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ARCHIVES :: April 10, 2002 |
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COUNTY NEWS Caliche Pit is
Booming Business
Ground work has been laid for the Lockney
Youth Center, courtesy of Amarillo Road Company, Kenneth Gregg, and local
truckers Rick Fuller, Joe Starkey, and Tim Lipham.
Twenty-one semi-truck loads of caliche have
been delivered to the youth center building site from a local caliche pit
four miles east of Lockney.
The pit is owned by Kenneth Gregg of
Plainview. Gregg leases the land to Amarillo Road Company. The caliche is
free to the Center because of the generosity of Amarillo Road and Kenneth
Gregg. The delivery was also free of charge thanks to Fuller, Starkey and
Lipham.
The pit has been running strong for four years now, turning out aggregate
for road building.
Foreman Ron Kennedy says the multi-million dollar operation makes everything
(except oil) that is needed to build a road.
"If we were doing just the base for road work we could put 5,000 tons a day
down," said Kennedy. "But we are putting out 6 separate products."
Amarillo Road is owned by Robert Strebeck and Charles Schmidt. The job
superintendent is Vincent Loe.
Approximately 20 people are employed at the local pit. "I try to use local
people and local truckers as much as I can," said Kennedy. "The truckers
have to have their own insurance. We require they be insured for $1 million
dollars each."
The large majority of the materials harvested at this pit go toward road
projects. "We are hauling caliche to Plainview (FM 400), Spur 331 in
Lubbock, Hockley County, and Lamb County," said Kennedy. "If the job is too
far away we will move the equipment to another caliche pit and truck out of
there.
"When we are very busy we would be capable of loading 300 trucks a day out
of here."
Every two or three days explosions will rock the pit as more rock is broken
loose. The area containing the newly loosened aggregate is then entered by
an large rubber wheeled "Cat" dozer which cleans the blast site.
"The smaller dozer comes in to work first and clears the ground so the
bigger, 988 F "Cats" can work at scooping up the rock," said Kennedy. "The
tires on the bigger "Cats" cost about $4,500 each, and we do what we can to
save the tires. This big Caterpillar costs approximately 1/2 million
dollars. They can pick up their own weight. They will then load the rock
into a heavy haul dump truck which is then delivered to a rock crusher.
After crushing, the rock is separated by machine into 6 different sizes (or
grades) and stockpiled until needed.
A water tank truck moves continuously through the site keeping the ground
slightly moist and free from flying dust.
"We were recently checked by TNRCC on a windy West Texas day," said Kennedy.
"They looked across the road and saw a farmer plowing. The dirt was blowing
everywhere and then they turned around and looked at our pit, laughed and
said, 'You've got no problems'".
Kennedy lives at the site to discourage vandalism and theft. The men work 10
1/2 hour days Monday through Friday, and some Saturdays.
The chemical ignitions at the site are handled by Martin Morales. Holes are
meticulously drilled in the area to be detonated and C-5 is then placed in
the holes.
The explosion is monitored from a spot close to a steel "bucket" (or a
scooper from a dozer), over 100 yards from the blast. Morales watches the
direction the wind blows the rock and takes cover in the bucket if
necessary.
As the rock falls closer and closer to the bucket the sound resembles the
roar of an oncoming train or a large herd of galloping horses.
"The guys who do the blasting are great at their job," said Kennedy. "We
have an outstanding safety and maintenance record here. The men work hard."
Kennedy says Amarillo Road Company is glad they are in the area. "We know
the company is an economic benefit to Floyd County, and we're glad we were
able to help out the youth center with what we have to offer."
Deadline Near For Veterans
The
deadline is drawing near for people to submit names for the Floyd County
Veterans Memorial Wall.
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The names which have been submitted will
be published in the Floyd County Hesperian-Beacon on April 25th. The
deadline to be included in this printing is April 19th.
The marker dedication will take place
on Veterans Day, 2002 and the granite engraving and construction will
begin very soon. |
Visit the Floyd Count
Veteran's Monument Website:
click here
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Names on the wall will be of any Floyd County Veteran, living or deceased.
The veteran does not have to currently reside in Floyd County.
To have your name included on the wall call Julianne Cornelius at
806-983-2154, or 983-2982.
