DISD Board of Trustees Election In May

The Dumas ISD Board of Trustees consists of seven members elected to serve a three year term.  Joe Ballard, Kevin Weatherford and Brent Clark are scheduled for the election in May.  Ballard and Weatherford both completed their application for a place on the ballot for full three year terms.   Clark is currently completing the remainder of the 2010-2011 school year for former board member Len Sheets and has indicated he is planning on running for the remaining one year unexpired term.  The last day to file for a place on the ballot is Monday, March 14th, and the last day for unregistered voters to register for this election is Thursday, April 14th.  Early voting will run from May 2nd through May 10th, with Election Day scheduled for Saturday May 14th.

Persons who are interested to applying for a place on the ballot for the school board election should contact the Dumas ISD Superintendent’s Office at 935-6461 or come by the Administration Building at 4th & Miller.

Pictures of Fire From Two Different Counties

Smoke that caused Fritch Highway to be closed
Picture taken by Melissa Robertson

Kim Robins took this picture near Four Way around 7 p.m. on 2-27-11

Can You Help

A local business owner had one of her employee here in Dumas tell about parents and family losing their house and had no time to grab a thing - everyone is safe - she has a 8th grader sister and a sophomore brother - they go to River Road - if you have anything -take it the Family Fun Fitness center north of town and they will make arrangements to get it to the family that lost everything.  Call 934-4405

Branch 64 Of Dumas Hochheim Prairie Insurance Offers Scholarships

The Hochheim Prairie Farm Mutual Insurance Branch 64 provides scholarships to encourage students residing within the Moore County school districts to seek education beyond high school at an accredited college or trade school. Branch 64 of Hochheim Prairie Farm Mutual will award three scholarships for 2012 at $500 each.

Here's how to apply:

See your school counselor or click the link for the application now. 
Hochheim Scholarship Application

Deadline to apply is April 23, 2012.

You can find out more about Hochheim Prairie Insurance by calling Kirk Pope at Stidham Insurance 200 E. First St.  Call 806-935-4191

Congressman Thornberry Speaks In Dumas, Texas

Thursday Mac Thornberry spoke to an audience at Amarillo College who came to have coffee and hear what Mac had to say about what he is working on this year.  Congressman Thornberry also wanted to hear what the good people of Dumas had to say and answer questions that they had for him.


Congressman Mac Thornberry spoke how the new House has a new speaker and talked about the changes they have this year.  One change is a new rule that all bills have to be on the internet for 72 hours for everyone to see. He also voted on a bill that will return non-security, discretionary spending to 2008 levels which is a start.   Voting to support H.R. 1, which cuts these discretionary spending by $100 billion in the next seven months compared to President Obama's FY 11 budget request.

Mac said, "The government simply cannot continue to spend as it has and borrow 40 cents of every dollar to pay for it.  Every dollar spent by government is either taken from a taxpayer who earned it or borrowed from future generations to repay with interest".

After catching the audience up on what has been happening the first two months of the year Thornberry opened the floor to answer any questions.  Over fifteen people ask questions and received answers to question from Social Security to Airline Security to Health Care and more.

Mac Thornberry serves on the Armed Services Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.  He serves as the Vice Chairman of the Armed Services Committee where he will also lead the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats. He continues to serve on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He has also been asked by the Speaker of the House to lead an initiative on cybersecurity, which will focus Congress’s efforts to combat the growing national security and economic threat.

Make A Wish Presents Program At Dumas Noon Lions Club

How do wishes begin?  In 1984 The Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Plains was founded in April of 1984 and in 1991 expanded service to the South Plains area. Since the charter for this chapter originated, they have granted now over 1,200 wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions throughout the 55 counties this chapter serves.  They grant wishes to children 2 1/2 years of age to 18 years of age.  The wishes begin with a referral from someone like you.  Referring a child for a wish is one of the most important parts of helping the Foundation accomplish its mission. They first make sure that there is indeed a life-threatening medical conditions.

There are four elements of a Make A Wish; wish:

1. I Wish To Meet - a Dallas Cowboy as an example
2. I Wish To Be - a Fireman, Police Officer and so on
3. I Wish To Have - simple as I wish to have a bedroom makeover.
4. I Wish To Go - most common wish is to go to Disney World.

