This Week

The Women’s Center of the Don and Sybil Harrington Cancer Center will conduct a Breast Cancer Screening Clinic at the Medical Center Nursing Home, located on Hwy. 70 North, in Clarendon on August 20, 2001.

Breast cancer affects one in eight women. The key to winning the battle against cancer is early detection by having an annual breast exam, mammogram, and performing a breast self-exam each month.

Participants will receive a low-cost screening mammogram.

Each woman screened will receive a breast health risk appraisal and individual instruction by a registered nurse in breast self-examination. 

Funding is available through the Texas Department of Health for Texas residents who qualify for assistance. All exams are by appointment only.

To schedule an appointment or for more information, call 356-1905 or 1-800-377-4673.

Water from Greenbelt Lake will taste different in the coming years, but no one can say exactly what it will taste like.

The change will come when Greenbelt Municipal & Industrial Water Authority finishes a $2.5 million project to improve its filter plant north of Clarendon in order to come into compliance with more stringent standards.

“Right now we’re in compliance,” said general manager Bobbie Kidd, “but come January 1, we won’t be.”

The new standards are a product of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, which Kidd says first applied to large urban areas and over time has been expanded to include smaller and smaller areas.

As part of the planned improvements, Greenbelt will stop using dry bulk chemicals, which must be handled manually, and go to a new liquid chemical treatment system. The changes should reduce the burden on workers at the plant.

“We just had a semi-truck of chemical that we had to unload, and it took all of us five hours,” Kidd said. With the new system, a truck could pump the liquid chemical directly into holding facilities at the plant.

The new system will also change the treatment of the water itself as Greenbelt moves from a chlorine treatment to a new method using chloramines (chlorine and ammonia).

“The flavor and characteristics of the water will change,” Kidd said. “We don’t know what that change will be exactly, but I think it will be for the better.”

The plant’s 34-year-old filters will be replaced during the project as well.

Some alterations were made to the filters in the 1970s, but they remain essentially unchanged. Kidd said that no one originally knew how long the filters would last but that time and experience has shown they have reached the end of their useful lifespan.

Computer systems in the plant will also be updated, which will allow Greenbelt to stop sending handwritten reports to the state.

Financing for the project has been secured, and Freese and Nichols, Inc. – the same engineering firm which designed the Greenbelt Reservoir and the filter plant – is proceeding with plan details. Kidd said the project should go to bids by December with construction starting next spring. Estimated time for completing the project is two years.

The changes have nothing to do with the slight yellowish-brown tint the water has taken on in Clarendon recently. That is a result of algae in the lake, Kidd said.

“It’s caused by manganese from algae blooms in the lake,” he said. “People who have lived here a long time know it gets that way every few years.”

High temperatures – with lake temperatures in the 80s – has spurred the growth of the algae in the lake. The manganese from the algae reacts with the residual chemicals used to treat the water, which results in the coloration once the water reaches the city. The water is actually clear coming out of the treatment plant.

“It’s not harmful. It just looks bad and smells bad.”

The water is clearing up, though, and should be back to normal soon.

Clarendon and Hedley residents will see an increase in their monthly water bills as Greenbelt Municipal & Industrial Water Authority begins making capital improvements.

Greenbelt General Manager Bobbie Kidd says bonds have been secured for a $5.3 million project which will add a new storage facility at Childress and install new filters and a new chemical treatment process at the plant north of Clarendon.

The Childress project, which will increase the authority’s holding capacity there by at least 50 percent, will cost about $2.6 million. Work at the filter plant will cost $2.5 million.

Member cities in the Greenbelt system have signed supplemental contracts with the authority and have raised their rates to meet Greenbelt’s new demand charges, which will increase by 23.32 percent, Kidd said.

Clarendon Aldermen last week raised the minimum charge for water from $15 for 5,000 gallons to $18.90. The price for the second 5,000 gallons used is unchanged at $1.40 per thousand, but after that the cost increases from $1.50 per thousand to $1.60 per thousand.

In Hedley, city aldermen raised rates minimum rates by $4 with rates for each additional 1,000 gallons going up by 25¢ per thousand.

Hedley’s new rates became effective this month, and Clarendon’s will begin September 1, 2001.

While most of the 23 percent increase is related to upcoming construction costs, Kidd said eight percent reflects an increase in utility costs – namely electricity.

Greenbelt Water Authority is made up of Clarendon, Hedley, Childress, Crowell, Quanah, and the Red River Water Authority. Each of the five cities has one representative on the Greenbelt Board, and Red River has none.

Each member pays a percentage of Greenbelt’s budget based on its water usage for the previous year, Kidd said. Hedley pays 2.17 percent, Clarendon pays 9.00 percent, and Childress pays 51.04 percent. Crowell and Quanah pay 6.96 percent and 14.12 percent respectively. Red River covers 16.71 percent.

The authority also sells water to a few area cities as well as for some industrial uses.

The Donley County Commissioners’ Court enacted a burn ban during a called meeting Monday morning.

The ban prohibits the burning of trash, controlled burns, and open pit fires. It does not include barbecue grills.

The county says the ban will be in effect until the next session of the commissioners’ court and may be extended if necessary.

PRAIRIE VIEW – The Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System on Friday approved changing the name of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service to Texas Cooperative Extension.

“The new name ties the agency’s roots to the broader services it currently offers and will offer in the future,” said Chancellor Howard Graves. “Our hope is that more Texans will take advantage of the variety of programs and services available through Extension.”

