Dateline: July 17, 2003

County functions return to courthouse Monday

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

For nearly three decades, sessions of the Donley County Commissioners’ Court have been held in the Courthouse Annex, but come next Monday that will all change.

A called session of the court will be held July 21 in the Commissioners Courtroom of the newly renovated 1890 Courthouse, and it will mark the first return of official functions to the building since it was vacated in 2000.

The commissioners’ court has met in the Courthouse Annex since February 9, 1976.

During the court’s regular session this week, commissioners adopted a resolution to move county and district court proceedings from Clarendon College’s Bairfield Activity Center to the courthouse. The action also moves the civil and criminal proceedings of the Justice of the Peace Court of Precinct 1&2 from an office at 416 S. Kearney to the courthouse.

Commissioners also approved relocating the polling place of ballot box 201 from the Lions Hall to the Courthouse. The first voting in the restored courthouse will take place during a state constitutional amendments election this September.

Other county offices will be moved to the courthouse in the near future.

In other county business this week, the court approved a proposal from Computer Headquarters to relocate computers from the annex to the courthouse.

Voting boxes for the September 13 election were consolidated as follows: Precinct 1 – Bairfield Activity Center, Precinct 2 – Donley County Courthouse, Precinct 3 – Hedley Lions Club, and Precinct 4 – Community Bank.

The court approved receipt of a homeland security grant of $18,459 and a TDH preparedness enhancement grant of $10,500. The TDH grant will connect the county to a Health Alert Network via computers.

Bids were opened for dirtwork to be completed on the approaches to the bridges of Troublesome Creek and Mulberry Creek. No action was taken. The bids will be further considered next week.

The court set July 21 as the date for reviewing budget worksheets.