  5 units and 11 men, including Assistant Fire Chief Patrick Robertson, responded immediately.

“There was heavy smoke coming from the cooker, and when they opened it to see what was going on, fire went out the door and up the wall to the ceiling,” Robertson said. “They bailed out quickly, and no one was hurt.”

The fire was out by 9:50, in time to save the building from serious structural damage.

“We might have lost the whole building,” Frank Hommel said, “but the fire never reached the attic.”

The damage inside, however, was extensive.

“The kitchen was totally gutted,” Robertson said, “and there’s heavy smoke, heat, and water damage to other parts of the building.”

The fire not only destroyed the kitchen, but several hundred dollars worth of equipment as well.

“The cash register, the TV and stereo, and the Coke machine were all just melted,” Hommel said.

Ironically, the only part of the building not damaged by smoke was the smoking section.

 “We will have to redo all of the kitchen and front dining room,” Hommel said. “The cedar ceiling planks in the dining room will all have to be replaced.”

According to the Hommels, the building was insured, but there is no word yet on how much of the damage will be covered.

“We had someone come check out how much it would cost just to clean up,” Hommel said, “and he said it would take him 4 hours just to put all the information in the computer to come up with an estimate.”

Hommel said he would be meeting with insurance adjusters later in the week to see just how extensive and expensive the damage really is.

“We have no idea how long it will take us to get things ready to reopen,” Hommel said, “but we will try as soon as we can.”

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen approved a plan to seal coat more than 30 blocks of city streets during a called meeting last Tuesday.

Engineer Gene Barber said he thinks the project will cost $160,000. City officials will meet with a financial consultant Thursday to discuss options for paying for the seal coating.

Aldermen have been discussing large scale paving project for several months, and the plan approved last week, which repairs and resurfaces several existing paved streets, is considered by the board as Phase I of a paving program.

“Money is cheap right now,” said Mayor Tex Selvidge, referring to low interest rates. “If we’re going to do something, now is the time to do it.”

Streets in Phase I include Collinson from Eighth to Clarendon Avenue, Third Street from Allen to Bugbee Avenue, Fourth Street from Koogle to Jefferson, Sixth Street from Jefferson to Goodnight, Seventh Street from Bond to Kearney, Jefferson between Seventh and Sixth, and Kearney from Wood Avenue to Sixth Street. Each of those areas will receive a double layer of seal coat.

Additionally, Cottage Street between Seventh and Fifth will receive a single layer of seal coat.

Bids for the project will be opened August 23 during a called board meeting. No time line has been given for the completion of the seal coating.

A separate paving project will also be taking place in the southeast part of town.

Under an emergency grant from the state Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA), 14 blocks of city streets will be paved at almost no cost to the city.

Engineer Che Shadle said half the ORCA project would hot mix construction and the other half would be hot mix with curb and gutter.

Six blocks of Thurman Avenue, located on the east city limit, will be paved with hot mix. Extensive work will be done on that road to address drainage problems in that area of town.

Paving with curbs and gutters will be done on the following streets: Wood Avenue from McClelland to Faker, McClelland from Montgomery to the alley between Fourth and Fifth streets, and Hawley Street from Barcus to Fourth.

The ORCA project dovetails with another project being funded by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency of the US Department of Agriculture. Both projects were funded as a result of damaging floods in the spring of 2001.

The ORCA project will cost an estimated $300,000 with the city only incurring the cost of auditing. The ORCA work should be completed in the spring of 2003.

It put Clarendon on the map in terms of car sales and engrained the city’s location in the minds of people throughout the Tri-State area. But in just a few days, Chamberlain Motor Company will be no more.

Officials with the dealership confirmed this week the sale of the business to Mark Suna of Dallas, a deal which is expected to be finalized as soon as General Motors gives its approval.

Trey Chamberlain, whose father Fred E. Chamberlain, Jr., established the business in 1956, says it’s a time of mixed emotions for him and his family. Ultimately, Trey’s health led to the decision to sell.

“We talked about it,” he said. “But it was my decision, and they agreed with me.”

The motor company had seen many changes over the years. The business used the slogan “The Happy Face Place” before Fred Chamberlain came up with something better about 35 years ago – “It’s downhill all the way to Chamberlain Motor Company in Clarendon.”

“My father came up with that,” Trey said. “It’s from a song that he liked which said, ‘It’s down hill and shady all the way.’”