The average cost to make a wish come true is $7,000.  Of the 1,200 wishes granted in this chapter 37 have come from Dumas with one pending now for Kennedi who is 4 years old girl with Hypoplastic which is left heart syndrome.


Would you like to help Make A Wish make some child's wish come true?  It is as simple as holding a fund raiser for Make A Wish or making a personal donation.  Knowing that your money will be used for a child that is from Dumas should make it even easier to do.  Click here to learn more on how to help.

Go to Dumas EDC site for more information.

Moore County Farmer Wins $2,500 for Sunray FFA Through "America’s Farmers Grow Communities" Program

Sunray, Texas – Stephanie Crownover of Sunray, Texas has been selected as a winner in the America’s Farmers Grow Communities^SM program, which gives farmers the opportunity to win $2,500 for their favorite local nonprofit organizations. The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of Monsanto, sponsors the program, and winning farmers designate a local nonprofit organization to benefit from the donations. Crownover has designated the Sunray FFA to receive the donation.  

Crownover says she is very excited to have been selected as the winner for Moore County. “This is a great program.  Alfredo Rodriguez, the FFA advisor, tried to get us to sign up for the Grow Communities program, but we already had.  I know the FFA will put the money the good use.”

 Alfredo Rodriguez, Sunray FFA advisor, says, “I think it's great that we were chosen.  Monsanto Fund and Stephanie are really helping our chapter.”

The $2,500 donation was awarded at a ceremony held at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at Sunray High School in celebration of National FFA Week. 

In more than 1,200 eligible counties, farmers can win $2,500 for their favorite community non-profit.  The Monsanto Fund expects to invest more than $3 million in local communities. The program originated with two pilot programs. The first pilot included 139 counties in Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas. The second pilot was expanded to include 298 counties in California, Kansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and South Dakota. In total, more than $172,000 will be donated to nonprofits in Texas.

The America’s Farmers Grow Communities program is part of a broad commitment by Monsanto Fund to highlight the important contributions farmers make every day to our society by helping them grow their local communities. To date, more than 60,000 farmers participated in the program, which is designed to benefit nonprofit groups such as ag youth, schools and other civic organizations. Visit www.growcommunities.com to view a complete list of winners.

Property taxes were cut at the Dumas City Commission meeting Tuesday night.  City Commissioners vote unanimously to raise the homestead exemption by 4%. The first $52,000 of your home's property value will be exempt from city property taxes.

Equipment Supply

"Specializing exclusively in wholesale distribution of quality irrigation supplies, Equipment Supply Co.,

Inc. (ESCO)was incorporated and opened for business in Lubbock, Texas in November 1986. Over the

years, due to the steadfast and loyal support of our customers, ESCO has grown into a premier irrigation

supply center, with a large and diverse product offering for agriculture, commercial, industrial and

residential applications. If your product needs include accessories for pump, pipeline, pivot, side roll,

solid set, turf, or micro irrigation, there's a good chance that we inventory and can supply the products

that address your needs."- ESCO Website (www.irrigationdistributors.com)

Presently, ESCO represents over 100 of the top manufacturers and suppliers in the industry, whose

products are distribute throughout Arizona, New Mexico, and portions of Texas, Oklahoma and Mexico.

Primarily these products enter the market through ESCO's qualified network of dealer customers who

then resell to the ultimate consumer-the grower. Under no circumstances are sales made direct to the

grower, farmer or producer by ESCO.  Additionally, in areas where market conditions necessitate and

dealer conflicts do not exist, products are distributed direct to manufacturers, municipalities and

institutions. ESCO currently supplies each of our local irrigations dealers with various products

DEDC Sells 5 Acres To ESCO In Dumas Business Park With City Commission's Approval

ESCO President and General Manager, Mike Stephens and Mike Running Executive Director of DEDC spoke to the City Commission at Tuesday night City Commission meeting.

Mike Running shared how several properties had been shown to Mike Stephens, President and General Manager, however none that seemed to adequately fill the needs of his company as the land DEDC was  willing to sell to ESCO so that they may build a new facility.  ESCO felt that a location in the Dumas Business Park was more appropriate as they preferred not to locate along a major thoroughfare since they do not sell to the general public, according to Mike Running. Lot S in the Dumas Business Park, across from Tri-State Ice, was chosen due to its advantageous location for their purposes.

