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Glasscock County News
County to Take Bids for Center The Glasscock County
Commissioners’ Court reviewed final plans for a community center building at
its regular meeting March 12 and decided to advertise for bids. Bids for the
project will be opened and read aloud on April 10 at 2 p.m. in County Judge
Wilburn Bednar’s office. Gary Vandergriff, the project architect, will then
study the bids until April 17, at which time he will recommend to the court
the bidder he believes should be chosen. The court, which is not required to
follow his recommendation, will award the contract April 17. The septic system for
the building has been designed so that no additional property is necessary. A
septic line will run underground from the building to a drain field southwest
of the baseball field. Vandergriff said the drain field will be deep enough that
it will not interfere with parking outside the ball field. The septic tanks
will be buried outside the east fence of the ball field and a small area
there will be unavailable for parking. Vandergriff said if
necessary, some money could be saved by changing the kitchen equipment from
the planned “low-end commercial” grade to “household” grade, or by spending
less than planned for the public address system. But, he said he would not
personally authorize reducing the capacity of the septic system from that recommended
by an engineer in order to save money. Court Accepts Bid for Jail Roof The court went back to the original
bids of Feb. 12 for a new jail roof and voted unanimously to award the
contract to Coffman Roofing ($18,310 with a 10-year warranty). The other
bidder was Clifton Roofing, with an original bid of $31,000 and a seven-year
warranty, which was changed to $26,000, and a ten-year warranty at the March
12 court meeting. According to Bednar, David Higgins of Coffman
Roofing was not willing to change his original bid and bid the new specs as
drawn by Darrell Johnson of Clifton Roofing because Higgins felt the more
expensive changes were unnecessary, and would not provide the best roof for
the building. The court discussed three bids for a new sheriff’s
car, and decided to let Sheriff Royce “Booger” Pruit choose between the
lowest two, because of differences in equipment. The bids were: Bob Brock
Ford $22,341, Ivy Motor $22,392 and White Motor $23,300. Tisha Burnett is New
Jailer The court went into
closed session to discuss personnel and then voted unanimously to pay Tisha
Burnett $100 per month jailer’s salary. The court also agreed to pay her a
contract salary, for “services under the supervision of the sheriff.”
According to Dierschke, the contract salary is to be equal to her insurance
premium, the amount of which has not yet been determined. The court also voted
to do away with time sheets for employees of the sheriff’s department, since
that department is exempt from time sheets due to the number of employees.
However, Valeria Hoelscher and Nancy Hillger will continue to fill out time
sheets like other county employees (except elected officials), since they are
officially employees of the tax assessor-collector, not the sheriff. The court voted
unanimously to allow Cypert Garage to put a rebuilt engine into a fire truck,
based on his estimated cost of $13,583, assuming commissioners could clarify
a few points. The other estimate ($17,300) was from West Texas CAT. County Treasurer Alan
Dierschke was authorized to change the timing of the county’s health
insurance premium payments in order to meet deadlines with the Texas
Association of Counties. 1975 State Track Banner
Appreciated
Note: We
are happy to publish the following letter regarding a banner the Bearkat
Boosters recently installed in the school gym. The
unveiling of the 1975 State Track Championship Banner was a beautiful
tribute. Tears of emotion were suppressed by the overwhelming joy and pride
we as a team felt. The banner itself was very impressive in size, detail, and
professional appearance. I have every confidence that this display
will inspire others to strive to do the same. Perhaps a team will surpass it!
It’s amazing that a group of girls who ran in a pasture on a dirt bladed
track would achieve such a feat. Yes, we are proud Bearkats! From: Jan Hirt Bryson, Bandera, TX Briefly
• The
2000 census puts Glasscock County’s population at 1,406, down 41 (2.8 percent)
since the 1990 census. • The Senior
Citizens will meet March 20 at 3 p.m. for games and snacks. The April 3rd
meeting will be a fish fry and members are asked to bring dishes to
compliment the fish. • The
Norman and Kathy Kohls family express their gratitude to all their friends
in Glasscock County for the floral tributes, memorials, calls and cards. They
write, “The tragic loss of Marvin and Virginia is bearable through the
strength of our friends.” • A
garage sale
to benefit the First Baptist Church Youth Group will be held at BK Customs
(NE of Halfmann’s) in Garden City March 23 (2 to 6 p.m.) and March 24 (8 a.m.
to 6 p.m.) To donate usable items, call Bro. Al Stiefer at 354-2437. • A
weather spotter training class will be taught by the National Weather
Service April 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the school cafeteria. Call Pat Vesper at
915/563-5006, ext. 223 for more information. • Thanks
to EMT’s I want to
express my thanks to our EMT’s for taking such good care of me on my ride in
the ambulance to the hospital. Your response to my 911 call was very quick.
Thank you for the wonderful job you do, and the caring all of you show. It
sure makes a person feel good.
