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Glasscock County News
Editor’s Note: Many thanks to the 19 of you who responded favorably to our request to switch to e-mail for your Glasscock County News! We now have a total of 106 online subscribers, and are hopeful that still more will make the change soon. You may do so by calling 354-2221, or by e-mailing us at GCNews201@aol.com, or by going to http://wscope.com/glasscock/form.htm
Water Tower Bid Accepted
Glasscock County Commissioners voted unanimously on Feb. 11 to accept a $289,800 bid for an elevated water storage tank for the Garden City Water System. The tank will be located on school property northwest of the track, and is to be paid for with a grant. The county will provide approximately $17,500 worth of in-kind work. The bid went to Caldwell Tanks, Inc. of Louisville, KY. The 180-foot-tall single-pedestal tank, looking something like a golf ball on a tee, will have a 50,000-gallon capacity. It will provide both water and pressure for water system users when there is no electricity for the pumps that ordinarily provide the system’s water. Engineer Steve Dennis of GSW and Associates said the tower would be designed to withstand a 100-mph wind load. Dennis said he had conferred with Commissioner Michael Hoch and School Superintendent Steve Long, and they decided the tank will be painted with “Garden City” at the top and “Bearkats” vertically down the pedestal, all in 3-to-5-foot lettering. He said there will not be enough room to include the Bearkat logo at the top. Commissioners cited better appearance and concerns for liability as the reasons for choosing the single pedestal tank rather than a four-legged type, which would cost $29,000 less, but would require the same amount in-kind work from the county. The single-pedestal tank will require no security fence around the base since it can’t be climbed from the outside. Access to the inside will be through a steel, heavily locked door. Paving Costs Estimated Engineer Dan Glass estimated the county’s 2002 paving program at $192,000. The program will pave seven miles of County Road 185 (est. $172,000) and the parking area around the Community Center (est. $20,000). Bids will be taken in March and paving will take place between June 1 and July 15. Commissioners delayed approving a certificate of completion for the Community Center because there is still a water leak in the wall between the bathrooms. County Treasurer Alan Dierschke said a safety inspector is concerned that the Community Center has no emergency lighting available if the building should need to be evacuated during an electrical failure. He said either safety lighting with battery-powered backup or an emergency generator is needed. Dierschke was asked to call architect Gary Vandergriff about the problem. Commissioners discussed the need for a public telephone in Garden City, but took no action. Months ago, the phone company Tel-Trust removed the phone near the old jail and the one inside Halfmann’s Store because they were not profitable to the company. County Judge Wilburn Bednar suggested making Warren Multer’s former office in the courthouse available for use by County Emergency Management Coordinator Kenny Batla and county commissioners. There was no disagreement with that suggestion. Bids for a new sheriff’s department car will be taken at the March court meeting. Commissioners discussed Glasscock County’s eligibility for 75-mph speed limits on its highways. Bednar said he has received no word from the Texas Department of Transportation regarding a possible change.
In The Spotlight
• Garden City’s Lady Kats basketball team will play for Bi-district against Ft. Hancock in Ft. Stockton Feb. 12. The Lady Kats and Iraan were District 8-1A co-champions. If the Lady Kats win the Feb. 12 game, they will meet the winner of Roby and Crosbyton game for the Area title on Feb. 15. If Roby is the opponent, the game will be played at 8 p.m. in Big Spring at the Dorothy Garrett Coliseum.
• Jason Wilde, who is majoring in computer engineering at Texas Tech University, was named to the President’s List in December with a 4.0 grade point average. A 2000 graduate of GCHS (who also plays in the Tech band), he is the son of Leroy and Jeanie Wilde.
• Kim Harp, a 1997 GCHS graduate, graduated cum laude from Angelo State University in December with a B.S. in education and a minor in kinesiology. She is the granddaughter of Virginia Hartley of Garden City and the daughter of Beverly Harp of Midland.
• Ashley Hirt showed the champion Hampshire in the junior breeding swine division at the recent San Antonio Livestock Exposition. She also received a $6,000 scholarship at that show.
• Kamie Schwartz has been named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2001 semester at West Texas A & M University with a 3.6 grade point average. A 1998 graduate of GCHS, she is a management major and a candidate for May graduation. She is the daughter of Floyd and Martha Schwartz.
Beef Cattle Workshop Set
From Texas Cooperative Extension Service
With the current factors affecting the cattle industry, it is imperative that cow-calf producers know how their operations are performing from both a production and financial standpoint. To assist ranchers in this regard, Texas Cooperative Extension is offering a Cow-Calf Standardized Performance Analysis (SPA) Workshop at the Texas A & M Research & Extension Center in Fort Stockton on May 15, beginning at 9 a.m. SPA facilitates the comparison of an operation's performance between years, producers, production regions, and production systems. At the workshop, ranchers will be assisted in completing their own analysis for their 2001 calf crop. Those who register for the workshop will be sent forms to help organize their data before the conference. Confidentiality of producers’ data will be maintained. Individual conferences will be held with producers and each ranch will be provided an assistant and use of a computer. It is important to register early so you can be advised on how to organize your data for the SPA analysis. The registration fee is $100 per ranch and includes software, educational materials, meal & refreshments. For additional information or to register, contact Bill Thompson, Extension Economist, at the Texas A&M Center in Fort Stockton, 915-336-8585.
