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Glasscock County News
911 Calls Now Answered in Stanton County
Judge Wilburn Bednar reported to the Glasscock County Commissioners’ Court
July 10 that the county’s 911 phone calls are now being handled by Martin
County’s 911 personnel. They will
activate Glasscock County’s Emergency Medical Service pagers and will call
the Glasscock County Sheriff’s Office when there is a 911 call. Bednar said
no EMS paging will be done from Glasscock County locations. Commissioner
Hugh Schafer said persons calling 911 should not hang up if the person
answering says, “Martin County 911” instead of “Glasscock County 911,” until the personnel get accustomed to
answering Glasscock County calls. Veronica
Schroyer was asked to explain an invoice she had sent the county. The invoice
was in the amount of $180.50 for 19 hours, at $9.50 per hour, for part-time
work as a jailer. It was accompanied by a time sheet signed by Schroyer and
by Sheriff Royce “Booger” Pruit which covered the period from June 16 through
June 30. Commissioner Jimmy Strube said the jailer’s
job is salaried, and not subject to hourly rates, but Schroyer replied that
the $50 she is paid [twice monthly] for being a jailer is only “stand-by pay.” When Strube asked who the other jailers are,
Schroyer named Constable Leroy Hoelscher, Deputy Fred Schroyer, and Deputy
Ken Zunker, but County Treasurer Alan Dierschke said Zunker receives no pay
for jailer’s duty. There was no further discussion, and the commissioners
each initialed the invoice, thus approving it for payment. However later that week, commissioners Michael
Hoch, Mark Halfmann and Schafer initialed a handwritten note on Schroyer’s
invoice, which stated, “We resend [sic] this bill until approval by
supervisor on 7-17-00.” Then on July
17, after a closed session at a special commissioners’ court meeting, the
commissioners unanimously voted to rescind payment of the invoice. There was
no public discussion of why the action to rescind was taken, but Schafer said
it was because Sheriff Pruit had not approved payment of the invoice. Contacted on July 18, Pruit said he did not
approve hourly wages for V. Schroyer’s part-time work as a jailer. He said
when he signed the time sheet, he mistakenly thought it was for time she had
spent working with the 911 phone system.
“I should have checked it closer,” he said. The time sheets, in use
only a few weeks, show hours worked, but do not indicate what job was
performed. County
Engineer Dan Glass estimated the cost for paving the Senior Citizens’
building parking lot to be $6,554. He also reported that recent tests for
methane gas at the north landfill were negative. Employee Insurance Discussed The court discussed
county employees’ health insurance, and heard proposals from four private
insurance providers. At a special meeting July 17, they voted to have one of
those providers, Mark White, check into getting active employees into an
insurance group called West Texas School Cooperative. He was also asked to
get information on: 1) providing Medicare supplement insurance for retirees
who are over age 65, and 2) options for providing coverage outside the
county’s group policy for other retirees. After the court has this
information, they will make a final decision about a health insurance carrier
in August. At
the July 17 meeting, Dierschke asked if the commissioners were considering
any pay raises so he could prepare figures to be used in discussing next
year’s budget. Schafer said raises shouldn’t be discussed until employee
health insurance costs are determined. He said, for example, if the county
decides to put $100 per employee per month into a medical savings account as
part of their insurance benefit, that could be considered a raise. At the request of
Wanda Forbis, the court approved a raise from $20 to the state maximum of $25
for election judges. Forbis explained
that the election judge in each precinct receives this compensation for
picking up and delivering election supplies and for the responsibility of the
polling place on election day. In addition, each judge is paid the state maximum
hourly rate of $6. The
court appointed Ann Hoelscher, Doris Schwartz, Deanie Craft and Karen Cox as
election judges for the upcoming bond election. Each election judge also has
an alternate. County
Agents Steve Sturtz and Shirley Weeks reported on their office’s 4-H
activities, ranging from stock shows, shooting sports, fashion and foods to
programs aimed at developing character and leadership. They report success
with all the activities and said participation in them is increasing. The
court will take bids for a new maintainer on Aug. 14. Regular commissioners’ court meetings are at 9
a.m. on the second Monday of the month. All meetings are open to the public. Briefly
• A
Town Hall Meeting will be held Thursday, July 20 at 7 p.m. in the courthouse
for the purpose of answering questions regarding the proposed Glasscock
County Community Center and the August bond election. All interested parties
are urged to attend. • Bearkat
Reunion 2000, an all-school event, will be Saturday, July 22 from 1 to 10
p.m. at the school. Tickets for the
dinner, to be served in the cafeteria from 5 to 6:30 p. m., may be purchased
at the door, $17 for adults and $8 for children under 12. • A
bond election will be held Aug. 12
to determine whether a facility to house a community center, agricultural
extension offices, and a livestock show barn is built in Garden City. Early voting will be July 26 – Aug. 8. Applications for mail-in ballots must be
received on or before Aug. 4. Those
who want to vote by mail should request applications for ballots now, due to
the time required for mailing the various items back and forth. Mail-in ballots must be in on or before
Aug. 12. • Continental
Express has announced the addition of a sixth non-stop jet flight from
Midland to Houston Intercontinental Airport.
