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The Hedley Post Office may not be utilized well enough to justify keeping it open, a postal official told citizens there last Wednesday.

“The traffic and revenue just aren’t there,” said Ernest Jones, a regional manager for the US Postal Service, speaking at a town hall meeting at the Hedley Baptist Church.

The Hedley Post Office is about 80 percent underutilized, Jones said.

“I’m paying a guy for eight hours and he’s only got two hours worth of work.”

The fact that the office doesn’t currently have a postmaster also makes it easier to close, Jones said.
But Jones also told the crowd of about 60 that closing the Hedley office was not a done deal.

“There are 56 steps to close a post office, and we’re on step three,” he said, noting that citizen input was important. “You’re here because you care. I had a meeting like this in another town, and no one showed up. That was an easy decision, and the post office was closed.”

Jones began with an overview of the financial condition of the US Postal Service which is hemorrhaging billions of dollars each year. By congressional order, USPS has overpaid $70 billion into its pension plan and continues to be required to make payments to that fund annually. Congress has not provided relief from that requirement and will not refund the overpaid money to the post office.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

“The post office is in the survival game,” Jones said. “Thirty years ago we handled 240 billion pieces of mail a year; now it’s 170 billion. We’ve consolidated districts, and fired upper level management positions. I don’t even know if I’ll have a job next month.”

Following up on Jones’ comment, one Hedley citizen, John Leggit, said the postal service’s problem is bigger than Hedley.

“This is a monumental problem,” Leggit said. “Hedley is not the problem. Leave us alone until the government can fix the problem.”

And several people at last week’s meeting asked Jones why Hedley was being considered for closure when other smaller post offices were still open. Jones replied that those offices, including Lakeview and Quail, are being considered as are about 50 other post offices in his service area from south of Amarillo to down around San Angelo.

In a press release this week, the USPS announced that it considering closing about 3,700 retail offices nationwide.

“As more customers choose to conduct their postal business online, on their smart phones and at their favorite shopping destinations,” the press release said, “the need for the U.S. Postal Service to maintain its nearly 32,000 retail offices — the largest retail network in the country — diminishes.”

If the post office in Hedley is closed, Jones said customers there could get their mail delivered to them by carriers from either Memphis or Clarendon either at their homes or in boxes at a central location, possibly in front of what is now the post office.

Another solution Jones offered is a new concept called a village post office.

The USPS says village post offices would be operated by local businesses, such as pharmacies, grocery stores and other appropriate retailers, and would offer popular postal products and services such as stamps and flat-rate packaging.

Jones said the details village post offices are still being worked out, but he urged Hedley to consider it as a solution.

“Today, more than 35 percent of the Postal Service’s retail revenue comes from expanded access locations such as grocery stores, drug stores, office supply stores, retail chains, self-service kiosks, ATMs and usps.com, open 24/7,” said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe in this week’s press release. “Our customer’s habits have made it clear that they no longer require a physical post office to conduct most of their postal business.”

“The Postal Service of the future will be smaller, leaner and more competitive and it will continue to drive commerce, serve communities and deliver value,” Donahoe added.

A community survey and Jones’ report on the Hedley Post Office will now be submitted to the district office and begin making its way up the chain of command. Jones said the future of the office will not be known for 18 to 21 months.

A Howardwick man charged with abusing an elderly woman was one of several people who were sentenced when the district court met in Clarendon on July 13.

Richard Polmon was placed on probation for a period of ten years for the third degree felony offense of injury to an elderly individual. Polmon pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication for the offense.

Polmon, 56-year-old resident of Howardwick, was arrested by Donley County Deputy Jay Longan in Donley County for the offense that occurred on May 8, 2011, and was later indicted by a Donley County Grand Jury on June 29, 2011.

“Deputy Longan did an excellent job investigation on a very untypical case,” said Inman. “It’s important to have experienced law enforcement working serious cases and Sheriff Blackburn does an excellent job with his staff.”

