The Clarendon Enterprsie is preparing questionnaires for our local city, college, and school board candidates and will print the results in the April 29 edition. If you have suggested questions for the candidates, let us know by e-mailing us or by posting a comment on this article. This is your chance to get involved.
Over the rainbow
Solar Car
Striking a pose
CC Wind Energy Program
Climbing 262 feet into the air isn’t something many people want to do, but some Clarendon College students have tried it and hope to make a career of it.
Now in its second year, Wind Energy is becoming a popular vocational program at CC, and it would be hard to find students more enthusiastic about their course of study than those who recently climbed a wind turbine in Sweetwater.
“You’ll know when you go up there if that’s what you want to do,” said student Larry Lawley of Pampa. “I’ll do it for 40 or 50 years, and they will have to force me to retire.”
Noberto Alonzo, also of Pampa, had never been on to a wind farm before traveling to Sweetwater as part of the Special Topics in Wind class.
“It was amazing,” Alonzo said. “It makes you feel good about what you’re doing.”
The students first attended a job hazard assessment meeting and went through all the safety precautions before getting inside the tower and climbing 30 feet to a hatch that allows access further up. From there they climbed two sets of 70-foot ladders straight up to reach the “saddle room” which leads to the nacelle on top of the tower.
“I wasn’t prepared for how big that area was,” said Dan Fish of Alanreed. “You can have six or seven people in there plus all the gears, the brakes, the turbine, and more.”
At that point technicians check the wind speed outside. A consistent speed of 12 meters per second prohibits a man from getting outside. On that day, the speed was close but acceptable, so out they climbed on to the top of a giant wind turbine.
“It was breathtaking,” Fish said. “You feel like you’re on top of the world.”
Gary Kuhl, who teaches AC/DC circuitry for the wind energy program, said about half the potential students at Sweetwater’s Texas State Technical College get eliminated because they can’t make the climb, which is a requirement for admission there. At Clarendon, climbing is a voluntary class since CC doesn’t own a tower.
The students’ climb took between an hour and an hour and a half because of the size of the group. But they say in a real world setting, the climb would only take about 20 minutes.
Workers are harnessed during the duration of the climb, and there must be a minimum of two people to make a climb and an additional person must be on the ground.
Once on top of the tower, an instructor showed the students how they could work on the equipment and even how to communicate with the manufacturers of the equipment in Germany.
“One of the things they emphasized was: “Downtime is money,” said student Terrance Fike of McLean. “That turbine was generating two megawatts of power, and they had to shut it down so we could climb.”
All the students agreed that they are looking forward to the next time they get to climb and are excited about the prospects of working on wind towers for a living.
CC now has 96 wind energy majors, according to Dean of Instruction, Dr. Debra Kuhl. The college offers a one-year certificate program and a two-year degree program with classes being held in Clarendon, Pampa, and Childress. Six students are expected to be the first to graduate from the program this year with associate’s degrees.
Donny Cagle, who holds a master’s degree from West Texas A&M University, is an instructor and the program coordinator. The college is currently seeking two additional wind instructors and is looking for grants and donations to help purchase equipment for the program.
For more information about the Wind Energy Program, contact Clarendon College at 874-3571 or visit the college website at www.clarendoncollege.edu.
Court hears hands down sentences
The district court received two plea agreements Monday, April 12, in Clarendon, resulting in one conviction and one deferred adjudication.
Luke Inman, the 100th Judicial District Attorney, assisted by Greg Buckley, prosecuted the cases for the State of Texas, with the Honorable Judge Stuart Messer presiding.
A total of $1,500 in fines were assessed as a result of the pleas that took place on April 12, 2010. In addition to the fines, the defendants were required to pay a total of $868 in court costs and $2,015 in restitution.
Gilbert Fernandez was convicted and sentenced to 14 months in the State Jail Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Fernandez originally pleaded guilty to the state jail felony offense of theft by check on January 20, 2009. The theft by check occurred on September 18, 2008.
