Dateline: March 9, 2006

City considers unique public pool proposal 

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

The owner of the Western Skies Motel made an unexpected proposal to Clarendon Aldermen when the board met in regular session last Tuesday night.

G. Patel said he intends to build a new swimming pool in the grassy area in front of his motel office on US 287, and he offered to sell his current swimming pool to the city for use as a public pool.

Nothing is wrong with the existing pool, Patel told the board, but he said most travelers do not know it is there since it is hidden from view, and being out of sight of his front desk makes it hard for him to monitor what’s happening in the pool.

A new pool in front of the motel would be easier for him to manage and more visible from the highway, Patel said.

The current pool is fenced in on the west side of the motel between it and the Dollar General. Patel said he would also include the property between the highway and the pool as part of the deal.

The board asked Patel what his asking price was, and he said he had not figured that yet as he was just seeing if the city was even interested.

The aldermen asked Patel to prepare a legal description of the property to be sold and bring that back to the city. They also directed City Secretary Linda Smith to contact the city’s insurance carrier to determine what the liability would be to the city.

In other city business, the board discussed the upcoming municipal election and again revisited the idea of contracting with Donley County to conduct the election and use the county’s electronic voting machines.

Aldermen had previously resisted the idea and had questioned whether the federal Helping America Vote Act applied to the city. But Mayor Tex Selvidge said the Texas Secretary of State’s office had told the city it had no choice in the matter.

The board voted 3-1 to have the county conduct the election with Aldermen Michael Tibbets, Tommy Hill, and Mark White in favor. Alderman Bobbie Kidd voted against the measure, saying he still didn’t like the idea. Alderman Janice Knorpp was not present.

The board then approved an Order of Election for the purpose of electing three aldermen. Donley County Clerk Fay Vargas was named early voting clerk, and Bunny Owens was named as election judge.

The board also discussed the proposed seal coat project and tentatively selected the following streets to be included in the project: Bugbee Avenue from US 287 to Fifth Street, Fourth Street from Koogle to Jefferson and from Gorst to Orpe, Parks Street from Fifth to Montgomery, and any remaining work to be applied to Third Street. All of this depends on the price per unit that OJD Engineering eventually comes up with for their seal coating project.

City Superintendent Jim Roberts reported he had signed a mutual aid agreement called TxWARN to facilitate rapid emergency responses from neighboring towns when needed.