March 21, 2008
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SANDERSON – A large grass fire swept across 51,400 acres in northern Terrell and eastern Pecos counties Friday, sending a column of smoke into the air visible from Sanderson 30 miles to the south. It
was just one of a number of range fires that blackened West Texas and
Southeast New Mexico in a period of very high winds and extremely low relative
humidity. A
12,000-acre fire broke out Friday on the Maravillas Gap and Travis Roberts
Ranches 12 miles southwest of Marathon. No
structures were threatened and the fire moved harmlessly into nearby
mountains. Bill
Davis, fire coordinator with the Texas Forest Service in Fort Stockton, said
the Pecos-Terrell County fire started near Grey Ranch Road and quickly moved
east. The
flames did not burn any structures but several were threatened. No injuries
were reported. Four
single-engine air tankers similar to crop dusters and a heavy helicopter were
brought in to assist ground crews fighting the blaze. It
spread across the Porter, Thorn, Word and Harkins Ranches and the Abilene
Christian camp, among others. County
Judge Leo Smith said but for the dedication of the Terrell County Volunteer
Fire Department, county Road and Bridge crews and the Texas Forest Service,
the fire would have consumed the ranch complex of Monty and Lisa Harkins. He
also thanked the Terrell County Sheriff’s office and Game Warden Dan Waddell
for providing traffic control and other support. The
Fort Stockton Fire Department also contributed several firemen and equipment
to the action. Terrell
County Fire Chief Bobby Brotherton and Assistant Richard Montalvo “were real
troopers,” Smith said. “They were there the entire time and their work was outstanding.” He
said without the county’s Road and Bridge crews, putting out the fire “never
would have happened.” He
also thanked the Texas Department of Transportation for providing equipment. Albert
Thorn and Ruben Rosas, working with Thorn, also worked long hours in controlling
the blaze as did Jon Tom Lowrance and Roy Deaton. Rancher
Gary Hutto said the fire “split” as it came near property owned by Scott and
Page Mitchell near Ranch Road 2400, going harmless around the structures. Waddell
said the Nature Conservancy also contributed crews to the effort. “They
did a really great job,” he said. Hutto
said volunteers came from as far away as California and Oregon to help battle
the blaze. A
Department of Public Safety helicopter flew over the area late Monday and estimated
the acreage burned. Smith
said the fire started Friday afternoon on Grey Ranch Road and moved east. ‘Buzzards’
to invade Sanderson SANDERSON
– The Seventh Annual Buzzard Rally will be April 4 to 7 here, under the new
sponsorship of American Legion Post 160. The
event is one of the Red Letter days that bring tourists, most of them of the
two-wheel variety, to Sanderson from around the country. Rainy
weather – remember rain? – last year reduced the attendance figures
considerably but an estimated 450 showed up in 2006. Only
203 of those registered but rally sponsors said many come to the event
without registering. The
Legion took over the rally this year from Johnny D’s Restaurant but, except
that the location moved a few hundred feet south, it will be similar to years
past. It
all begins Friday, April 4, with registration
beginning at noon at the Legion Hall. There will be a Biker Party that begins “when you get here” and
lasts until midnight. A disc jockey starts playing music at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 5, is the “main event, starting with breakfast
at 7 a.m. for “a nominal fee” at the Legion Hall. There will be a 125-mile scenic poker run with the first bikes
leaving at 9 a.m. and the last at 1 p.m. The bikers will follow a prescribed course out US 285 to Ranch
Road 2400, east to State Highway 349 and back to US 90 at Dryden and back to
Sanderson. Riders will gather their poker hands from stops along the way.