On November 12, 2009, the State filed a motion to adjudicate alleging nine probation violations. Fernandez pleaded true to all of the State’s allegations. Fernandez is also required to pay a $500 fine to Donley County, $2,015.00 restitution, and $390 in court costs.
Derek Lee Thomas pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication for a period of three years for the state jail felony offense of tampering with a witness.
Thomas pleaded guilty to a complaint and information filed by the State on April 12, 2010.
Pursuant to the plea agreement, Thomas is required to pay a $1,000 fine to Donley County, $478 in court costs, and successfully complete 100 hours of community service.
If Thomas violates his probation, he could be sentenced up to two years in the State Jail Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Post Office offers special cancellation
During 2010, the U.S. Postal Service will recognize all 52 counties in the Texas Plains Trail Region (TPTR) with a special pictorial cancellation.
The sixteenth Special Cancellation activity will take place the Clarendon Post Office on April 21, 2010. For the rest of the year, a Post Office in every TPTR county seat will be offering their
respective version of the design. The city, date and county will change each week.
The Texas Plains Trail is one of 10 such trails in the state, part of the Texas Heritage Trails Program, implemented by the Texas Historical Commission.
The following web site provides additional information on the Texas Plains Heritage Trails program – www.thc.state.tx.us & www.texasplainstrail.com.
People visiting the Clarendon, Post Office on Wednesday, April 21 may obtain the Clarendon, Donley, Texas Plains Trail Regional pictorial postmark in person at the temporary Post Office station established there.
Those who cannot be there that day but who wish to obtain the special pictorial postmark may submit a mail order request to: Clarendon, Texas Plains Trail Regional Pictorial Postmark, ATTN: Postmaster, PO Box 9998, Clarendon, TX 79226-9998.
Pictorial postmarks are available only for the date indicated, and requests must be postmarked no later than 30 days following the requested pictorial postmark date.
All requests must include a stamped envelope or postcard bearing at least the minimum First-Class Mail postage.
Items submitted for postmark may not include postage issued after the date of the requested postmark. Such items will be returned unserviced.
Customers wishing to obtain a postmark should affix stamps to any envelope or postcard of their choice, address the envelope or postcard to themselves or others, insert a card or postcard thickness in envelopes for sturdiness, and tuck in the flap. Place the envelope or postcard in a larger envelope and address listed above.
Customers can also send stamped envelopes and postcards without addresses for postmark, as long as they supply a larger envelope with adequate postage and their return address. After applying the pictorial postmark, the Postal Service will return the items, with or without address, under addressed protective cover.
Webb’s gone; time for city to look ahead
The forced departure of City Administrator John Webb provides Clarendon with a chance to chart a new course and make plans for the future… as soon as it gets over the past.
The Board of Aldermen fired Webb on March 23 with a 3-2 vote at a called meeting, and those in favor of giving him the ax have been tight-lipped on their reasons. Mayor Chris Ford has consistently cited “a lack of confidence” as leading to the termination. It’s a phrase that says a lot even though it says nothing specifically.
It wasn’t too much earlier in the year when the mayor and Alderman Larry Hicks both expressed their satisfaction with Webb’s performance. Something must have happened that made Ford lose confidence and led Hicks to actually make the motion to dump Webb. With all the deliberations happening in executive session, we’ll probably never know for sure.
What’s done is done, and it’s time to move on. The board needs to get back to the business of governing the city, and that means putting their differences on the Webb issue to the side for the good of Clarendon.
There is a lot going on right now. The interim administrator, Phyllis Jeffers, is taking the helm and making preparations for upcoming budget decisions, and two ladies are learning the ropes of the city secretary’s job. With an election coming up and at least one new face definitely coming on the board, it will be a while before we have anything resembling normalcy at City Hall.
Once things settle down, it will be time to look at finding a permanent replacement for Webb.
Yes, we do need a city administrator – someone whose job it is to oversee the $1.7 million annual operation of the City of Clarendon; someone who is knowledgeable about codes, municipal law, public works, and a host of other issues; and someone who can provide leadership on a daily basis.