Polman was arrested on May 10 following an investigation by the Donley County Sheriff’s Office, which had been contacted by medical officials after an ambulance was dispatched to a residence on Nocona Drive. The sheriff’s office said the investigation revealed a 91-year-old woman in Polman’s care had been neglected and was suffering from unexplained bruises and other medical problems.

Pursuant to the plea agreement, Polmon is required to pay a $1,000 fine to Donley County, and is also required to pay $383 in court costs. If Polmon violates probation, he could face up to ten years in the Institutional Division of the TDCJ.

Among the other cases heard by the court were:
Cody Ray Blue was convicted of the Class A Misdemeanor offense of deadly conduct. Blue pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication for the offense.
Blue, 35 from Amarillo, was arrested by Game Warden, Derek Nalls, in Donley County on August 15, 2010.
Pursuant to the plea agreement, Blue was required to pay $558 in court costs, a fine of $4,000 to Donley County, $140 restitution, and must complete 100 hours of community service.

If Blue violates his probation, he could face up to one year in the Donley County Jail.

Veda Mills Lovelady (a.k.a. Veda Deann Anderson, a.k.a. Veda Deathrage) was placed on probation for a period of three years for the third degree felony offense of driving while intoxicated 3rd or more.

Lovelady was convicted and sentenced to ten years in the Institutional Division of the TDCJ, but the
sentence was probated for a period of three years.

Lovelady, 52-year-old resident from Hedley, was arrested in Donley County on October 10, 2010, by DPS Trooper Chad Simpson and was later indicted by a Donley County Grand Jury on January 13, 2011 for driving while intoxicated.

“Trooper Simpson did an outstanding job on this investigation which resulted in the plea,” said Inman. “Although all of Simpson’s cases are high quality, he went far beyond the normal DWI investigation and gave this office the tools to move forward with this successful prosecution.”

Pursuant to the plea agreement, Lovelady is required to pay a $1,000 fine to Donley County, and is also required to pay $558 in court costs, $889.49 in restitution, 200 hours of community service, along with DWI requirements mandated by law.

Chad Aron Southerland was placed on probation for a period of three years for the third degree felony offense of assault family violence. Southerland pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication for the offense.

Southerland, 33-year-old resident of Wellington, was arrested in Collingsworth County on June 30, 2011, and pleaded guilty to a complaint and information filed by the State on July 11, 2011.

Pursuant to the plea agreement, Southerland is required to pay a $3,000 fine to Collingsworth County, and is also required to pay $376 in court costs, and complete 200 hours of community service. If Southerland violates probation, he could face up to ten years in the Institutional Division of the TDCJ.
Neil David Adelman was placed on probation for a period of six years for two counts of the third degree felony offense of intoxication assault. Adelman was convicted and sentenced to ten years in the Institutional Division of the TDCJ, but the sentence was probated for a period of six years.

Adelman, 30-year-old resident from Memphis, was arrested in Donley County on August 1, 2010 by DPS Trooper Kellan Roberts and was later indicted by a Donley County Grand Jury on October 5, 2010 for two charges of intoxication assault.

Pursuant to the plea agreement, Adelman is required to pay a $3,000 fine to Donley County, and is also required to pay $1,116 in court costs, along with DWI requirements mandated by law.In addition to the sentence, Zamora is also required to pay $376 in court costs to Hall County and a $1,000 fine.

Luke Inman, the District Attorney for the 100th Judicial District prosecuted the cases for the State of Texas with the Honorable Judge Stuart Messer presiding.

A total of $17,500 in fines was assessed as a result of the pleas that took place on July 13. In addition to the fines, the defendants were required to pay a total of $4,355 in court costs and $1,647.49 in restitution.

Greenbelt Water Authority General Manager Bobbie Kidd told citizens at Hedley that conservation measures are helping, but Greenbelt Lake is still nearing the next trigger in its drought contingency plan.