Citing the state’s tremendous urban growth, among other changing demographics, Dr. Ed Hiler, vice chancellor and director of Texas Cooperative Extension, explained that the change was necessary to maintain and improve service to all Texans.

“Our mission always has been to provide education to help farmers and ranchers increase their productivity, to help families succeed, to empower young people to grow into productive citizens, and to help communities develop economically,” Hiler said. “But some people, especially in our urban centers, never realized we offered all those opportunities because our name seemed to emphasize only one area.

“We are very pleased to make this change and to renew our commitment to serving all Texans.”

Despite the change in the name, Extension leaders affirmed that the agency’s commitment to Texas’ $15 billion agriculture industry will remain as strong as ever.

“Throughout our history, agriculture has been an integral part of what we do, one of the primary reasons for our work – and that won’t change,” Deputy Director Chester Fehlis said. “However, our mission has always been broader than just agriculture, and we want all Texans to feel comfortable requesting assistance for the wide array of Extension educational programs designed to serve their needs.”

Why the word “cooperative”? Texas Cooperative Extension is an agency founded on the cooperation of federal, state, and county governments, Fehlis said.

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture, The Texas A&M University System, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas are the funding partners that make Extension possible. We are also part of the national Cooperative Extension System found in every state and U.S. territory.”

With more than 1,500 employees statewide and 250 offices serving Texas’ 254 counties, Texas Cooperative Extension has provided informal education to Texans for 86 years. Established by federal legislation in 1914, the national Cooperative Extension program was designed to extend the educational opportunities and the scientific research of the nation’s land-grant universities to the people. Texas Cooperative Extension is a member of The Texas A&M University System.

To find out about Extension education opportunities locally, contact the local Extension office.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) expressed concern Tuesday about misleading and inaccurate fliers being targeted toward seniors.

One of the fliers falsely informs recipients that they are entitled to $5,000 under the Slave Reparations Act and asks for personal information to place the recipient on a “National Victim’s Registrar.”

The second flier targets “notch babies”, those born between 1917 and 1921. It promises recipients a $5,000 lump sum settlement or higher Social Security benefits.

The fliers request a donation payable to the Senior Citizens League, an independent affiliate of The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA) and have been distributed in various forms in churches, senior centers, nursing homes, magazines, newspapers, local government offices. They also have been mailed directly to seniors.

“We all receive mail from time to time that is questionable in nature,” Thornberry stated. “What sets these mailings apart from some others is that they’re hitting people up for money based on claims that are factually untrue.

“The Inspector General of the Social Security Administration recently completed an investigation into these mailings. A congressional hearing on the issue was held last week as well.

“The consensus was that these mailings were a hoax and that a lot of people – mainly seniors – could be fooled if they didn’t know the facts. I think it’s important that people know the facts.”

The SSA investigation was completed last month by SSA Inspector General James G. Huse. Huse found that the mailings were misleading, and he in turn issued a nationwide alert to senior citizens urging them to use great caution when responding to solicitations promising additional Social Security payments.

Last week, during a hearing of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, Huse stated, “This alert followed a lengthy investigation which confirmed that more than 29,000 elderly persons had been duped by hoax fliers promising $5,000 in additional Social Security benefit payments, an increase in monthly benefit amounts, and/or slave reparations from the government.”

Thornberry noted that he received a letter just this past week from a woman who received a mailing about the notch issue from TREA Senior Citizens League and wondered if the claims being made were true.

“It’s a shame that seniors are being exploited in this manner,” Thornberry said.

“The bottom line is that seniors need to use extreme caution when responding to letters concerning their Social Security benefits. If anyone has a question about a letter or flier they have received, they should contact me at once. Those with questions about the notch issue also may contact the AARP for additional information.”

Donley County’s architect is negotiating with a Dallas company to find cost alternatives after the only bid to renovate the 1890 courthouse came in more than $1 million over the project budget.

Phoenix 1 Restoration and Construction Ltd. of Dallas was the only firm to submit a bid when the commissioners’ court met last Thursday. The bid was $3.998 million.

Project architect Chris Hutson with the Austin-based firm Volz & Associates said Monday that Phoenix 1 was preparing a list of alternatives to bring the project down to the $2.838 million budget. A meeting between the architects, County Judge Jack Hall, and the Texas Historical Commission (THC) is anticipated for next week.

The contractor will review every aspect of the project to look for ways to cut costs using different materials or different product vendors, Hutson said.

The THC will have to approve any alternatives proposed by the contractor. Hutson said the state historical commission’s goal is to make sure THC money is well spent and that the concerns identified in the Master Plan are being addressed.

Previously, Hutson and county officials had identified several deductive alternates, but even using those, the bid would still be about half a million dollars over the budget.

Hutson said he thought the Phoenix 1 bid was too high, but he said the company does have a good reputation and has experience with historic renovations. He said Phoenix is the contractor for the Llano County project and has been involved with the projects in Gray and Shackelford counties.

Bids for several other courthouse projects are also coming in high. Hutson said he doesn’t know if that is a factor of current market conditions, a shortage of qualified workers, or a combination of the two.

 “We had hoped to get several bids – maybe three from Amarillo and one from Abilene,” said Judge Hall.

One Amarillo company did not attend the mandatory pre-bid conference because they were too busy, another pulled out shortly after the pre-bid conference, and a third worked late into the night last Wednesday but finally said they couldn’t make the Thursday deadline.

If negotiations with Phoenix 1 fail, Hall said the county could re-bid the entire project.

“We’re going to work on it until we get it where it needs to be,” Hall said.

Commissioners took no action Thursday, which Hall said left all their options open. The county has the right to reject the bid.