|
Glasscock County News
Truck Speed Limit Lowered on CR 125
Responding to problems with truck traffic, the Glasscock County Commissioners’ Court voted June 10 (Hugh Schafer absent) to set the truck speed limit on County Road 125 at 60 mph. County Judge Wilburn Bednar said Deputy Sheriff Keith Barnett had asked that the limit be set at 50 or 55 mph, preferably 50 mph. The county will install 10 new speed limit signs along that road. Bednar said Jamie Alvarado, Curtis Palmer, Nancy Murphy, Rosa Roberts, Diane Havlak, and Charles Pechacek applied for the job as part-time county landfill operator, which is being changed from a for-bid contract job. After a closed session, the court took no action in the matter, but announced it would meet at 8 a.m. June 14 to discuss the job’s pay scale and to hire someone. At its May 13 meeting, the court had advertised the job for 28 hours weekly, at $10 per hour with no county benefits, to begin July 1 when the current contract agreement expires. Problems with Vehicles Inside Community Center The court discussed problems with motor vehicles being brought inside the community center. Bednar said floors have been dirtied as a result of private vehicles being brought inside to escape the threat of hail. The matter of whether to amend the facilities’ rules to prohibit or restrict such use was tabled. The court discussed continuing problems with West Texas Rural Counties, an insurance group. County Treasurer Alan Dierschke reported that Glasscock County owes WTRC’s risk management pool $31,000 for several large claims, such as legal fees, workman’s compensation, etc. Commissioner Jimmy Strube said the county should pay the money only if other counties pay their claims, which some have not done in the past. Glasscock County joined WTRC in 1995, trying to reduce insurance costs. But almost from its beginning, WTRC has been plagued by solvency problems caused by undercapitalization, unexpectedly large claims and some counties that haven’t paid their share of the group’s expenses. The county will soon decide whether to stay in or withdraw from WTRC. Both Dierschke and Bednar said the county, in spite of numerous problems, has saved big money in premiums since 1995 by participating in WTRC. However, Strube said it might be time to withdraw from WTRC and get into a larger, more secure insurance group. Dierschke said the county finally recouped $26,000 from the WTRC’s other arm, the employee health insurance pool, when it was dissolved after months of haggling and lawsuits.
County Retirement Benefit May Rise The court briefly discussed whether to change the amount the county contributes to employee retirement for 2003. Currently, the county matches each dollar of employee contribution with $1.25. The choices would be to increase the matching to $1.50 for every dollar of employee contribution, or decrease it to a dollar-for–dollar figure. The employee contribution would stay at the present seven percent in each plan. Strube said some counties increase their retirement contribution rather than giving employees a direct pay raise. Dierschke said any change will need to be budgeted for next year. There was no discussion of how much a change would cost the county, and no action was taken.
Locals Earn Master Gardener Status
Mary Barfield, Claudia Brown, Deanie Craft and Wanda Moore graduated from the Howard County Master Gardener Program May 20 in Big Spring. The program is sponsored by the Texas Cooperative Extension Service and requires 50 hours of instruction, plus another 50 hours of volunteer work in horticulture-related community service. Glasscock County 4-H has a junior master gardener program with more than 30 participants, headed by Master Gardener Andrea Hillger. Master Gardener volunteers assist county extension agents by helping citizens with agriculture and horticulture. They answer phone questions, conduct plant clinics, work with Junior Master Gardener programs, give talks to groups, judge flower shows, conduct demonstrations, plan, organize and implement community beautification projects and teach and promote environmentally sound programs such as waste reduction and water conservation which deal with water usage in the landscape. As part of their community service, Glasscock County master gardener trainees have planted a flower bed at the First Baptist Church in Garden City and have worked with the junior group on several occasions. In Howard County, master gardeners have done work at the Heart of the City Park, the Howard County Library, Howard County Courthouse, and projects at various elementary schools.