The best hand wins a cash prize. A series of bike games begin at 2 p.m. at Legion Hall. Winners
of these events will get trophies. They include the “Straw in the Bottle” contest, “Slow Race,”
“Tennis Ball on the Cone” and “Weenie Bite.” In the straw contest, a rider on the back of a bike tries to put
a straw in a beer bottle with her mouth while the driver goes by at slow
speed. The slow race win goes to the rider who can drive his cycle the
slowest without touching the ground with his feet. The tennis ball event is similar to the straw contest in that
the rider attempts to place tennis balls on top of cones strategically placed
along the course. In the weenie contest, a rider on the back of a bike tries to
bite a hot dog suspended over the course as the driver moves the machine
under it. There is also a “best of show” contest for the best looking
motorcycle at the rally. In the annual “Show of Strength Parade” at 6 p.m. Saturday,
bikers will all drive east on Oak Street, or Highway 90, from Sanderson State
Bank to the Legion Hall, revealing the number of attendees at the event. There will be a barbecue dinner at 6:30 p.m. at the Legion Hall
and another Biker Party at 8 p.m. with live music until 1 a.m. Sunday. For Sanderson residents who don’t want to register for the
entire event, dance tickets will be sold for $10 per person. For those who can sleep in a hurry, breakfast will again be
available at the Legion Hall starting at 7 a.m. Sunday, again for “a nominal
fee.” There will be a closing prayer service at the Legion Hall at
Legion Hall at 8 a.m. Sunday and bikers will begin to leave for home. New this year will be lapel pins on sale at the Legion Hall. Organizers are seeking volunteers to work the event and local
food vendors. Volunteers can get in free to all events. For more information
on both, call Lindy Stumberg at 432/345-2189. Stumberg said there will be a meeting at a time and place to be
announced to coordinate all activities for the event. 35
TYC employees to
transfer SHEFFIELD
– Two weeks after announcing the closure of the Sheffield Boot Camp here, the
Texas Youth Commission has been able to find jobs for all employees who
decided to continue working for the juvenile corrections agency. The
commission said 35 of the facility’s 60 employees elected to stay with TYC. Of
the total, 22 will transfer to the West Texas State School in Pyote, the next
closest TYC facility about 110 miles away. Others
will move to facilities and halfway houses in Brownwood, Mart, Edinburg, El
Paso and Austin. “This
is good news in the midst of a difficult situation,” TYC Conservator Richard
Nedelkoff said. “Closing the facility was necessary but equally important was
taking care of our affected employees to the best of our ability.” It
was not “good news,” of course for residents here with the potential loss of
35 families. The
TYC Human Resources Division briefly enacted a temporary agency-wide hiring
freeze until the affected workers could find other jobs in TYC. The freeze
was lifted Friday. Several
employees who initially decided not to seek transfers to other TYC facilities
toured the West Texas State School Friday and may change their minds. Agency
officials said Monday they would welcome these employees and allow them to
stay with the agency. There
were no youth left at the facility as of last Friday but some employees will
continue working through the end of March to pack furniture, equipment and records.
Kids
to milk a cow SANDERSON
– Sanderson Junior High and Elementary students will get to milk a cow next
week. The
Terrell County extension office will sponsor a mobile dairy classroom at 2
p.m. Friday, March 28, at the elementary school. The
Southwest Dairy Farmers Association will present the program. Both
junior high and elementary classes will be able to try their hands at the
chore. The mobile dairy classroom is a traveling milking parlor
featuring a live cow and oral presentation. The instructor will demonstrate how to milk a cow, describe how
milk goes from the farm to the consumer and answer questions from the audience.
The program brings the dairy experience directly to children and
includes shared experiences in math, science, health and agriculture. County
gets fourth
deputy SANDERSON
– Terrell County Sheriff Clint McDonald said Friday his department is up to
full strength with the hiring of a fourth deputy sheriff, to be funded by the
Texas Operation Linebacker program. Vince
Perna of Fort Stockton, a native of New York City and later Middletown near
West Point, was sworn in Friday. He
will bring a wife and two small children to Sanderson, but maybe not until
later in the year. His
wife, Ryan, teaches licensed vocational nursing at the Williams Regional Tech-nical Training Center in
Fort Stockton and is working towards a degree as a registered nurse. The couple has two children, Kaylei, 5, who is in
kinder-garten and Anthony, 4, who will enter pre-kindergarten in the fall. Perna said the couple has heard good things about
Terrell County Schools and want to raise their family here. “We like Fort Stockton,” he said. “But we like it here
better.” |
A
four-mile-wide swath of flames crossed Ranch Road 2886 near the Abilene
Christian camp and moved east to near the Mitchell gas plant. It
was declared 95 percent “contained” Wednesday. “The
higher humidity helped a lot,” Sheriff Clint McDonald said. Winds diminished
Monday but picked up again Monday night. However,
significant thunderstorms blew through much of the area north and east of
Sanderson, but dropping only about four hundredths of an inch in Sanderson
Monday and Tuesday. Smith
said he plans to call a workshop involving the fire department, ranchers, gas
plant representatives and others involved “in the next few weeks when the