“These restrictions are starting to make a difference,” Kidd said at a called meeting of the Hedley Board of Aldermen last Friday. “We’re seeing reductions in the systems we serve. We’ll be down to one raw water pump tonight. That’s about three million gallons, and that’s unheard of this time of year.”

However, the lake is just within inches of reaching Stage 4 of the drought plan. On Monday morning the Greenbelt was at a depth of 48.39 feet. The trigger for Stage 4 is 48.0 feet, and Kidd said he believes that will be hit between the first and middle of August.

Cities served by Greenbelt have been asked to implement their drought plans and achieve a 30 percent reduction in consumption. Hedley and at least two other cities have implemented mandatory restrictions.

Clarendon’s restrictions were still voluntary as the Enterprise went to press Tuesday afternoon, but city leaders here were preparing to hold a public hearing on the matter Tuesday night and take action in a called meeting that was to follow.

If Greenbelt reaches Stage 4, cities will be allotted a certain amount of water per month based on a five-year average. If a city exceeds their allotment, Greenbelt can financially penalize that municipality.
Kidd said if the allotments and penalties were in place for June, for example, Clarendon could have been penalized about $30,000 based on its usage for the month.

“Hopefully, we won’t have to do that,” Kidd said
Kidd said people have to learn to conserve and that hopefully some of those practices – like not watering during the heat of the day – will stick with people even after conditions improve.

For the long term, Greenbelt has engineers studying the future of the area’s water supply, and results of that study will be completed in October. But in the meantime, people are being asked to save water any way they can.

“From Greenbelt’s standpoint, we certainly appreciate everything anyone does,” Kidd said.

Hedley aldermen will meet again on August 4 at 7 p.m. to review its Stage 4 plan, which calls for a 40 percent reduction in water use.

Hedley’s Stage 3 mandatory restrictions are as follows:
Outside watering utilizing sprinklers or irrigation systems will only be allowed on Monday and Thursday, However, no watering will be allowed between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Hand watering only will be allowed on Sundays.

No washing of vehicles, boats, RV’s or driveways is allowed.

Customers with livestock tubs must maintain the float systems in good repair to alleviate any overflow.
Swimming pools must be maintained to reduce evaporation and water loss due to flushing.

All commercial and other known high water users are asked to reduce usage and prevent waste.

Watch for leaks and notify personnel at Hedley City Hall immediately if one is found.

Violators will be given one verbal warning. After the warning has been given a fine of $50 will be charged to your water bill every time you are caught violating the rules.

Any mandatory water restrictions implemented in Clarendon will be posted on ClarendonLive.com following this week’s city meeting.

The City of Clarendon will hold a public hearing next Tuesday evening, July 26, at 6 o’clock to discuss drought contingency planning and regulating water usage.

The hearing will be held at City Hall immediately before a called meeting of the Board of Aldermen, during which city leaders are expected to take action on a drought plan for Clarendon.

“We’ll be considering a plan that provides for action,” City Administrator Lambert Little told the Enterprise.

City Hall last week published guidelines for citizens to follow as the city tries to reduce water consumption by 30 percent. Those rules are only voluntary now, but may become mandatory next week.

During last Tuesday’s regular city meeting, aldermen met with Greenbelt Water Authority General Manager Bobbie Kidd, who said the lake entered Stage Three of its drought contingency plan in May and will likely hit Stage Four – Severe Water Shortage – on about August 8.

Kidd told city leaders it was time for everyone to be think about how they use water in the face of the shortage.

“We’ve always done as we pleased and have had enough to do that,” Kidd said. “Now we’re just going to have to be smart. Don’t water during the heat of the day. Water at night, for example.”

If the lake enters Stage Four, member cities like Clarendon and Hedley will have allotments of water and may be financially penalized for using more than their allotment, but Kidd said he hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

“Voluntary measures are a lot better than trying to force people to do something,” he said.

Looking to the future of the reservoir, Kidd said water authority has engineers studying the reliability of Greenbelt Lake, the availability of water in the Red River, and possible alternative sources of water.