ESCO estimated a new facility similar in size to their existing facility in Lubbock. The estimated cost of
construction would be around $500k for a new facility. Bids for construction were in excess of $1.5 million.  The proposed facility is approximately 20,000 square feet with a rear outdoor area for storage and truck access that is packed gravel. The front of the building would be paved for parking and they would like to be permitted xeroscape landscaping.

ESCO made an offer for the 5 acre property at $25k.  A job creation and capital investment incentive has been requested to help cover the added unanticipated expenses which includes the negotiated 10% landscaping coverage costs. In order to prepare the property for construction, DEDC will run electricity to Lot 5, but all other utilities are currently in place.

Total investment by ESCO for this project is $1,557,000 with an annual inventory of $1 to $2 million.
Three initial jobs will be created with an average annual salary of $32k and ESCO guarantees to hire
three (3) additional employees over the next four years for a total job creation of 6 people.

Price Leads Panhandle Day Resolution at State Capitol

Price Leads Panhandle Day Resolution at State Capitol

Representative Price honors Delegation from Panhandle on House Floor

            Today, Representative Four Price (HD-87) brought a Resolution to the Texas House Floor celebrating over 100 residents of the Texas Panhandle gathering in Austin and recognizing February 22, 2011 as Panhandle Day at the State Capitol.

           "We had a tremendous number of people make the trip down to Austin to celebrate our rich heritage, culture, and economy.  It was a wonderful opportunity for me to meet with familiar faces from back home and hear from constituents and community leaders on issues important to our region," said Representative Price. The delegation from the Panhandle included groups from Amarillo, Cactus, Dumas, Panhandle, Skellytown, Stratford, Texhoma, and White Deer, among others.

           Representative Price, in the House Chamber, personally recognized the delegation, including Mayor Debra McCartt, City of Amarillo; J. Patrick O’Brien, President of  West Texas A&M University; and J. Pat Richmond of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce during the adoption of the Resolution.  Delegation members also took time to personally visit with Senators Duncan and Seliger and Representative Price in the afternoon.

"Today was truly a remarkable day at the Capitol. I started the morning in our first hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee listening to testimony from state agencies that have oversight over water issues. I then enjoyed seeing and greeting high school students and agriculture teachers from various chapters of Texas Future Farmers of America.  I also had great discussions with the many folks from my district who took time to visit my Capitol office to discuss issues that impact the lives of all Texans," Price further said.

            Representative Price represents House District 87, which includes Carson, Moore, Potter, and Sherman counties.  He is the only member from the region serving on the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Culture, Recreation & Tourism Committee.    

YMCA of Moore County Awards Morningside 2nd Graders

All of Morningside 2nd graders attended swim lessons for two weeks at the YMCA of Moore County. All of the 2nd graders received swim certificates for attending Moore Kids Swimming.  Thirty of these 2nd graders were able to swim the length of the pool at the end of swim lessons and received a T-Shirt for their efforts. Congratulations to all of Morningside 2nd Graders!

The following is the list of Moore Kids Swimming participants:
Kassandra Aceves, Citlali Anchondo, Shar Ba Be, Bryan Bednorz, Jule Bohannan, Claudia Chavez,        Khin Mar Cho, Yahaira Corral, Jose J Gallardo, Christian Gutierrez, Chance Herrerra, Tha Lay Htoo, Ashton Martin, Jacob Morales, Ar Nah, Gabriel Pereyra, Isaac Quiroz, Maria Rodriguez, Edgar Rojas, Hin Thin,  Abren Armendariz, Ar Ba, Devin Campos, Jaedyn Chavez, Daniel Cordero, Harlee Dobbins, Mariah Garverick, Mark Hernandez Jr, Alfredo (AJ) Hernandez Jr., Janell Mares, Erik Mendoza, Wah So Oo, Balar Su, Phoenix Talamantes, Jacob Tarango, San Da Tun, Samuel Valdez, Jacob Vasquez, Ah Lee Yart,Li La Bi, Larry  Bonilla, Jazmine Cargill, Caitlyn Carrick, Galylea Davila, Arle Moe Dei, Dallan Dill, Kacy Gabehart, Anthony Garcia, Denisse Garcia, Breanna Gonzales, Alexander Hernandez, Eh Kee, Miguel Mendoza, Thomas Meyer, Amber Reyna, Hei Nay Soe, Eh Ku Thu, Brecken Turner, Christian Velarde,  Wah He Da Be, Sa La Yo Din, Destiny Garcia, Jonathan Garcia, Osbaldo Gomes, Oscar Javier Gomez, Eh Htoo, Nay Si Lay, Abby Mares, Marino Mendoza, Yahir Mendoza, Joshua Morales, Doe Mai Na, Maung Chit Oo, Daniela Ortiz, Eh Bway Paw, Kimberly Ramirez, Geeneva Reyna, Julian Rivera, Jaden Trujillo and Michelle Valles

