New Albany ISD superintendent Jonathan Scott, who has been transitioning to his new duties over the past two weeks, was given authority to hire an interim principal for the elementary campus at the end of Monday’s December school board meeting.
AISD trustees approved Scott’s contract in a special meeting the previous week, giving the new superintendent a commitment until August 2021 at an annual salary of $115,000, prorated for this year.
The real reason for the Christmas season will be dramatized at two live performances of the Robert Nail play Albany Nativity offered free of charge at the Aztec Theater this Friday and Saturday, December 14 and 15, starting at 7:30 p.m. each evening.
Albany thespians traditionally present the play every second year during December as a gift for their fellow citizens, neighbors, families, and friends.
Members of the Albany Ministerial Alliance make a special effort each year to insure that every family in the local community has enough food to prepare a traditional meal over the holiday season, and the annual delivery of the Christmas food baskets will take place this Sunday, Dec. 16.
Assisting the Alliance this year were sixth grade students from Nancy Smith Elementary School. The youngsters spent part of this Thursday morning picking up the canned goods and other staples at Brookshire’s, and then sorting the items into the Christmas food boxes at The Feed Store.
An announcement eagerly anticipated for a couple of months by local Chamber officials was made public this week when Albany was named by True West magazine as one of the top 10 “True Western Towns of the Year.”
The nationwide honor recognizes communities that “exemplify the spirit and dedication of the pioneers who built and developed them,” and Albany is in company with such well-known western towns as Dodge City, Kansas and Deadwood, South Dakota, along with the number one town for 2019 – Tombstone, Arizona.
Early deadlines have been set for the Dec. 27 and Jan. 3 papers, as the staff of The Albany News works around the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
According to News editor Melinda Lucas, the deadline for the Dec. 27 issue has been moved up to Friday, Dec. 21 at 5:00 p.m.
Typically, the deadline is at 12:00 noon on Tuesdays, but because Christmas Day falls on Tuesday, the staff plans to start working on that issue earlier in order to be off for a few days.
The office will be closed on Monday and Tuesday.
The Albany Chamber of Commerce will meet as usual this week and next week on Dec. 14 and Dec. 21 at the Icehouse.
The weekly Chamber of Commerce luncheon has been cancelled for the holidays on Dec. 28.
On Friday, Jan. 4, the 12:00 noon meetings move to the Beehive.
For information about the regular Chamber luncheons or other Chamber activities, call Chamber manager Mary Beth Jones at 325-762-2525.
The Chamber office will be closed for the holidays on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.
Shackelford County employees and elected officials are planning a retirement “celebration” for county judge Ross Montgomery, who is retiring at the end of his current term on Dec. 31.
Montgomery has served as judge for six terms, a total of 24 years.
The reception is set for Monday afternoon, Dec. 17 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the second floor courtroom.
Other Business
•Commissioners voted during their Dec. 10 session to leave the current burn ban active.
•The county’s Christmas lunch is planned for Friday, Dec. 21 at noon.
During their meeting on Monday, Dec. 10, Albany city council members voted unanimously to accept the low bid from Z.T. Jackson Construction of Breckenridge to install the water system in the newly annexed Clarke Estates development.
The four bids that were submitted were reviewed by the city’s engineering consultant, Enprotec/Hibbs & Todd, with Jackson recommended as the “lowest responsible, responsive bidder” at $118,135. The other bids ranged as high as $215,125.
This close to the Christmas holidays, with Albany in the midst of a strong run in the 2-A state football playoffs, multiple early dismissals due to holidays and football games, and this week’s playoff game located over three hours away on a Thursday evening, Nancy Smith Elementary School principal Jonathan Scott, has had some calls from parents wondering if AISD will really hold classes this Friday, Dec. 14.
“Yes, classes will be at the normal times on Friday,” said Scott, who is also the incoming Albany Independent School District superintendent.
The junior high and elementary University Interscholastic League district meet originally planned for Thursday, Dec. 13 in Hawley was rescheduled to eliminate a conflict with the state semifinal football game between Albany and Gruver in Plainview that same day.
