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Hedley Post Office may face closure
The future of the Hedley Post Office will be the topic of a public meeting next Wednesday, July 20, and many folks are already planning to voice their concerns to postal officials.
Letters dated July 6, 2011, were sent to Hedley postal customers informing them of possible changes in the way they receive mail services and requesting their opinions of those changes. The letter said the US Postal Service would like to provide service in Hedley through rural route services coming from the Memphis Post Office.
Hedley residents are overwhelmingly opposed to any effort to shutter their post office, and many people, like Mary Ruth White, say they believe the USPS is misinformed about how much business goes through the local office.
“Some folks think they haven’t done enough research,” White said. “The school, for example, does a lot of business with them.”
Jedco Leather owner John Dickson agrees with White that the post office needs to consider how closure of the post office will affect local businesses.
“I ship all my goods exclusively through the post office,” Dickson said. “I send stuff to all 50 states, and there are other businesses in Hedley – people working from home – who also depend on the post office. A rural carrier can’t provide these services. Hedley needs this post office real bad.”
Pat White at Hedley Independent School District said she mails things every day, many of which require going to the post office.
“I have to send registered letters and big boxes, and I will have to drive to either Memphis or Clarendon during the day to do this,” Pat White said. “I think it will hurt our school and definitely hurt a lot of elderly people. Even if it was open half a day, it would be better than closing it.”
Residents also said they did not believe that their post office should be shut down if Estelline, Lakeview, Quail, and other smaller post offices remain open.
Hedley folks also bristled at the idea of the USPS recommending they drive to Lakeview for retail postal services. The letter claimed Lakeview is 11.0 miles away, but to drive from Hedley to Lakeview is over 20 miles.
“Apparently, they don’t know where Lakeview is,” Dickson said.
USPS spokesman Sam Bolen said the service understands there was an error in the letter and said it should have suggested Memphis or Clarendon instead of Memphis or Lakeview.
“We are just currently gathering data for an initial proposal,” Bolen said, noting that comments from next Wednesday’s meeting will be used to formulate when considering the post office’s fate. He said the Hedley Post Office currently has 280 boxes but only about half of them are rented.
Bolen said, in addition to rural carrier service, the USPS would consider expanded access through a local store or some kind of central delivery point as possible alternatives to maintaining the local post office.
According to a USPS press release, the Postal Service lost $8.5 billion in fiscal year 2010 (Oct. 1, 2010 to Sept. 30, 2010) – that equates to losing more than $23 million every single day of the year. Mail volume has declined by 43.1 billion pieces in the past five years – from an all-time high of 213 billion in 2006 to 170 billion in 2010. The Postal Service is doing everything possible to reduce costs and save money – this will involve consolidating operations wherever possible.
The Hedley community meeting will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at the Hedley Baptist Fellowship Hall, located at 310 N Main. Customers will have an opportunity to meet with a Postal Service representative to discuss alternatives.
Written comments will be accepted through July 25, 2011, and may be mailed to: Consumer Affairs Manager, USPS Fort Worth District, 4600 Mark IV Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76161-9631.
New officers
Babcock to appear in court next month
Accused murderer Robert Babcock was scheduled to appear in district court in Clarendon Wednesday morning, July 13, for a bond reduction hearing, but the district attorney’s office says a continuance was issued in case because one of Babcock’s attorneys had a death in the family.
DA Luke Inman tells the Enterprise that the bond reduction hearing, along with pre-trial matters and the setting of a trial date, is now scheduled to occur on August 18 at 8 a.m.
Babcock remains in the Donley County Jail with bond set at $1.1 million. He is charged with Capital Murder in the beating death of his four-year-old son, Chance Mark Jones, this past January.
Clarendon enjoys big July Fourth
The Kids’ Parade started the day, and the winners were: Landon Stavenhagen and Mario Flores in the bicycle division, Tandie and Kennadie Cummings in the tricycle division, and Maloree Wann and Kai Floyd in the motorized division. Honorable mention went to Jayde and Braxton Gribble.
The annual Craft Fair drew a big crowd to the courshouse square, where the Al Morrah Shrine Club served 800 plates of barbecue this year. That is up from 597 last year.
Funds from the annual barbecue are used in conjunction with the Khiva Temple of the Shrine in Amarillo to help pay for the transportation of kids to the Shriners’ burns and crippled children’s hospitals.
In the Western Parade Monday afternoon, the Girl Scouts won first place in the float division. In the Vehicles division of the parade, the Bronco Parents-Cheerleaders won first place. The Cars 2 Train by Paulette Kidd and Trisha Hewett won first place in the Miscellaneous division.
Several organizations held fundraisers during the celebration. The winners of the Lions Club Cow Patty Bingo were Danny Askew; $250, Nikki McGlaun; $50 and Linda Blucher of Burlington, Iowa; $50.
