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Glasscock County News
County Closer to Water Tower Glasscock County has
obtained regional approval for a $367,500 grant to construct an elevated
water storage tower in Garden City. The grant must now be approved at the
state level. The tower will provide
more water storage capacity, and will provide gravity flow of water to
residents even if there is an electrical outage that prevents pumps from
working. County Judge Wilburn
Bednar reported that the north landfill has been shut in for “quite a while”
due to water in the pit. He said people are unhappy about it being closed so
often. The court agreed to buy a pump that can be used to get water out of
the pit, and can also be used elsewhere as needed. The two-inch trash pump is
to have a 25-ft. suction hose and a 100-ft. discharge hose. The court was in a
lengthy executive session (closed to the public) with Brenda Rue, the
District Extension Director, discussing extension service personnel. According to Bednar, no decisions were
made, and no action was taken. Senior Citizens’ Center Maintenance Bednar reported that the county senior citizens’
group wants a county employee to check the cleanliness of the seniors’
building once weekly. Bednar said someone who had rented the building
reported to a representative of the seniors’ group that “...it (the building) was filthy.” County Treasurer Alan
Dierschke reported the county has been written up again because the
courthouse elevator didn’t pass a recent inspection. This time, the problem
is a flexible hydraulic hose which the inspector said should be rigid. The
inspector’s estimate of the cost to replace the hose was $2,500. Commissioner Mark
Halfmann said he is suspicious when the elevator inspector and the repairman
ride in the same car. Bednar said, “This
whole elevator deal has been a fiasco!”
He said the elevator has been inspected many times before, and the
hose has never been mentioned. The court asked Bednar to determine what
should be done about it. Bednar said he might take the elevator situation to
the state legislature in order to get relief from the state regulatory
bureaucracy. Emergency Management Coordinator Discussed Hiring an Emergency
Management Coordinator was again discussed, but no action was taken. The job
will apparently have no benefits such as insurance or retirement, and a
$6,000 annual salary has been mentioned, but not finalized. Bednar said he
had asked Kenny Batla if he would like to have the job, but Batla had not
given him an answer. Commissioner Hugh Schafer said he thought the job needed
to be advertised. The court asked Bednar to check with an attorney regarding
how to best describe the job. The court approved a
mutual aid agreement with 17 other counties in the Permian Basin Regional
Planning Commission’s service area. The agreement provides for personnel and
equipment to aid each other in case of a disaster. The county has similar
agreements with Sterling County and the City of Midland, neither of which is
in the PBRPC’s area. Medicare Supplement Adopted for Retirees The court also adopted
a Medicare supplement policy as offered through the Texas Association of
Counties. The insurance will be provided for any county employees or retirees
who qualify. Currently, employees or retirees 65 or over are still covered by
the same insurance as any other employee. Under the new plan,
those who qualify for Medicare will be switched from a standard policy to the
Medicare Supplement. Insurance
representative Shelbi Hall said the supplemental insurance is cheaper for the
county and better for the individual. She also said adopting the supplemental
policy gives Blue Cross the option of raising the other premiums by four
percent. If they do, Dierschke said the county would still have a savings of
$1,145 per month in premiums, and if there is no increase, the new plan will
save the county $3,020 monthly. Cloud
Seeding Data Available Preliminary data from
the West Texas Weather Modification Association Target Area cloud seeding
operations, which includes Glasscock County, was recently made available by
WTWMA Meteorologist Jim Boyd. The summary was of 27 cases from February through June 2000, in which seeded clouds were
compared with similar, but unseeded ones. The data shows that
seeded clouds were kept alive 71 percent longer than unseeded ones (the
longer the cloud’s lifetime, the greater potential for rain). Seeded clouds spread out horizontally 44
percent wider than unseeded ones, and so covered more territory, and their
overall volume was increased by almost one-third. The height of the
maximum reflectivity of a cloud was lowered after seeding, which is
considered beneficial in rainfall production. In addition, precipitation, as
seen on radar, was increased by 74 percent in the seeded clouds as compared
to the unseeded ones. (Precipitation
seen on radar may or may not end as ground-level precipitation). Boyd emphasized that
these figures are preliminary, and additional research must be done before
they can be considered valid. He said, however, the figures “are certainly
favorable.” County Court, EMS Meet Approximately 20
people attended a special session of the Glasscock County Commissioner’s
Court Nov. 27. The court had said the meeting was intended to enable all
those involved to discuss continuing problems between the county’s Emergency
Medical Service and the county Sheriff’s Department. No one representing the
Sheriff’s Department attended the court’s meeting, although Sheriff Royce
“Booger” Pruit, at his request, had met privately with some of the EMS
volunteers earlier in the morning. At the court’s
meeting, Kenny Batla, acting as spokesman for the EMS, read a prepared
statement in which the volunteers outlined their concerns regarding the
county’s emergency response system.