Anita McDowell Speaks To The Northern Panhandle Business Women

L-R: Anita McDowell, Speaker and Angie Jordan, Secretary for the Northern Panhandle Business Women

Anita McDowell owner of Xtreme Realty spoke to the Northern Panhandle Business Women last Thursday night at the Five Eighty Steakhouse.  Her topic was on selling your home and some very useful tips on how to be prepare your home to sell.  Anita shared seven tips on staging your home which are:

1. Do thoroughly deep clean the home - especially the kitchen and bathrooms.
2. Do de-clutter the entire house.
3. Do de-personalize your home.
4. Do use neutral colors when painting both inside and outside.
5. Do spotlessly clean the windows and window coverings.
6. Do make your pets disappear (while you are trying to sell)
7. Do spruce up your calling card - your landscape

McDowell encouraged everyone not to make these mistakes when selling.  Most importantly is do your research when choosing a realtor that will help you in this big step of your life.

The Northern Panhandle Business Women would like to invited everyone to their first Fun Raiser on March 4, 2011 at the Five Eighty Steakhouse at 6:30 p.m. for Bunco Night.

Equipment Supply Starts Ground Work

Dirt work has started in the Dumas Business Park. Equipment Supply has started their building. DEDC are excited to have them as another business in the Industrial Park. DEDC invites you come out and see the progress when you can.  Dumas EDC would be glad to answer any questions you would have about Equipment Supply or about opening a company in the Industrial Park.

35,000 Acres Burned In Dumas Fire

Fire Chief Paul Jenkins asked that we express his thanks to all the fire departments that helped with Thursday's grass fire.  Those departments are Cactus, Channing, Fritch, Hartley, Stinnett, Sunray and Texas Parks Service.  "This is another reason to live in the Texas Panhandle ", says Chief Jenkins, "because everyone is there to help in a situation like this."  

The City of Dumas has two grass trucks called "Boosters" that are used in all grass fires. (One is seen above) The fire department also used a third one that is used mainly in the city for car wrecks and such.  These trucks has the ability to pump and roll using an auxiliary engine to pump water as they go.  With all the fire departments combined they had 24 trucks at the scene of the fire along with a tanker and a command vehicle.  Seven road graders belonging to the different counties and state helped put out the fire also.  Sunray, Fritch and Dumas each provided water tankers to help squelch the grass fire as it covered 35,000 acres according to Sunray's Fire Chief.  Rex Rode who is also a pilot as well as Sunray's Fire Chief  flew over the scorched acres on Friday, February 18, 2011 to measure how many acres were burned.

According to Dumas Fire Chief Jenkins the station received the fire call at 2:14 p.m. and was at the scene of the fire by 2:23 p.m.  The fire was contained around 9:00 p.m. but the last truck and firefighter did not leave till around 3:00 a.m. on Friday morning.  Chief Jenkins also said due to the teamwork of all the fire department and firefighters not one structure was lost.

The Dumas HPO would also like to give a shout out to the hard work done by all the fire departments and firefighters and are glad that no one was hurt in this fire.  Congratulations on a job well done!

Photo taken at 3:16 p.m. by Stephanie Tucker on her IPhone

The fire that we had been watching from 2:30 p.m. till around 7:30 p.m. is under control and swept a 25 mile path through Moore County.  As reported on Thursday it did start south of Highway 287 on Brent Ranch going southeast towards Coon Ranch then over to Sneed Ranch.  More information will follow as to the cause of the fire.

