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Glasscock County News
Court Discusses Conflict Between Sheriff’s Department and EMS The
Glasscock County Commissioners’ Court on Nov.13 again discussed problems
involving the Glasscock County Sheriff’s Department and the local Emergency
Medical Service. Commissioner Mark Halfmann and County Treasurer Alan
Dierschke related details of a recent incident when a county ambulance went
out on a 911 emergency call, and was unable to contact local law enforcement
for assistance. Specifically,
Dierschke said the ambulance driver needed directions for finding a residence
on Highway 87 in the northeast part of the county. Dierschke said the incident took place
about 8 p.m. on a weeknight and that there was no response from county law
enforcement to numerous telephone and radio calls from EMS personnel. The
ambulance driver was finally able to get the phone number of the residence
from the 911 service in Stanton, called the residence and got directions to
the house. Dierschke said Constable LeRoy Hoelscher responded later via
radio. Commissioner
Michael Hoch said Sheriff Pruit was out of the county on family medical
matters; one deputy was out of the county on vacation, and the other deputy
was at a Cub Scout meeting at the local Senior Citizens’ Center. No one on the county court could say
for sure whether deputies carry cell phones and/or portable radios outside
their cars. EMS
Cites Lack of Support; May Quit Halfmann
said EMS volunteers have felt for some time that local law enforcement
personnel make little effort to support and to work with them. In that
regard, he said a group of three EMS volunteers met with Sheriff Pruit
several days prior to the recent incident in order to voice their concerns
and to ask that Pruit take steps in his department to improve the situation.
Halfmann said Pruit told the group that he would look into the matter. Halfmann and Dierschke both reported
that EMS volunteers have said they will turn in their pagers and will no
longer respond to emergency calls if there is another incident in which they
are not supported by local law enforcement. Dierschke said, “If the present
situation continues, the county will soon have no emergency medical service.
Too much is being asked of EMS volunteers.” County Judge Wilburn Bednar said, “I am
sympathetic to the volunteers; they get no pay, they do lots of training and
work, and then are hassled and get no cooperation.” Meeting
Set to Discuss Problems Commissioner
Jimmy Strube said, “We just keep talking about this problem and it doesn’t
get any better. We need to do something soon, not just let it brew.” Although
the commissioners’ court has no direct jurisdiction over the sheriff’s
department, commissioners decided that the court should ask that all parties
involved attend a special commissioners’ court meeting for the purpose of
airing differences and solving problems. That meeting will be Monday, Nov. 27,
at 9 a.m. in the courthouse. Interested community members are encouraged to
attend. County Misses Courthouse Funding The
Texas Historical Commission chose 28 counties from a pool of 73 applicants to
receive grant money to improve their aging historical courthouses. Those
selected will share nearly $7 million. Glasscock County did not receive a
grant in this round, but will apply again when funding is available,
according to Glasscock County Historical Committee Member Mary Jo Cope. Alan Dierschke, also of the Glasscock
County Historical Committee, said the county’s two grant applications were
hand-delivered to the state historical commission by personnel from the Klein
architectural firm in Fredericksburg. He said state people mistakenly marked
the two applications as if they were one, and only the application for the
old jail (the least likely to be
funded) was scored. Area counties chosen for grants were
Concho, Jeff Davis and Val Verde. “We had an overwhelming response,” said
Larry Oaks, executive director of the commission. “Our goal. . .was to assist
as many counties as we could with the funds that remained. The need is so
great that we presently have 99 counties needing more than $201 million for
courthouse restoration projects.” Oaks said his agency will ask lawmakers
to allocate another $100 million to $200 million next year. More information about the program is
on the commission’s Web site at www.thc.state.tx.us. In The Spotlight •
Michelle Fuchs won a bronze
medal with a career-best third-place finish in the Class A Division of the state
UIL Cross-Country Championships.
Michelle, a senior, is the daughter of Dennis and Barbara Fuchs. •
The Garden City Bearkat Band,
under the direction of Ladene Hartin, recently received a Division 1 rating
at the University Interscholastic League marching contest at Ratliff Stadium
in Odessa. It is the Bearkat Band’s first Division 1 rating in many years,
possibly the first ever! •
Cassie Hirt, of Mrs.