Whoever that person is needs to also understand a few basic facts. Number one, Clarendon cannot possibly afford a police department so don’t even bring it up – just work with the sheriff as best you can. Number two, don’t intentionally and willfully antagonize city volunteers.
Number three, know how to fix a pothole but don’t think it’s your job to do it – just make sure it gets done. And number four, listen – to the board, to your staff, and to your citizens.
Clarendon is a city with great potential. We have a great town, but it could be so much more than it is. We need to realize that ourselves, and we need someone to lead City Hall who believes the same thing. Then we all need to work together to make some things happen around here.
It is time to move forward.
Meanwhile…
If any third-rate, backwater nation ever wanted to attack the United States of America, now would be the time to do it after President Barack Obama showed his foreign policy naiveté last week and publicly and proudly limited the circumstances in which America would launch a nuclear strike.
This is administration has seems to have an interesting philosophy – a strong oppressive government at home and a weak, sissified posture abroad. The president hugs on dictators, bows before foreign monarchs, and then publicly snubs America’s greatest allies.
Last week he took the nuclear option off the table for almost every non-nuclear nation for anything they might do to us, including terrorist, biological, chemical, and cybernetic attacks. Put poison gas in the New York subway, and Uncle Sam promises to respond with spit wads, slingshots, and economic sanctions.
It’s very idealistic to think that we can all live together in peace and harmony and that if we will just be nice, no one will ever hurt us. Unfortunately, history and human nature proves otherwise. Strength is the only sure protector of peace, and a willingness to use overwhelming power is a powerful deterrent to those who might try to hurt us.
The fact of the matter is that we are not likely to be attacked by a nuclear power because Russia and China have the sense enough to know that we will turn their countries into glow-in-the-dark parking lots. But there are fringe countries out there that despise the United States and would love to kill a few thousand people here except for the fact that we might push the button on them.
Heck, the only country we have ever nuked was a country that didn’t have nuclear weapons of its own. It worked out pretty good, too. Japan surrendered right away.
I have always believed that, for security’s sake, America must have the standing policy that we will simply and totally destroy anyone who tries to attack our sovereign soil. We shouldn’t fight endless wars; we should end them as quickly as possible. If we had dropped a nuclear bomb on the Taliban in 2001, we could have been through with this whole War on Terror mess a long time ago. We just couldn’t get enough of the little bastards in the same place long enough to do it.
But now that option is off the table, and I fear it will soon be open season on America.
Sawyer wins
Dan Sawyer narrowly defeated Joe Hall on Tuesday, April 13, in the run-off election for the Republican nomination for Donley County Precinct 4. The margin of victory was 68-64. More details to come.
Hulon Ray “H.R.” Bright
Hulon Ray “H.R.” Bright, age 72, died Monday, April 5, 2010, in Amarillo.
Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 8, 2010, in the First Baptist Church in Clarendon. Interment will follow in Citizens Cemetery with arrangements by Robertson Funeral Directors.
H.R. was born on August 8, 1937, to Charlie and Sylvia Naomi Walden Bright in Hico. He married Eva Evans on August 8, 1958, in Ft. Worth. He had been a resident Howardwick since 1972.
He had been a member of the Independent Order of the Odd Fellows in Lubbock where he had served as Grand Master. He also coached little league, and helped with Boy Scouts. He enjoyed fishing, going to art shows, and metal working.
He also volunteered his time helping with kids. He was also a master at bartering. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Clarendon.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a daughter, Barbara Ann Bright; and two sisters, Patricia Alford and Nina Bright.
He is survived by his wife, Eva Bright of Howardwick; a son, Eddie Bright and wife Celeste of Amarillo; two daughters, Susan Bright and husband Jeff of Jacksonville, Florida, and Sharon Bright and husband John Kelly of Pflugerville; and two brothers, Stacey Bright of Weatherford and Wesley Bright of Milton.
The family will receive friends from 4 to 6 pm Wednesday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorials be to the Love Fund for H.R. Bright, c/o Donley County State Bank, PO Box 967, Clarendon, TX 79226.
Sign our online guest book at www.RobertsonFuneral.com.
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