The use of that catch phrase in radio and television commercials forever associated Clarendon with Chamberlain’s and vice versa. The popular slogan even inspired a copycat for a brief time several years ago when a Claude business claimed it was “Halfway down the hill.”

“Dad was pleased with the popularity [of the slogan] and the fact that the name Chamberlain was linked to Clarendon.”

In the course of the business’ life, three generations of Chamberlains have worked there at one time or another. Fred got his start as a used car dealer before starting Chamberlain Motor Company in the location it still occupies today.

“He started with Buick, Pontiac, and GMC trucks,” Trey said. “Later, he added Oldsmobile and Cadillac.” In 1991, Chamberlain’s became a full-line GM dealer when the Chevrolet franchise was added.

Fred’s wife Jean kept books for the dealership for more than two decades, and Trey grew up around the dealership and got his first job there at an early age.

“I started work hoeing weeds in the fifth grade,” he said. “I got an inside job in the parts department when I got my drivers license at 14.”

After attending local schools, Trey attended and graduated from the General Motors Institute. He went to work for GM and Buick and joined the engineering team for Opal cars. During his time with GM, Trey worked on the team that put the first electronic fuel injection system on a car made in America.

He came back to Clarendon in 1975 and took on the role of general manager because Fred was in poor health. He planned on going back to work for GM, but when Fred’s health improved, they embarked on an enlargement of the business and in 1978 built a new showroom and office building adjacent to the old combination showroom-parts department-service center.

Upon Fred’s death in 1980, Trey took on the leadership of the business. His sister Carol worked for the business after college, and in due course, Trey’s children, Chris and Catherine, also spent time employed by the family business.

Trey said the early- and mid-1980s were good years for business with a resurgence in the early-1990s, but he can’t say that was the pinnacle of the motor company.

“I think the high point for the dealership may still be down the road,” he said.

The business and the family suffered a blow in 2001 with the death of Jean Chamberlain, but it was Trey’s coming down with pancreatitis in 1996 that really brought on the need to sell.

“I just couldn’t work at it any more,” he said. “It needs someone who can work it 18 hours a day.”

While selling the business his father built is bittersweet, Trey Chamberlain says he’s happy about who is buying it.

“[Suna] will become part of the community,” he said. “I did not entertain offers from corporate dealers who would not live here. And I left some money on the table because of that. But I did it because I was scared that they might fire a bunch of people and just use the dealership for the franchises.”

Chamberlain says the sale probably won’t fully dawn on him until he wakes up one morning to realize he’s no longer responsible for a tremendous overhead – not in terms of physical inventory but in terms of being one of the city’s largest employers.

“Your decision is what makes [the employees’] lives better or worse,” he said. “That a responsibility you can never get over.”

Other reality checks are not as weighty. During the interview, Chamberlain stops suddenly like there was something he hadn’t thought of before: “He took my post office box number… I’ve had that number all my life!”

Chamberlain’s immediate plans are to get healthy. Beyond that he doesn’t have any definite plans other than not leaving Clarendon.

“I like it here.”

Chamberlain says he doesn’t think he will miss the daily responsibility that came with the dealership but helping customers is another matter.

“I appreciate all the friends I’ve made and the people I could help,” he said. “Of course you want to make money; that’s why you’re in business. But it’s when you can help people that makes it really worthwhile. I appreciate all the repeat customers and helping them. I will miss that part of the job.”

By Carrie Helms, Clarendon Enterprise

Clarendon’s Relay for Life topped its original goal of $10,000 and brought in $19,263 for the American Cancer Society.

From dusk until dawn, people from all over Donley County came out for good food, great fun, and to help in the fight against cancer.

“When the teams registered and brought in the money they had raised already, we had more than our goal,” Chairperson Dawn Watson said. “We opened with our goal before anyone walked a lap, and we had no where to go but up.”

The event opened up with a Survivors’ Lap walked by 75 of those who had survived cancer.

Awards were given to the teams that made the most money and walked the most laps.

“The Hula Hildogs from Herring Bank made $2,888 and walked the most laps,” Watson said. “In second was the Hedley Hooligans with $2,300, and Grumpy’s Gang from the Medical Center Nursing Home was third with $2,093.”

Prizes for Most Original Campsite went to USDA, and Best Campsite went to the Caduceus Clan from the Clarendon Family Medical Center.

