Week 5 Football Contest Winners
First place Second place Kristi Hollingsworth Tammy Bradford
Third place Gilbert Contreras
Wednesday, October 5, 2016 Volume 118 | Number 28 12 Pages www.herefordbrand.com $1
Hereford BR ND
15th Street flooding problem to persevere By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
so bad that rainfall is no even needed to cause water to accumulate. There are numerous mornings in the spring and summer where the intersection will have standing water because of drainage from sprinkler systems. Something that has been a consistent thorn in the city’s side for a number of years – the Ranger-15th Street drainage lake – is really a battle between the city and nature because what the rain causes is what the rain is supposed to cause. “That area is a la playa lake,” Hanna said. “Everything in that area flows down to that area.
Anyone who has driven down 15th Street in Hereford during or after virtually any type of rainfall has found the going…soggy, at best. As rainwater drains from the residential areas around Hereford Junior High School, almost all of it channeled to Ranger Street – which is subsequently channeled onto 15th Street at the Ranger intersection. The result is standing water – up to several inches deep – that creates potential traffic hazards along 15th Street and at that intersection. The situation is ultimately
PLEASE SEE 15TH | 3A
C O N C E N T R AT I O N
Sewer project still in planning By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
Photos by John Carson, Bryan Hedrick
Left, Lady Whiteface volleyball star Jenna Lowrey seems to be taking the adages “keep your eye on the ball” and “having your head in the game” to an extreme during a recent match against Amarillo…either that or she was campaigning for HHS Miss Volleyball 2016. Above, Carlos Gallegos (11) makes the catch and gets the feet in bounds for a first down during Friday’s game at Plainview. For more on Herd volleyball and football, see Sports, page 7A.
It has been more than six months since city workers had to deal with a “mess” surrounding sewer problems on First Street near the 25 Mile Avenue intersection. As workers located and began working on the problems, they discovered the situation was far worse. “They found broken joints and partially collapsed pipes along First Street,” Hereford City Manager Rick Hanna said. “They also discovered a number of collapsed joints on U.S. 385.” Although the specific problem on that March day was rectified, officials became acutely aware that much more extensive work would be needed to alleviate the entire situation. That work, as Hanna described, surrounded a trio of trouble spots in the area. “It’s going to take quite a bit of excavation,” Hanna said. “It is going to be a mess for a while.” However, no dirt has been turned and no mess has been made as of now. There are several reasons behind no noticeable PLEASE SEE SEWER | 3A
DSCHD Board of Directors: Meet the Candidates
Serving community at heart of Gonzalez re-election bid From Staff Reports (EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a series introducing the candidates for Deaf Smith County Hospital District Board of Directors. For the series, all candidates are asked the same three questions.)
A desire to serve the community she has been in all her life and seeing a task through are the reasons Debbie Gonzalez wants to return to the Deaf Smith County Hospital District (DSCHD) Board of Directors. “I have chosen to run because I want to be a part of bringing back the service and trust our community has had [in the hospital],” Gonzalez said. “By serving on the hospital board, I feel I can
help guide and serve our On the board since community. 2012, she has seen the “I would like to hospital’s image be a part of the and reputation board that creates take several hits change for the over the past few better and to foster years. a culture of pride Those hits have in the service that turned themselves we provide.” into issues A lifelong hospital officials resident of must confront, and Hereford, Gonzalez they are among the has worked with top three issues GONZALEZ First Financial Gonzalez believes Bank for 39 years the hospital board and is seeking a third term – and Hereford Regional on the board. Medical Center – must
address. All three of her issues – low employee morale, mediocre customer service and community perception – have been major topics of board discussions and actions over the past several months. In addition to seeking re-election to be a part of the solutions for the hospital and DSCHD, Gonzalez has tossed her hat back into ring to help the community she calls home.
“People should vote for me because I love this community and want the best for it,” she said. “Once I am committed to something, I wholeheartedly give of myself to the causes that will help our community. I have involved myself with a number of organizations and projects in this community because I love to serve the community. “I have experienced and watched the hospital PLEASE SEE DSCHD | 3A
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