In The Spotlight
• Allison Jansa, a GCHS sophomore, was recently named to the Class 1A Texas Girls Coaches Association All-State Track and Field Team. She earned a regional title in the 3200, placed second at regionals in the 1600, and finished sixth in both events at the state meet. Last fall, she also qualified for the state cross-country meet. Allison is the daughter of Allen and Lisa Jansa.
• Roberto Guerrero, Jr. received a Certificate of Proficiency in Computer-Aided Drafting and Design from South Plains College May 10, will receive his associate’s degree in the fall. Guerrero is employed by Zane’s Specialty Building PDTS in Levelland as a blueprint reader. He is a 1999 graduate of Garden City High School and the son of Roberto and Blanca Guerrero.
• Brandon Charles Dieringer graduated magna cum laude from Texas Tech University in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Agriculture, He was a member of the Honor Society of Agriculture, Gamma Sigma Delta and the Golden Key Honor Society. He is the son of Wilbert and Linda Dieringer.
• Jason Fine, a 1999 graduate of GCHS and the son of Jimmy and Joyce Fine, was named to the President’s Honor Roll for the spring semester at Texas Tech University with a 4.0 GPA.
• Kamie Brooke Schwartz, a 1998 graduate of GCHS, has received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management from West Texas A & M University and will be employed by Enterprise in Dallas.
• Nicole Schwartz is a senior accounts manager and broker at Summit Global in Houston. She is a 1995 graduate of GCHS and a 2000 graduate of West Texas A & M University.
• Chelsea Schwartz, a senior at GCHS, recently competed at the Starbound regional dance competition in San Antonio, performing eight dances and winning eight gold medals, two overall awards and placing first overall in Photogenic.
Tennis Camp Scheduled in Garden City
Lance Armstrong of the Midland College Tennis Center will conduct a tennis camp in Garden City July 1 – 5 for kids ages four and older. Costs ($50 for ages four through eight and $85 for ages nine and older) include a program, t-shirt and group photo. Times are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. for ages under nine and 9 a.m. – noon for ages nine and older. Each participant will need a tennis racquet, tennis shoes, towel, water jug and sun screen. Application forms are available at Halfmann’s General Store in Garden City and Armstrong Racquet Shop at Midland College. For more information, call Armstrong at 687-4046. Armstrong Racquet Shop, Carter’s Furniture, Halfmann’s General Store and Southwest Oilman’s Tennis Tournament sponsor the clinic.
Briefly
• The Garden City High School Class of 1992 is seeking addresses of classmates. Please send to Caryl Wilde Beimer, 207 River Rd., Miles, TX, 76861 or to cmwilde2@yahoo.com. Look for further information on a 10-year reunion soon.
• Homecoming 2002 is Sept. 27, and Bonnie Bednar reports that GCHS Exes will meet Sept. 28. More details will come later.
• Senior Citizens will meet at 6 p.m. July 9. Bring sandwiches and chips or ice cream. This will be the only meeting in July.
State Relaxes Cloud Seeding Rules
Glasscock Underground Water District Manager Rick Harston reported May 21 that the state has recently approved a hail suppression permit that will allow cloud seeding in a given cloud when a severe thunderstorm warning has been issued in another cloud elsewhere in the county. Harston said the permit should help the county’s weather modification effort. No seeding is allowed if a flash
flood warning has been issued. The cloud-seeding plane based in Ozona, which recently had a nose-gear-up landing, sustained $33,000 in damages, but the deductible for West Texas Weather Modification Association, of which Glasscock County is a member, is $5,000. GUWD’s auditor recently reported that the district was $8,000 under budget for fiscal year 2001. Harston said the overage was mostly due to the district collecting about $7,000 more tax revenues than anticipated.