This is the Dumas fire as it appears from one of our HPO viewers in Spearman around 5:30 p.m.

Fire on 2-17-11

This is the same fire that started south of town viewed from 8th and Phillips at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon.  People can see this smoke all the way to Pampa and Skellytown.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011 6:30 P.M.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011 6:30 P.M.

DUMAS POLICE DEPARTMENT MUNICIPAL COURT ROOM

124 EAST  7th STREET

Agenda

Regular Session

• Call to order

                                              

                                                         Consent Agenda

1. Consider approval of the October 19, 2010 Planning & Zoning Commission   minutes

                                                    Formal Session

1. Consider zoning change request from The Victory Tree Foundation for property in the 1000 Block of Bruce.

a.  Public Hearing

Adjourn

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

THE DUMAS CITY COMMISSION

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2011   6:30 P.M.

DUMAS POLICE DEPARTMENT  -  MUNICIPAL COURT ROOM    

 124 EAST 7TH STREET

Agenda

Special Session

·         Call to order

·         Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance - David M. Bonner  

·         Attending citizens and their business

                                                                  Consent Agenda

1.       Consider approval of the February 7, 2011 Regular City Commission minutes  

2.       Consider approval of paying the bills

     

   Formal Session

1.   Consider request for utilities outside the city limits on N. Dumas Avenue for Celso Garcia

2.   Consider request for funding to make improvements to Dumas Youth Baseball-Softball

      Association ball fields

3.   Consider approval of Wasteline Engineering site development agreement on proposed new

      landfill

4.   Consider approval of D.E.D.C.:

      a.  Equipment Supply Co. agreement and cash incentive

      b.  Recommendation of board appointment

      c.  Annual report

5.   Consider approval of purchases for police department:

     a.  Copier

      b.  Telephone System replacement

      c.  Badger Meter replacement

6.   Consider approval of annual homestead exemption for 2011

7.   Consider approval of purchase and installation of irrigation pump equipment for golf course

8.   Consider approval of purchase of Christmas pole decorations

9.   Presentation of police department racial profiling report

            

                                                                        Executive Session

Executive Session - Texas Government Code Section 551.071 - Attorney Consultation; Section 551.072 - Deliberation Regarding Real Property; Section 551.074 - Deliberation Regarding Personnel Matters

1.  Attorney Consultation:

      a. Concerning matters related to lease agreement for golf course restaurant

Adjourn

Summary Of February 14, 2011 School Board Meeting

The school board met Monday evening to address the following items:
Special Recognitions
The board was treated to musical performances by students of Junior High choir directors Jennifer Walker and Rhonda Swanson, and Junior High band director Rebecca Carter.  Presenting their winning competition pieces were an 8th grade girls’ choir ensemble, a 7th grade girls’ choir soloist and an 8th
grade band flute ensemble.

An awesome presentation of the “No Excuses” program at Morningside was given by Stan Stroebel and a representation of teachers from their staff.  A video and testimony from teachers informed the board of the success of this program on their campus.

Other items of special recognition listed in the board book were also noted.
Consent Agenda
A motion was made by Patty Willis, seconded by Kevin Weatherford and carried by a 6-0 board vote to approve the January 24, 2011 meeting minutes as presented.
A motion was made by Kirk Pope, seconded by Patty Willis and carried 6-0 by the board to accept the following gifts as presented and to amend the budget to spend them as requested by donors.
• $2,348.72 from the Green Acres PTO for Flashmaster hand held computers
• $1,000.00 from the Dumas Golf Boosters for Boys Gold Student Travel
Policy Updates, DB, DEE, DPB and GKDA – 2nd Reading
A motion was made by Johnny Schmucker, seconded by Kirk Pope and approved with a 6-0 board vote to accept the updates for Policies DB, DEE, DPB and GKDA.  These updates had been discussed at the previous meeting and were returned for action by the board. {{more}}

Personnel
The following personnel items were presented to the board.
Appointments: None
Resignations: Jessica Sutterfield, Director of Special Education and Textbook Coordinator
Retirements: Joyce Holland, 4th Grade Reading at Morningside Pam Cox, Special Education Teacher at Morningside
Because there were no appointments to be voted on, no action was taken.  Resignations
and retirements no longer require approval by the board.

