This week's community news includes city land purchase, Operation Christmas Child

City's land purchase to with help flooding issues; cost covered with drainage utility fees

The Amarillo City Council unanimously approved the $375,000 purchase of land near Linda Drive and Lawrence Lake that could help address flooding issues in the area.

According to a city news release, the City of Amarillo purchased 2.09 acres Aug. 1 in the vicinity of 2600 Linda Drive. The purchase was made using drainage utility fees. “This purchase represents probably the easiest public need item that I have ever brought to council for consideration,” said COA Assistant City Manager Floyd Hartman. “This purchase has tremendous benefit to our recent challenges related to flooding in the area.”

The land acquisition allows the city to consider two projects that will help address flooding. An excavation project at Lawrence Lake would result in approximately a two-foot reduction in floodplain elevation. This would have created a five-inch reduction in flood depth during historic rains earlier this summer. The project would cost about $4 million. A new pump station could also be included on the property at a cost of approximately $5 million.

The cost of both projects would be approximately $9 million and are under consideration as council members review the city proposed budget for fiscal 2023/2024.

For more information, contact City of Amarillo Media Relations Manager David Henry at (806) 378-5219 or by email at David.Henry@amarillo.gov.

Amarillo South Rotary Club names Clements its officer of the quarter

The Amarillo Police Department announced Thursday on Facebook that the Amarillo South Rotary Club awarded the Officer of the Quarter award to Lt. Jim Clements, supervisor for the Homicide Unit. APD said he was nominated by his Captain, Elizabeth Brown.

Shown in a picture with the announcement on the police department's page are Rotary Club Member/Selection Committee David Low, Lt. Clements, Misty Clements, Tanner Clements and Captain Brown at the award ceremony.

Operation Christmas Child using back-to-school details to supply children overseas

As the school year approaches, shoebox packers are making use of back-to-school prices to purchase gifts and essential items for children in need around the world. Residents in Amarillo​​ are collecting school supplies, along with personal care items and fun toys, to pack in shoeboxes. Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, will deliver these gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 100 countries.

For many children, access to these simple items is essential to an education. This was the case for Justin Thomas, a shoebox recipient in Southeast Asia whose parents could not afford the supplies needed for school. Thomas remembers the specific day he received a gift-filled shoebox from Operation Christmas Child and found it filled with toys and most exciting to him — school supplies, according to a news release: "Growing up with hand-me-down clothes and used items, Thomas used to write with a pencil so short that he held it using a pen cap. Having an entire packet of new pencils and a pencil sharpener all his own was a treasure to him. This simple gift made a life-changing impact for Thomas because it opened the doors for him to receive an education."

For more information, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ.

National Collection Week is Nov. 13-20. Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement. This year, Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan's Purse, will celebrate its 30th year of ministry.

Learn about The Plains at Wildcat Bluff’s guided hike held every other month

Wildcat Bluff Nature Center invites you to learn about the plants, geology, and history of The Bluff.

Their guided hikes happen every other month and are included with a Wildcat Bluff Membership,Wildcat Bluff add on through The Discovery Center, or regular admission. Admission is $4 foradults and $3 for children older than 3 and adults older than 60.

Their last guided hike was held Saturday, Aug. 12. Participants were asked to wear comfortable shoes and bring a water bottle. For more information, visit DHDC.org or Wildcat Bluff’s Facebook page.

Amarillo Fire Dept. recognizes crew for going above and beyond

The Amarillo Fire Department posted on Facebook about the Engine 6 "A" shift crew going above and beyond recently.

"We received a letter in the mail from a couple in Phoenix who wanted to recognize them. Back in July, they were traveling through Amarillo when they had a gas leak in their fuel tank," the post reads. "After calling 911, the E6 crew responded to the scene, stopped the leak and cleaned up the spill.

"They saw that the couple was towing a boat and had a bike rack with bikes attached to the back of the vehicle," the post continues. "They were kind enough to help them remove all of these items from the car so it could be towed to the dealership the next day. What would've taken the couple hours to complete, they were able to do in minutes. Good work! Lt. Jose Garcia, Driver Bailey Vincent, FF Sean Fuller and FF Luke Hernandez."

VA extends deadline to Monday for veterans, survivors to apply for PACT Act benefits

This week, the VA announced that veterans and survivors who apply (or submit their intent to file) for PACT Act benefits by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 14 will be eligible to have their benefits backdated to Aug. 10, 2022 – the day that President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act into law.

This is an extension from the original deadline of Aug. 9, according to a news release. They encourage all veterans and their survivors to apply – or submit their intent to file – for PACT Act benefits now by visiting VA.gov/PACT.

VA made the decision out of an abundance of caution after experiencing technical difficulties with VA.gov/PACT in recent days, according to a news release. Specifically, due to extremely high demand, some veterans who have sought to submit their intent to file for PACT Act benefits have received error messages while doing so. Despite these messages, VA has successfully logged every one of these intents to file – meaning that every veteran or survivor "who has received an error message while applying for PACT Act benefits can consider their intent to file complete." They are working to contact these individuals to confirm directly to them that their intent to file will be honored and their effective date protected.

Most importantly, no veteran or survivor will miss out on a single day of benefits due to this issue.

Additionally, a high volume of calls came in to VA call centers throughout the week, and they were working to decrease abnormally long call center wait times.

West Nile virus detected in Amarillo, Canyon; don’t forget to fight the bite

Summer may be winding down in Amarillo, but the Amarillo community needs to remain diligent to the dangers of mosquitoes and West Nile virus, the city of Amarillo said in a news release.

“With kids heading back to school soon, our focus turns to fall. However, we still have a lot of hot summer weather left,” said City of Amarillo (COA) Director of Environmental Health Anthony Spanel. “Mosquitoes thrive in hot summer conditions, especially with the historic amount of rain we had earlier this summer. We need to remain aware of the threat of mosquitoes and the illnesses they can transfer to humans, such as West Nile virus.”

The COA Environmental Health Department sprays for mosquitoes at more than 100 sites and conducts testing.

Several sites have mosquitoes that have tested positive for West Nile virus, including the Sundown Lane area, Highland Park, the 58th Ave. and Georgia Street area and the 34th Ave. and Tradewinds area.

Want to know how to avoid mosquito bites and how to help mosquito-proof your home? For all the information on mosquito protection and the COA mosquito spraying program, go to: bit.ly/44oUz23

In addition, mosquito prevention continues at the city of Canyon. The City of Amarillo Department of Environmental Health notified Canyon staff recently of a positive West Nile virus test in a mosquito pool. Amarillo Environmental Health Department, which assists the City of Canyon through an interlocal agreement, has been trapping mosquitoes in Canyon since early summer.

The pool of mosquitos testing positive was found in the area near Paul Lindsey Park in the southeast part of the city. This was the first positive case of West Nile among mosquito pools in Canyon’s city limits.

“City of Canyon residents are encouraged to take extra efforts to fight the bite against mosquitos and to take precautions when spending time outdoors,” said City of Canyon City Manager Joe Price. “Our staff has been conducting preventative measures all summer, but we need our residents to do their part as well. Together, we can make a positive difference for our public health.”

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo area Our Town Briefs for Aug. 13, 2023