smoke clears.” He
said the response to this fire was “excellent” but felt a need to identify
all resources to improve the response to the next fire. The
Pecos-Terrell County fire was one of the largest in the area, Davis
said. KWES-TV in Midland-Odessa reported that firefighters had
controlled a blaze that scorched 75,000 acres of grass and burned seven
homes, two barns and several other buildings north of Hobbs, NM. Residents
of the area including the town of Knowles were forced to evacuate. The fire
spread into Gaines County in Texas. New Mexico Forestry Division spokesman Dan Ware said the Stiles
Complex Fire was contained at 8 p.m. Sunday. Ware said they also are watching over hay bales and a diesel
tank still burning at a dairy north of Hobbs. The fire began Friday afternoon as four separate fires but
strong wind fanned the flames into one fire. Ware said a state Forestry Division law enforcement officer is
trying to determine the cause of the fires. Back
in Texas, the Forest Service reported Wednesday a “very active fire”
threatened 100 structures and four homes were lost in a 25,600-fire in
Hidalgo County in the lower Rio Grande Valley. Lascano
to assist road race FORT
STOCKTON – Dale Lascano has been named Sanderson volunteer coordinator for
the Big Bend Open Road Race, scheduled April 23 to 26. John
Dewey Stutes is the
chief starter for Sanderson and Brian Hinkley is Sanderson assistant for race
operations. Race Coordinator Kenda Furman
said there were 115 entries at press time this week. The
race was canceled earlier, then reinstated. At the time, she said the race
could be run with “75 to 80” entries. There
are three cars in the unlimited class, a class that allows a driver to go as
fast as he can. Charlie
Friend of Alamogordo, NM, who has driven an unlikely 1965 Chevrolet Corvair
in the “Supersport” class with a 155-mph speed for several years, will move
up to the unlimited class this year. Joel
Hannig of Hickson, ND, and his 1962 Dodge Polara, who finished second behind
Mike and Marsha Borders of Las Vegas, NV, last year, will also race in the
unlimited class as will Dave Carpenter of Parker, CO. He
will drive his “M&M” car, a 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix that did not finish
last year because of engine trouble. The
Borders planned to enter this year but signed up for another event when the
BBORR was canceled. In
all classes except unlimited, drivers compete not for fastest speed but how
close they can come to the speed for that class. “Everything
is coming along,” Furman said. “Dale is excited to be on board and I think
she will be great.” Lascano replaces Jannie McDonald, who has been the Sanderson
volunteer coordinator since the beginning. She announced earlier she would
not be available this year. Lascano said volunteers are still needed for the race. They are
needed for gate guards and other activities. Being a gate guard is the only way to actually see the race.
They are stationed along the highway on race day to make sure no one strays
onto the highway from side roads and ranches while racecars zoom by, some at
more than 200 miles per hour. US Highway 90 from Sanderson ten miles west to the roadside park
will be closed intermittently Wednesday and Thursday, April 23 and 24, for
practice runs and qualifications. Gate guards are also needed along this stretch. Friday, all participants repair to Fort Stockton for a viewing
of cars at Rooney Park and a parade down Dickinson Street. The race itself will be Saturday, April 26. US Highway 285 will
be closed all day for the race and gate guards will be posted at their spots
until the highway reopens. The race starts that morning at US 285 and Mockingbird Lane in
Fort Stockton and the first lap ends near Downie Arena in Sanderson, a
distance of 59 miles. Some of the fastest cars get here in slightly more than 20 minutes. The racers all gather around the Terrell County Courthouse for a
lunch break during which citizens can see the cars up close and personal and
chat with the drivers. In the afternoon, the second lap starts near Downie Arena and
ends in Fort Stockton. There
will be a post-race party in Rooney Park and the awards banquet will be at
7:30 p.m. in the Civic Center. One
runoff election scheduled Texas
Democrats will get another election this spring, a runoff on April 8 for
nomination to the Texas Railroad Commission. Mark
Thompson won 48.32 percent of the vote in the March 4 Primary Election. He
will face Dale Henry, who got 27.7 percent while third-place Art Hall
garnered 23.97 percent. The
winner will face Michael L. Williams who was uncontested in the Republican primary. Polls
will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 8. Terrell
County’s four precincts will be consolidated on the first-floor lobby of the
courthouse. Marathon
voting will be in the Community Building. Early
voting begins Monday, March 31, in the Terrell County clerk’s office during
regular business hours and runs through Friday, April 4. Marathon
early voting for all precincts will be in the county tax office. Ranchers
may burn trash in
barrel SANDERSON
– Ranchers with no way to dispose of trash on their property will now be able
to burn it under approved conditions after action Friday by County
Commissioners. In
a special meeting that spilled over from the regular meeting Monday,
commissioners agreed to modify a burn ban approved earlier to allow the
burning of trash “in trash barrels with an approved wire screen on top of the
barrel.” The
issue came up Monday with a discussion of the possibility of trash collection
outside of Sanderson. The burn ban could not be considered at that meeting
because it was not on the agenda. People
in town have regular trash pickup but that is not available to ranchers.
