The Gray County commissioners held their first bi-monthly meeting this week, starting off with a proclamation recognizing Gray County 4-H Week with the Gray County 4-H Council. The members of the council introduced themselves and spoke about what activities they have participated in and how 4-H has helped them in many areas of their life.
“This is my 7th year in 4-H, and last year I was able to go to State for public speaking,” said Gray County 4-H Council Chairman Gavin Greer. “It was a wonderful experience to get to go down to A&M and compete. This has really helped me in my public speaking and having the confidence to speak in front of people.”
“I mainly do archery in 4-H, but I’ve also learned other useful skills such as cooking and things like that,” said Vice Chairman Andrew Schantin.
“I would also like to tell you that Andrew serves as one of our Junior Leaders in the archery program and has gone to state training and has officially trained as a leader and a coach in the archery program, so he is one of our few teens that have gone on and gotten that state training,” said County Extension Agent in Family and Community Health Joan Gray-Soria.
“This is my 3rd year in 4-H and I mainly pursue in livestock showing and public speaking,” said Secretary Angelique Ritchie. “Public speaking has really helped me get rid of my fear of speaking in front of people, and livestock showing has taught me a lot of responsibilities. I mainly show lambs and goats.”
“This is my 4th year in 4-H and I show sheep and do decision making. The sheep has taught me a lot because I’ve had to take care of them,” said Delegate at Large Alexandria Hembree.
“This is my 7th year in 4-H, and I’ve shown sheep and have done food and nutrition,” Delegate at Large Blake Hembree said. “It’s taught me good teamwork skills and to have confidence in myself.”
“This is my 4th year in 4-H, and I do swine, and this year I started photography,” Reporter Landon Greer said. “Swine taught me a lot about taking care of others and responsibility.”
“I have done shotgun, archery and photography for the last two years,” said Delegate at Large Hope Thrasher. “Photography has taught me how to take pictures at different angles. Archery has allowed me to get to know people.”
“I have been in 4-H for four years, and public speaking has helped me a lot,” 2nd Vice Chair McKinley Clark said. “I’m in many different projects, but public speaking has been one of the most useful ones because I want to project my voice and be more confident.”
The proclamation reads as follows:
WHEREAS, this year’s National 4-H Week theme, “Beyond Ready,” reminds us that 4-H is building a ready generation in a world of change and equips young people with skills for the future while meeting them where they are today;
WHEREAS, 4-H is America’s largest youth development organization, supporting six million youth across the country; and
WHEREAS, 4-H programs are delivered by the Cooperative Extension System – a community of more than 100 public land-grant colleges and universities across the Nation – that provides experiences for young people to learn by doing;
WHEREAS, 4-H is in every city and county in the United States and helps 6 million youth become engaged, successful and independent; and
WHEREAS, 4-H connects young people and adults to their communities, preparing them for work and life through experiential and inquiry-based learning while providing emerging research for positive youth development; and
WHEREAS, expanding from its strong agricultural roots, 4-H helps young people explore the world around them and grow into productive adults; and
WHEREAS, supporting future leaders in science, agriculture and community leadership is an important imperative for U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture 4-H program; and
NOW, THEREFORE, WE THE GRAY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT do hereby proclaim October 5 –11 2025 as NATIONAL 4-H WEEK throughout Gray County, Texas and encourage all our citizens to recognize 4-H for the significant impact it has made and continues to make by empowering youth with the skills they need to lead for a lifetime.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have hereunto set our firsthand this First day of October Two Thousand Twenty-Five
“We are proud to have you all in Gray County,” Judge Porter said. “We are proud of these programs because you learn a lot there that will be very valuable in your life.”
“We’re very proud of our leaders and the future is very bright with them,” Joan said.
Next on the agenda was to hear public comments regarding the application for tax abatements in the Gray County Property Tax Re-investment Zone jurisdiction known as the “Meitner” Reinvestment Zone for the development of a data center. First to speak was Sena Brainard.
“A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to be invited to Amarillo to a gathering of oil and gas producers, and I thought we were going to talk about oil and gas. I was shocked because we spent three-fourths of the day talking about data centers. State representatives were there, the Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian was there, and Senator Sparks was there. I encourage you to reach out to the Railroad Commission because it was an eye-opening moment for me. I’ve known about data centers since 2020 because I’ve traveled to Ireland. The only reason they are coming down to this state is because we’re regulated, we’re an easy target. They’re also coming down here because of the natural gas. There’s not room on the grid. That’s why all of these data centers are behind. At one point when they were talking about it, we should be fortunate that we’re not on ERCOT because there were talks about rolling blackouts. They were also talking about how there’s not enough energy for these and there was the discussion about a new type of nuclear power. They’re going to be down in Amarillo and in the Midland area, and it is a new type of reactor that sits in a steel building. They also spoke about the new agreement with the United Kingdom and whatever nuclear power that is approved in the United Kingdom will automatically be approved here. I don’t know what’s in your agreement. Your negotiations have been private, but every one of us are counting on you to protect us, our property, our water.”