“Three years ago, Greenbelt drilled some test wells and did more drilling last winter,” Kidd said.

Information from those test will be included in a report engineers are expected to make to the Greenbelt board in October.

Kidd said right now Greenbelt Lake is still holding about 4.5 billion gallons of water.

The city’s voluntary water usage rules are as follows:
1) Limit outside watering to twice-a-week and then only before 10 a.m. and after 7 p.m. Residential customers with odd-numbered street addresses should water on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Even-numbered addresses should water on Thursdays and Sundays, and commercial customers should water on Tuesdays and Fridays.
2) Limit washing motor vehicles, motorbikes, boats, and other vehicles at home to before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on your designated watering day, and then use a bucket and/or hand-held hose with a shut-off nozzle. Commercial car washes are exempted.
3) Avoid filling swimming pools except during the above hours.
4) Avoid operating ornamental fountains unless necessary to support aquatic life or if equipped with a recirculation system.
5) Do not water-wash driveways, sidewalks, or other hard-surfaced areas. Do not wash down buildings or structures except for immediate fire protection.
6) Repair all leaks as soon as possible, and report any leaks or unauthorized usage to City Hall. Night and weekend emergency leaks should be reported to the Donley County Sheriff’s Office at 806-874-3533.

In other city business last week, the board received a Chamber of Commerce update from Chamber President Charlie Smith, who reported on June activities and the July Fourth celebration. Mayor Larry Hicks said he thought the celebration went off very well with the exception of a not having a grand stand or public address system, but also said he did not see any sign that the Chamber was re-organizing.

“It doesn’t seem you’re doing anything to get back in our good graces, and we want to
support you,” Hicks said, referring to the city’s withdrawal earlier this year of Chamber funding totally $20,000 annually.

“We haven’t been able to get together to have a meeting,” Smith replied.
Aldermen also considered a request from the Saints’ Roost Museum for Motel Bed Tax funds for the Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff and approved $5,000 for that event.

In his administrator’s report, Little informed the board that he believed Alderman Kyle Davis had missed three meetings and may therefore be disqualified from service.
He also said that Charles Deyhle’s term was expiring as the city’s representative on the Greenbelt Water Authority Board. Aldermen will consider those positions at next Tuesday’s called meeting.

Mandatory water restrictions are in place for citizens of the City of Hedley following a July 7 meeting of the Board of Aldermen there.

Mayor Dusty Wilkinson said his board put rules in place after receiving word from Greenbelt Water Authority about the low level of the lake and learning that the Red River Water Authority, which buys water from Greenbelt, had placed mandatory restrictions on its customers.

Greenbelt is currently in Stage Three of its drought contingency plan, which calls for its member cities – Clarendon, Hedley, Childress, Quanah, and Crowell – to voluntarily reduce water usage by 30 percent.

So far, Hedley is the only member city to enact mandatory restrictions, and Mayor Dusty Wilkinson says his city is doing the right thing.

“Water is the most precious resource we have,” Wilkinson told the Enterprise. “If
it’s gone, we’re gone.”

Minutes from the July 7 meeting were not available at press time, but City Hall said the rules went into effect July 11. Mayor Wilkinson said he’s only received one comment from the public about the measures and that person said it should have been done a long time ago.

Hedley’s mandatory rules are as follows:
1) Outside watering utilizing sprinklers or irrigation systems will only be allowed on Monday and Thursday, However, no watering will be allowed between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Hand watering only will be allowed on Sundays.
2) No washing of vehicles, boats, RV’s or driveways is allowed.
3) Customers with livestock tubs must maintain the float systems in good repair to alleviate any overflow.
4) Swimming pools must be maintained to reduce evaporation and water loss due to flushing.
5) All commercial and other known high water users are asked to reduce usage and prevent waste.
6) Watch for leaks and notify personnel at Hedley City Hall immediately if one is found.

Violators will be given one verbal warning. After the warning has been given a fine of $50 will be charged to your water bill every time you are caught violating the rules.