Burning trash is their only reasonable way of eliminating waste. County
Judge Leo Smith wanted to make the amendment effective Monday, March 17,
because of forecasted high winds over the weekend. “They
said on a TV weather show that this will be the worst weekend they’ve seen in
history,” Smith said. As
if to almost punctuate Smith’s concern, a massive grass fire broke out near
the Terrell/Pecos County line Friday, scorching more than 50,000 acres and
keeping fire crews busy into this week. But
Commissioner Charles Stegall said the winds will not end this week and most
would not even get word about the change until the News Leader reaches
their homes this week. Smith
said the issue brings up the question of a litter-abatement ordinance, which
would allow the county to clean up private property after proper notification
to an owner if the owner does not respond. He
said trash could blow over from a neighbor’s yard and cause a fire which
“could very easily burn half the town” because of high winds. There
was concern that carelessness on the part of ranchers burning trash could
start a dangerous fire but Stegall said most ranchers “are going to kind of
use their head. They don’t want to burn up their own place.” Travis
paces track team IRAAN
– Travis Roberts won the 1,600-meter run to pace the Sanderson Eagles to
seventh place at the Cactus Relays here last weekend. The
boys placed seventh out of 15 schools that participated with 46 points. Travis
clocked in at 4:54.17 in the winning effort and he also placed fourth in the
3,200-meter run with a time of 11:18.08. J.D.
Brotherton placed second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.76. He
placed third in the 100-meter dash, crossing the line in 11.29, and he ran
his way into fourth place in the 400-meter run with a time of 53.84. Senior
Davis Stumberg came in second place in the high jump competition, clearing
five feet, 10 inches. Jacob
Benavidez placed third in the 400-meter run, clocking in at 53.75. Jimmy
Rapp is out for the season with a broken right wrist he injured in the
300-meter hurdle. He will be sidelined with Phillip Lascano, who injured
himself in the pole vault competition in an earlier meet. Receiving
the Clint Harris Outstanding Male Athlete Award this year was Brandon
Davenport of Reagan County. In
girl’s action, Noemi Nuńez placed third in the 3,200-meter run with a time of
13:38.81 and sixth in the 1,600-meter run, crossing the line in 6:11.25. Juliana
Castro ran her way into fourth place in the 400-meter run, clocking in at
67.79. Juliana
teamed up with Hannah Black, Clarissa Brotherton and Roxanna Rodriguez and
brought home a sixth place win in the 800-meter relay, finishing the race in
2:00.79. Hannah
also won fifth place in the 100-meter hurdle with a time of 17.85. The
girls placed tenth overall out of 14 schools at the meet. Winning
the Clint Harris Outstanding Female Athlete Award was Summer Sutherland of
Crane. There’s
treasure in that trash SANDERSON
– A pit designed to bury discarded metal objects has turned into a kind of
“treasure trove” for Terrell County. County
Judge Leo Smith told a special meeting of Commissioners Court Friday that
Albert Thorn had been commissioned to dig a pit to bury old cars and other
metal objects at the county landfill. “We
planned to just push everything into it and then cover it up,” he said. “But
in digging, we found some good, good material” that can be used for the
county Road and Bridge Department. In
the meantime, Lupe Villarreal of Integrated Recycling Services of Del Rio
told commissioners last week he would pick up old cars and other discarded
metal items around the county at no cost to the county. The
agreement partially negates the need to bury metal items and the pit produced
what Commissioner Charles Stegall called “very good caliche” that can be used
for road construction. Some
items will still need to be buried and the pit can be used for that. But
in the meantime, the county gets some construction material at no extra cost. Smith
said a similar agreement with George Carter and George Carter, Jr., of Odessa
Wrecker resulted in the removal of 210,000 pounds of metal and more than 200
abandoned cars Sanderson. At
$100 per ton and about $100 per car, he said they probably grossed about
$10,000 from the scrap metal and $12,000 from the cars. That
does not consider their cost in removing the materials. “I’m
tickled to death that they were able to do that,” he said. |
In
nearby Jim Hogg County, six structures were threatened but none damaged in a
10,000-acre fire. Two
fires affecting a total of 5,000 acres destroyed three barns and burned some
electrical poles in Duval County. Two
fires near Guthrie east of Lubbock affected about 65,000 and some 64,000
acres burned near Cotula in south Texas last week. Another blackened 67,500
acres in nearby Dimmit County. A
smaller fire burned about 6,000 acres near Juno between Ozona and Del Rio and
a 3,500-acre blaze at Greenwood in Midland County threatened about 30 homes
but the threat had ended Tuesday. In
Crane County, fire burned 3,018 acres and a 2,000-acre fire 14 miles
northwest of Barnhart in Reagan County was 95 percent contained Monday. There
was a small 763-acre fire at Fort Davis the week before, which threatened the
historic Fort Davis historical site. Easter
coming Sunday SANDERSON
– Today, March 21, is Good Friday, part of the three-day Easter holiday, the
most important dates on the Christian calendar. Easter
marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his execution on the cross three
days before, the day observed as Good Friday. Easter
week is being marked in Sanderson with church services that started Saturday
and continued last night with the Maundy services. St.
