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Glasscock County News
County Accepts Paving Bid The
Glasscock County Commissioners’ Court on June 11 accepted the Van Zant
Company’s bid of $149,027 for its 2001 paving project of six miles and some
seal coating on older pavement. Van
Zant also had the low price of $13,152 in a companion bid for paving at the
school. The other bids were from Jones Bros. in the amounts of $158,175 for
the county’s work and $17,095 for the school’s. County Engineer Dan Glass
reported that Commissioner Michael Hoch had agreed to do the patching
necessary prior to the school’s paving. Hoch and Commissioner Mark Halfmann
were not present at the meeting. County
Judge Wilburn Bednar reported that the lawsuit brought against the county by
Elida Sepeda in 1995 was recently settled out of court for $30,000. Bednar
said he was unhappy with the settlement. He said when the insurance company
lawyer, working on the county’s behalf, told him they planned to settle with
Sepeda out of court, Bednar said, “Well, don’t give her very much, because we
don’t owe her anything.” The suit stemmed from an accident in which a car driven
by Sepeda, a mail carrier, collided with caliche piled on Overton Road, 2
miles west of Highway 87. County
Treasurer Alan Dierschke said that possible litigation between Eckerd Drug
and West Texas Rural Counties (of
which Glasscock County is a part) is on hold pending an auditor’s report to
the judge regarding WTRC’s financial condition. He said another hearing in
the matter is set for Aug. 8.
Dierschke said WTRC has filed suit against each of its member counties
to be sure they honor agreements to pay their own insurance claims. The
court agreed with Commissioner Jimmy Strube that enough money has been spent
on repairs on a county pickup, and that it should be traded in on another.
Strube said he thought he could find an early 1990’s model with a Cummings
diesel engine for $8,000. The
court briefly discussed a Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission
survey regarding illegal dumping, and Bednar said he would complete and
return it. The
court discussed the possibility of having old tires, now held at the county
barn, chopped into quarters so they would take less space when disposed of in
the county’s landfill. Discussions
of an emergency warning system and of a water planning group were tabled, as
was an annual report to the Texas Department of Transportation regarding
county road mileage.
In
The Spotlight
• M’Lynn Niehues, Ryan Batla and Summer Eoff were presented the University
Interscholastic League Scholar Award during the graduation ceremony May
24. The award is presented to seniors
who graduate in the top 10 percent of their class and who have participated
in at least one UIL academic, music or athletic contest. The purpose of the award is to honor those
students whose academic and extracurricular achievements have been exemplary. •
Lindsey Chudej has been
selected to attend the National Young Leaders Conference from June 17 to June
27 in Washington, D.C. The NYLC is a
leadership development program for high school students who have demonstrated
leadership potential and scholastic merit. Lindsey, the daughter of Henry and
Shelley Chudej, will be among 350 students attending the conference. School Hires Five New Staff Members The
Glasscock County ISD Board of Trustees offered one-year, probationary
contracts to five new employees at its meeting June 11. Robin Gray was hired
as the band director, Jerry Cannon will be the new technology director/math
teacher, Terry Jones was hired as the industrial arts teacher, Jill Tubb will
be an English/communications teacher, and Stacey Jones will teach Spanish
half-time. Gray,
who has a Master’s in music from Mississippi State University, has been
teaching in Mortin, MS. Terry Jones has been teaching in Fredericksburg for a
year after attending Odessa College and receiving his degree from Wayland
Baptist. Stacey Jones attended Sul Ross and has a degree from Angelo State.
Tubb is a first-year teacher from Angelo State, and Cannon has been at Rule
ISD for several years. Larry
Bradford is retiring as the industrial arts teacher after 30 years of
employment with the district. Local Bank is New
Depository Trustees
selected Glasscock County Bank, a branch of First National Bank of Sterling
City, as the school district’s depository. The decision marks the first time
in many years that the district’s funds will not at State National Bank of
Big Spring. A depository is selected every two years. The board had no
problems with State National, citing years of good relations, and State
National’s bid included one-fourth of one percent higher interest rates,
which would mean approximately $6,000 more in interest annually. However,
several board members cited the local bank’s involvement in the community,
local jobs it creates and the $2,000 scholarship it awards each year to a
GCHS graduate. School Superintendent Steve Long said, “In a small town, the
more you take out, the less chance you have of survival.” Saying it was a
hard decision, the board decided that with interest rates so nearly the same,
the school’s money should remain in the county. State National’s John Currie said he would assist in making the
transition a smooth one. Elevated Water Tower
on School Property The
board considered two sites for location of a 185-foot elevated water tower,
which will belong to the Garden City Water System, but be located on school
property at the request of Engineer Steve Dennis. Dennis’ first choice was a location just west of Ruth Cook’s
house, north of the tennis courts; his second choice was northwest of the
track. Long said the tower would be located far enough back so that cars can
still drive around the north side of the track. The board chose the site
northwest of the track and approved locating the tower there pending further
clarifications regarding fence height and indemnity from liability. The
board discussed the 2001 school calendar, but postponed final approval until
its next meeting. As it is now planned, school would start Aug. 16 and fall
holidays would be on Sept. 3, Oct. 8, Nov 21-23 and Dec. 21-31. Spring
holidays would be Jan. 1-4, March 11-15, March 29 and April 1, and school
will end May 30. In-service days for teachers would be Aug. 9-15, Dec. 20,
and May 31. Long said that next year’s calendar will have
