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City threatens to cut off Chamber funds
The City of Clarendon last week threatened to pull $20,000 in funding from the Chamber of Commerce unless the organization changes the way it does business within 90 days.
The Board of Aldermen had expressed concerns to Chamber Executive Director Judy Burlin in the past about how the Chamber accounts for money it receives from the city’s Motel Bed Tax, and those issues came to a head last Tuesday at the board’s regular meeting.
“We have been trying to tell [Judy] for months that she has to improve the record keeping,” Mayor Larry Hicks told the Enterprise. “Tax money has to be tracked penny for penny, and she has not kept track of it.”
The city gives the Chamber $5,000 per quarter from the Motel Bed Tax fund, and state laws dictate what types of expenditures the money can be used for.
City officials say the Chamber does not report specifically how the money is spent and also say that the Chamber has not kept the tax money in a strictly separate account but has been transferring some of that money to its general fund.
“We don’t feel like we’re getting the bang for our buck, but we don’t know for sure because we don’t know for certain where the money is going,” Hicks said.
New Chamber President Charlie Smith addressed last Tuesday’s city meeting and told the aldermen that the Chamber’s records were “a mess.” He also said Burlin was taking a leave of absence and that she had asked him to take over her duties.
Burlin told the Enterprise Monday that she was taking a leave until May 1 and said she knew the city wanted more financial information from the Chamber.
“I’ve been working with [City Secretary] Machiel Covey for about a month to get a more detailed report,” Burlin said. She also said the Chamber has a lot of young people on its board and that she expects the Chamber to have a good year.
Hicks said the city was pleased that Smith was taking over and that the board felt he would do a good job.
“It’s not that we don’t want a Chamber of Commerce. We do, but we want it to be operated correctly,” the mayor said.
Smith for his part says he thinks he can turn the Chamber around and keep its funding from the city.
“I think I can do enough in 90 days to warrant keeping it funded,” Smith told the Enterprise, noting that he hopes to grow the Chamber’s membership and do a better job of making the organization work for its members.
“We’ve got 63 members now, and I hope to have 100 members soon,” he said. “I want to show people they will benefit from being a member. We will make it worth your while to join. My primary goal is to get people here, because Clarendon is a great community and has a lot to offer.”
Smith says he will try to keep regular office hours downtown from 1 to 5 p.m. He welcomes ideas to improve the Chamber and asks people to leave a message if he’s not in the office.
In other city business, aldermen reviewed guidelines for other expenditures the city makes from the Motel Bed Tax; appointed Mayor Hicks as the city’s representative to the Chamber Tourism Committee; called an election for May 14 to elect a mayor and two aldermen; and began looking at designs for an official city logo.
Election sign-up is underway
Filing is underway and continues through March 14 for six local governments holding elections this spring.
The cities of Clarendon, Hedley, and Howardwick will all hold elections for local offices as well as the Clarendon and Hedley school districts and the Donley County Hospital District.
Clarendon will elect a mayor and two aldermen. Those positions are currently held by Mayor Larry Hicks and Aldermen Janice Knorpp and Ann Huey.
Howardwick also has the terms of its mayor and two aldermen up this year. They are currently occupied by Mayor Del Essary and Aldermen Gene Rogers and Norm Hagood.
Three positions on the Hedley Board of Aldermen are up this year.
Clarendon ISD has two trustees’ positions up this year, and those seats are currently held by Weldon Sears and Lance Thornberry.
Three positions on the Hedley ISD board are up. The terms of James Lee Potts, Tonja Ruthardt, and Karen Watt are expiring.
The Donley County Hospital Board has three directors’ terms up this year, and those positions are now held by Wayne Tubbs (Place 1), Bubba Newhouse (Place 2), and Melinda McAnear (Place 3).
Positions on city boards of aldermen and the hospital board are two-year terms, and school board terms are for three years. All positions are elected at-large, but hospital board candidates must sign up for a specific place.
The deadline to file for local offices is March 14, 2011. Election day will be Saturday, May 14, 2011.
Clarendon sales tax revenue growing for second month
The City of Clarendon posted a strong gain on its sales tax revenue last week when Texas Comptroller Susan Combs announced the state’s February distribution.
