The Nocona News (Nocona, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 34, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 31, 2008 Page: 1 of 8
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Montague County Area Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Friends of the Nocona Public Library.
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m -
I—
to l
No parking, Fire Zones
expand at secondary
campus
... Page 1
Donations given to
students, Meals on
Wheels
... Page 3
Teams struggle to
keep play-off
positions
... Pages 6 & 7
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Thursday, January 31, 2008
Serving Montague County Since 1906 Copyright 2008
Volume 102, Issue 34 Seventy-five Cents
Eight Pages
Founded 1858
m
*v- • v
Raising the roof
Commissioner vents about
'negative' attitude from SO
Leak Attack
City Manager Lynn Henley breaks into the midst of Clay Street Tuesday. THe city replaced the water mains beneath Clay Street
with new mains that run between the street and the easmenet to the right, installing new fire hydrants as they went. But one of the
valves on the old main would not completely close, resulting in a leaking, old fire hydrant, at Locust and Clay. That left the city
no choice, but to dig up the state-maintained highway, kill off the line, and remove the old fire hydrants (one pictured inthe back-
ground) leaving the Texas Deaprtment of Transportation with a mid-winter street repair.
NHS parking, driv ng patterns change
By Tracy R. Mesler
MONTAGUE -- Parking and
traffic flows around the second-
ary campus has become a little
clearer in recent weeks.
NHS Principal Lynn Lirely
pointed out Thursday two sig-
nificant changes to parking that
will affect students, faculty and
visitors alike.
"The area next to the Middle
School Gym and the area
between the Field House and the
Band Hall is 'no parking' all the
time," the principal said.
"In fact they are fire lanes
and must be kept clear all the
time," he said stressing that
includes after normal school
hours and during night-time
events.
"The road west of the field
house is one way to the north,"
the principal continued,
"towards the swimming pool
with parking along the curb
only. No parking along the
fence. This is to ease congestion
in that area and allow for traffic
to flow smoothly and safely,"
Lirely said.
"It was just too tight," he
said of the driving lane, when
vehicles parked on both sides of
the street.
All secondary employees
(administration, faulty and staff)
as well as students already are
required to have and display
from their inside rear-view mir-
ror an NHS parking permit any
time the vehicle is parked on the
campus.
"This is a safety issue of var-
ious types," he said. "It allows
us to monitor the vehicles which
are on campus to better regulate
unauthorized persons that may
park on campus. It is also a pre-
caution to ensure that those
parking have a driver's license
and insurance.
"The permit is free and stu-
dents need only to bring their
drive's license, proof and insur-
ance and vehicle tag number to
the office to receive their per-
mit," he noted.
Saturday exhibits-
Young scientists to explore
Lirely stressed, "Any red-
curbed area is a no-parking
area," and that applies "twenty-
four, seven - including ball
games."
"We've got to have access to
the fields and buildings if we
need an ambulance or a fire
truck," he explained.
Visitors and handicapped
parking areas are clearly marked
and will be enforced, he noted.
The yellow curb south of the
field house and opposite the
high school entrance is reserved
parking, he added.
"We hope that these
upgrades will ease the flow of
traffic in and around our campus
and increase the safety of our
students and all who drive on
our campus," he concluded.
The head-in parking immedi-
ately west of the Middle School
Gym is reserved for the princi-
pal, faculty, guests, and some
handicapped (as marked). The
parking lot just west of that
(closer to Clay St.) is reserved
for faculty and visitors. Students
may park in the area south of the
yellow line in that parking lot.
There is no curb-side parking
on Cottonwood from Clay
to Grayson Streets. Nor is there
any curb-side parking on Cooke
Street adjacent to Cottonwood
Street. Both of those parking
restrictions were approved by
the city council.
The senior student's parking
is in the lot immediately south
of the High School Gym, and in
those unmarked areas south of
Please See "Parking" Page 4
Burn Ban
In Effect
No outdoor burning
by order of County
Commissioners Court
By Tracy R. Mesler
MONTAGUE - Obviously
frustrated at perceived "second
guessing" and "criticism" from
Sheriff Bill Keating, Pet. 4
Comm. Tommie Sappington
had some blunt words to say
before voting to approve almost
a quarter million dollars in
repairs to the roof of the Jail and
Sheriffs Office.
"Mr. Bittlinger," Sappington
said, addressing Jail
Administrator Harry Bittlinger,
the only representative of the
department present at Monday's
meeting, "It's hard to know
what to do when everything we
do down there (jail/sheriff's
department) is a 'negative'.' We
didn't do it right' like the sewer
plant!"
"I know, but it needs to be
fixed," Bittlinger said, avoiding
the commissioner's point about
behind-the-scenes complaints,
negativism and accusations of
illegal activity by the commis-
sioner's court.
