County Votes to Buy Water Truck
At its meeting March 10, the Glasscock County Commissioners’ Court voted to accept a $32,500 bid from Anderson Trucks of Edmond, Oklahoma for a 1990 water truck. The vote was three for, with County Judge Wilburn Bednar not voting and Commissioner Mark Halfmann absent. The truck holds 4,000 gallons, has 90,000 miles showing on a broken speedometer, a 9-speed transmission, air and power steering.
Dennis Fuchs asked the court to alleviate a problem, which causes New Year’s Eve dances at the St. Lawrence Hall to sometimes be in violation of state liquor control laws. He explained that dance, which is sometimes held on a weekday, lasts until
12:30 a.m., and liquor laws state that public consumption of alcohol must end at 12:15 a.m. on weekdays, and 1:15 a.m. on weekends. The court subsequently voted to make Glasscock County Precinct One an “Extended Hours Area,” which by state law allows alcohol consumption until 2:15 a.m. any day of the week in that area. The vote was three for, Bednar not voting, and Halfmann absent.
Bednar reported the Glasscock County Animal Protection Association recently donated $5,300 to the county for assistance in funding predator control.
Court Invites Cap Rock Energy to Community Center; Supports Its Regulation
The court voted to invite Cap Rock Energy to hold its annual meeting at the Community Center in Garden City. The court also voted to “Support a resolution to regulate Cap Rock Energy so they are treated the same as all other investor-owned utilities.” (A letter from the county court to Sen. Troy Fraser regarding Cap Rock Energy is on p.2.)
County Treasurer Alan Dierschke reported that the county will soon make a community center bond payment, which will be $110,000 for principal and $16,585 for interest, leaving a loan balance of $510,000, which he said should be paid off in four more years.
The court discussed ambulance run stipends for emergency medical volunteers and agreed that if they are paid stipends, the county should also pay the state certification fee (approximately $100 each), which is waived for unpaid volunteers. Billing one’s Medicare or other medical insurance for ambulance runs was also discussed. No action was taken in either of these matters, but they will be on the court’s agenda next month.
Bednar Suggests Central Heat/Air for Courthouse
Stating that the courthouse hallways were extremely cold for a few days recently, Bednar asked if the commissioners would like him to check into central air conditioning and heating for the building. He said the state historical commission has been allocated $3 million for courthouse restoration this year instead of the $50 million it got last year, and that it may be a long time before the local courthouse gets funded for restoration.
There was no response, except for Commissioner Hugh Schafer, who joked that the original fireplaces in the courthouse should be put back in use, and those who work there would just have to “tough up.”
Bednar said Kirby Hartman, a roofer, is to have price estimates soon for a new courthouse roof.