The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 124, No. 39, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 24, 2000 Page: 1 of 14
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Noteworthy effort
Four AHS band members received top
ratings at solo and ensemble competition
last weekend, with two advancing to the
state level at the end of the schoo! year.
See story, p%. 3
Lots of local action
There is a flurry of activity this week as
improvements at both the baseoall and
softball fields are finished up in time for
simultaneous local tournaments.
See stories, Pfj. 6 '
Albany News
"Oldest Journalistic Venture West of the Brazos"
Thursday, February 24, 2000, Albany, Texas 76430
10 Paces in 1
Section
Volume Number 124
Number 39
Prk~e 75c
Hospital board signs contracts with Dr. Tong
By Melinda L. Lucas
Temporary contracts were
approved between the Shackel-
ford County Hospital District
and Dr. Chester Tong during
the hospital board's regular
meeting on Monday, February
21.
The board also voted to hire
Margie Boone as office manager
when the district takes over the
local health clinic on March 1.
Boone is currently serving as
office manager of the First Med
clinic, which Hendrick Health
System (HHS) will close at the
end of this month.
Hendrick has agreed to "lease"
nurse practitioner Melanie
Richburg and LVN Becci Hebe'
to the district to continue work-
ing in the clinic, but a contract
had not yet been received from
HHS as of Monday night's meet-
ing
The motions to approveTong's
contracts and Boone's employ-
ment passed unanimously fol-
lowing a closed'sessitm to "dis-
cuss clinic salaries."
Tong, a well-known Abilene
internist who retired recently
from his practice with Abilene
Diagnostics, plans to practice at
the local clinic four days a week.
He will also serve as medical
District to take over clinic March 1
director of the facility, supervis-
ing Richburg's practice.
The hospital district will pay
Dr Tong $5,000 per month for
his services in both capacities,
or a total of $60,000 per year.
"For a doctor, that's a steal, es-
pecially for someone as quali-
fied as Dr. Tong," commented
board member John Ayers fol-
lowing the meeting.
"We would be paying $30,000
a year just for a medical director
to check our nurse practitioner's
charts," he continued. "Dr. Tong
had a huge practice in Abilene
and 1 don't have any doubt that
he will generate enough income
to pay for himself He just wants
to slow down a little and he feels
that he can help our community
for the next few years "
Tong's contracts are docu-
mented as "temporary" because
the district is in the process of
establishing a nonprofit founda
tion that will actually "employ"
the physician, as explained in
last week's News. After the foun-
dation isset up, Tong's contracts-
will be redrawn using the same
salary figures.
The board also finalized other
plans for the^clinic change-over,
including approval of a bid from
Medical Manager billing system.
The lease purchase agreement
will include computers, software,
upgrades and transfer of cur-
rent files at a cost of $373 per
month for 60 months, with a $1
buy-out at the end of the lease
torni
The clinic staff is already fa-
miliar with the Medical Man-
ager system. which is used by
Hendrick
A bid was also presented by
MedTech Data Services.
In addition, the direct »rs dis-
cussed the need for a nission
statement for the clinic, policies
and procedures, jm rsonnel poll
cies and a possible advisory com-
mittee, as well as other issues
such as a clt ailing service, sign
ing and office equipment.
The board will meet again
Thursday night to decide on
Boone's insurance coverage
Walking a line
miEK mm mm ~
V
Representatives of Abiliene
Physical Therapy (top photo)
show Florence Lynch'some
techniques to test balance
during the Resource Center's
mini health fair last week.
The fair was planned in con-
junction with the Albany
Ministerial Alliance's annual
chili fundraiser for the CRC.
During the luncheon, Alli-
ance member Don Loeschen
(lowerphoto, r)servesClaudia
Skiles (I) with some of the
'special recipe' chili.
Filing period opens for local elections
Although the filing period for
five AJbany and Moran elections
opened this week on February
21. only one candidate had filed
for a seat on the Moran school
board, and no one at all had filed
for any of the other positions as
of Tuesday night. The local elec-
tions will all be held on Satur-
day, May 6.
The filing periods for city
councils in Albany and Moran,
the school districts in both com-
munities, and the Shackelford
County Hospital District got
underway Monday and will con-
tinue through Wednesday,
March 22
Early voting by personal ap-
pearance will'be held from April
29 through May 2. Local voters
can request applications for
mail-in ballots beginning March
7.
School Board Elections
Incumbent Joyce Bacon is the
sole candidate so far in any of
the county races. She filed for
her seat on the Moran 1SD board
of trustees on Monday, Febru-
ary 21, the first day of filing.
The term of board president
Brawner Reed will also expire
this spring, and there is an addi-
tional vacancy that will need to
be filled during the May 6 elec-
tion . All t hree seat s are for three-
year U*»nis and will 'be elected
at-large.
Two.seats on the Albany ISD's
board oft rustees will be included
on the ballot
Place 3 currently held by
Tommie Brown will expire in
May. as will the Place 1 position
presently, filled by Bobbie
Cauble. Neither of the incum-
bent® have stated whether they
intend to run for reelection
Candidates in Imth xl'ool
elections must live within the
boundaries of the school district
in Albany, the candidates must
also file for a specific seat on the
board.