Clarendon received $40,093.48, which is up 22.48 percent from $32,733.43 last February. That brings the city’s year-to-date tally to $64,489.20, an increase of 20.88 percent.
Howardwick also was up this month with a distribution of $1,024.69, up 60.93 percent from the same time last year and bringing that city to $2,308.57 for the year so far, which is up 52.81 percent.
Hedley fell 29.13 percent to $638.33. That city’s year-to-date tally stands at $1,220.57, which is down 2.18 percent from $1,247.87 at this time in 2010.
Comptroller Combs announced the state’s sales tax revenue in January was $1.83 billion, an increase of 10.4 percent compared to January 2010.
“Sales tax revenues have now improved for the last ten months, reflecting increased activity in almost all major economic sectors,” Combs said.
“The strongest growth was from sectors fueled by business spending, such as oil and gas activity. Tax collections from retail trade were also up.”
January state sales tax collections and February’s local sales tax allocations represent sales made in December, and also include earlier sales by businesses that report sales tax to the Comptroller on a quarterly or annual basis.
The Comptroller sent $440.3 million in sales tax to Texas cities, up 5.4 percent compared to February 2010 payments.
For details of February sales tax payments to individual cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose districts, locate the Monthly Sales Tax Allocation Comparison Summary
Reports on the Comptroller’s Web site at www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/allocsum/compsum.html.
CJH teams compete at Pantex Science Bowl
Nice moves
Swing batter, batter
Broncos blow Cyclones away
The Clarendon Broncos are District Champions once again. They sealed the championship at home Friday night against Memphis with one game to play as of press time.
The 68-47 win was a just one more example of how strong the Broncos are this year and their unchallenged dominance on the court. According to head coach Brandt Lockhart; the game was topped off by great offensive play.
“We had a season high of 19 rebounds,” Lockhart said. “And we did a good job of forcing turnovers.”
The Broncos reigned supreme against Memphis from the tip off and led by 20 plus points at the break. Not only did their offensive play set the tempo of the game, the Broncos hustled defensively and frustrated their opponent.
Seniors Johnny Gaines and Brayden Phillips teamed up for seven of the Broncos’ three-pointers with Phillips turning five from the three-point line.
The Broncos also controlled the boards and used their strength to muscle their opponent.
Mike and Chris Crump showed a lot of power inside, and sophomores Cole Ward and Adam Topper came in and continued the dominance under the basket. Justin Shillings, Daniel West, Wes Williams, and newcomer Diego Santos helped around the perimeter.
The Broncos were able to coast the second half as they led by 30 after three.
Scoring: Gaines 22, Phillips 20, Ward 7, Shillings 8, M. Crump 5, C. Crump 2, Williams 2, and Topper 2.
The Broncos will continue their schedule in post-season play at a time to be announced.
Mulkey receives state recognition
The Mulkey Theatre was named to the list of Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places during an announcement at the State Capitol by Preservation Texas Wednesday morning.
The high profile designation had been sought by the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation and the Mulkey Advisory Committee as a way to raise awareness about the need to save the historic theatre.
Mulkey Advisory Committee Chair MaryRuth Bishop said the announcement draws attention to the importance of old theatres and to the work of saving the Mulkey.
“It shows the value put on the Mulkey not just by us in Clarendon but by others in Texas,” Bishop said. “It really is priceless in a way, and it will help others see the importance of giving to save the Mulkey and make it a vital part of our community.”
Committee member Ashlee Estlack agreed with Bishop and said she thinks the recognition will energize the project.
“We believe that this recognition on the state level will put the effort to ‘Bring Back the Mulkey’ into overdrive,” Estlack said.
Both Bishop and Estlack said Wednesday’s announcement was exciting both personally and for the community.
Estlack and her husband, Roger, who is on the Clarendon EDC Board, attended Wednesday’s announcement at the State Capitol and unveiled the Mulkey project to media representatives there.
Wes Reeves, a Preservation Texas board member from Amarillo, said designation on the Most Endangered list will bring a lot of attention to Clarendon in general and to the Mulkey in particular.
“This is statewide advertising for what Clarendon is doing with the theatre as well as for the community’s development effort,” Reeves said. “It says that Clarendon is not only surviving but wanting to thrive.”