American Eagle is converting their service from turboprops to regional
jets. American now has jets on four
of their nine daily flights to Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport, according to Carroll
Thomas, Economic Development Manager at Midland International Airport. • Robert and Susan Pryor thank
everyone from Garden City and St. Lawrence who came to Sterling City to buy
July 4th fireworks. They hope everyone
enjoyed the fireworks and will come back next year. • The
Glasscock County Little League thanks Schaefer Insurance, Germania,
Livingston On-Site Consultants, Kel-Tech, Mike and Pam Hughes, Eco-Drip
Irrigation, Latzel Drilling, and Wegner Insurance for sponsoring our teams.
Also, thanks to Cypert Butane for donating trophies, Ronda’s Quik Stop for
donating ice, and thanks to the coaches and everyone for their support. The
Little League season was a big success and a lot of fun. --- Susan Hirt • LeRoy
Moore will teach piano lessons this year at the Methodist Church. He has
openings for adults and students. If you would like to schedule lessons, or
need more information, call Barbara Fuchs at 397-2215. • The
Senior Citizens will meet Aug. 1 at 6 p.m. in the Senior Citizens Center
and Rose Schwartz says the fare is potluck. The group will discuss increasing
the frequency of their meetings to twice monthly. • Notice:
Beginning in August, the Glasscock County News will be
published earlier in the month. The school board meeting will move from the
third Monday to the second Monday of the month, the same day as the
commissioners’ court, and we will publish the newsletter as soon as possible
after those meetings. Unfortunately,
our coverage of the underground water district, which meets on the third
Tuesday, will usually be a month late. As always, the next month’s
publication date will be printed at the very end of the newsletter. Please
mark your calendars so that your information gets to us prior to deadline. School Discusses Closed Campus The GCISD School
Board, meeting in regular session July 17, discussed closing its campus, so
that students would not be allowed to leave campus during school hours, but
postponed action on the matter. Board member Mike Hillger said he favors an
open campus, saying kids have few liberties now. Board member Cecilia Schwartz said she would
like the campus closed, at least for grades 7 and 8, though she would prefer
that only juniors and seniors have the privilege of leaving campus. She said
her only concern is safety, and mentioned kids both driving and walking
across Highway 158, now under construction. She also said lots of kids abuse
their privileges by driving too fast, and by repeatedly circling the block in
front of the school. Board member Karla Hoelscher agreed that too
many drive too fast, and said she sees it firsthand, since she frequently
walks from her office to the school cafeteria for lunch. Secondary
Principal Faith Scott said there have been no serious problems during lunch,
but said the older kids know that when they are on the streets, the school
has no jurisdiction. Board
member Brad Avery saw the issue as a parental problem, and said if parents
don’t want their kids to leave the campus, they can limit the kids
themselves. And he said if his kid is cruising the school, “Tell me and I’ll
stop it.” He added kids driving
without licenses aren’t the school’s problem, either. The
board hired Ladene Hartin as the new band director. Hartin is originally from
Big Spring, graduated from Forsan High School, and has been the band director
at Rochester. Physical Education Requirement Reduced Acting on Scott’s
recommendation, the board reduced the number of physical education credits required
from three to one and one-half, the state minimum, and made the change
retroactive to include all current high school students. The
board plans to increase the rent teachers pay for school houses by fifty
percent after current repairs and maintenance are completed, and will
gradually add central heat and air to most units. A house that now rents for $100 would go to $150 per month
under the new rates. Ultimately, Superintendent Steve Long said school housing
should pay for its own upkeep. Scott
reported that a one-semester, concurrent technical writing course has been
added to the high school curriculum, along with a concurrent course in
analytical reading and critical thinking. She said it is now possible for
GCHS students to get 35 hours of college credit here. She said the school is
trying to be flexible, so that qualifying kids can take courses before their
grade level. Hoelscher
asked what the school is offering for less talented kids, and Scott said, “As
much as we can.” She went on to highlight
some of the classes that are available, including Mr. Bradford’s and Ms.