INFORMATION ITEMS
Grades 6-8 Pre-AP Math Instruction Sally Heaton and Kelly Legg were in attendance to present a plan for strengthening the level of learning for all students in Pre-AP Math and Algebra I.  Questions from the
board were answered.Texas Budget Shortfall Implications for DISD With the State of Texas facing an estimated $27 billion budget shortfall for the next biennium, the first drafts of the new State budget include cuts to public education of nearly $10 billion, forcing schools in Texas to face a possible 15% reduction in the amount of funding available to provide services.
We are hearing that there may be some hope that the Comptroller will adjust the revenue projection up before the final budget is adopted because sales tax revenue has been increasing in recent months and that trend could lead to higher revenue over the biennium.  In addition, the state is exploring other options in order to reduce the amount of expected shortfall.
A more realistic expectation is that most schools are looking at cuts that average between 5% and 8%.  For Dumas ISD, that still means cuts of $1.8 to $2.9 million.  The administration has been studying the budget in order to determine what reductions can be made with minimal impact on student instruction and staff.  A budget planning meeting for the board was set for Monday, March 7th
 .
Enrollment Report
Current enrollment is 4,539 as opposed to 4,541 last week and 4,368 this time last year.

Election Calendar
A calendar of major dates for the May school board election was presented.   Monday, February 14th
was the first business day for persons who are interested in running for the school board to sign up.
Terms for school board members Joe Ballard, Kevin Weatherford and Brent Clark are scheduled for the election.  On Monday, Ballard and Weatherford both completed their application for a place on the ballot for full three year terms.   Clark is currently completing the remainder of the 2010-2011 school year for former board member Len Sheets and has indicated he is planning on running for the remaining one year
unexpired term.  The last day to file for a place on the ballot is Monday, March 14th, and the last day for
unregistered voters to register for this election is Thursday, April 14th.  Early voting will run from May 2nd
through May 10th, with Election Day scheduled for Saturday May 14th.
Persons who are interested to applying for a place on the ballot for the school board election should contact the Dumas ISD Superintendent’s Office at 935-6461 or come by the Administration Building at 4th
& Miller.

Purchasing Report
In accordance with Policy CH Local, administration presented information regarding fuel purchases for the 2/1/11 – 1/31/12 period.  The bid was awarded to Jack Oldham Oil, Inc.

Construction Update
An update on construction projects was presented to the board.

The next scheduled meetings are Monday, March 7th for a budget planning workshop and Monday, March 28th, 7:00 p.m. for a regularly scheduled board meeting at DISD Central Office.

RoRo's Bakery

RoRo’s Bakery opened this week and you can visit them from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1017 N. Dumas Ave.  It is north of F3 Gym and south of John Deere.

Rochelle and Courtney Hutcherson invite you to join them Monday to Friday for some cookies, cupcakes and coffee. 

Call 806-717-8238 or 806-717-8586

Bodnar For City Commissioner

Steve Bodnar is the first person to file for this City Commissioner Place 3 on Monday, February 14, 2011.

As you will remember Mr. Bodnar ran for Mayor in the last election against James Mahaffey and Pat Sims.  Bodnar has lived in Dumas, Texas for 21 years and in that time he has owned and ran his own business, Bodnar Auto at 823 S. Dumas Ave. for 16 years.

Steve's goal for Dumas as a Commissioner is to make it the best city possible.  One of the ways he plans to do that is to watch budgetary spending which is a concern of his when items are bought that are not in the budget.

Create A Card Buffet With Margaret Parsons At The Art Center

Here is a chance to warm up your creativity after the recent cold snap!! There will be a "Create a Card Buffet" at the Art Center on Monday evening, February 21 from 7pm until 9:30pm. 