Sincerely, Nelda Carstensen • A
senior class versus parents and faculty basketball game will be held March 20
at 6 p.m. in the local gym to benefit Project Graduation 2001. During
halftime, kindergarten through fifth grade students will perform basketball
drills. Admission is $1 and a concession stand will be available. Come enjoy
the entertainment! • Editor’s
Note: If you want to continue to receive the Glasscock County News, you must let us know of any changes in
addresses, whether postal or e-mail. Send changes to P.O. Box 98, Garden
City, TX 79739 or e-mail them to
gcnews201@aol.com. • Sign-up
for the school board election ends March 21, with the election May 5. Mike
Hillger’s and Tibby Niehues’ terms are expiring. • This
month’s school board meeting, which was changed from March 12 to March 19,
will be covered in the April GC News. EQIP
Sign-up Continues through March
Sign-up for the current Environmental
Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) will end March 30. Applications received
after this date will not be considered during this period. Practices include (but
are not limited to) brush control, livestock water facilities, terracing,
waterways and irrigation management practices such as drip irrigation and
underground pipes. These are not the only practices available, so if you have
a specific conservation need, contact your Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) office. Some specifics of the
EQIP program are: individuals must be engaged in a livestock operation or
crop production; conservation plans must address conservation needs for a
minimum of 5 years; USDA will cost-share up to 75 percent of the cost of
eligible practices; participants must agree to begin at least one cost-shared
practice within 12 months; all practices must be installed to NRCS
specifications and cost shares are limited to a maximum of $50,000 per
“person.” If you want to file an
application, call for an appointment at the local Farm Service Agency,
354-2391, or the Sterling City NRCS office, 1/800-962-9369. Chicken Dinners Available
Project graduation
will provide barbecued chicken dinners Sunday, April 1. Students will be calling to take orders between
March 15-22. If you are not called and want to order, call Karen Halfmann,
535-2236. Prices are: chickens
$6, quart of pinto beans $2, pint of cole slaw $2, pint of barbecue sauce $2. Orders will be
available for pickup at the ambulance barn in Garden City or the St. Lawrence
Hall April 1 at 11:30 a.m. Orders will also be delivered to Midkiff. The
graduating class and parents appreciate your support. In The Spotlight • Ed and Helen Bryans, former Garden City
residents, celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary March 14. The Bryans, who now live in Roswell, New
Mexico, have two children, Jenny Lynn and Edward Jr., six grandchildren and
nine great grandchildren. • Caryl Wilde graduated from Angelo State University December 15,
2000 with a Masters in Education as a reading specialist. The daughter of
Floyd and Sandra Wilde, she teaches in the San Angelo ISD. • The local FSA office was one of 20 offices statewide to receive a
distinguished service award. (See story below) • Garden City’s 5th and 6th grade boy’s team placed first in the
Big Spring Youth Basketball League.
Members of the team are Jared
Bradford, Doug Cmerek, Jason Flores, Alex Halfmann, Cade Halfmann, Evan
Jansa, Sam Long, J. R. Medrano, Taylor Niehues and Colton Schwartz. The team, coached by Rory Niehues and
Jesse Flores, had a 7 – 0 season. • The Garden City 5th and 6th grade girl’s team, with a record of
6 – 0, finished first in the Big Spring Youth League. Members of the team are Kristen Buzbee, Erin Hirt, Julie Hirt, Amy
Multer, K’Lann Niehues, Chasity Olguin, Lauren Plagens, Halie Schaefer, Katie
Schmitz and Marissa Schwartz. Duane Hirt coaches the team. FSA Office Wins State Award Glasscock County’s
Farm Service Agency staff was recently recognized for its “Outstanding
service and tireless dedication in assisting local farmers and ranchers
during the 1999 and 2000 program years,” according to A. Wayland Shurley, FSA
State Executive Director. The local office was one of 20 offices statewide to
receive the distinguished service award. Shurley said, “FSA has
sustained a 30 percent reduction in staffing over the past decade while
program payment distribution to producers has doubled since 1995. Glasscock
County is fortunate to have reliable, effective and efficient USDA program
delivery provided by a dedicated staff.” Glasscock County’s
program payments in 2000 were in excess of $9 million and in 1999, the local
office paid more than $12 million, six percent of the total issued by FSA
offices statewide. Direct payments to Texas producers for 1999 and 2000
totaled $4.1 billion. In those two years, approximately 700 FSA county office
employees processed an average of 1,000 payments per employee. The local FSA staff
consists of Program Technicians Janet Braden and Karla Hoelscher, part-time
employee Barbara Halfmann and County Executive Director John Mark Kinnibrugh. Highway
Construction Nears Completion
Rodney Tucker, with
the Texas Department of Transportation, told the Glasscock County
Commissioners’ Court, meeting in special session March 5, that work on
Highway 158 through Garden City should be completed by March 19. Tucker said for a
period of 90 days, a horticulturist would look after the trees TXDOT has
planted along the roadway, and supervise their watering. After that time, the
county’s designated person (probably Susie Hillger) will be responsible for
the tree’s watering and the county will be responsible for the their
maintenance. An automated watering system for the trees is in place, and is
connected to the city water supply. The control box for the watering system
is located in a pump house on the courthouse square. Tucker said a local
school board member had asked that the school zone on Highway 158 be
lengthened to include the area in front of the convenience store. He said
that matter is out of his hands, but if TXDOT should approve lengthening the
zone, it is unlikely that any change could be made before next year. County Census May Require Redistricting Paul Palmer, with
Allison, Bass and Associates of Austin, met with the court for a preliminary
discussion of possible redistricting of the county, which could move precinct
lines. Whether redistricting will be necessary will not be known until final
results of the 2000 census are available, possibly by April 1. If existing
precincts provide correct numbers of voters to achieve proper balances, no
redistricting will be necessary. The court held a
closed session to discuss personnel; no action was taken. Newsletter Help Appreciated Many thanks are in
order to several folks whose valuable work behind the scenes makes the Glasscock County News possible. Mary Jo Cope not only
covers several meetings each month and proofreads; she also does the computer
work, which puts the News online so
that 85 of our 470 subscribers can access it via the internet. Scott Cope
generously provides and maintains the newsletter’s website. Laura Huitt
provides our mailing labels, and helps keep the mailing list current. Carmen
Johnson’s contribution is a catch-all one, which includes writing, editing,
proofing, formatting and tracking finances. And special thanks go to our
Midland friends Ethel Trotter, Marion Axe and Kay Gilstrap, who provide
much-needed help each month with folding, stapling and labeling. About This Publication The next issue will be April 11. The deadline
for that issue is April 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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