“Herring Bank won Worst Campsite because they wouldn’t bribe the judges,” Watson said.

The Luminary Service began at 10 p.m. with 206 luminaries purchased in honor of loved ones, and the bachelor/bachelorette auction began at midnight.

“We auctioned off eleven people and made about $200,” Watson said.

The event ended at 7:00 a.m. with a hearty breakfast prepared by Alan Graham.

“A big thanks goes to Alan,” Watson said. “He and his team were out there all night long and cooked breakfast for everyone.”

Committee member Darlene Spier attributes the event’s success to the involvement of the community.

“The event was successful because we had real county-wide involvement,” Spier said. “Cancer has no respect for where you live, and everyone has been affected by it in some way.”

The event would not have happened without the organization and loving care of the local chapter of the American Cancer Society.

“It was something new we had never done before,” Spier said. “Dawn Watson and Greg Henry both had a lot of experience with the Relay for Life, and their ideas and leadership had a lot to do with our success.”

The committee hopes that with as much success as they had this year, they will be able to raise about $30,000 next year.

“It is something we definitely want to do again,” Watson said. “We’re already taking notes about what we can do next year to make it even better.”

Proceeds from the event will go to the American Cancer Society to fund cancer research and education all over the country.

“There were a lot of sore muscles on Saturday morning,” Watson said, “but it was worth it.”

By Helen Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise 

Special programs conducted by Clarendon CISD are exceptionally effective and compliant with state and federal regulations, according to a Texas Education Agency report received this week.

In the official results of the District Effectiveness and Compliance (DEC) Visit conducted by the Division of Accountability Evaluations of the Texas Education Agency during the week of May 13-17, 2002, Clarendon CISD received passing marks for all but two out of 10,800 sub-indicators for Special Education. All indicators for all the other programs were judged acceptable.

Ironically, the work had been done to serve the three students involved under those two sub-indicators, but the paperwork trail had not documented their completion.

The purpose of the DEC visit was to evaluate and monitor Clarendon CISD’s compliance with state and federal requirements for special programs. The team included members of TEA as well as educators from schools similar to the size of Clarendon.

The peer review team examined the district’s decision-making and planning policies and administrative procedures as they relate to special programs, including initiatives to improve the performance of students served under state and federally funded programs. The review consisted of district and parent roundtable discussions, examination of relevant documents, and interviews with district and campus staff members.

The following programs were studied and evaluated: bilingual education/English as a second language (BE/ESL); career and technology education (CATE); dyslexia; Title I, Part A; Title I, Part C (migrant education); Title II, Part B, Eisenhower Professional Development Program; Title VI, Class-Size Reduction; gifted and talented (G/T) education; optional extended year (OEY); special education; and state compensatory education (SCE). The peer review team also reviewed pre-kindergarten notification and textbook availability.

The team noted that Clarendon CISD’s trend of declining enrollment over the past five years (555 to 495) could have a potentially negative impact on special services offered in the future.

After observing that the superintendent and the board of trustees were already taking extensive measures to optimize district expenditures, the peer review team recommended “that the district administration and the district site-based decision-making team designate an ongoing subcommittee composed of teachers, parents, community members, business members, and members of the administrative team to develop a comprehensive plan of action to combat the effect of declining enrollment.” They suggested “combining classes, reducing of expenditures, cooperating with local area development efforts, and other strategies to enable Clarendon CISD to continue its present level of quality instruction for all district students in the face of declining enrollment.”

In summarizing its report, the team wrote, “There are generations of Clarendon ISD families with an abiding interest in their community school. They consider the small, mutually supportive climate of their schools to be the positive focus of their community.

“The superintendent is an effective communicator and consensus builder who is helping to create and sustain a district climate in which students can flourish. It is the belief of the peer review team that the sustained, combined efforts of the board of trustees, enlightened administration, hard-working and energetic faculty, and engaged and concerned parents will positively impact students’ performance and allow the district to earn the Exemplary status rating that it seeks.”

Superintendent Monty Hysinger was elated with the report.

“We had such good cooperation from everyone involved in getting ready for the DEC visit,” he said. The peer review team was extremely impressed by the sincerity that really showed through during the discussions with parents, teachers, and committee members.

“We were really proud to have had the opportunity to show off our school and the many special programs we offer our students.”

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen declared a house to be a dangerous structure last Tuesday and gave the owners 30 days to fix it or tear it down.