According to the statement, the volunteers had thought things
were headed in the right direction when the county decided, months ago, to
have Martin County answer Glasscock County’s 911 calls. However, the
volunteers’ statement says that due to problems encountered during the past
two months “... it is evident to us that there is still a communication
breakdown. It appears to the EMS that the breakdown is occurring in the
Garden City Sheriff’s Office (GCSO).” Response Protocol Outlined The volunteers’
statement outlines the protocol for emergency medical response as the EMS
volunteers understand it: A Glasscock County 911 call is received and
answered by Martin County, which then activates the EMS in Glasscock County
by paging all Emergency Medical Technicians and phoning the GCSO. Responding
EMT’s are to call the GCSO by telephone to notify them that EMT’s are
responding to the page. The EMT’s notify the GCSO by radio when the ambulance
is leaving the ambulance barn. The GCSO is to respond back to the EMT’s by
radio. The EMT’s also radio the GCSO when they reach the scene, when they
leave the scene, and notify the GCSO as to which hospital they are in route
to. EMT’s also notify the GCSO when they arrive back at the ambulance barn.
According to the statement, the GCSO is to respond back to the ambulance by
radio with each of these situations. System Breakdowns Alleged
The volunteers’
statement goes on to describe what it terms four “breakdowns in the system”
between Aug. 28 and Oct. 30. Two of the incidents involved either delayed
radio response or no radio response at all, from the GCSO, and two involved
the GCSO sending out the wrong pager tone, resulting in unnecessarily slow
EMS response, according to the statement. In part, the statement
said that volunteers’ frustrations are such that many are considering leaving
the volunteer service. Volunteers at the
meeting seemed in agreement that the hardware is working (radios, pagers,
phones), and that modern technology, such as call forwarding, is in place.
They also agreed there is no problem with 911 calls being answered in Martin
County. At the meeting, some
people said the county needs to hire it’s own dispatchers, who would be on
duty around the clock. Several said volunteers need to be in communication
with a dispatcher during emergencies, for a variety of reasons. County Judge
Wilburn Bednar said it would cost the county at least $100,000 annually to
staff a 24-hour dispatch service. Things Work from 8 to 5 Others said the system
can work without more county employees. Mitchell Jansa said things work fine
when the sheriff’s office is open, and that the system can work at other
times as well, as it usually has in the past. Harold Hoelscher
agreed that things have generally worked well in the past, but said that in
order for the system to work, someone must answer calls to the sheriff’s
department. He said an emergency call may not be a medical situation at all,
but could be a robbery, or something else. “We must be able to get the
sheriff’s department,” he said. Pruit Assures Department Response Batla told the group
at the meeting that Sheriff Pruit had assured the EMS group, in their private
meeting earlier, that someone will answer all calls to the sheriff’s office
in the future, and if not, “something
will be done.” Cecilia Schwartz said
Sheriff Pruit said there was no reason that he can’t be reached. Schwartz
said Pruit gave the EMT’s a list of 10 cell phone numbers to use if EMT’s
need them. Several EMT’s said they appreciated the phone numbers, but said
there is not enough time on ambulance runs to call multiple numbers. The commissioners’
court took no action in the matter, but Bednar expressed the court’s support
of the emergency volunteers. He said if the volunteers’ talk with Pruit and
the additional phone numbers he gave them don’t solve the problems, “We will
need to go in a different direction.” Sheriff Meets with Commissioners A few days later, on
Dec. 4, the county court met with Pruit in executive session (closed to the
public). According to the Glasscock County Clerk’s minutes of the meeting,
the court took no official action. No details of the meeting were available. In
The Spotlight
• Garden City’s Elementary School took home
the championship
at the recent District 8-A West Zone Elementary UIL Academic Meet. Garden
City accumulated 527 points, while Wink followed with 459, Iraan 345 and
Rankin 228. See details in From the Schoolhouse. • Jason
Wilde will be playing in the Texas Tech Red Raider Band at the first
Gallery Furniture.com Bowl in the Astrodome Dec. 27. The game, featuring Texas Tech vs. East
Carolina, will be televised on ESPN. Wilde, a freshman at Texas Tech, is the
son of Jeanie and Leroy Wilde. • The
1975 State Championship Lady Kats Track Team will finally be honored with
a banner in the school gymnasium. The banner, made possible by the Bearkat
Booster Club, will be unveiled Thursday, Jan. 4 during the basketball games.