James Catholic Church observed the date with confessions followed by a Holy
Thursday mass. Protestant
Churches also marked the event with a service at First Presbyterian Church. Maundy
is derived from the Latin mandatum and means “new commandment.” It also marks
the Last Supper before Christ was crucified. Good
Friday will be marked by the Way of the Cross at 2 p.m. and a Good Friday
service at 3 p.m. at St. James and a 7 p.m. service at First United Methodist
Church. Tomorrow,
March 22, the observance becomes secular with the annual Easter Egg Hunt,
sponsored by Terrell County employees at the Courthouse Lawn. St.
James Catholic Church will mark the Easter Vigil at 7 p.m. On
Easter Sunday, there will be an ecumenical Easter Sunrise Service at the
Dryden Methodist Church behind the Terrell County Museum at 7 a.m. First
Presbyterian Church will have a breakfast and egg hunt at 9 a.m. with the
worship service at 11 a.m. St.
James will also have an Easter mass at 11 a.m. Sunday. Other
secular observances include annual Easter presents, parades and, for the very
young, the coming of the Easter bunny. This
practice seems to have originated around the 1500s in Germany. The
rabbit is the most fertile animal and was known as the symbol of new life
during the spring. Around
1700, a visit from the “Oschter Haws” aka the “Easter Bunny,” was considered
one of a child’s greatest pleasures. The
children believed if they were good, the Oschter Haws would lay a nest of
colored eggs. Eggs are a symbol of new life. The
children would then build a nest in a secluded part of the house or outside. The
boys would use their caps and the girls would use their bonnets. Easter
eggs themselves have been attributed to the Easter bunny but they could have
become popular because eggs were forbidden during lent in medieval Europe. Eggs
laid during that time were often boiled or preserved in other ways until
after lent. They
were then enjoyed at Easter and were prize gifts for servants and children. Eggs
are also involved in Easter games as well, including the hiding of eggs,
carrying eggs on spoons and the ever- popular rolling eggs down hills, which
is still done at the White House every year. Traditions
and legends may come and go, but Easter is still the resurrection day of
Jesus Christ. Beware
the ‘nuisance deer’ By DAN WADDELL Game Warden SANDERSON
– It has come to my attention that several Sanderson residents are
experiencing property damage and injury caused by nuisance deer. Living with deer in Terrell County, especially in Sanderson, is
a fact taken for granted. There is a large resident deer population that comes out of
Sanderson Canyon and the surrounding hills every evening to browse the yards
of local residents. Some Sanderson residents even feed the deer. However, there have been reports of deer damaging plants and
even two reports of children being bitten and kicked or knocked down by deer. Deer are wild animals and the vast majority of deer that visit
us in town are afraid of people. However, there are exceptions. Sometimes people will feed young deer by hand or pet them. If
orphaned or raised around people, deer will grow up to be somewhat fearless
of humans. They will often come back to humans for attention. However,
juvenile deer eventually become adult deer and adult deer can be difficult to
control, a nuisance to property owners and dangerous. My advice to people is neither to feed nor pet the deer. If deer
are present, do not allow children outside.
It is not illegal to feed or pet deer. However, if one does, he
should expect the deer to become familiar with humans and eventually cause
problems. It is illegal to trap or possess live deer. It is illegal to
move or transport deer or keep deer in captivity as a pet or otherwise
without the proper permits. It is also illegal to kill deer out of
season. If experiencing problems with the local deer, call your local
game warden or sheriff. Sanderson and the outlying areas are home to our local deer.