Barton’s, as well as web mastering and multi-media. Insurance Changes Made At Long’s suggestion,
the board made two changes in school insurance. They increased student insurance
from covering grades 6-12 for extracurricular activities only, to covering
Pre-K – 12 all day and for extracurricular activities. That change will take
the school’s cost from $7,600 to approximately $9,500, Long said. The school will also change it’s Workmen’s
Compensation insurance carrier from the Texas Association of School Boards to
a state-wide pool with Gibbs and Hallmark as the carrier, a move which Long
said would lower costs without decreasing services. Long
said he wants to form a study committee which includes teachers before
deciding on the school’s health insurance. Long
will present the school’s new budget to the board Aug. 14. He said the time
to cut expenses is when personnel are leaving or retiring, and said it can be
done without affecting the quality of education. “We have to live within our
means,” he said. In
other action, the board: accepted bids for a wide variety of supplies and
fuels; approved putting Kathy Wheat on the school’s signature card for
signing checks and accepted three transfer students into the district. The
GCISD School Board meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of the month. All
meetings are open to the public. In The
Spotlight
• Local residents who earned degrees from
Texas A&M University during spring commencement ceremonies include: Matt Seidenberger, master’s degree in
agriculture; Brent Seidenberger,
bachelor of science degree in agriculture systems management; Allan Fuchs, bachelor of science
degree in agriculture systems management. • Area students on the Texas A&M
University Dean’s List for the spring semester were Paula Braden and Allan
Fuchs. On the Distinguished
Students List were Tiffany Kujawski,
Craig Hoelscher and Brent Seidenberger. • Deidra Hirt and Jill Hoelscher were each awarded a
$10,000 scholarship from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at the Texas
4-H State Roundup. • Suzanne Gilstrap recently won second
place in the literary magazine category for her essay, “A Story Speaks a Thousand
Words,” at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association convention. Gilstrap,
who wrote the essay while a student at Midland College, is majoring in
elementary education at Howard Payne University. • Ryan Batla was elected District
Six 4-H Council President at the district leadership lab at Howard College in
June. • Tanner Donica participated in the
Belt Buckle Bonanza in Waco July 2, winning a second place in Show A, Light
Weight Steer and first place in Show B, Light Weight Steer. School
Changes Spouse Employment Policy At a special meeting
July 3, the GCISD School Board eliminated the district’s policy of not hiring
the spouses of administrators. The
vote was 5-0, with board member Mike Hillger abstaining and board member
Cecilia Schwartz absent. The policy had been in place for approximately six
years, and applied to the superintendent, both principals and the school
counselor. The
board also changed the school calendar, moving the Oct. 23 in-service day to
Oct. 2 and moving Spring Break to March 12-16 to be in sequence with Howard
College’s distance learning program. Randy
Gartman was hired as a science teacher, and the board approved the
resignation of band director Lance Johnson. Gartman is a graduate of Angelo State
University, with a major in animal science and a minor in chemistry. He will
be teaching under an alternative certification. From 1996 to the present, he
was assistant vice-president and loan officer at the Robert Lee State Bank,
and was youth director at the Robert Lee Baptist Church for three years. He
and his wife, Shay, have two kids, ages 5 years and 22 months. The
board also voted to allow student absences for extracurricular activities in
accordance with state rules, and to allow a maximum of 10 additional absences
with the approval of the principal, if the student has an overall grade
average of at least 90. Quail Survey May Come Soon Dr. Dale Rollins,
Wildlife Specialist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, is
spearheading a statewide quail initiative aimed at reversing the decline of
quail and implementing more sustainable quail-friendly management systems. During
the next month or so, 50 randomly selected landowners from each of 14 key
quail-producing counties will be sent a survey aimed at determining the
economic impact of quail. Rollins said the 600 names selected will come from
tax rolls, and will be landowners who control 500 acres or more in the
county. The counties involved are: Brooks, Coleman, Collingsworth, Cottle, Dimmit,
Fisher, Glasscock, Jim Wells, Kent, LaSalle, Roberts, Reagan, Shackelford and
Stonewall. “We
are seeking information about last year’s quail hunting season,” said
Rollins. “We will use the data to generate economic impact figures about the
importance of quail hunting in each of these counties.” Rollins
said it’s important that those receiving the questionnaire return it as soon
as possible. For more information, contact him at 915/653-4576. From
the Schoolhouse • Bearkat Booster Club Meeting Come meet the Bearkat
coaches at the Booster Club meeting Thursday, Aug. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the
school cafeteria. Yes, it’s that time again to make plans and get things
started. We are all very excited about the upcoming year and want you to be a
part of it. This is a great opportunity for parents and all the fans to get
acquainted with the coaching staff.
See you there! – Nancy Hillger • Meet the Bearkats Come show your school
spirit and support at the intramural football scrimmage on Friday, Aug. 18 (check
August newsletter for time) at the Garden City football field. After the
scrimmage there will be an introduction of the Bearkat coaching staff, high
school and junior high football players and managers, cheerleaders, twirlers,
cross country runners and the high school flag corps and band. All the
student participants are asked to bring a freezer of ice cream or cookies.
This is a community –wide event, and everyone is welcome. Sheriff’s Office Report
The following is a compilations of the
sheriff’s department activities for May and June: one non-traffic accident,
one injured; three advise complainant of rights; one alarm answered; three
ambulance/medical calls, three transported; three animal control calls; four
misdemeanor arrests; eleven assist motorist requests; two assist public
requests; one civil document served; two domestic disturbance calls; three
DWI arrests; four escorts provided, three oversized loads, one person; eight
fire department calls, two controlled, one vehicle, three utility poles, one
tank battery, one smoke; three hazardous material responses; sixty-three
loose livestock reports; one major motor vehicle accident, one injury; two
minor motor vehicle accidents; one person crime reported; nine property
crimes; two road hazards reported; one severe weather observation; three
suspicious person investigations; three suspicious vehicle investigations;
twenty-two traffic citations, eleven warnings; two welfare concerns reported. About This Publication The next issue will be Aug. 16. The deadline for that issue is Aug. 14. 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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