This Week

The City of Clarendon began talks last week about transferring its ownership in two local ballparks to the public school.
The topic was first discussed publicly at the July 12 meeting of the Clarendon ISD Board of Trustees and was also discussed at the city council meeting last Thursday, July 14.
Currently, McClellan Field is used by the varsity Broncos but is owned by the city. Meanwhile, the Lady Broncos softball field is on property that is owned half by the school and half by the city. Hart-Moore Field, which is used by local little league teams, is owned by the school.
City Administrator David Dockery and CISD Superintendent Mike Norrell say water is the driving issue that has opened the discussions between the two entities.
As part of the conditions of the USDA funding the city is receiving for its upcoming $4 million water system improvements, all water usage in the city must be metered and paid for. City Hall, Prospect Park, and other city facilities will have to have metered watered services for the first time, and those services will have to be paid for.
As city facilities currently, the water use on the ball fields is not metered.
Neither the city aldermen nor the school trustees took any action last week pending more information being gathered about that subject.
In other city business, Sara SoRelle addressed the council in public comments regarding fireworks being set off in the city during the Fourth of July. She said she called the sheriff’s office but that no deputy showed up. She also said that animals and some people are agitated by loud fireworks. She asked the council to increase the fine for setting off fireworks in the city limits to $2,000.
The council discussed a request from Meals on Wheels for funding from the Community Programs line item and approved $1,000 for that program.
In his administrator’s report, Dockery said the water looping project has been tied in at Carhart Street and about 1,000 feet of lines remain to be installed. Preliminary designs have been received for the USDA-funded water project and will now be finalized. Also, the city has some concrete work to do at the low-water crossing on Front Street to finalize its in-kind contribution for the 2001 TxDOT bridge replacement grant, and proposals will be taken soon on that work.
The board approved accepting the parks master plan and approved a resolution adopting open space master plan.
Aldermen also approved a resolution authorizing the city to apply for a Community Development Block Grant for $250,000 in sewer system improvements with a $41,250 match.
City officials feel there is little chance the grant will be awarded because the city has not raised sewer rates and has not raised taxes over the effective rate recently, both of which will negatively impact the Clarendon’s score on the grant application.

Gov. Greg Abbott wants the targeted killing of a police officer to be deemed a hate crime in Texas and urged lawmakers to send him such a bill to sign during next year’s legislative session.
Abbott announced Monday his plan to lobby for adding his Police Protection Act to Texas law. Along with extending hate crime protections to law enforcement, the measure would increase criminal penalties for any crimes in which the victim is a law enforcement officer and “create a culture of respect for law enforcement by organizing a campaign to educate young Texans on the value law enforcement officers bring to their communities,” according to a statement from Abbott’s office.
Abbott’s proposal follows weeks of targeted killings of police officers and growing tension over disproportionate encounters between black Americans and law enforcement. In the most recent event, Gavin Long, 29, of Missouri fatally shot three police officers in Baton Rouge on Sunday, according to Louisiana officials.
On July 7, Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, opened fire on officers in downtown Dallas, where protestors had assembled to protest the recent deaths of two black men by officers in Louisiana and Minnesota.
“At a time when law enforcement officers increasingly come under assault simply because of the job they hold, Texas must send a resolute message that the State will stand by the men and women who serve and protect our communities,” Abbott said Monday in a statement.
Abbott’s proposal comes after US Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced legislation on Wednesday that would make killing a police officer a federal crime.
Under that federal proposal, someone who killed or conspired or attempted to kill a public safety officer, a federally funded law enforcement officer or a federal judge would be eligible for the death penalty as well as a mandatory minimum 30-year-sentence for murder and 10 years for attempted murder, according to Cornyn’s office. Cornyn’s bill also would create additional federal crimes for fleeing a state to avoid prosecution for such offenses or for assaulting an officer.

Turning a page in the history books, Tyler Harper, from Clarendon pitched to Alabama during the Southwest Regional Tournament held in Pampa last weekend.
Tyler, a member of the High Plains West Minor League All-Stars, and his teammates are the only High Plains team to ever get to go to the Southwest Regional tournament.