Cornelius can also be reached through email: ecornelius@niinet.net
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OBITUARIES
CODY DILLINGER
Graveside services for Cody Dillinger, 71,
of Happy will be held 2:00 p.m. Thursday, April 11, 2002 at the Floyd County
Memorial Park Cemetery in Floydada. Howard Morris, Elder at 6th Avenue
Church of Christ, will officiate.
Burial was under the direction of Brooks Funeral Directors of Canyon and
Happy.
Dillinger died April 8, 2002 in Amarillo.
He was born on July 10, 1930 in Viola, Arkansas to John W. and Creecy J.
Rand Dillinger. He married Imogene J. Lance on March 14, 1950 in Clovis, New
Mexico. He was a construction supervisor in the Saint Louis, Missouri area
and Bull Shoals, Arkansas.
He was past president of the Winfield, Missouri Lion's Club and
vice-president of the Moose Lodge in Harrison, Arkansas. He was also a
musician. He was a member of the Church of Christ.
He was preceded in death by one sister, Shirley Jean Moser, of Lubbock; one
brother, Tommy Dillinger; his parents and one daughter, Dianna Lynn Owens in
1993.
Survivors include one daughter and son-in-law, Kathryn J. and S.D. Himes of
Amarillo; one son, William (Bill) Dillinger of Happy; two brothers, Cohnon
Dillinger of Abernathy and Donnie Dillinger of Cave City, Arkansas; three
sisters, Sue Taylor of New Orleans, Louisiana, Johnece Caviness of Midway,
Arkansas and Bonnie Hill of Shreveport, Louisiana; five grandchildren and 3
great-granddaughters.
Visitation will be from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, 2002
at Brooks Chapel in Canyon.
Memorials may be made to Baptist St. Anthony's Hospice, P.O. Box 950,
Amarillo, Texas 79176.
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A
VIEW FROM THE LAMPLIGHTER
(From April 4, 2002)
I
suppose when we are wrong, we may as well admit it. After all, in this
business we can't be right all the time.
Over the years we have generally been very pessimistic about events in the
Middle East. But in recent columns we have written of hopeful signs in the
region. True, there was no let up in the bloodshed, no letup in the suicide
bombings, no letup in the movement of tanks, no letup in "settlements" in
what the Israeli's refer to as their "territories."
But several things seemed to come together that might portend some sort of
ceasefire, and maybe even lead to a peaceful settlement. The Saudi's
advanced a peace plan that called on Israel to give up the land it occupied,
(and still occupies) in exchange for diplomatic recognition by the Arab
states, and the promise of peaceful relations between all the aggrieved
parties.
That, in itself, seemed to be the root cause
of much bitterness in the region, the heretofore refusal of Arab states to
advance diplomatic recognition to the state of Israel. That refusal of
recognition by the Arab states had been pointed to, by the Israelis, as
proof that the Arab states were determined to seek the liquidation of
Israel. The Arab states, meeting in Beirut, Lebanon, agreed to the Saudi
plan. The Palestinians accepted the plan, probably gladly. Israel would not
commit itself, but it did not outright reject the Saudi plan either. Israel
did not like, ostensibly, certain details of the Saudi plan, particularly
they did not like that part of the plan that would allow Palestinian
refugees the "right of return" to land they had been driven from. Nor was
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon keen on giving up "all" the land they
had occupied.
Still, all in all, there were hopeful signs. Too, the American President,
Mr. George W. Bush, finally took note of the situation, and its potential
for still more bloodshed, and dispatched his own emissaries to the region.
Surely that would do the trick. After all, Israel would not exist were it
not for the financial and military support it has gotten from America,
starting with the Administration of Harry Truman. In all its wars, America
has seen to it that Israel was not defeated. If our memory is right, it was
only in that war in which Israel teamed up with Britain and France to take
control of the Suez canal (during which President Eisenhower simply ordered
the combatants to back off) have we ever taken a position in the Middle East
contrary to the wishes of Israel. Given that history, one would think the
Israelis would pay particular attention to the wishes of America.
Not so. We have now seen, if we did not know it before, that the interests
of Israel, in the view of Israel, are independent of our own. And, in the
present situation, America presents a confused, almost incoherent position
of its own interests. For the first time in history, America voted with the
rest of the United Nations Security Council in demanding an Israeli
withdrawal from occupied territory.