Reeves has been involved with Preservation Texas for six years through the Most Endangered Places list and has been working to get attention for sites in the Panhandle.
“Preservation Texas is very appreciative of Clarendon folks for taking time to make this nomination,” Reeves said. “It shows the rest of the state that there are a lot of interesting places in the Panhandle. This puts Clarendon on the map as a place that is interested in preserving its past.”
The designation also opens up an entire network of experts to help with the ‘Bring Back the Mulkey’ effort, Reeves said, and it also tends to legitimize fundraising efforts and give those efforts a boost.
Reeves said many community theatres have been knocked down but said they add a lot to the community when they are saved, a comment that was echoed in Austin.
“The Mulkey Theatre represents one of preservationists’ continuing concerns, the neglect and deterioration of historic theaters in small towns,” said Jim Ray, president of Preservation Texas, Inc., a statewide partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Theaters were community meeting places. Most of them were landmarks in the community. When these theaters die they take with them not only the history of the town but significant opportunities for community revitalization.”
“Like the other structures on our 2011 endangered list, the Mulkey Theatre reflects the increasing awareness across our state of the importance of preserving structures that have played important roles in the history of our state,” Ray said. “By calling attention to them now, we want to encourage residents to act while there’s still time.”
The Texas’ Most Endangered Places program is at its heart a grassroots effort designed to elevate the cause of historic preservation and to increase the capacity of local groups and individuals to preserve the historic resources in their communities.
Located on 108 South Kearney Street, the Mulkey Theatre first opened its doors on February 13, 1946. For the next four decades it remained an important cultural center for the city and surrounding area of Clarendon. The Mulkey Theatre is a 1946 Streamline Modern Style building and is located between two of downtown’s oldest buildings.
The theatre closed in 1986 and since then has deteriorated due to harsh weather and time. Pieces of the marquee and a poster frame have fallen off the façade. Most of the neon lighting has been destroyed due to vandalism and hail damage. Poor drainage at the rear of the building has caused settling in the foundation and large cracks in the
walls.
In the late 1990s, an unsuccessful effort to re-open the theatre resulted in the loss of the original seats, equipment, and the movie screen.
In 2008, the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation purchased the building with the hope of rehabilitating and re-opening the theatre. Recently, the roof has been replaced to prevent further deterioration of the building. Unfortunately, further funds to revitalize the building are limited. It is believed that saving the Mulkey Theatre will protect the city’s heritage and will boost the economic vitality of the community.
Since December nearly $6,000 has been raised from private donations to help “Bring Back the Mulkey.” For details on how you can donate to the effort, visit www.clarendonedc.org or search for “Mulkey Theatre” on Facebook. Donations can be mailed payable to Donley County Historical Commission, PO Box 905, Clarendon, TX 79226.
Preservation Texas named its first list of endangered historic sites in 2004.
For several sites, inclusion on the list of Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places has resulted in energized conservation efforts, commitments for restoration, and additional funding.
The 2011 list of Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places also includes: the Blas Herrera Ranch, San Antonio, Bexar County; the Duval County Courthouse, San Diego, Duval County; the Lodge Building, 441 East Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Waxahachie, Ellis County; the Lubbock Post Office & Federal Building, 800 Broadway, Lubbock, Lubbock County; the Noah Cox House, 101 Main, Roma, Starr County; the Olivewood Cemetery, 1300 Court Street, Houston, Harris County; the Piano Bridge, One Piano Bridge Road near FM 1383, Schulenburg, Fayette County; the Roma-Cuidad Miguel Aleman International Suspension Bridge, Spur 29, off of U.S. 83, Roma, Starr County; and the Santa Fe Railway Depot, 954 College Avenue, Snyder, Scurry County
Preservation Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places program is funded by generous grants from the Burdine Johnson Foundation and the Summerlee Foundation. By providing statewide awareness through media coverage, the Most Endangered Places is a tool that recognizes the importance of specific sites while promoting the cause of historic preservation in Texas.
For more information on Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places, visit our Web site at www.preservationtexas.org, or phone Preservation Texas, Inc. at 512-472-0102.
Chamber awards
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