They cannot be captured and moved. It is dangerous and difficult to capture wild deer and special
equipment, proper licenses and a release site are required. Also, transplanted deer have a diminished survival rate and
should be left in their home environment when possible. Therefore, we must learn to live safely and in harmony with our
local deer. To prevent property damage, there are a number of deer
repellents on the market, some of which can be prepared at home and are quite
inexpensive. Mix liquid Ivory soap with water in a spray bottle to apply
generously to plants and shrubs. It
will not harm the plants and will keep the deer away. Add cayenne pepper to
the mix for extra potency. There also are a number of electrically powered sonic repellents
that will produce high frequencies that will help keep the deer and other
pests away from your lawn. Some are available for under $100. Consult the Internet for more
information. As always, if you have questions, concerns or wish to report a
wildlife crime, call your local game warden. ‘Walk’
set across state for
health SANDERSON
– The annual “Walk Across Texas” program aimed at physical health will be
kicked off with a “party” from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, April 4 at the
Bicentennial Park Pavilion here. The
Texas AgriLife Extension Service sponsors the “walk” in which participants
team up to each walk a share of the distance across the state. “Start
a healthy habit,” Extension Family and Consumer Services Agent Evans Kott
said. “Enjoy a little friendly competition, get fit, spend time with your
kids and have fun.” For
more information, contact Kott at 432-837-6207 or Cactus Health Outreach
Coordinator Karen Sanchez at 432/345-2508. Circus
amuses young
at heart SANDERSON
– There were no lions, tigers or bears but there were smiling children at the
Circus Friday. Circo
Cirque circus came to town and performed a free show for Sanderson at the
Downie Roping Arena. Charles
Davenport of Natalia near San Antonio and Robert Rivera of Sanderson arranged
for the show through the Rodeo Association. Davenport
has been in the business since he was a child, taking a little break to try
his hand at the advertising business. “I
didn’t like the rat race and came back,” he said. “We’re like one big, happy
family.” There
are families that travel together, including six-year-old “Rulito the clown.”
He
is joined by his mother Guillermina and father Videla Euvall and little
Piolita, who is three and is involved as much as he can be. Besides
being a clown, Rulito does an acrobatic act with his parents. Dancing
dogs entertained the crowd and there were pony rides for the very young. The
scariest animal was a huge python that found its way around the shoulders of
Ernestina Gonzales. Davenport
schedules shows in rural areas that normally wouldn’t get to see such attractions. Some
of the performers come from Brazil, some from Argentina and Josue Ayala is
from Puerto Rico. “Everyone
does their part,” Davenport said. “Some do whatever needs to be done.” Extra
deputy support indicated SANDERSON
– Terrell County Commissioners voted their “intent” last week to fund two new
sheriff deputies in the next fiscal year and Sheriff Clint McDonald
immediately hired the second new deputy in two weeks. In
a special meeting Friday morning, Commissioners said they could not commit to
budget figures for next year until the budget is approved next summer. But
the unanimous motion puts the court on record as agreeing to include the
money needed “on a trial basis for one year.” The
motion did not contain a dollar amount but Commissioner Charles Stegall noted
it would cost the county about $100,000 per year. But
McDonald told commissioners the commitment would allow him to apply for
federal grant for $100,000 that would provide equipment for the officers. “I
would like to apply for the grant so the county would not be out that
amount,” he said. Having
two new deputies would allow him to create a work schedule based on a 40-hour
workweek for deputies. By
law, law enforcement officers can work up to 43 hours per week before
requiring overtime or comp time. The
extra three hours could be used for “emergencies,” County Judge Leo Smith
said. With
the current staffing, deputies have had to work long hours, a fact McDonald
said had hindered his ability to attract deputies. McDonald
said he had one candidate ready to go to work “today,” pending decision of
the court. Vince
Perna of Fort Stockton was sworn in Friday afternoon. McDonald
said Perna, a former Fort Stockton police officer and Pecos County deputy,
wanted to live in Terrell County because he wanted his children to attend
school here. Keith
Williamson, who was sworn in Friday, Feb. 29, had been “waiting for two
years” before deciding to take the job, McDonald said. “We have people who
want to live in Terrell County.” Commissioner
Kenn Norris asked McDonald if having more officers would increase revenue
from traffic fines and help slow down traffic passing through Sanderson. “Absolutely,”
McDonald said. He
said Justices of the Peace Corina Castro and Abby Roberts have both told him
their “business” was off considerably when he was short-handed. There
have been numerous complaints of through traffic going through Sanderson considerably
faster than the 30-mile-per-hour speed limit. |