But at the same time we vote to demand Israeli withdrawal, President Bush
voices his "understanding" of the blood thirsty Sharon's tactics. His
confusing position relative to the Middle East is on a par with his erratic
stance on the issue of emigration.
One is left with the feeling that his position in both instances is
determined, ad hoc, by the politics of the situation. In the last election
the Jewish vote went overwhelmingly for Al Gore, something like 90 percent.
In Florida and California that vote was critical, as it was in New York.
Among the Hispanic community as well, the vote was overwhelmingly for the
Democratic ticket. The President's political advisors may convince him that
those votes are up for grabs, but experience dictates otherwise. He may
actually gain a few Hispanic votes, but his votes from the Jewish community
will be precious few. Even the New York Times, with its cadre of Jewish
editors and writers, will oppose both the President and his Party when the
time comes.
The President has proven himself a capable leader when it comes to rallying
the American people, as he did following the September 11 attack at the
World Trade Towers in New York. It is time, in our view it is past time, to
show the same kind of leadership in the Middle East. |
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BY
THE WAY
Do you ever spend time wondering why God put
you here in the first place?
I've got a lot of very talented friends and it is always very clear to me
what their special gift is. I can't sing very well. I can't sew. I can't
build. I can't play a musical instrument well enough that anyone would want
to stop and listen to me. I can't paint. I can't decorate. I can't cook. I
was never good in sports and I'm no academic brainiac. Good grief. I'm
getting depressed.
Anyway, you get the picture.
We've recently started going to a new church and I've been trying to figure
out what my place could be there. My family and I have come out of a very
small church in which everyone did everything. Now I'm in a big church where
they don't seem to be desperate for workers--so they don't have to settle
for someone who can't paint, decorate, etc. (It's too painful to list all
over again).
If we are all part of the "body"--what part am I? I don't want to be the
part that makes all the other parts ache all over.
My friend Judy Macha can do anything. She can sing, decorate, sew, cook,
etc. Never mind--you get the picture.
We were all in church the other day and a nice lady from the choir came over
and asked Judy and I to join the choir. My husband pipes up with, "Oh
yes--Judy has a beautiful voice."
Awkward silence.
The nice lady looks at me and says, "I like to look out at you from the
choir and see your smile!" Wasn't that sweet and diplomatic. It made me
smile more.
So I've decided, if I can't do anything else--I can at least smile at the
choir and preacher.
I've thought about this a lot. How would you like to be standing up there
working hard at singing or preaching and have to look at a bunch of grumpy
sleepy faces?
I'm sure it is hard to get enthused in your message if your audience looks
like they've been in the grave for three days.
There was a time a long time ago when I did take a stab at singing in the
choir. I was excited until I looked out into the audience. It was dreadful
(I guess it could have been my voice--but I don't think it was).
I have never seen such a depressing sight.
I thought--"Oh my gosh--do I look like that to the preacher? How could he
possibly want to come back week after week. Everyone looked terribly sad!
So I made a promise to myself--even if I'm not listening I will at least
smile and nod my head at the preacher to make him think I'm listening.
It also makes me wonder what God thinks when He looks down on us--especially
when we are supposedly "praising" Him in church. And how do you think the
Holy Spirit feels having to hang out with a grumpy person all day.
Luke 19:39-40 tells of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. People are
cheering and shouting and praising Him. It got on the Pharisee's nerves and
they told Jesus to tell everyone to be quiet. Jesus said, "I tell you that
if these (the people) should hold their peace, the stones would immediately
cry out."
So if we don't praise God the rocks will. Boy, I hope the rocks aren't doing
a better job at it than we are.
Have a happy day!
*******
I got this from a friend on the internet--it made me think about writing
this column this week.
"Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the
sun every year.
How long a minute is depends on what side of the bathroom door you're on.
Birthdays are good for you; the more you have, the longer you live.
Happiness comes through doors you didn't even know you left open.
Ever notice that the people who are late are often much jollier than the
people who have to wait for them?
Most of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us.
You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to
one person.
Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.
We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are
dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all
exist very nicely in the same box.
A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour."
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