|
Glasscock County News
USPS Delivery of GC News Ends
Due to the ever-increasing costs of postage and printing, plus new postal regulations which make us ineligible for bulk mailing rates, this is the last issue of the Glasscock County News which will be sent via the U.S. Postal Service. We will continue to publish the newsletter, and it will continue to be available free of charge online at http://www.glasscockcountynews.com. If you have given us your email address, we will send a notification each month when the newsletter has been posted online. Please send your email address to: gcnews201@aol.com. The newsletter’s web site includes a PRINTABLE FORMAT choice, which should be used to print entire pages. It also includes archived issues dating back to January 2000. Most of our readers are already getting the newsletter electronically, but we regret the inconvenience to those who do not have Internet access at home. However, we hope that you will be able to get the GC News at work, or from family or friends. If you are unable to receive the newsletter online, we encourage you to make plans with people you know who have Internet access to print a copy of the newsletter for you each month. Special Thanks Special thanks to Mary Jo Cope, who covers meetings each month, maintains the web site and posts the newsletter to it; Scott Cope, who furnishes the web site and assists as needed; Laura Huitt, who has kept our USPS mailing list and provided our mailing labels; Carmen Johnson, who performs many writing, editing and formatting tasks, plus maintaining the email list, and our Midland connections Marion Axe, Ethel Trotter and Kay Gilstrap, who have faithfully helped as needed with folding and labeling.
County Hires Road Engineer
At a special meeting May 21, the Glasscock County Commissioners’ Court voted to hire Don Bonifay as a road engineering consultant. According to the terms of his contract, his fee will not exceed $20,000 per year and will be in effect until either party chooses to terminate it. As part of his services, Bonifay will prepare plans and specifications for seal-coating/paving each year; prepare ads for bids and contact prospective bidders; review bids and recommend award of same; prepare contract between selected bidder and county and assist with its execution; inspect construction work on the projects and certify satisfactory completion of work and advise and consult on other road maintenance issues as necessary. He will begin work immediately with commissioners to determine what is to be included in this year’s seal-coating/paving project. He said if a choice must be made, seal-coating should almost always take precedent over new paving, in order to protect the investment of work already done. Previously, the county contracted with engineer Dan Glass to oversee its roadwork. In 2006, he was paid $11,000, five percent of the paving bid, according to Treasurer Alan Dierschke. The court also accepted the only bid for the county’s depository bank, from First National Bank of Sterling City, Glasscock County Branch. The bid was for the 90-day T-bill ask rate minus .50 points (one-half percentage point), which is less than the bank’s current rate of the 90-day T-bill minus .25 points. The bid requires a minimum monthly average of $50,000 for all accounts combined. Monies above that average may be kept at another bank or otherwise invested. Dierschke said most counties are getting a minimum of the 90-day T-bill plus .25 points, and that rate was what he had asked for in the bid specs. Representing the bank, Roger Williams said the lower rate was necessary due to three years of inverted interest rates, meaning that short-term rates are higher than long-term (2 – 5 years). Commissioners calculated that the lower rate would cost the county $1250 annually in lower interest on the minimum investment required. Williams said the county’s investment account for the past year averaged $1.6 million per month. Currently, Dierschke said there is $2.3 million in the account.
Problems with Extension Pickup County Judge Wilburn Bednar reported problems with County Extension Agent Rebel Royall’s 2004 pickup, which has more than 100,000 miles. Dierschke said the vehicle is in line for replacement in the county’s rotation system in the next budget. The pickup was later repaired for $2,500. The court briefly discussed a letter from Lynn Glass protesting an easement along Sherrod Road, which the county has given to a wind energy company. Glass maintains that the county has no deed for the road and any easement will have to come from the owners. The court decided it needed legal counsel in the matter. Bednar said he would do some investigating into the situation, which would include checking with the law firm of Allison-Bass, who did the work on the recently adopted County Road Maintenance Map. Bednar reported on June 11 that the company is allowed to use the road’s right of way like a public utility by virtue of the fact that it transmits electricity for public use. The court also discussed a request for a flagpole at the Little League park in Garden City. A commercial-grade pole would cost $500. Commissioner Marck Schafer asked whether the organization has a fund of its own, and said the county has already spent “quite a bit” on the ballpark. No action was taken. Commissioner Mark Halfmann commended the work done by jail inmates on the concession stand at the ballpark. Commissioner Michael Hoch said he would like to check with TXDOT to see whether the 55 mph speed sign just east of the post office in Garden City could be moved further east to the edge of Lacy Draw.