  Come and make up to 10 greeting cards for $15. Snack and create with us as we put a little "Spring" in our winter. Join the fun and celebrate not being snowed in!!! Contact Margaret Parsons at 806-934-5141 or e-mail: meparsons@cableone.net to reserve your spot today.
Check out her website www.craftwithmargaret.stampninup.net 

Local Hochheim Prairie Branch Meet To Disburse Funds

Every year members of the Hochheim Prairie Farm Mutual have meet in Dumas, Texas to decide how to disburse funds from an insurance co-op.  Hochheim Insurance is a home owners insurance that gives back five dollars for every member.  Members of Hochheim Prairie Farm Mutual will give three $500 Scholarships to three students residing within the Moore County school districts to help them seek education beyond high school at an accredited college or trade school.  Students may see their school counselor or check online at the Dumas ISD website for the 2011 Scholarship Application.

This year the Hochheim Branch will be disbursing $2,350 back into Moore County in the following months.  Here are some of the people who met on February 10, 2011 to decide how the members money would be disbursed.

Front Row L-R Jackie Wiswell, Lovera McGill.  Middle Row L-R Jim Rollins, Billie Brazell, Cindy Pope, Sharon Taft, Del Taft. Back Row L-R Curtis Lawrence, William Abell, Kirk Pope.

Last May Sharon Taft and Jackie Wiswell got to attend the State Meeting for Hochheim Insurance in Yoakum, Texas.  Picture below is Sharon and Jackie with the President of Hochheim Prairie Farm Mutual Insurance Association at that time.  Since this picture was taken Mr. John E. Trott Jr. has passed away.  Dave Talbert is now the President of this insurance company.

69th District Jury Cancelled For February 14, 2011

Attention              Attention              Attention

The jury called for the 69th District Court for Monday Feb. 14, 2011, at 8:30 am has been cancelled. They do not need to report.  If anyone has any questions they may contact Diane Hoefling, Moore County District Clerk, at 935-6325.

Dumas City Commission Meet On Monday, February 7, 2011

Dumas City Commission meet on Monday, February 7th in Regular Session.  
 Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance - Vernon McDowell
Attending citizens and their business - None

Consent Agenda was approved for minutes for January 21st meeting, paying bills and issuance of $25,000 letter of credit to comply with regulations of the Railroad Commission of Texas concerning city gas wells.

 In Formal Session matter pertaining to landfill and solid waste operations was discussed in a public hearing after which new landfill was approved.

Celso Garcia's request for gas outside the city limits was tabled till more information could be provided by the city employees on the gas line on N. Dumas Ave.
      
Commissioners approved to have a Special Election on May 14, 2011 in order to elect Commissioner Place 3.

Purchase of shade structures for visitors center was discussed and tabled till next city meeting.  Sam Cartwright was asked to attend the next Parks and Recreation board meeting to share his thoughts on the surrounding grounds at the visitors center.

Annual homestead exemption for 2011 was discussed and commissioner Dr. Bonner wanted more information on cost to increase homestead exemption.

An agreement with Grant Construction Co. to excavate caliche from pit at golf course was approved pending finalizing details to the satisfaction of the golf course supervisor.  Supervisor wants the ability to shut down the operation if problems develop.

Resolution No. 11-04 will create a joint county-city airport zoning board which will exercise zoning authority around the airport in order to prevent obstructions and encroachments in airport operations.
You can see Resolution No. 11-04 located in Legal Notices on the right top of the HPO Dumas screen.
 John Joel and William Darcy were named to represent the city's interest of this zoning board.

Update was given by Milton Pax on the Ports-To-Plains and TxDOT forum.  This update was mainly given to let the city commissioners be aware that anytime they had the ear of one of our local congressman or other local politician to let them know that our roads were our lifeline for commerce and needed to be kept in good repair.
                    
Executive Session - Texas Government Code Section 551.071 - Attorney Consultation; Section 551.072 -
Deliberation Regarding Real Property; Section 551.074 - Deliberation Regarding Personnel Matters
1.  Attorney Consultation:
      a. Concerning matters related to lease agreement for golf course restaurant

Special Election For May 14, 2011 Approved

Approved at City of Dumas Commissioner meeting was Order of Special Election.  First day to file application for place on the ballot is Saturday, February 12, 2011.  The city secretary's office is not required by law to be open so the first day to apply for Commissioner Place 3 will be Monday, February 14, 2011.  Early voting will begin May 2, 2011 and end May 10, 2011.  Commissioner Place 3 is to fill a two-year unexpired term left vacant by Don Parsons.