Earlier this month the com-
missioner's court voted to be its
own general contractor and
make massive changes in the
septic system which serves the
courthouse and jail/sheriffs
office.
Following Monday's meet-
ing, Sappington explained
Sheriff Keating complained to
County Attorney Jeb McNew
accusing the commissioner's
court of breaking state-mandat-
ed bidding requirements.
McNew contradicted that
statement saying he had not
talked to the Sheriff about the
sewer project.
"I talked to Tommie
(Sappington) and gave him
some general information about.
But I have not have not asked to
give a written opinion on it. I
don't believe I've received any
complaints or inquiries from the
sheriff," McNew said.
Commenting he was in com-
missioner's court when the con-
sultant gave a lengthy report on
the sewage system, McNew said
he generally understood that the
county was acting as it's own
general contractor, which he
understands is one of the excep-
tions to the bid requirements of
the County Purchasing Act.
"That's what I generally
understood from talking to
Tommie," McNew observed,
"As long as we're our own
contactor and buy the gravel
here, and the tanks there, and
hire folks to do specific work,
and we oversee it, it's legal!"
Sappington said, visibly exas-
perated at behind the scenes
complaints from the sheriff not-
ing Keating rarely appears
before the commissioner's
court, which administers the
county's finances.
The commissioner went on to
point out that not only does
Keating criticize without taking
part in the decision process, but
according to Sappington the
Sheriff violates the orders of the
commissioner's court - specifi-
cally the court's ban against any
smoking in any of the county
buildings.
"We'll be better able to han-
dle his cigarette butts (flushed
down the sewer) with this sys-
tem than the one we've got!" the
commissioner snapped.
On Feb. 27, 2006, the
Commissioners Court adopted a
"revised smoking Policy" which
bans smoking "in all county
buildings."
Yet, Sappington notes, ciga-
rettes butts are constantly being
found in the swage coming from
the jail; and the commissioners
have received numerous reports
that Sheriff Keating and his
deputies and employees smok-
ing in the Sheriffs Offices in
violation of the court order.
After making his observation
to Bittlinger, Sappington then
made the motion, which passed
unanimously, to direct an con-
sulting firm to prepare bid docu-
ments so the court to take bids to
repair six of the eight different
roofs in the jail-sheriffs office
complex (two are new and still
under warranty), replacing two
of the heating/air conditioning
units.
The consultant estimated the
Please See "Roof' Page 2
AREA WEATHER
Day
Hi
Lo
Rain
Jan. 23
28
14
--
Jan. 24
38
17
—
Jan. 25
38
21
0.01
Jan. 26
39
30
0.01
Jan. 27
55
30
—
Jan. 28
69
30
"
Jan. 29
69
53
—
24 Hour period ending at 7 a.m.
Offical recording site at Nocona Hills
Tot Rain 2008 0.03
Tot. Rain Jan. 0.03
Through Jan. 2007 3.65
Through Jan. 2006 1.11
w
I*- fr:'
t-T-
The Thirteenth Annual
Nocona ISD Science Fair will
be presented in the Elementary
School Cafeteria on Feb. 1-2.
Any student in grades K-12
may participate in the fair.
Students will compete for
ribbons, prize money and a
chance to advance to the region-
al competition at Midwestern
State University.
Winners of the regional fair
may advance to the state fair to
be held later this year.
Judging of the projects will
take place Friday evening, Feb.
1 beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Students are not required to
attend while judging takes
place.
Awards will be announced
Saturday morning, Feb. 2, at 10
a.m.
The public is invited to view
the projects from 9:30 to 10 on
Saturday morning.
There is no charge for admis-
sion.
Customer surveys being conducted
Meals needs dr vers, hoppers
The Montague County
Carpenter's Shop is in need of
volunteers to deliver Meals on
Wheels.
We need drivers and hoppers.
Please contact Karen Russell at
825-3148 for more information.
Also Linda Mesler and Ora
Van Meter are distributing
information "intakes" to be
filled out by everyone who dines
at The Carpenter's Shop, or any-
one who participates in the
Meals on Wheels Program.
Please fill out these intakes
and return them as soon as pos-
sible to The Carpenter's Shop,.
Or allow Linda Mesler to pick
them up at your home.
The intakes are required and
needed to qualify for various
grants and programs which help
support the Meals on Wheels
Program.
—
NOCONA ISD
Slow Adaptation
Change comes slowly to most folks — including Nocona ISD personnel. Change such as the fire lanes between the NHS Field House
and Band Hall where parking is forbidden 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, noted NHS Principal Lynn Lirely.
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Mesler, Tracy R. & Mesler, Linda L. The Nocona News (Nocona, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 34, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 31, 2008, newspaper, January 31, 2008; Nocona, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth439500/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Friends of the Nocona Public Library.