High School Two-a-days will begin on Monday, August 2, 2021. Every athlete must have a physical on file before they begin practicing. A reminder that high school boys and girls (even if you don't play football or volleyball) must contact their coach the week of August 2nd- 6th to be enrolled in athletics. The dress code will be enforced starting August 3, 2021.
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St. Teresa's Catholic Church will have their Annual Jamaica on Sunday, August 1, from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at 401 W 17th Street. Go support the church and enjoy live music, games, and lots of food!
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Save the date for Monday, August 23, 2021, to go meet your Chieftains and Squaws at the Friona Chieftain Field at 7 p.m.!
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Parmer Medical Center will have their Back to School Health & Safety Fair and COVID-19 vaccine Fair on Saturday, August 7, 2021. This free event is for school-aged children and offers free backpacks, school supplies, and more. See ad on page 12 for more information.
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The First Baptist Church will have a free shoe drive for students in Kinder-High School on Sunday, August 8th, at 3:00 p.m. at 404 W 5th Street. If you have any questions, you can call 806-250-3933.
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Victory Family Worship Center will have a backpack & school supplies giveaway on Wednesday, August 4th, at 6:30 p.m. at 110 East 9th Street. These basic school supplies are for children in primary and elementary school. This giveaway will end once the supplies run out.
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Heritage Estates will transition from an assisted living facility to senior apartments over the next few months and will need a new name. To find the new name, there is a contest that will end on July 31st. Send in name suggestions to Heritage Estates through Facebook messages for the chance to win a $150 gift card. You can enter as many names as you would like before the deadline.
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The Friona Volunteer Fire Department will conduct a 50 for 50 Gun Raffle this year with the drawing scheduled for September 11, 2021. Tickets for the raffle are currently on sale for $50 each and can be purchased from Friona Firemen, 4-Way Pump, CHS, or Property Associates. You can also call 806-265-7268 to purchase tickets. For more information about the rules or the prizes visit www.frionafire.com.
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In the Original 10 month Roman calendar, August was the sixth month with 30 days and was originally named Sextilis. In 8 BC, the Roman Senate rewarded Octavian Augustus a month in his honor. Renamed to Augustus, there remained the issue of the month having fewer days than Julius (July). Whether Octavian adjusted the number of days to match that of July is uncertain, but the result left February with 28 days except in a leap year and September and November each gave up a day to October and December to avoid a trifecta of 31 days in a row.
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National Days
July 29
Chicken Wing Day
July 30
Cheesecake Day
July 31
Avocado Day
August 1
Sisters Day
August 2
Coloring Book Day
August 3
Watermelon Day
August 4
Coast Guard Day
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At the FISD Board of Trustees meeting last Monday evening, Project Manager Zach Allen of Teinert Construction and architect Aaron Rivera of Parkhill, Smith & Cooper gave a progress report on the current FISD building projects.
Primary School
The interiors and the exterior facade are complete. The storm shelter is finished and the murals have been installed. The life safety system is operational. Playground surfacing as well as playground equipment installation are scheduled for completion by the end of July. Landscaping should be finished by mid-August.
Elementary School
Electrical service & lighting, ceiling grid, and framing & drywall are complete. Texture & painting are scheduled for completion by the end of July. The door access control & PA system, restroom remodel, aluminum storefront, and flooring are all scheduled to be complete by mid-August.
High School Band Hall
The interiors and the exterior facade are completed. Sidewalks are scheduled for completion by the end of July. Electrical systems commissioning and the life safety systems startup should also be completed by the end of the month.
Portable Buildings
Relocating the portable buildings started on July 27th and should be completed by the end of the month. Utility connections and MEP startup should be completed by August 6th.
Press Box
Both interior and exterior are complete. Window, door, and hardware installation should be finished by the end of July. MEP systems complete by August 6th.
Ag Building
All equipment has been delivered. Still waiting for door frame & hardware and lighting.
Summary
The recent rains slowed the completion of the new playgrounds but they should be ready by the time school begins. The completion of the Elementary School is the most problematic of the projects because of material shortages and delivery delays.
Drone view of the playground area at the new Primary School
One of the murals inside the new Primary School
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is reminding shoppers they can save money on clothes and school supplies during the state's sales tax holiday on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 6th-8th.
State law exempts sales tax on qualified items - such as clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks - priced below $100, saving shoppers about $8 on every $100 they spend. The date of the sales tax holiday and list of tax-exempt items are set by the Texas Legislature.
"For many families with children who are going back to their school campuses for the first time since the pandemic began, the sales tax holiday is the perfect opportunity to save money on school supplies and other tax-free items," Hegar said. "As a father with three school-aged children myself, I know how these expenses can add up."
Apparel and school supplies that may be purchased tax-free are listed on the Comptroller's website at TexasTaxHoliday.org.
During the annual sales tax holiday, qualifying items can be purchased tax free online or by telephone, mail, custom order or any other means (including in-store purchases) when either: (1) the item is both delivered to, and paid for by, the customer during the exemption period; or (2) the customer orders and pays for the item, and the seller accepts the order during the exemption period for immediate shipment, even if delivery is made after the exemption period ends.
Texas' sales tax holiday weekend has been an annual event since 1999, allowing consumers to save millions of dollars in state and local sales taxes each year. The Comptroller's office estimates that shoppers will save an estimated $107.3 million in state and local sales tax during this sales tax holiday.
The Parmer County Commissioners Court met in regular session on Monday, July 26, 2021 at 10 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.
There were no public comments. Minutes from the July 12th 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 was also approved.
Next, the Court reviewed the Parmer County Treasurer's Quarterly Report. This report compiled by County Treasurer Sharon May lists all of the county's receipts and expenditures from April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021. The quarterly report was reviewed and approved. The Parmer County Treasurer's Report can be found on page 8.
An Inter-Local Cooperation Agreement between the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission (PRPC) and Parmer County for 9-1-1 addressing services was approved. All locations in Parmer County are given "9-1-1 addresses" to help emergency personnel respond quicker.
The Court also approved an Inter-Local Agreement between PRPC and Parmer County for E9-1-1 Service and PSAP equipment. Both of the agreements with PRPC will be in effect for two years.
Commissioners voted to maintain the current insurance for county employees. Insurance specialist Jerry Killion informed the Court that rates will increase 7.5% for the upcoming year. This equates to an approximate $72 per month per employee cost increase. The insurance is Blue Cross Blue Shield and there were no price increases last year. The county employee plan has a low $250 deductible and is a selling point in hiring and keeping employees.
Sheriff Randy Geries reported that he was currently housing 28 inmates in the Parmer County Law Enforcement Center.
Commissioners conducted a budget workshop at 1:30 p.m. to review new budget requests including the possibility of purchasing more voting machines. Commissioners are proposing a 3 percent pay raise for all county employees and the Commissioners Court (4 commissioners and judge). No raises were proposed last year and it has been several years since the Court has seen a raise.
The next scheduled Commissioners Court meeting is Monday, August 9th.
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.