School Board Discusses Handbooks
The GCISD board (Mike Hillger absent) approved minor changes to the elementary school student handbook at its June 10 meeting. And although a considerable amount of time was spent discussing the high school handbook, few, if any, changes were made. Topics of discussion ranged from the dress code to elections for student council officers and cheerleaders, to how letter jackets are given. In general, board members, who seemed to have given the matters considerable thought, favored enforcing existing rules rather than putting new ones in place. School Superintendent Steve Long said he is working on a new athletics policy which is above and beyond the Student Code of Conduct. Any changes to the high school handbook will be made and the book approved at the board’s July 8 meeting. Brad Jones reported that 24 elementary students, plus two from the high school, are attending summer school, which will end June 28. Teachers recommend students for the summer session, but parents make the choice. Cory Richardson was hired last month as boys’ basketball coach and business/computer teacher, replacing Johnny Willis, who resigned. Richardson comes to GCHS from Rankin High School, where he compiled a record of 80—34 in four years as varsity boys’ basketball coach. In addition to coaching basketball and varsity tennis and golf for both boys and girls, he taught computer and business courses as well as physical education on both the elementary and secondary levels. Richardson has a degree in kinesiology and sports science with a minor in computer science from Sul Ross State University and will complete a degree in business administration this summer. He and his wife Betty have an 18-month-old son, Kobe. In other business, the board accepted the resignation of Sherri Barton, family and consumer science teacher, and approved a number of budget amendments.
From the Schoolhouse
University Interscholastic League Banquet Awards, 2002
Many GCHS students received awards at the annual UIL banquet, held in the Glasscock County Community Center May 14. In football, the outstanding players were Curtis Eggemeyer (offense), Drew Plagens (defense) and T.J. Pelzel (lineman). Outstanding players for girls’ basketball were Jessica Hoch (offense) and Megan Niehues (defense). Kendall Goodwin won the boys’ basketball award for offensive player and Boyd Batla took the defensive award. Collene Cox was named the outstanding girls tennis singles player, while Jessica Hoch and Megan Niehues won the girls’ doubles award. Brandon Bednar took the award for boys’ singles, and the boys’ doubles award went to Curtis Eggemeyer and Tyler Coats. The outstanding power lifter was Josh Schmitz. Allison Jansa was named the outstanding athlete in girls’ cross-country, girls’ track and also girls’ field. Logan Willis was the outstanding boys’ cross-country runner. Brian Hillger took the award for boys’ track, T.J. Pelzel and Kendall Goodwin shared the award for boys’ field. The award for boys’ golf went to Matthew Cmerek and Lindsey Chudej won for girls’ golf. The Kat’s Paw Award for girls went to Lindsey Chudej, and for boys to Boyd Batla. Jessica Hoch was named the Outstanding UIL Student for girls, and Daniel Martinez for boys. The Fighting Heart Award for girls was won by Lori Hoelscher and Anthony Hoelscher took that award for boys. The outstanding students in academics were: Adnaloy Gamboa (math), Collene Cox (English), Noemi Guerrero (Spanish), Matthew Frysak (shop) Boyd Batla (science and computers), Keith Batla (history), Becky Chavira (band) and Jessica Hoch (accounting).
A Letter from Faith Scott
To the Glasscock County Community:
I have been trying to write this letter for some time. It seemed that every time I would start the letter, something else would happen. So, I just now am feeling well enough to gather my thoughts and know what I want to say to the people of this county.
Being such an independent, proud and stubborn person, it is so hard for me to take help from people and especially to ask someone to do something for me. God has taught me that as I progress through this disease, I have to accept help from people. I cannot tell you how the people of this county and our church in Big Spring have reached out to help my family in this time of trial. People have donated to our family the following items: first and foremost, prayers, of which I need a lot, support from my school family, a benefit dinner, food, car rides, money, cards, support, chores, snack baskets, flowers and even a car for one of my children to go to college. I want to thank all of you who participated in the benefit dinner put on by the Lion’s Club. The men in this organization are owed a debt of gratitude that I will never be able to repay. They will have jewels in their crowns one day. I cannot tell you how loved I feel when all of this occurs. It eases my stress and worries. God certainly has provided for our family during this illness.