Briefly
• Glasscock Co. Senior Citizens will meet on June 19 at 6 p.m. Bring snacks or finger foods. Hamburgers will be furnished for the July 3 meeting that begins at 4 p.m.; just bring chips and dips or desserts. Anyone 50 and over is invited for good food and dominoes.
• Homecoming for GCHS exes will be Friday, Oct. 12 and Saturday, Oct. 13, with a catered lunch served on Saturday. More information will be sent at a later date.
• Chelsea Schwartz, Miss West Texas 2007, thanks all her friends and neighbors who have supported her and believed in her, helping to make her dreams realities. She will compete in the Miss Texas pageant in Ft. Worth June 29 – July 7. Four area Lone Star Princesses will be with her at many events during the competition: Sarah Hoelscher, Maddie Hoelscher, Daeley Havlak and Morgan Cox. The pageant will not be televised, but will be broadcast over the Internet. For more information, go to www.misstexas.org or email Martha Schwartz at madschwartz2003@yahoo.com.
County May Buy New Dump Trucks
Glasscock County’s Commissioners Court decided at their meeting June 11 to advertise for bids on dump trucks, with the possibility of replacing one or two old ones. The court also (Marck Schafer and Michael Hoch abstaining) voted 3-0 to allow Wind Plus to erect overhead electrical lines across Hamby Road, Drumright Road and Squires Road. The lines are to be a minimum of 25 feet high at the sag. Gregory Wortham, executive director of West Texas Wind Energy Consortium in Sweetwater, visited with the court, discussing the group’s purpose of providing a forum for everyone concerned with wind energy in West Texas. He said counties, towns, schools, colleges, businesses and individuals in the area should be interested in developing the industry to benefit themselves and their communities. He said some towns, such as McCamey and Sweetwater, are heavily into the wind business already. He said Texas State Technical College in Sweetwater is offering programs to train maintenance workers for the wind turbines. He said there is usually one maintenance person for every 10 turbines. Small Communities Benefit from Wind Projects Wortham said $100 million projects are the smallest now, and most will be $500 million to $1 billion in the future. He said the jobs created across the area will bring new people, and many of them will want to stay. He mentioned Trent, Blackwell, Highland and Roscoe as small communities that are benefiting from the wind industry. He said state officials need to be friendlier to the manufacturing end of the industry instead of letting other states get the plants to build the equipment that will be sent back to Texas for installation. The 3rd Annual West Texas Wind Energy Trade Fair will be at Trent ISD on July 10, 11 and 12. Wortham said the event will be of interest to everyone in the area. Day One will focus on small wind turbines for use at schools and for farm and ranch use. Day Two will relate to large-scale development, with tracks including wind operations, landowner considerations, county issues, school issues, industrial development, policy updates, and emergency response. Day Three will feature half-day tours of wind projects. Go to www.WestTexasWind.us (the consortiums’s web site) or call 325/236-9499 for information. The trade fair’s fee is $50 per person. Memberships in the wind consortium range from $25 per year for affiliate members, $50 for landowners, attorneys and local businesses, $250 for governmental entities and schools, up to $1,000 for utilities and wind energy developers. More information and membership forms are available at the consortium’s web site. County May Contribute to WTRC’S Reserves County Treasurer Alan Dierschke reported that West Texas Rural Counties insurance group, of which Glasscock County is a member, needs to raise more money for its reserves. Dierschke said the group feels if it can raise a total of $1 million from the group’s 14 members, it can reduce the amount it spends on reinsurance, and thereby save member counties money. He said some members would not be able to contribute. He said for contributions of $100,000 or more, there is to be a dividend paid of 10 percent per year and 7.5 percent for lesser amounts. If the group is unable to raise at least $1 million, Dierschke said it will go on with business as usual. After discussing whether Glasscock County should contribute, the court tabled the matter until its July meeting. There was discussion of the need for a ramp on the south side of the dumpster at the west dump ground, but no action was taken. The only drive-on ramp now is on the north side, and Commissioner Mark Halfmann said the usual south wind makes emptying trash burn-barrels pretty nasty.
