SPRING 2012

A PUBLICATION OF THE PANHANDLE REGIONAL PL ANNING COMMISSION

Resolve To Be Ready program sends free emergency alerts

anhandle residents can now register at www.R2BeReady.com to receive free emergency alerts from either the National Weather Service or their local

Office of Emergency Management. Resolve to be Ready is a new program launched this year that enables residents to opt-in to receive emergency alerts on their cell phones, by text, by email, or on their home phones.

The purpose of this system, funded by a FEMA grant ($600,000), support from the Amarillo Area Foundation ($100,000) and the PRPC ($23,000), is to keep residents informed of circum-stances that may endanger their safety with the overall goal of reducing injury and loss of life in disaster situa-tions. These emergency alerts notify residents when severe conditions threaten public safety. These alerts add an additional layer of communications via mobile devices that supplement the current emergency notification systems such as sirens, weather alert radios, or local television or radio announce-ments.

A report from the National Climatic Data Center stated that 2011 saw more billion-dollar natural disasters than any year on record. “Disasters can strike any time or any where,” said Emily Nolte, Regional Emergency Preparedness Planner for the PRPC. “Being prepared is one of the most effective ways to protect our homes, businesses, and loved ones. This new program is helping us prepare our residents.”

To register for these alerts visit www.R2BeReady.com, and select any of the 26 counties from which you want to receive Office of Emergency Management and National Weather

PService alerts. Individuals can choose as many registries as they would like, not only receiving information for cities they live and work in, but cities where family members live. E

Via cell phones, texts, emails or home phones

Such notifications as:

u Changing situations or evacuation

u Shelter, food or assistance locations

u Road or highway closures

u Missing child or elderly person

u Criminal activity

u Many other alerts

The City of Bovina is closing a 2009-2010 CDBG grant of $250,000, which was used to rehab water wells and install water meters throughout the city, as well as provide a generator to a pump. “Small cities like ours depend on grant monies to keep our infrastructure updated,” said City Manager Jana Pitcock. “The knowledge and assistance that the PRPC is able to provide us in applying for and administering the grant is invaluable. They have all the contacts and have the process down to a fine art. We would not be able to take advantage of these grant opportunities if not for the Planning Commission.” E

To submit an application, jurisdictions are required to:

Hold a public hearing �

Pass a resolution authorizing �the submission of an application

Provide notice in the local �newspaper

Bovina wraps up project

Cesar Marquez, Public Works Director, City of Bovina, inspects the new pump for a well that was recently completed as part of the CDBG program.

Applications for 2013/2014 Small City Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) will be available this summer. These grants have been used to make water and sewer system improvements throughout the Panhandle for the past thirty years. Since the program’s beginning in 1983, more than 250 projects have been completed, including erecting more than 15 water towers and stand pipes, and laying thousands of linear feet of water and sewer lines.

CDBG grants are funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Affairs, and administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture. Specific application deadline and scoring criteria are not yet available. Projects must benefit primarily low-to-moderate income individuals, and the funds must be used on public infrastructure. Matching fund requirements range from 5% to 20% based on community size.

In the last cycle the maximum award amount was $275,000 with matching requirements varying based on the size of the jurisdiction. Past scoring favored water and sewer projects, with points given to jurisdictions that had increased utility rates and/or taken the ad valorem tax rate above the effective rate. Communities that had not been funded in the previous cycle received additional points.

The PRPC staff is available to assist cities wanting help in preparing a CDBG application. If your community is interested in discussing a potential project, or needs clarification regarding the CDBG process, contact Melissa Henderson, or Kyler Estes at 806-372-3381. E

CDBG 2013/2014 applications available this summer

Many of the CDBG grants have been used to fund water and sewer system improvements throughout the Panhandle.

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L O C A L G O V E R N M E N T S E R V I C E S L O C A L G O V E R N M E N T S E R V I C E S ”Small cities like ours depend on grant monies …”

Trails Newsletteris published quarterly. To provide comments, make address changes

or request additional copies, write or call the

PRPC office, 806-372-3381.www.theprpc.org

Gary Pitner,Executive Director

Rebecca Rusk,Newsletter Coordinator

Bovina wraps up project

Brown manages PANCOMShane Brown joined the PRPC

as the Regional Emergency Communications Program Manager, managing the regional interoperable communications system (PANCOM). He previously spent 10 years with the Texas Forest Service (TFS) as the TFS Regional Fire Coordinator. Shane is one of a select few certified Incident Command System instructors in the Panhandle.

AAA adds two staffersThe Area Agency on Aging (AAA)

has hired two new employees. Kathleen Seifert is AAA Information and Referral Clerk. She provides assistance to Medicare beneficiaries with a range of services, as well as serves as a liaison with other agencies to ensure availability of resources to AAA clients.

Sundee Rossi has also joined AAA as its Operations Coordinator, handling data management and oversight of the Direct Vendor programs: transportation, adult day care, home-delivered and congregate meals, emergency response services, and medication management services.