Landfill Is Approved

City of Dumas City Commissioners passed plan to proceed with new landfill.  Next step is to consider a proposal from engineering at next meeting.  During the public hearing everyone that spoke did so in favor of the landfill.  Those speaking in favor of the landfill were Don Parsons, Tim Pilgrim, Mike Milligan, Steve Bodner, William (Bill) Knight and Judge Rowdy Rhoades.

Chamber To Host Another Business Rountable At The Hampton Inn

A popular Chamber series, the Business Roundtable, is scheduled for March 2 and will feature four of our outstanding member CPA firms.  The topic for the Roundtable, will be on the new tax laws which small businesses and large businesses must take into account for the future.  Panel members for the
Roundtable will include Jordan Mills, CPA of E.Jordan Mills, PC; James Allen, CPA; Scott Sickles, CPA and Thomas Brandon of Keeney Hembree and Co., CPA. Scheduled to begin at 11a.m., the Roundtable will be held at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Dumas. Lunch is to be served immediately
following the panel discussion.  Cost is $8.
Please call the Chamber at 935-2123 to reserve your seat at the Roundtable.

February Blood Drive

Stan Corbin Is Presented With The Good Neighbor Award At Chamber Breakfast

Stan Corbin receives the Good Neighbor Award from Rachele Melton of the Women's Chamber Division at the Chamber Breakfast on February 4th.

Panhandle Days Is For You And Your Community Leaders

Every two years, the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce joins forces with business and community leaders to support the communities located in the Panhandle. It is not to late to register.  Just call the Amarillo Chamber for more information. Together, they travel to the Texas State Capitol to meet with elected officials to support the following legislative issues:  

AGRICULTURE is one of the primary drivers of the Texas High Plains’ economy; 41-county area stretching from the Panhandle to the South Plains.  The total value added to the area related to agricultural commodities, governmental payments to producers and the payroll of agribusiness firms averages more than $5 billion per year in the trade area for 2005 through 2008. (source: Chamber’s The Impact of Agribusiness in the High Plains Trade Area Publication)   Therefore, Panhandle Days supports local agricultural agencies in their efforts in higher education, research and safety.

EDUCATION is the key to the success of the Panhandle’s economy.  Our community colleges and university are supported at Panhandle Days in their efforts to provide quality higher education in classrooms or through distance education programs to our local students, so that these students can remain in our area, which strengthens our economy while producing qualified HEALTHCARE and other skilled workers. 

ENERGY industries are supported at Panhandle Days in their efforts in development projects, which produces jobs and revenue in the Panhandle.  Also, Panhandle Days support their efforts to provide customers with an affordable energy rate while living in our area.

Panhandle Days supports agencies that enhance our QUALITY OF LIFE,  by boosting our local tourism and educating our citizens and youth.   

It is not to late for REGISTRATION for Panhandle Days in Austin, TX on February 21-22, 2011 is still on going just click here to register.  The fee to attend all the events listed below is $125. 

MONDAY, FEB. 21ST

7:30 p.m. Reception at the Bob Bullock History Museum (special guests will include our elected officials)

TUESDAY, FEB. 22ND

8:00 a.m. Breakfast at the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin (team meetings & instructions)

9:30 a.m. Group Picture on the Capitol Steps

10:00 a.m. House Proclamation in the House Chambers

10:45 a.m. Senate Proclamation in the Senate Chambers

11:00 a.m. Team Visits to the Legislators at the Capitol (Chamber will assign teams)

HOTEL AND TRAVEL arrangements must be made by participant.  The first 50 participants that call 1-800-327-0200 to make their hotel reservation will receive the special rate of $185, plus tax per person, per night at the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel located at 701 Congress Avenue, which is walking distance from the Capitol. You must request the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce rate while making your reservation.  Check-in time is 3:00 p.m.; check-out time is 10:00 a.m.  Participants must provide their own transportation to and from Austin and all ground transportation while in Austin.

QUESTIONS contact Jason Harrison, Chamber VP of Business Development and Governmental Affairs, at 806-342-2018 or Jason@amarillo-chamber.org.