some changes, since by state law, school cannot begin until Aug. 21, 2002. Head
Start Program Explained Elementary
School Principal Brad Jones explained that the Head Start program accepts
4-year-olds who qualify by income level. Sometimes, they ask for a few
3-year-olds if they do not have the minimum number (17) of 4-year-olds. He
said there are sometimes slots for a few “over-income” kids. Parents should
call him if they are interested in the program. Jones said Head Start is a
federally funded program, and while the local school houses it, we don’t pay
any of the expenses, even for out-of-county students. The school gets paid
one-half the regular weighted average daily attendance (WADA) per child in
the Head Start program, Jones said. He said a locally funded Pre-K program is
required if a minimum of 15 kids qualify, and we now have 13. Early Childhood (Special Ed) programs, if
needed, are also locally funded. Jones
reported that there are 23 students in summer school, all
teacher-recommended, and that it is going well. Price
of Food May Go Up Long
said that cafeteria manager Kay Chandler is examining cafeteria costs, and
the school is considering charging extra for the salad bar if it is in
addition to the lunch line. The
school’s estimated tax valuations for the next fiscal year are $461 million,
up from this year’s $330 million, Long said. He will be searching for ways to
keep more tax money in the district. “We owe it to ourselves to look at all
options,” he said. Long
reported that renovations and painting of property and reorganization of
school housing is in progress and that two new busses have been ordered. The
board endorsed Price Robinson of Greenwood as the Texas Association of School
Board’s representative from Region 18. Briefly
• A tennis camp will be held in Garden City from June
18 – 22. Campers 4 – 8 years old will
play from 9 to 11 a.m. and those 9 – 14 years old will play from 9 a.m. to 12
p. m. Registration forms are
available at Halfmann’s General Store, and for more information, call the
Midland College Tennis Center, 687-4046. • Vacation Bible School at the First Baptist Church will be
June 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come join the fun while enjoying the Alligator
hop, and hop till you drop. For more
information call Suzie Hillger, 354-2254 or Brother Al Stiefer, 354-2437. •
Two football camps will be
held this summer, according to Wade Wesley.
For grades 3 – 6, the camp will be June 26 – 29 from 8
a.m. to 12 p.m. For grades 7 – 9,
sessions will be July 9 – 12 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The cost is $25 per
camper, and includes a T-shirt. Send
registration to: Coach Wade Wesley, P.
O. Box 115, Garden City, TX 79739 or call him at 354-2679. • GCHS cheerleaders will
hold a car wash Friday,
July 13, beginning at 9 a.m. in front of the courthouse. The price will be
$10 per vehicle and donations are accepted. • A mini-cheerleading
camp will be held
later in the summer. Enrollment forms will be available at Halfmann’s General
Store and the post office and must be turned in by July 31. For more information, call Brecklyn
Hughes, 354-2694. •
Gerald Dean “Jack” Hartley
died June 6 and was buried in the Garden City Cemetery. Hartley was born in
1925 in Valparaiso, Indiana. He retired from Southwestern Bell after 30 years
service, and engaged in ranching and farming in Glasscock County. He is
survived by his wife, Virginia, two daughters, Jerry Hartley and Beverly
Hartley Harp, and five grandchildren. UIL Banquet Honors Students Garden
City High School recently honored students for their accomplishments in
sports and academics at its annual University Interscholastic League Banquet.
In track, outstanding athletes for the various events were: Michelle Fuchs
and Cornelius Koethler, cross country; Michelle Fuchs and Justin Hillger,
runners; M’Lynn Niehues and Kendall Goodwin, field events. Outstanding tennis
players were Collene Cox and Summer Eoff, girls’ doubles; Max Batla and
Brandon Bednar, boys’ doubles; Linda Branham, girls’ singles and Roger
Alvarado, boys’ singles. The outstanding power lifter was Anthony Talamantes. Outstanding
football players were: Kyle Kight and Brandon Schraeder, linemen; Justin
Hillger and Julio Talamantes, offensive players and Anthony Wheat, defensive
player. Outstanding offensive basketball players were M’Lynn Niehues, Justin
Hillger and Kendall Goodwin; outstanding defensive basketball players were
Collene Cox, Ryan Batla and Erik Halfmann. Ryan
Batla and M’Lynn Niehues won the Kat’s Paw Awards; Justin Hillger and Summer
Eoff won the Fighting Heart Awards, and the UIL Student Awards went to Ryan
Batla and M’Lynn Niehues. The band’s
John Philip Sousa Award went to Dana Wilde. Top
Student Awards went to Daniel Martinez, math; Lucy Gonzalez, foreign
language; M’Lynn Niehues, science; Ryan Batla, social studies; Anthony Wheat,
shop; and M’Lynn Niehues, English. July
4 Celebration Scheduled The
Glasscock County 4-H Adult Leaders Association is sponsoring a Fourth of July
Celebration. Activities will begin between 2 and 3 p.m. at the St. Lawrence
Hall and will include volleyball, horseshoes and domino competitions, an ice
cream freeze-off, water fun for smaller kids, and a hamburger supper. Entry
fees will be charged at a price to be announced. Plan to bring the family and
share in the celebration. There
are tentative plans for a fireworks display and a dance (disc jockey) to
conclude the evening, but these plans have not been finalized. More
information will be available later from signs posted throughout the
community. For more information call Cecilia Schwartz, Karla Hoelscher, or
the county extension office. Information You Can Use • To request that
your name and address be removed from mailing lists, write to the following
address: Mail
Preferences Services Direct
Marketing Association PO
Box 9008 Farmingdale,
NY 11735-9008 • To remove your name and
phone number from telemarketing lists, write to: Mail
Preferences Services Direct
Marketing Association PO
Box 9014 Farmingdale, NY
11735-9014 • To place a free ad for your Glasscock
County business on the county’s web page, go to: www.glasscockcountytx.com and complete the registration form. About This Publication The next issue will be July 11. The deadline for
that issue is July 9. 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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