One step closer to applying

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

The Donley County Commissioners’ Court adopted a resolution Tuesday authorizing submission of a grant application to restore the 1890 courthouse.

John Kiehl of the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission is writing the grant application for the county, and he attended the called meeting of the court and discussed his progress.

“We’re pretty much through with it,” Kiehl said, “except for the letters of support.”

Citizens with interesting stories to tell or who know about historical events surrounding the courthouse are urged to write them down in a letter form and get them to the county or to the newspaper by next week.

These letters, along with letters of support from local citizens and organizations, bolster the county’s chances of receiving the state grant.

Revisions have been made to the Master Plan as per the instructions of the Texas Historical Commission (THC). Those changes have raised the total price of the project from $2.9 million to $3.5 million, but with “in-kind” activities considered, the county will still only be putting up $440,000 for its 15 percent match. (“In-kind” activities would include such expenses as the cost of the Master Plan, trash hauling from the project, radiator removal, etc.)

Additionally, County Treasurer Becky Jackson suggested using funds from the Courthouse Security Fund to help pay for the costs of safety lighting, safety glass, door locks, and other security features in the project. The commissioners agreed to use $10,000 from the security fund to bring the county’s total cash match up to $450,000.

Going beyond the required 15 percent match will earn the county bonus points when the THC scores its grant application next month.

In approving the submission of the application, the county also agreed to a 50-year preservation easement on the courthouse. This would restrict the county from making major alterations to the building for 50 years if the grant is approved.

If the grant is approved and the restoration project completed, the county would be restricted from making major alterations to the building for 50 years.

The THC is scheduled to announce the first round grant recipients during the first week of May.