On January 19, 2022, a meeting of the Panhandle Regional Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee was held to determine how to spend the $113,753 that was available to Panhandle cities for solid waste management programs. The City of Friona was awarded $30,000 for the purchase of a baler and forklift to begin work on a cardboard recycling program.
"A cardboard recycling program is the City's first step in our approach to a full service recycling center which would include plastic, paper, and glass recycling in the future," stated City Manager Lee Davila.
The City of Friona will be working with Keep Texas Recycling (KTR), a program of Keep Texas Beautiful, specializing in building cooperative opportunities for recycling in rural and underserved communities. KTR is very active in the Panhandle, working with the majority of recycling programs in the region.
Rachel Hering, director of KTR, added "Keep Texas Recycling is proud to work with the City of Friona to develop their recycling program. Recycling helps the environment, has economic benefits and is a proactive choice to improve the quality of life and services within a community."
The program should be implemented in the next 3-6 months.
Parmer County Commissioners Court met in regular session on Monday January 24, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. in the County Courtroom of the Parmer County Courthouse in Farwell, Texas. The meeting began with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag and Texas Flag.
Retired Parmer County Sheriff Randy Geries spoke during the Open Forum portion of the meeting. Minutes from the January 10th meeting were read and approved. Commissioners approved the payment of the accounts payables as presented by County Treasurer Sharon May. The Treasurer's Payroll Report and Quarterly Report (4th Quarter) were also approved. See report on page 8.
Approval was given to extend the current Burn Ban another 90 days. The ban will now be in effect until Monday, April 25, 2022.
Commissioners discussed possible uses of ARPA (Covid) funds. The county has received $900,000 and will receive another $900,000 in May. The funds must be budgeted by December 2024 and spent by December 2026. As of know, regulations require that the money spent but be related to Covid, first responders, or tourism. Commissioners have been informed that new "more relaxed" guidelines could be issued in the near future.
Parmer County Sheriff Eric Geske informed the Court that the Parmer County Law Enforcement Center was currently housing 25 inmates. Of these, 8 are paying customers from Deaf Smith County.
In other business, CE hours were approved for Tax Assessor/Collector Awyna Sanchez, the COVID-19 Administrative Leave Policy was adopted for another year, the contract with UniFirst was renewed, and Bonds for Sheriff Eric Geske and Tax Assessor/Collector Deputy Mary Kelly were approved.
All meetings are open to the public. The Commissioner's Court reserves the right to go into Executive Session at any time. The agenda may be found on the Parmer County website. Information in this article is only a summary. Any questions concerning specific actions should be directed to the Commissioners Court.
Save The Date!!! — Basketball/Powerlifting Parent Night is Friday, February 4th. Senior players, managers, and cheerleaders will be recognized along with their parents. The Basketball King and Queen will also be announced. The event will take place at the end of the girl's game and before the boy's game starts. See you there!
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GO! — Tickets are now available for the 66th Annual Chamber of Commerce & Ag Awards Ceremony. The event will take place on Tuesday, March 8th at the Friona Community Center. Tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased at the chamber office at 621 Main. Gold sponsorships are available for $600 and include a reserved table for eight guests. "Frionaopoly" is the theme this year.
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Stock show results next week — Reviews have been filtering in and many think that the 85th Annual Parmer County Jr. Livestock Show was one of the best ever. The new heaters and kitchen were fan favorites. The Friona Star will have all the results in next week's edition.
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Free Vaccination Clinic in Friona — Parmer Medical Center is hosting a Free Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic on Thursday, January 27th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the 6th Street Church of Christ, 502 W. 6th, in Friona. Now offering Pfizer for ages 12 and up and Moderna for ages 18 and up. Call 806-240-1562 or 806-240-1761 for an appointment. Walk-ins are available.
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Free Vaccination Clinic in Bovina — Parmer Medical Center is hosting a Free Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic on Friday, January 28th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the XIT Recreation Center in Bovina, Texas. Now offering Pfizer for ages 12 and up and Moderna for ages 18 and up. Call for an appointment at 806-240-1562 or 806-240-1761. Walk-ins are available.
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Reminder — St. Ann's Catholic Church of Bovina is having their annual German Sausage Dinner on Sunday, January 30, 2022 from 11:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. (Texas time) at the St. Ann's Parish Hall on 3rd Street in Bovina, Texas. Donations will be $12 for adults and $6 for children under six years of age. Take-out plates will be available at no additional charge.
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National Freedom Day — always observed on February 1st, it celebrates freedom from slavery. It also recognizes that America is a symbol of liberty. The day honors the signing by Abraham Lincoln of a joint House and Senate resolution that later became the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. President Lincoln signed the Amendment outlawing slavery on February 1, 1865. It was not ratified by the states, however, until later on December 18, 1865.
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Backward Day — Leonardo da Vinci wrote backward. Not only did the artist and inventor write from right to left, but he also wrote his letters backward. Note: Did he paint backwards and how could you tell?
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Valentine's Day — Start sending your photos in for our Annual Valentine's edition to be published on February 10th. Ad prices are $10 for small (3x5), $15 for medium (5x5), and $20 for large (5x10). Email to frionastar@wtrt.net or text to 806-265-5200. Deadline is Tuesday, February 8th at 5:00 p.m.
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National Days
January 27: Chocolate Cake Day
January 28: Have Fun At Work Day
January 29: Puzzle Day
January 30: Croissant Day
January 31: yaD drawkcaB
February 1: Freedom Day
February 2: Groundhog Day
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On Wednesday morning, Friona received its first significant snowfall of the season and the first "real" moisture since the .25" recorded last October 11th. John Gurley reported that the official snowfall was 1.5" with .13" being the related precipitation total. It was a "slightly wet" snow. Friona received .03" of rain on January 2nd as well as a "dusting" of snow a couple of weeks ago.
On January 11, 2022, Parmer County Retired Teachers and School Personnel met at the home of Melissa Randolph for a soup and cornbread luncheon. Jeff Procter provided information regarding Prairie Acres nursing home and the new apartments at Legacy Pointe (formerly Heritage Estates). Jeff is the administrator of Prairie Acres as well as a local minister, and his presentation was both poignant and humorous. He described the challenge of dealing with government regulations and the availability of physical therapy and "swing bed" type services at Prairie Acres.
Glenda Procter, volunteer chairperson, reminded retirees to turn in their volunteer hours, which TRTA uses to encourage legislative support. Amelia Wright, the Book Lady and second Vice President, discussed PCRTSP's book donation to all county kindergarten and first graders.
The next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 8 at 2:00 p.m. at the Friona Interbank community room. Connie Slagle will describe her work in developing the Facebook page "Building Friona" as well as update her research into the makers of a 1930 autograph quilt. All education retirees, their guests, and community members are invited to attend this meeting.