Members of that championship team were: Jan
Hirt Bryson, Linda Chandler Tibbets, Evette Coffman, Dana Halfmann Gully,
Donna Plagens Goodwin, Becky Hirt West, and Cindy Halfmann Gurley. Water District Adopts Employee Policy The Glasscock County
Underground Water Conservation District’s Board of Directors met in regular session
Nov. 16 and adopted an employee policy which will go into effect
immediately. District Manager Rick
Harston said the policy is something that is needed when the district is
audited by the state auditor’s office.
The policy, which will be signed by each employee, sets out guidelines
for employment by the district. As part of a
discussion of the West Texas Weather Modification Association’s program,
Harston reported that San Angelo is planning to increase its contribution to
the project from $40,000 to $100,000 in an effort to benefit its watershed. Harston said the
district is still trying to get WTWMA’s radar improved in the hope that
better radar would encourage cloud seeding further west than it is usually
done now, thus benefiting Glasscock County. The board approved a
3-year extension of the rental contract with Glenn Riley for office space at
a cost of $300 per month. Livestock
Show Set for January The 64th Annual
Glasscock County Junior Livestock Show will be held Jan. 4 – 6 in the school
bus barn. Events will begin on
Thursday with the rabbit show at 1 p.m., followed by the sheep show at 4 p.m.
On Friday, swine will show at 9 a.m. and cattle at 2 p.m. On Saturday, goats
will be in the show ring at 8 a.m., followed by the crowd favorite pig
scramble at 11 a.m. A barbecue meal will be served at noon, awards presented
at 1:30 p.m. and the premium sale will begin at 2 p.m. This year, 63 kids
will be showing approximately 18 steers, 86 rabbits, 129 goats, 57 sheep and
175 pigs Community Center Planning Continues The Community
Development Committee met Nov. 21 to further discuss plans for the Community
Center with the building’s architect, Gary Vandergriff. Discussion included
loading docks, ramps and exterior doors, as well as kitchen appliances. Committee members in
attendance were: Warren Multer, Wilburn Bednar, Eugene Hirt, Tommy Hoelscher,
Steve Sturtz, Paul Schwartz and James Schwartz. Current drawings of the building are on display for public
viewing in the hallway of the courthouse. Project
Fair Open to All Glasscock County’s
Second Annual Project Fair is open to any county resident of any age.
Categories are: sewing, photography, art, baked goods, food
preservation, needlework, crafts and quilts. Entry forms and rules are available at the
extension office, post office, Coop Gin and Ronda’s. Entry forms must be
turned in by Dec. 15. Projects will be on display Wednesday, Jan. 3, at the
Senior Citizens’ Building. For more information,
call 354-2381 or 354-2608. Briefly
• Volunteers are seriously needed in both the Emergency Medical
Service and the Volunteer Fire Departments. The need is especially acute in
Garden City and in the northern part of the county. There will be a new class
for EMT’s beginning soon. For more information, call Cecilia Schwartz,
397-2471 or Kenny Batla, 354-2665. • A YMCA basketball meeting will be held from 7 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14
in the Ruth Cook Auditorium after the school band’s Christmas program. Anyone
interested in the Y’s basketball league needs to attend. A Bearkat Booster Club
meeting will follow. For more information, call Melissa Schmitz at 535-2220. • The
Senior Citizens group will meet Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. and Bobbie McDaniel says
it’s potluck. The Jan. 23 meeting
will be at 3 p. m. and will feature finger foods. • John
Hillman has resigned as fire chief in northern Glasscock County. The
county is supposed to have three fire chiefs, each of whom is responsible for
maintaining fire trucks and equipment in his part of the county. After
Hillman’s resignation and Russell Halfmann’s recent resignation as fire chief
in Garden City, James “Cookie” Machicek in St. Lawrence is the only volunteer
fire chief in the county. • New
rates for all U.S. Postal Service classes of mail will begin Jan. 7. The
cost of mailing a letter will increase from 33 to 34 cents, while each
additional ounce will decrease from 22 to 21 cents. New 34-cent letter rate stamps will go on sale Dec. 16. The
cost of mailing a postcard will remain at 20 cents. • Deputy