New Economic Development Specialist

Lynn Wilson has joined the Plan-ning Commission as an Economic Development Program Specialist. A native of Amarillo, Lynn has extensive experience in grant writing and grant administration, most recently at West Texas A&M University (WTAMU).

Shane Brown

Lynn WilsonKathleen Seifert

Sundee RossiKyler EstesRandy Braidfoot

Local Gov Specialist namedKyler Estes joined the PRPC as a

Local Government Services Program Specialist. He manages the Texas Revenue Recovery Association and assists in the Community Develop-ment Block Grant Program. Kyler is a graduate of WTAMU with a degree in General Studies.

9-1-1 aide joins staff Melanie Davis is the new Regional

9-1-1 Network Program Aide, assisting 9-1-1 with record keeping, budgets, and training to the region’s call takers.

Melanie has experience dispatching for several agencies.

Fair Housing MonthDuring March, the PRPC Board of

Directors recognized Fair Housing Month in the Panhandle. This initiative is in conjunction with Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, making citizens aware that achieving success in equal housing opportunity is accomplished with the help and coordination of all citizens.

PRPC Executive Director; former employee honoredThe American Society for Public

Administration recently honored two individuals who have excelled in the public administration field. Amarillo City Manager Jarrett Atkinson, formerly with the PRPC, received the Texas Tech graduate recognition. PRPC Executive Director Gary Pitner received the West Texas State University graduate award.

Mediator of Year namedRandy Braidfoot was recently

honored as 2011 Mediator of the Year by the Dispute Resolution Center. Randy is a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner and a trained mediator. He has been trained in both basic and advanced Family Law Mediation. Randy has over five years experience working as a mediator, in addition to working numerous cases as a Financial Specialist during both civil and divorce proceedings. Randy also functions as a mediator for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Randy lives in Panhandle with his wife Margie.

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Melanie Davis

L O C A L G O V E R N M E N T S E R V I C E S L O C A L G O V E R N M E N T S E R V I C E S N E W S & N O T E S N E W S & N O T E S … equal housing is accomplished with the help of all citizens.

2012 PRPC Board of Directors Officers

Left to right: Harold Keeter, Swisher County Judge, Chairman; Brian Gillispie, Mayor, City of Spearman, Vice Chairman; Tom Velasquez, Minority Citizen’s Representative, Wheeler, Secretary/Treasurer.

“The PRPC Board is very pleased to have Representative Walter “Four” Price now serving on its Board,” said Swisher County Judge Harold Keeter. “This new appointment is a result of our Bylaws being amended to reflect legislative changes regarding the composition of the governing bodies of regional planning commissions in Texas. He will bring an important and unique perspective to the voices on our Board.” E

Representative Price joins Board

Representative Walter “Four” Price

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PRPC to administer grant in Dallam County

Canadian EDC seeks strategic planning services

The PRPC assisted Dallam County in developing an application and will now administer the $750,000 in funds to assist the Cargill operations in the County. The Texas Capital Fund Project monies are being used to construct 10 miles of caliche road on the 21,500-acre location. The road will improve employee and truck access to the facility where pigs will be produced and then transferred to the Midwest grow-out facilities after they are weaned. The Cargill plant is associated with the creation of at least 100 new jobs in the County. E

The Canadian Economic Development Corporation (EDC) requested that the PRPC provide the EDC with strategic planning services. The EDC utilized the Planning Commission to provide specialized local economic development planning – a first-of-its-kind request.

The process included a day-long meeting of EDC Board Members, city leaders, county leaders, and other active members of the community. The strategic process included:

Quantifying the community’s needs•Developing the goals to meet the needs•Defining the strategies needed to meet the goals•

Following the strategic meeting, the PRPC staff completed a 25-page Strategic Plan based on the thoughts provided by the group that identified the process, and the importance of strategic planning, and outlined the discussion held related to each community need. E

The Cargill plant is associated with 100 new jobs.E C O N O M I C D E V E L O P M E N TE C O N O M I C D E V E L O P M E N T

The Panhandle Water Planning Group (PWPG) is in the process of developing the 2016 Panhandle Regional Water Plan. Based on the $130,000 provided by the Texas Water Development Board for the first of two planning phases, the PWPG is currently conducting an availability and demand assessment.

“This assessment includes an analysis of both surface and ground-water availability by county,” said Kyle Ingham, Water Planning Director for the PRPC. “Groundwater modeling is being completed by LBG Guyton. Demands are being identified by population demand and non-population demand. The agriculture component of the non-population demand constitutes over 90% of the region’s water usage so calibrating the baseline agriculture usage data is the primary focus of the PWPG at this time.”