Spotlight
• Taylor Niehues was named valedictorian and Colton Schwartz salutatorian of the 2007 graduating class at GCHS. Taylor, son of Rory and Tibby Niehues, has been accepted into the Honors College for mechanical engineering at Texas Tech University. Colton, son of James and Cecilia Schwartz, has also been accepted into the Honors College for mechanical engineering at Texas Tech.
• Erin Hirt has been selected to play in the Texas Girls Coaches Association (TGCA) All-star basketball game in Austin on July 12. In addition, she has been selected to play in the Texas Six Man Coaches Association (TSMCA) All-Star game in Lubbock on July 21. Earlier, she played in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) All-Star Game 1-3A. Her awards this year were: All Region and All State by the TABC, All State by the TGCA, and 1st Team All Region and 1st Team All State by the TSMCA. She was one of six high school athletes named as a NewsWest 9 Star Athlete of the Year and received a $1000 scholarship.
• The Glasscock County livestock judging team consisting of Cade Halfmann, Levi Schaefer, Cole Schwartz and Lane Halfmann finished third in state competition, qualifying for national competition in October. Only 9 points separated the top three teams. Individual awards in the top ten were: Cade Halfmann, 1st overall and 1st in oral reasons, 4th in sheep and 6th in cattle; Levi Schaefer, 7th in sheep; Lauren Schwartz, 8th in sheep.
• Cade Halfmann and Colton Schwartz were recently awarded the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Scholarship in the amount of $12,000 each. Marissa Schwartz received a technical scholarship for $1,500.
• Lauren Wheeler was awarded Second Division in state UIL Solo and Ensemble competition in piano, receiving a silver medal.
• Brandon Hoskins earned All-American honors in the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, California recently. He competed in the decathlon, which is 10 track and field events completed over two days. His score of 7561 points placed him seventh out of 26 competitors with the top eight finishers being named All-Americans. Hoskins is the son of Ken and Melanie Hoskins.
School Construction Project Continues
Burton Sandefur with DSA Construction reported to the GCISD school board (Diane Havlak absent) June 11 that the school’s construction project is progressing nicely. He said the slab is poured for the vocational building, high school restroom renovation is being completed, and both roofing and installation of new air conditioning is progressing. The board agreed to proceed as originally planned with air conditioning and roofing for the library, as well as roofing on the gym and matching exterior wall panels. The board hired two new teachers. Michelle Castleman, who will be teaching 7 – 12 science classes, is a 2001 graduate of Angelo State University, with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry. Castleman was employed at Reagan County ISD from 2005 to the present. J’Layne Kemp, who will teach K – 12 PE, is a 2003 graduate of Texas Tech University with a B.S. in multidisciplinary studies. Kemp was employed by Muleshoe ISD from 2004 to the present. She is certified to teach math in grades 4 – 8. Superintendent Steve Long reported that for the first time in seven years, he felt good after attending a state school finance meeting. He said state rules are looking better and more stable. The board approved a 2007-08 media services contract, accepted a Texas Association of School Board policy allowing the school to rehire retired teachers and a student insurance policy, which applies after personal insurance. Total enrollment at the end of the school year was 271, with 140 in Pre-K – 6, 38 in grades 7 and 8, and 93 in high school. Twenty-eight elementary school students are attending summer school, along with two secondary students.
Obituary
• Morris Leo Crittenden, 83, of Big spring, died May 13, 2007 at the Home Hospice House of Odessa and was buried at Trinity Memorial Park in Big Spring. He was born in 1923 in Clarksville. He was married to Johnnie Marie Howle for 35 years and she preceded him in death in 1983. He then married Martha Nixon in 1984. He served in the United States Army during World War II. He had farmed and ranched in Glasscock County for many years, retiring in 1995. He was a Baptist. Survivors include his wife Martha of Big Spring; one son, Eddie Bruce and wife Cherry Crittenden of Tulsa; one daughter, Lana and husband Rickey Smith of Athens, two step-daughters, three brothers, three sisters, 10 grandchildren and four great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers and two sisters.
Next Issue Date and Deadline
The next issue of the Glasscock County News will be Aug. 14. The deadline for that issue is Aug. 12, but earlier material is helpful. Send information to: P.O. Box 98, Garden City, TX 79739; phone or fax: 432/354-2221; 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: 432/354-2221; e-mail: gcnews201@aol.com; web site: glasscockcountynews.com
|
|
|