Multer’s first grade class, was selected as the K-3 Student of the Month, and
Wade Jansa, of Mrs. Kujawski’s
fifth grade class was chosen from grades 4 - 6. James Branham was chosen as the Junior High Student of the Month,
and Guillermia Tenario was
selected from the high school. Local Voters
Elect Bush, Schafer; Set $1.30 School Tax Rate In
the Nov. 7 General Election, there was no hint locally of the close national
presidential vote, as Texas Governor George W. Bush captured 528 (92 percent)
of the county’s 571 votes. The percentage for Bush was the highest in the
nation, bringing both state and national media attention to Glasscock County. Al
Gore received 39 votes, Ralph Nader 3, and Pat Buchanan 1 vote in the county.
Seventy-three percent of the county’s 783 registered voters cast ballots in
the election. Incumbent
County Commissioner Hugh Schafer won re-election in Precinct Three over
write-in challenger Gary Jones by a margin of 77 to 69. By
a vote of 311 for and 177 against, county voters approved a school tax rate
of $1.30 per $100. Had the election
failed, the rate would have been $1.19 The
school tax rate vote by precinct: Precinct One 61 for, 31 against; Precinct
Two 49 for, 28 against; Precinct Three 26 for, 50 against; Precinct Four 46
for, 5 against; Early Voting 129 for, 63 against; there were two unmarked
ballots. County
Supports NRCS Employee Here At
the request of Clifford Hoelscher of the St. Lawrence Cotton Growers, the
Glasscock County Commissioners’ Court agreed Nov. 13 to write the Natural
Resources Conservation Service in support of placing an NRCS employee in
Glasscock County. After
discussion, the court decided to send a contract for seismic work on 160
acres of county property to attorney Lanny Hamby for review before approving
it. The property in question is at the location of the west dump ground. The
seismic work is being done in a 144 square mile area west and south/southwest
of Garden City by Western Geophysical for Enron. Western is paying $7.50 per
acre, according to Western representative Walt Mitchell. The
court passed a resolution allowing Western to run seismic lines in
bar-ditches beside county roads, providing that mineral owners of the
adjacent property have given their approval, and providing any damages to
county water lines or roads are repaired. The
court rejected a lease proposal from A. Nunley, acting for his mother. The
lease would have allowed the county to use
one-fourth block southeast of the courthouse for parking for a term of
36 months at a cost of $200 per month, plus other stipulations. Commissioners
voted to pursue purchasing town lots east of the post office, regardless of
whether they would be used for parking or some other purpose. County
Treasurer Alan Dierschke reported that the county has not yet received the $176,000
it is due from West Texas Rural Counties, its former insurer. He said since
approximately $50,000 in medical claims will have to be paid from these
monies, the county will probably only realize $120,000. Dierschke
also reported that Tax Assessor-Collector Royce Pruit delayed sending notices
of taxes due until after the school’s tax vote Nov. 7, so the county is later
than usual in receiving tax funds. He estimates that the county will have
only $76,000 by the end of December, and said commissioners should delay any
large expenditures until after Jan. 1. In
other matters, Precinct One Commissioner Jimmy Strube suggested that the tank
off an old fire truck in St. Lawrence be re-worked to become a used oil
disposal container and be located at the county’s west dump, where it can be
monitored. He said the disposal containers located at Rhonda’s in St.
Lawrence should be removed, since they are leaking and a mess. (There is also
a used oil disposal at the county barn on County Road 415.) On
Nov. 14, the court canvassed the votes from the Nov. 7 election, and found no
irregularities. Wanda Forbis, Glasscock County Election Deputy, complimented
the election judges, calling them “good and conscientious.” The court in turn
praised Forbis for her consistently good work. A
tentative job description for an emergency management coordinator was
reviewed again at the Nov. 14 meeting. But the court wants all county
emergency volunteers to have input regarding the job description, including
the two volunteer fire departments, and so postponed approving the job
description. Water District Discusses Policies The Glasscock County
Underground Water Conservation District’s Board of Directors discussed adding
a Director and Employee Policy at its regular meeting Oct. 17, but postponed
action on the matter. District Manager
Rick Harston reported that the district will be prepared for the possible
future annexation of Upton and part of Midland County. But he and the board
agreed there will be no annexation unless the people in those areas want it. Harston said there
was a recent near-miss involving a cloud-seeding plane and a transmission
tower that didn’t show on the plane’s map. He said there is a need for more
stringent rules about what height towers are required to be shown on maps. There is no good
data on the results of the weather modification project, Harston said.
