Roger Estlack

Donley County Commissioners accepted a proposal for new information technology services during their regular meeting Monday.

Judge John Howard said the commissioners court approved the proposal presented by CTSI because of that firms extensive experience with sheriffs offices, police departments, and the Texas Secretary of State.

“The will be able to provide us with a robust approach to cyber security,” Howard said.

The initial cost of the service will be $19,612 followed by an annual cost of $15,412.

Commissioners also inked an agreement with Hutson Gallagher for architectural services to oversee repairs to the 1890 Courthouse. The Jewel of the Plains suffered severe damage in February when a winter storm resulted in frozen water lines in the HVAC system in the building’s attic.

Howard said expects repairs will move more quickly now and said Hutson Gallagher will lead the county in applying for additional courthouse preservation funds from the state to do more restoration work on exterior stone of the building.

In other county business, commissioners approved a new social media policy for county employees and renewed an interlocal agreement for a regional public defender for capital cases at a cost of $2,128.

The county approved an order of election for November 2, 2021, for a state constitutional amendment election.

The court discussed redistricting following the 2020 census and will use the firm of Allison Bass of Austin to perform that service. Howard said the county will be looking to have all four precincts intersect at the courthouse. That would, Howard said, allow the county to have one polling site for elections that tend to have low turnouts, such as constitutional amendment elections.

Commissioners selected Shattuck National Bank to provide financing for a motor grader for Precinct 2 due to that bank providing the lowest interest rate.

Commissioners also put the final touches on their proposed budget for 2022 and proposed a tax rate of $0.612776 per $100 valuation to support that budget.

The Clarendon Aquatic Center will alter its days of operation next week with the opening of the public schools.

City Administrator David Dockery said since most the city’s lifeguards are high school and college students, it is necessary to reduce the hours of the aquatic center for the remainder of the season.

The pool will continue regular operation through August 18 and then be closed on weekdays. The pool will be open Saturday and Sunday, August 21 and 22, open again Saturday and Sunday, August 28 and 29, and then be open for the Labor Day weekend, Saturday-Monday, September 4, 5, and 6.

The city is still accepting private parties after hours at the pool, but residents are encouraged to get those requests in to City Hall soon by calling 874-3438.

Following Labor Day, the aquatic center will be closed until next season, and within a week of that closure, the city will begin the demolition of Kearney Street from Fourth Street the bridge at Fifth Street in preparation of new paving.

COVID-19 is still present and circulating in Donley County with four active cases listed this week.

Clarendon Family Medical Clinic conducted 42 COVID tests during the month of July with nine of those coming back as positive. Two of those positives were residents of another county, Donley County Judge John Howard, MD, said.

Donley County went from April 23 through early June with no active cases of the virus before the disease emerged again.

“It seemed to have gone, but now it’s back,” Howard said. “It’s still out there, and people are reintroducing it.”

Howard said there will be no mandates this time if the virus continues to surge.

“The governor has issued some serious restrictions on local governments’ ability to issue limitations,” Howard said.

Executive Order GA-38 provides that no governmental entity can compel any individual to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or implement a policy to require documentation of a vaccine to receive any service or enter any place. The Order also prohibits any operating limits or mask requirements by local governmental entities and imposes a $1,000 fine on any local official who violates these provisions.

Howard urges everyone to protect themselves from the virus.

“My recommendation is that everyone get the vaccine,” Howard said. “It is readily available and free.”

The Moderna vaccine is available at no charge at the local clinic for everyone ages 18 and over. The Pfizer vaccine is available in Amarillo for children ages 12 and over.

Clinic spokesperson Marsha Bruce has reminded people that “exposure” is being within six feet of someone with the virus for longer than 15 minutes without a mask.

“If they have had confirmed COVID in the last three months or are fully vaccinated, they don’t have to quarantine if they are exposed,” Bruce said. “If they are high risk, It’s a good idea to continue wearing a mask because most of the positives we have seen this summer are the younger adults working in the public.”

The Texas Tribune reports overall only 28.1 percent of Donley County residents – a total of 938 people – are fully vaccinated as of August 3. That’s an increase of 45 people from June 15 when 26.7 percent local residents were vaccinated.

A single lightbulb on a pull-down string was the only lighting that illuminated the old yellowed-paged, musty library books in the city library in 1977. These books in the old City Hall basement stood ready on creaky shelves for the dedicated library patron who enjoyed reading.

That year, 1977, was also the year when a group of community members decided to address the needs of the library. Four years later in August 1981, their goal of improving the library became a reality when the books were finally moved into the current Burton Memorial Library on Kearney Street.

Now 40 years later, Friends of the Library will gather Wednesday, August 11, to celebrate this milestone in the Library’s history.

The group invites the community to stop in from noon to 2 p.m. to share refreshments and view a photo display of that four-year effort as well as the past 40 years.