Master Gardener Trainees Meet
By Mary Barfield
On Jan. 9 at the Community Center, Glasscock County Master Gardener Andrea Hillger provided a presentation to a group of Master Gardener trainees about the Junior Master Gardener program. It was started in January, 2001 and quickly grew to 31 participants from elementary age through high school. It is coordinated through the local 4-H club. Hillger focused on the proposed landscaping of the Community Center, which will use a design plan created and donated by Debbie Benge Frost, county Extension Agent-Horticulture Ector/Midland. Youth involved in the JMG program will be primarily responsible for implementing this design, using partial funding provided by a grant from the Dora Roberts Foundation of Big Spring. JoAnn Hillger provided information on plant and shade tree selections adapted to the South Plains area. The Master Gardener trainees discussed how they might apply the 250 hours of service required in their training to this and other projects in the county. Others attending the meeting were Bobbie McDaniel, Mary Jo Cope, Mary Barfield, Deanie Craft and Claudia Brown.
Briefly
• Correction: It was Ashley Hirt, not Erin Hirt, who showed the Reserve Grand Champion Swine at the Glasscock County Junior Livestock Show in January. We regret the error.
• Applications for the current Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) ranking period must be filed no later than March 29. Practices include brush control, livestock water facilities, terracing, waterways, and irrigation management. For more information, or to schedule an appointment for filing applications, call the FSA office, 354-2391. The Sterling County NRCS office may be contacted, toll-free, at 1-800-962-9369.
• Early voting begins Feb. 25 and ends on March 8 for the March 12 primary election. Locally, the only contested race is in the Republican primary, where Nell Zunker is challenging incumbent Alan Dierschke for the county treasurer’s position.
• GCISD’s school board changed its meeting from Feb. 11 to Feb. 18 due to conflicts with livestock shows. The rescheduled meeting will be covered in the March issue of theGlasscock County News.
• A beginning Emergency Medical Training class now has 10 members. Those who complete the training will become valuable volunteers for the local Emergency Medical Service.
• The third annual Stribling Art Extravaganza will be held Feb. 22--24 at Fort Concho in San Angelo. One hundred twenty artists and artisans will display more than 230 works in various media at the event, which benefits West Texas Rehabilitation Center. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 22 and 23; 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 24, and admission is free.
• Lana Hirt thanks the community for its support of the chicken dinner sale to benefit the 2002 Project Graduation.
County Sheriff Issues Appeal to Citizens
Responding to the increasing number of citizens wanting to assist in the fight against crime, Sheriff Royce Pruit is inviting Glasscock County citizens to become Associate Members of the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas. Membership appeals will go out in the mail shortly. Funding from dues provides technical resources, training and legislative support on criminal justice issues. In addition, dues will be used to support crime prevention and awareness programs, promote public safety, fight drug abuse, provide additional training for sheriffs and their deputies and provide scholarships for children of law enforcement officers. “With government funding increasingly difficult to secure, the Associate Membership drive is more important than ever before. The funding is vital to help us carry out our mission of making our communities safer places to live, work and play,” said Pruit. More information is available from the Sheriffs” Assoc. of Texas, 1601 S. IH-35, Austin, TX 78741, or www.txsheriffs.org
From the Schoolhouse
Coach Wesley Thanks Volunteers
I want to say “Thank you” to the many people who worked at this year’s powerlifting meet. Our judges were: Mike Hillger, Scotty Hillger, Justin Hillger, Steve Pelzel, Randy Schmitz and stand-by Michael Hoch. The people in charge of keeping the meet running by calling out names and numbers were: Doug Coats, Henry Chudej, Mark Frysak and Douglas Plagens. Those in charge of managing the weight cards at the table were: Nancy Hillger, Kathy Livingston, Pam Hughes, Micki Wesley, Amy Hoch and Darla Burks. Running the poster boards were Linda Frysak and Tibby Niehues. Students who helped were: Brecklyn Hughes, Jessica Hoch, Allison Jansa, Alicia Frysak, Kimberly Webb, Leslie Jansa, Anna Flores, Meagan Niehues and Angela Schraeder. The most physical job was the spotter/loader positions, manned by Cory Multer, Robert Lopez, Mitch Rider, Colby Hirt, Ryan Machicek, Justin Pierson, Ryan Alvarado, Jacob Schmitz, Landon Wesley and Spencer Plagens. I would like to say a special “Thanks” to our coaches, who give an endless supply of help. Brent Kirkland, Shana Kirkland and Johnny Willis were also judges at the meet. I would like to thank Robin Gray, the band and the parents for managing the concession stand and feeding the hungry. As with all events that we host at Garden City, it takes many volunteers to put on a first class meet. This community has been tremendous in helping host events and activities.
Wesley Details Booster Club Activities
The Bearkat Booster Club has been actively involved in many projects at the Garden City schools. During football season, the club sold spirit shirts, hats and other items to promote school and community unity. The boosters also built a huge sign for our team motto, “IRON WILL.” They also sponsored the beginning of a new era of the Bearkat Basketball Tournament. Many members worked long hours during that tournament, which raised thousands of dollars in concession stand sales. These proceeds have been used for paying for the players’ list boards, new matting along the walls and for a scorers’ table in the gymnasium. Many other projects need to be started and others paid for. We would like to construct a building between the tennis courts and track (one that would not blow over) to serve as a tennis center during our tennis meets and a scorers’ box during a track meet. We may also be able to use it to store track equipment. We encourage anyone interested to join the Bearkat Booster Club to help support our teams. About This Publication The next issue will be
March
13. The deadline for that issue is March 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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