“Results are hard to prove,” he said, but he hopes future data will be
better. The District will
again pay one-fourth of the cost of an apartment in Austin while the state
legislature is in session. The apartment is shared by Harston and three other
men during that time, and he says it is far cheaper than a motel room. Briefly
• A meeting of
the local sheriff’s department,
county commissioners’ court, and emergency medical service volunteers
and is to be held Monday, Nov. 27 at 9
a.m. in the courthouse. The purpose of the meeting is to identify and
solve problems between EMS volunteers and law enforcement. The public is encouraged to attend. •
The Senior Citizens will
meet Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. Food Chairman Bobbie McDaniel says the menu is turkey
and ham, so bring salads, desserts or vegetables to complement the meats.
Singles are to bring two gifts for bingo, and couples should bring three
gifts. Gifts should be in the $10 bracket. Due to the Christmas holidays,
there will only be one meeting in December. • Junior member Kevin
Hillger placed first in Nutritious Snacks at the District Six 4-H Food
Show Nov. 11 in Fort Stockton, and junior member Lauren Wheeler placed third in Main Dish. Other participants in the Junior Show were
Whitney Kellermeier and Kaci Coats. Senior member Angela Schraeder placed third in
Nutritious Snacks and Darren Hillger
participated in Main Dish. • The GCHS Senior Class is
sponsoring a bake sale at the basketball game Nov. 21 to benefit Project
Graduation. This is your chance to stock up on baked goods for Thanksgiving! •
The Community Center Building
Committee will meet Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 9 a.m. in the courthouse. •
Quality rain gauges are
available at the Underground Water District Office for $25. •
The local 4-H Club is
taking donations to the Crisis Closet
in Big Spring until Nov. 21 (and later, if necessary). Non-perishable food,
bedding, and linens are especially needed. Take donated items to the county
extension office in the courthouse. • A closed school campus will
remain in effect at least until the December school board meeting, by vote of
the GCISD Board of Trustees Nov. 9. The vote was 5 – 2, with board members
Tina Flores and Tibby Niehues opposed. •
Hugh Schafer appreciates
the support of those who recently elected him to another term as County
Commissioner, Precinct 3. From the Schoolhouse
Cross-Country
Meets Michelle Fuchs took the bronze medal in the Class A
Division at the UIL State Championships Nov. 11. Paced by Fuchs, the Lady Bearkats placed sixth as a team. The
team had advanced to the state championship meet led by Fuchs, who placed
first at the Region 1-A meet. In winning the District 8-1A
cross-country meet, the Lady Kats were paced by individual champion Michelle Fuchs with a time of
12:07.5. Three others placed in the
top 10 individually: M’Lynn Niehues
was third, while Jessica Hoch and Allison Jansa finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Adding to the team totals, Anna Flores finished 17th and Leslie Jansa finished 25tth
in a field of 56 competitors. The boys’ team finished third in
district competition, making them eligible for the regional meet. Team members are Samuel Sanchez, Anthony
Hoelscher, Roger Alvarado, Kendall Goodwin, and Brandon Bednar. Fund
Raiser for Reading Program This year, we are raising money to
purchase the incentives for our supplemental reading program, the Accelerated
Reader, through a fund raising program called General Mills Box Tops for
Education. Our school gets 10 cents
for each Box Top we collect. The more
we collect, the more cash we earn.
Our goal is to raise $250 by March 31st. This simple fundraiser requires no door-to-door selling by the
children and it costs nothing to become involved. We would like to encourage the entire community to help by
saving General Mills Box Tops for Education. This year, General Mills has expanded
the Box Tops for Education program to include Betty Crocker products. That means the Box Tops will be available
on over 330 General Mills products! If everyone saves Box Tops, the cash
will add up quickly and we will easily reach our goal. We may even surpass it! Please help support the students in the
community. There are collection boxes
available at Halfmann’s General Store, the Glasscock County Bank, and the
Senior Citizens Center, along with our main collection here at the school. Thank
you for your support. Charles
Clarke, Program Coordinator Partial
Basketball Schedules
About This Publication The next issue will be Dec. 13. The deadline for
that issue is Dec. 11. 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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