Next to speak was Rick Amerson, who rather than speaking what was on his mind, sang to the court instead, which was a first for Judge Porter and the commissioners.
“I hope you guys are familiar with The Sound of Music, and if not, my apologies to Robert and Hammerstein.
‘You climb a tree and look to see
That Pampa’s not so fair,
You waltz right past the shuttered shops
A cow scent in the air
And underneath the sidewalks,
The pipes in disrepair
But Intersect’s the savior so they tell me
The brick-laid streets sigh quietly,
The sidewalks chipped and bare
You watch the years drift slowly by
Where hope once filled the air
Amid decay and fading dreams,
The quiet hides despair-
We’ve got to have an AI data center!
I’d like to say a word in their behalf
Intersect..makes me laugh
How do you solve the problems here in Pampa?
How do you stop the jobs from shutting down?
A million solar panels don’t quite do it
So throw in some windmills on the east of town
You build an AI campus just for Google,
You give them perks and hope they’ll never go
But how do you make them stay?
Abatement’s not the way
All their demands are really just for show
Oh, how do you solve the problems here in Pampa?
How do you teach the plains winds not to blow?
Intersect has me confused
Out of focus and bemused
And I never know exactly what they seek
Unpredictable their visits
Wanting all those AI widgets,
They’re demanding, they’re ambitious, they’re just weak!
Solar panels and our water,
All our cattle they would slaughter
Yet they beg abatement for the next ten years
It’s so simple yet complex
Many sections they annex
They’re a headache! They’re our downfall! They’re profiteers!
How do you solve the problems here in Pampa?
How do you stop the jobs from shutting down?
How do you clear the weeds from empty house lots,
And lift up the hearts that watch their friends leave town?
Many young folk decided to flee Pampa
Many old friends have left the town they know
But how do you make them stay
And not just slip away,
How do you plant new hope-make Pampa grow?
Oh, how do you solve the problems here in Pampa?
How do you teach the plains winds not to blow?’”
Editor/Reporter’s note: While my job is to only report the facts, I do commend Mr. Amerson for having the courage to not only publicly speak on a highly contested topic, but to actually push aside any inhibition and sing his protest. Anyway, back to the meeting..
Next items on the agenda were to consider the minutes of the previous meeting, pay the bills presented by the County Auditor, and to consider any line-item transfers and budget amendments; all were approved
Next was to discuss and consider the elevator contract with Southwest Elevator, LLC, which was approved.
Next was to discuss and consider the LexisNexis contract with Gray County, which was approved.
Next was to discuss and consider the DBT Aviation Services Contract for Perry Lefors Airport, which was approved.
Next was to discuss and consider the RAMP Agreement for McLean Airport. The commissioners decided to reject the 20-year agreement due to lack of traffic at that particular airport.
Next was to discuss and consider the amendments to the Gray County Health Insurance Plan. All but one amendment was approved, which stated that alcohol, illegal drugs and illegal acts was changed to felonious acts. Addressing the issue of alcohol, it states, ‘an occurrence of driving under the influence of a drug or alcohol is not considered a felonious act under this plan.’ Judge Porter disagreed with this amendment.
“I don’t want anyone under the influence of alcohol or drugs on the job period,” he said. “I don’t know that I would support to change it to ‘felonious acts’ for Gray County because you can have a first or second DWI and it’s a misdemeanor and a third is where it becomes felonious. I don’t think that we should give the employees the ability to get a DWI first or second on the job and not be terminated for that.”
Out of the five amendments, four were passed excluding the felonious acts portion.
Next was to discuss and consider the TIDC Grant Resolution for Fiscal Year 2026, which was approved.
Next was to discuss and consider a bond increase from $100,000 to $500,000 for the County Judge for Probate and Guardianship proceedings, which was approved.
Next was to discuss and consider approving Judge Willis Smith to represent the Eastern Panhandle for the Texas Panhandle Centers Board of Directors, which was approved.
The last item on the agenda was to approve the replacement of an employee for the Office of Justice of the Peace Precinct 2&4, which was approved.
With no further items on the agenda and no further discussion, the meeting was adjourned.