Russell Keown won the John Deere riding lawn mower given by the Friends of Donley County Activity Center that supported Donley County 4-H. Neva Spier was the winner of the St. Mary’s Catholic Women Quilt Drawing. Callie Hargrove won the BBQ grill given by the Clarendon FFA Scholarship Fund.
The Cash for Kids drawing fundraiser for the Donley County Child Welfare Board raised a total of $10,000, half of which went to the grand prize winner of $5,000, which was Courtney Newhouse. Kenny Black, Melinda McAnear, and Kathy Haggerman each won $200 in prizes. The community’s support towards this fundraiser was appreciated.
Henson’s annual Turtle Race was held on Saturday afternoon. There were altogether 73 participants; and the winners were two-year-old Pierce Wilhelm of Nazareth for the 0-4 division, eight-year-old Roxie Adams of Clarendon for the 5-8 division, and 12-year-old Kenzy Middleton of Memphis for the 9-14 division
Weather for this year’s celebration was more favorable that in recent weeks, and the community even received some light showers, which put everyone in good spirits. The community was very busy, and this year’s celebration was seen as a success.
New officers
Wilson Cattle wins annual ranch rodeo
Wilson Cattle took top honors during the Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association’s annual Ranch Rodeo last Friday and Saturday.
This year’s total attendance for the two-day ranch rodeo and Monday’s junior rodeo was 2,135 people, which is up from last year’s attendance of 1,700.
Wilson Cattle’s scores beat out 20 other local and regional teams as working cowboys put their skills to the test as part of the 134th annual Saints’ Roost Celebration. The team was made up of Rodey Wilson, Tyler Rice, Ky Sinck, Jason Thomas, and Jesse Valdez.
The Salt Fork Ranch finished second with the team of Whit Akins, Herman Elam, Henery Elam, Chase Pope, and Darin Bell.
The Conley Ranch was third with the team of Shay Aaron, Chance Johnston, Chad Conley, Remington Smith, and Levi Garcia.
The Top Hand for the rodeo was awarded to Trey Paul, and the Top Horse award was won by Rody Wilson.
Junior Calf, Donkey, and Steer Riding was held all three nights. Overall Calf Riding and Donkey Riding champion was Colby Mason. Overall Steer Riding champion was Dalton Benson.
The Overall Junior Rodeo winners from Monday night were Smith SJ, first; Hat Ranch, second; and Red Mud Cattle, third.
The Top Hand winner for the Junior Ranch Rodeo was Chance McAnear and the Top Horse went to Brody Rankin.
Beef winners for all three nights include Bradley Watson, Emily McCary, and Lance
Covence.
Aldermen tap Huey for vacancy
A former Clarendon alderman will return to office following a vote at last Tuesday’s regular city meeting.
The Board of Aldermen appointed Ann Huey, whose term of office expired in May, to return to the board to finish out the vacant term of Jeremy Powell, who resigned earlier
this year after moving outside of the city limits.
The board also elected Alderman Will Thompson as the city’s mayor pro tempore.
Mayor Larry Hicks administered the oath of office to Huey on Friday.
In other city business, aldermen: approved a motion to set their regular meetings at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month; approved an agreement with the City of Hedley to receive stray animals on an occasional basis; authorized paying utility bills for the Mulkey Theatre; transferred $10,000 from the improvement fund to the street department to purchase patching material; and removed charges for limbs, leaves, and
grass clippings at the recycling center.
In his report, Administrator Lambert Little said the board would have a long-term planning session on August 20 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. He also said the city’s airport board had met but recommended that no money be spent on improvements at the airport until the city streets were fixed.
Mayor Hicks reported that the city was in contact with a new firm to perform engineering services.
Brace Leonard Hicks
Brace Leonard Hicks, 81, died Tuesday, June 28, 2011, in Clarendon.
Services were held Saturday, July 2, in First Baptist Church in Howardwick with Rev. Dave Stout, Pastor, officiating. Interment was held at Panhandle Cemetery in Panhandle. Arrangements were under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Brace was born October 4, 1929, in Nolanville, Texas to Brace Larkman and Lula Pearl Kirkpatrick Hicks. He married Joy Oden on June 21, 1949, in Whitharral. He had been a longtime resident of Panhandle before moving to Howardwick in 1993. He loved fishing, camping, and sports. He also loved dominoes and was a great 42 players. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Howardwick.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Mary Jo Harrell; and a daughter in law, Joan Hicks.
Survivors include his wife, Joy Hicks of Howardwick; 3 sons, Tony Hicks of Marion, Terry Hicks of Weatherford, and Toby Hicks of Howardwick; two daughters, Lynn Legate of Panhandle and Cheryl Peterson of Lebanon, IL; a brother, Kenneth Dean Hicks of Kileen; ten grandchildren; and twenty-four great-grandchildren.
The family requests that memorials be sent to the American Cancer Society or the Howardwick Volunteer Fire Department.
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