Sheriff Fred Schroyer has resigned and has taken a job with the Martin
County Sheriff’s Department. • Flu
shots will not be available at the local Senior Citizens’ Center this
year, according to Senior Citizens’ President Ed Plagens. Plagens says he was
unable to find a provider, and everyone should take care of getting their own
immunizations. • Projects
from the Glasscock County Project Fair will be displayed at the Senior
Citizens’ Center Wednesday, Jan. 3. Everyone is welcome to drop by and see
local talent showcased. • The
December GCISD School Board meeting was not covered in this issue because
it was moved from its regular time on Dec. 11 to Dec. 14 due to a conflict
with junior high basketball, and was then too late for our deadline. The
meeting will be included in the January issue of this newsletter. From the Schoolhouse Elementary
Students UIL Champs Garden City Elementary
School took home the championship at the recent District 8-A West Zone UIL
Academic Meet. Garden City
accumulated 527 points, Wink had 459, Iraan had 345, and Rankin had 238. Students who placed
were: Sixth Grade -- Taylor Niehues, 1st place
Calculator Applications, 1st place Maps, Graphs, & Charts, 1st
place Number Sense, 2nd place Mathematics, 3rd place
Spelling; Cade Halfmann, 1st
place Dictionary Skills, 2nd place team Music Memory, 2nd
place, Calculator Applications, 3rd place Oral Reading; Colton Schwartz, 1st place
Mathematics, 2nd place Dictionary Skills, 3rd place
Maps, Graphs & Charts, 4th place Number Sense; Evan Jansa, 2nd place
Spelling; Jared Bradford, 6th
place Ready Writing, 2nd place team Music Memory; Erin
Hirt, 3rd place Mathematics, 6th place Oral Reading; K’Lann Niehues, 2nd
place Listening Skills, 2nd place team Music Memory; Kristen Buzbee, 2nd place
Impromptu Speaking, 4th place Maps, Graphs & Charts; Sam Long, 4th place
Impromptu Speaking; Chasity Olgin,
1st place Impromptu Speaking; Julie
Hirt, 5th place Calculator Applications, 2nd place
team Music Memory; Marissa Schwartz,
2nd place team Music Memory; Lauren
Plagens, 5th place Oral Reading. Fifth Grade – Whitney
Kellermeier, 3rd place Spelling, 4th place Ready
Writing, 3rd place Number Sense, 4th place Dictionary
Skills; Mikela Barton, 1st
place Ready Writing, 1st place Listening Skills; Wade Jansa, 1st place
Number Sense, 2nd place team Art Smart; Amy Multer, 6th place Dictionary Skills; Kevin Hillger, 1st place
Oral Reading; Lyza Lopez, 2nd
place team Art Smart. Fourth Grade – Lauren
Wheeler, 5th place Spelling; Levi Schaefer, 5th place Spelling; Kaci Coats, 2nd place
Ready Writing; Jake Schwartz, 3rd
place Number Sense, 2nd place team Art Smart; Michael Clarke, 4th place Number Sense, 2nd
place team Art Smart; Jacob Schmitz,
2nd place team Art Smart, 2nd place team Music Memory; Britton Avery, 2nd place
team Music Memory; Macy Schwartz,
2nd place team Music Memory; Edgar
Najera, 2nd place team Music Memory. Third Grade – Kate
Halfmann, 1st place Story Telling, 4th place Ready
Writing; Adriana Ramirez, 3rd
place Story Telling; Paige Niehues,
5th place Story Telling; Lane
Halfmann, 4th place Spelling; Marcus Cook, 6th place Spelling; Erica Hartley, 1st place Ready Writing. Second Grade – Dylan
Lowery, 2nd place Creative Writing; Samantha Kellermeier, 3rd place Creative Writing; Katelyn Hoelscher, 4th place Creative Writing. Other students who
participated in the meet in Rankin were: Brittany
Schniers, Ryan Alvarado, Amanda Trevino, Sergio Guerrero, Laura Halfmann, Chance Burks, Nikki Cooley, Maryann
Trevino, Sydney Halfmann, Jason Flores, Cole Schwartz,
Eva Dyck, Brittney Chudej, Eric Hirt,
Jeffery Pierson, Halie Schaefer, Joshua Colunga, Lauren
Schwartz, Samantha Pitts, Melissa
Hirt, Kelsey Jones, Juan Zuniga, Nick Sanchez, O.J. Trevino,
Spencer Plagens, R. C. Leitgeb, Analisa Gonzales, and Alex Halfmann. The coaches for the
events were: Judy Webb, Michael Russell, Tanya Multer, Micki Wesley, Phyllis
Byrne, Linda Frysak, Theresa Eoff, Darla Burks, Vicki Kight, Carla Hirt, Jean
Ann Kujawski, Ken Chandler, Kristi Long, and Dana Cook. Partial Basketball
Schedules VARSITY
AND JV
JUNIOR HIGH
About This Publication The next issue will be Jan.10. The deadline for
that issue is Jan. 8. The Glasscock
County News is published by Joe Melanie Calverley, P. O. Box 98, Garden
City, TX, 79739. Phone or Fax:
915/354-2221; e-mail: gcnews201@aol.com. Website: http://wscope.com/glasscock/ |
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