High Plains All Star teams are made up of members from Clarendon, Claude, White Deer, and Panhandle. The minor leaguers have had a successful season, winning first place in the Perryton Tournament June 18 and 19, winning District Championship at Gruver on June 23-26, and receiving third place in the State Championship Tournament June 30-July 3.
The High Plains All Star West team, coached by Justin Brannon, Andy Conrad and James Blanford, were invited to compete in the Southwest Regional Tournament, and were the only team from Texas to win a game during the Regional tournament.
Teams competing in the tournament were from Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. The winner of the Southwest Regional Tournament will go to the Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth League World Series on August 4-12 in Palm Beach Garden, Florida. The team ended their season with a 13-4 record.
High Plains West were successful over Plainview in game one, and lost to Alexander City, Ala., in game two, and also lost to East Central, Miss., in game three.
Members of the team are Jayden Blanford from Claude, Blaine Brannon from Claude, Braygon Conrad from Claude, Dawson Ensey from Claude, Tyler Harper from Clarendon, Luke Knox from Claude, Broxton Robinson from Panhandle, Rush Waltersheid from Panhandle, Alex Warren from Claude, Brodie Weathers from White Deer, Aiden Whitaker from Claude, and Kyler Young from Panhandle.

One year after an anonymous benefactor offered a $500,000 challenge grant to help Clarendon build a water recreation facility, slow but steady progress is being made toward meeting that goal, city officials say.

City Administrator David Dockery says the project is about to enter its most critical point – fundraising.

“The next phase will be the most important and will determine whether we get the facility, whether we can match the challenge, and what the facility will look like,” Dockery says.

A city-appointed steering committee spent several months evaluating two different locations for the project before voting in April to select property already owned by the city on the southeast corner of Fourth and Kearney Streets, east of the Post Office.

Prior to that, the committee had considered the old Texas Saddlery building (or red school building) located south of Prospect Park and even had a professional evaluation of the building before deciding not to proceed with that site

The downtown site was selected for several reasons, among which were the fact that it is already owned by the city, the fact that it is connected with the city’s park by a lighted walking trail (making it eligible for a state park grant), and its proximity to the central business district.

With site selection completed, the committee then met in May to consider three preliminary designs submitted by Waters Edge, the same design firm that worked on the Wellington Aquatic Venue. The committee’s initial reactions to those designs were relayed back to the designer, and a second meeting was held last week.

The committee met in conjunction with a called meeting of the city council last Wednesday, July 6, to discuss the project with designer Dave Schwartz of Waters Edge.

Dockery says that meeting helped focus what the committee wanted to see as the size of the pool – about 4,500 square feet of water area – and helped narrow down what amenities are to be considered. Schwartz is taking the committee’s suggestions and is expected to submit another preliminary drawing within about 30 days.

The committee is looking at a project that will cost about $2 million, Dockery said.

Meanwhile, the city council this Thursday will consider approving a Master Park Improvement Plan that documents public support for some type of water recreation facility connected to the park.

The document, prepared by the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission, is one of the necessary first steps in the city applying for matching funds from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department for the water recreation project.

The city is planning to apply for the state funds in 2017, and fundraising will have to be done ahead of that, Dockery said.

Alderman Sandy Skelton, who chairs the steering committee for the project, agrees that the next steps are critical.

“I appreciate the work of the Steering Committee over the past year,” Skelton said. “A great deal of research has been completed and we are close to beginning the all-important phase of fundraising to include local citizens (current and former), Donley County land owners, foundations, grants, and others.”

“Once funded, Clarendon will have a long awaited water recreation facility of its own,” Skelton said.

Those interested in making a donation to the project at this point can contact Dockery at City Hall or tax deductible contributions can be mailed to the Donley County Community Fund, PO Box 906, Clarendon, TX 79226, and note “water recreation project” in the memo.

Donley County Commissioners approved a revised tax abatement agreement with EDF Renewable Energy Monday that could result in additional money coming for the county.

Judge John Howard says the new agreement provides for EDF to pay the county $100,000 per year more if the company pursues Phase Two of the original Salt Fork Wind Project.

Phase One project originally called for 126 megawatts of wind generated power to be built in Donley County, and 54 megawatts are planned for Phase Two.

Howard said the original agreement would have capped out on the payments to the county but several legal factors opened up the possibility of renegotiating the terms, which resulted in the opportunity for added money to the county.

In other county business, the court approved the budgets of District Attorney Luke Inman’s office.

Insurance proposals from the Texas Association of Counties were considered and approved. The county will see a two percent increase in health insurance premiums and get a rebate on the current fiscal year in the amount of about $39,000.

The county budget was on the agenda for Monday, but no action was taken. Judge Howard says the county will probably see a modest increase in taxes in the new budget due to increased state mandates.