I know this has been a long, drawn-out battle since October and may continue on for a long fight. However, I know that with help, God will give my family and me the strength that is needed to finish this race. I want to thank my Student Council for the lovely flowers they sent, and for the blood drive, which they planned. In this drive, students, teachers and community members donated 32 units to be designated in my name. The kids told me they never wanted me to be without blood when I needed it. A special thanks goes to Dendra Maxie who busted her nose to give me blood. As many of you know, I am a fighter and I will never give in to defeat. With all of your love, support, help and God’s blessing, I know I can win this battle.
The family has tried to take care of thank-you cards. With everyone working on them, I know someone who sent one of these items or gifts was not acknowledged and I apologize for this error. This was not intentional and I want to recognize everyone who has helped us. If I have inadvertently missed sending you a card, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has given anything to my family in this time of need. This is certainly a group of people who pull together when the chips are down. From the depths of my heart and soul I applaud this community and thank God every day that I live in Glasscock County where people care about those in need. There are no words eloquent enough to relay the gratitude of my family and me to those who have been so helpful. Thank you all for being such wonderful people.
Sincerely and with love, Faith Scott and family.
Obituaries
• Thomas Edgar Asbill died March 20 in Mason and was buried in Grape Creek. He was born in 1905 in Sulphur Springs to Joseph Washington and Louisa Elizabeth Wilburn Asbill. In Grape Creek in 1937, he married Olivia See Scarborough, who preceded him in death Feb. 5, 2002. Two of their five children, James Aubrey and Baby Ray, also preceded him in death. He was an active member of the Methodist Church and served in many civic capacities including Justice of the Peace in Sterling City, where his various awards included Citizen of the Year in 1983. He is survived by three sons, Sandy Asbill and Shirley of Tiger, GA, Jack Asbill and Dorothy of Mason and Vernon Asbill and Kate of Carlsbad, N.M.; one daughter, Mary Ruth Roger and Tommy of Kremlin, OK, and two sisters, Mary Rose Baker of Grape Creek and Martha Robinson of San Saba, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
• Glenyce C. Riley died June 5 at Trinity Haven Rest Home in Midland and was buried at Resthaven Memorial Park in Midland. She was born in 1912 in Cisco to George and Bertha Cunningham. She graduated from Cisco High School and attended Hardin Simmons University. She moved to Midland in 1942 and retired from Atlantic Richfield in 1973. She was preceded in death by her parents; granddaughter Nancy Conine Hester and sisters Louise Black and Ruth Richardson. She is survived by her husband of 29 years, Glen Riley of Midland; son Jim Conine of Midland; granddaughters Jordyn and Jody Hester of Boulder, CO and niece Carla Propes of Austin.
• Harold Max Fitzhugh, 86, a retired manager of the Federal Landbank Assoc., died June 7 in Fort Worth and was buried at Trinity Memorial Park in Big Spring. He was born in 1915 in Tolar, Texas. He was a graduate of Tolar High School and Texas A & M with a degree in agriculture. He taught agriculture and was a county agent in Garden City and Eldorado. He was an active member of the University Methodist Church and a lifelong Rotarian. Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Myrl Bryans Fitzhugh; children, Bryans Fitzhugh and Brenda of Fort Worth, Annelle Gault and Jimmy of Sterling City; grandchildren, and a brother, Henry Fitzhugh and Della of San Antonio.
Next Issue Date and Deadline The next issue of the Glasscock County News will be July 10. The deadline for that issue is July 8, but earlier material is helpful. Send information to: P.O. Box 98, Garden City, TX 79739; phone or fax: 915/354-2221; e-mail: gcnews201@aol.com. The Glasscock County News is published by Joe Melanie Calverley, P. O. Box 98, Garden City, TX, 79739. Phone or fax: 915/354-2221; e-mail: gcnews201@aol.com; web site: http://wscope.com/glasscock/
|
|
|