Applications can be picked up
at the superintendent's offices
in both Albany and Moran dur-
ing school hours
Hospital Positions
Four of the -en seats on the
Shackelford * oiinty Hospital
District sboard«iPiirecjorsmust
be tilled during the May elec
tion. along with a fifth unex
pired term
Incumbents include John
Avers, Alma Godf rejf-Neese,
(Set* 1 <>( ,il election^ pj; J)
■ STAGED TRAGEDY
'Accident' to show perils of driving drunk
Albany junior high and high
school students will face the "re
ality" of drinking and driving
when the Albany Task Force
stages a mock automobile acci-
dent next Wednesday morning,
March 1 in front of the high
school building.
The event is designed to make
students take a hard look at the
possible consequences of drink
ing and driving and will involve
role playing by 'both students
and parents, along with law en
forcement and medical person-
nel.
"This will be staged just like a
real accident," explained AHS/
AJHS principal Dean Blair. "Our
hope is that when these stu-
dents see a tragedy this realis
tic, they will think twice if they
ever have to make the decision
about whether to drink and
drive."
The "Shattered 1 )reains' pro
gram originated in San Antonio,
and has been used in several
area towns, including Abilene
and Merkel
The "accident" will take place
about ll:0()a m. next Wednes-
day, and will involve several
ambulances, as well as a cafe
flight helicopter
"It isn't our intention to scare
anyone," Blair continued "In
• fact, most schools do not publi-
cize the event in advance be
cause thev 'feel it takes away
from the drama and shock ef
feet But because of the recent
violence in our nation's schools
and because we are a small, close
community, we felt that it would
be better to let parents and ev
eryone else know what was go
ing on We don t'want someone
to have a real accident trying to
get to the school to find out w hat's
happening to their kids."
Following the mock accident,
the students will .talk about i hen-
feelings during the event. There
will also be an assembly the next
morning, on Thursday. March
2. in the high school auditorium
The public is invited to attend
School board okays plans for athletic center
By Donnie A. Lucas
The Albany school board ap-
proved plans for a proposed field
house and athletic activity cen-
ter, along with extending the
contracts of four Albany admin-
istrators during a meeting held
Monday.
Representatives from Tittle
Luther Partnership met with the
board to present the final set of
plans for the 10,500 square foot
facility, as well as have the board
seek bids from subcontractors
and set wage rates forthe project
The district has received a
$100,000 donation for the con-
struction of the building and
another $150,000 has l>een
pledged in writing. The archi-
tects estimated the project to
, cost $320,000, bi the district
opted to Net as its own construc-
tion manager and seek volun-
teer labor where possible to hold
costs within the $250,000 do-
nated
Jack Darken with Tittle
Lut her first presented t he board
with an alternative foundation
plan for approval, drawing at-
tention to the fact that a stiff-
ened or waffle slab foundation,
while structurally sound, is a
"marginal" design for the struc-
ture,
"Because of the type ofsoil in
this area and the fact that the
building will be on quite a bit of
fill insome areas, we would nor-
mally include drilled piers in
the plans," stiid Jlarlfen "But
there just isn't enough money in
the budget for piers, so we are
proposing an alternative tvpe'
slab."
Darken recommended that
the board have compaction tests
conducted for each six inches of
fill dirt to minimize any crack-
ing in the concrete in years to
come.
"We just need the board to
understa 1 that this will be a
slab on g.ade and there is the •
potential of movement."
Harken did add that with re
cent drought conditions, even
buildings with drilled piers are
experiencing some cracking in
the foundation
Drilling piers was estimated
to cost the district an additional
$50,000 for the project and the
board indicated that it wanted
to keep expenses within the
amount donated
When asked directly by Su-
perintendent Jeri Pfeifer if the
building would be structurally
less sound due to potent ial crack-
ing. Harkens said that the slab
haa been engineered to with-
stand some movement and the
effects should be minimal.
"If you had the budget we
would recommend that you drill
piers, but you don't." said
Harken He added that he Was
"comfortable" with the slab de-
sign" as long as the board under*
stood that there would probably
be some movement
In other business, the board
heard a report from CSI, Inc . an
energy consulting firm that has
spent several months conduct-
ing a preliminary energy audit
at the secondary campus. The
company identified about
$240,000 in improvements to the
heating-and cooling, light irg and
electrical wiring that should be
completed to realize a savings of
about $14,000 per year in utility
costs The hoard took no action,
stating the.district is not in a
financial position toconsidcrthe
improvements at this time.
The contracts of four admin
istrators were reviewed and ex
tended during the meeting. Both
campus principals received ont
year extensions, for a total ,of
two years.
Also, the contracts of the ath
letic director and school counse
lor were changed from one-year
to two-year terms and extended
through the 2001-2002 school
year
Jim Robertson discussed a
$ 12,000 increase in the d i strict s
property insurance costs.
ill
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Lucas, Donnie A. The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 124, No. 39, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 24, 2000, newspaper, February 24, 2000; Albany, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth413660/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Old Jail Art Center.