The action came following a public hearing prior to the regular board meeting. City Fire Marshall Kelly Hill said he had inspected the house at 107 E. Front Street and found it and the brush surrounding it to be a fire hazard which could threaten surrounding property.

The owners of the house, Benny and Janet Harris, said they were trying clean up their lots but that they needed time and help to do so. Mr. Harris claimed he had tried to get people to help him in the past but claimed they had been run off.

In fact, according to comments in previous board meetings, the city has cleaned up the property twice, and a volunteer church group has cleaned it up once.

The couple also said other individuals were dumping limbs and trash on their property to avoid paying the fees at the city’s recycling center. Alderman Tommy Hill asked if the couple had given anyone permission to dump there. They replied they had not, and Hill said he knew of at least three people who had told him they had permission to dump on the Harris property.

The board unanimously approved a motion declaring the house to be a dangerous structure. The board also declared the weeds and debris on the property to be a public nuisance. The owners have 30 days to take care of both problems.

Alderman Hill passed out photos of several properties in town with junk vehicles and of lots grown up in weeds.

“People in the city have been complaining, and we need to do something,” he said.

Alderman Janice Knorpp agreed, saying the city is in “a mess” and citing the results of a citizens’ survey which showed “Owner maintenance of lots” and “Removal of junk vehicles” as the number two and three top concerns of local residents. (Street paving was number one.)

More strident enforcement of city ordinances and the possibility of holding twice-yearly city clean up days were discussed. The board plans to re-visit those topics in upcoming meetings.

In other city business, Engineer Gene Barber discussed a proposal to repair and seal coat 39 blocks of streets and to completely reconstruct eight blocks. The proposal would cost between $250,000 and $275,000, he said.

Loy Davis addressed the board and requested permission to place two trailer houses at Eighth and Leroy in addition to the one that is already there. The board denied the request saying that area of town is not zoned for trailer houses and that the existing trailer needs to be moved.

Alderman Bob Watson addressed the board concerning several projects the Economic Development Corporation would like to pursue.

The board approved an amendment to the city budget.

The office of city administrator was discussed. Board consultant Colby Waters will present examples of administrative packages at the next meeting.

By Carrie Helms, Clarendon Enterprise 

From Friday night to the wee small hours of Saturday morning, more than 200 walkers on 15 teams will be walking in Clarendon’s Relay for Life to raise $10,000 for cancer research.

The Relay for Life is an all-night event sponsored by the American Cancer Society to raise funds for cancer research, education, and treatment costs for underprivileged patients.

“Relay for Life is a nationwide project,” said Dawn Watson, Donley County Extension Agent and Chairperson of the ACS Committee, “But each community tailors it to fit their needs.”

Preparations have been going on for months, but the real fun begins Friday, August 2 at 7 p.m. at the Clarendon College track.

“The walk begins at 7:00 with a Survivor’s Lap for those who have survived cancer,” Watson said. “It will be a pretty emotional event.”

Beginning with the second lap, each team must have a walker on the track at all times and trade at 30-minute intervals for the entire 12 hours.

“Teams will be awarded for most laps walked and most money raised,” Watson said. “A lot of them will have fundraisers going on all night long until 6 a.m.”

Teams will be selling everything from drinks and snacks to glow -sticks for fun after dark.  Each team will also set up a campsite to be judged.

“It will be competitive right up until the last minute,” Watson said. “The campsite judges can be bribed, and all that bribe money will go to ACS.”

The committee has scheduled live entertainment with musical guests, cowboy poetry, a live broadcast from KEFH, and maybe even a bachelor/bachelorette auction.

“We’ve set up several tournaments like horseshoes, washers, volleyball, 42, and a dunking booth,” Watson said. “We want to have a real family atmosphere so even if people aren’t walking, we want them to come out and have a good time.”

At 10 p.m. there will be a Luminary Service where people can purchase a light in honor or in memory of a loved one who has died of cancer.

“There is no one whose life has not been touched in some way by cancer,” Watson said, “and the service is just another way to honor the ones we love.”

Breakfast, cooked by cancer survivor Alan Graham, will be served at 6:30 a.m. followed by awards.

“It will be a fun time, but also a very emotional night,” Watson said. “My eleven-year-old nephew just recently had his leg amputated because of a three-year battle with cancer.”

Watson’s team, Keaton’s Crusaders, will be walking in his honor.