Public comment periods will be opened during the review process of the Initially Prepared Plan and again during the Plan adoption phase. Municipalities will soon be polled regarding their local municipal demand to ensure that estimates are accurate for the region’s cities. E

2016 Water Planning process underway

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At the Texas Municipal League (TML) conference in Houston, representatives from the City of Borger were on hand to accept a TML Municipal Excellence Award in the Public Safety category for cities under 25,000 population. The award was in recognition of the City’s Public Safety Training Partnerships. The training program was in response to area local industries’ needs to meet insurance company and OSHA requirements. Providing these services brought a new income stream into the City of Borger and also allowed the City to provide high-value services at a reduced cost to its industrial partners. Benefits of the new program include increased public safety, better trained firefighters and industrial partners, new fire department teams and capabilities, and cost savings. E

Congratulations to our neighbors in Borger!

Back row (left to right): Ted B. Dodd, Public Works Director; Jeff Brain, Mayor; and Charles Gillingham, Councilman.Front row (left to right): Garrett Spradling, Fire Marshall; Marvin Dickson, Councilman; Bob Watson, Fire Chief; and Eddie Edwards, City Manager.

… municipalities to be polled regarding their local municipal demand …W A T E R P L A N N I N G W A T E R P L A N N I N G

Deaf Smith County used solid waste grant funds to properly dispose of illegally dumped tires; eliminating an eye sore and a public health hazard.

The PRPC’s Regional Solid Waste Management Program can trace its

roots back to August 1988 when Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act was first implemented by the EPA. Subtitle D imposed a new set of federal standards on the construction and operation of landfills. At the time, it was predicted that nearly 2/3 of the region’s landfills would close due to the cost-prohibitive nature of the new requirements. Those predictions would eventually become a reality.

In 1989 the Panhandle Regional Solid Waste Task Force was formed to begin exploring alterna-tives for ensuring long-term disposal capabilities in the region. This work was begun as an ad hoc, locally funded venture. But then in late 1989, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Com-mittee, later to become the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), provided the region with funding to develop an engineered plan for ensuring long-range disposal capacity in the Panhandle. In 1990, the PRPC formally created the Panhandle Regional Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee (RSWMAC) which then assumed oversight of the plan’s development. In addition to evaluating traditional disposal practices, the RSWMAC also

In FY 2011 Dalhart recycled 192.67 tons of cardboard which returned $24,830.55 to the City and avoided over $5,000 in landfill disposal costs.

assessed the potential for employing waste diversion options such as recycling and composting, as part of the region’s overall waste management strategy. The plan was completed in January 1993.

Two years later, with the passage of Senate Bill 1340, the TCEQ instituted the regional solid waste grants program. The program was funded through a new tipping fee that was assessed against every ton of trash disposed of in Texas’ landfills. As created by the Legislature, up to 50% of the fees collected were to be distributed back to local governments across Texas, through their local Council of Governments, to support projects and programs that would reduce their reliance on landfilling as their primary means of waste disposal.

Jump forward now to 2012 and the RSWMAC continues to be an active, progressive group looking to further promote cost-effective enhancements to the region’s solid waste management system. Though the faces have changed, the one constant that remains is that the committee continues to keep the original goals and objectives of the 1989 plan alive. Each year, the committee evaluates proposals under the regional solid waste grants program and then prioritizes those they

Regional Solid Waste Management Program marks 23rd year of operation

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Q U A R T E R L Y F E A T U R E ”

The first Plan was completed and approved in January 1983.

PEP communities work togetherThe Panhandle Environmental Partnership (PEP)

continually works to add new member communities who recycle at various levels – from wood chippers and scrap metal roll-offs, to full-service recycling/baling centers. Through the Solid Waste Grant Program, the Advisory Committee has been working to build a new community recycle/baling center every year to further reduce land-filling throughout the region. Sunray, Memphis, and Pampa have all recently added new recycle centers.

This network of recycle centers also allows the PEP to conduct regional recycling projects like the annual electronics recycling event that has diverted almost 140,000 pounds of electronics in the last two years. Due to the recent reduction in grant funds, the goal of adding new recycle centers in the region has now been amended to merely keeping the current centers operational by replacing and upgrading existing equipment. E

FY 2012 Grant Projects FundedEN T I T Y P R O JEC T G R A N T F UNDS

R ECE I V ED

1 PRPC Marketing & Transportation $ 5,000

2 City of Sunray New Baler $15,000

3 City of Perryton Used Motor Oil Collection Kit $ 9,000

4 City of Panhandle Yard Waste Dumpsters $ 9,000

5 City of Gruver Electronic Recycling Storage $ 4,000

6 Dalhart OCC & Paper Dumpsters $ 9,000

7 City of Spearman Concrete Crushing & Reuse $ 7,500

8 City of Memphis Additional OCC Dumpsters $ 9,000

9 City of Wheeler OCC Storage Container $ 3,500

10 City of Dimmitt Additional OCC Dumpsters $ 5,000

11 City of Skellytown Recycle Trailer Refurbishing $ 3,500

12 City of Friona Scrap Tire Container $ 7,000

13 City of Borger Yard Waste Dumpsters $14,000

$100,500

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deem will contribute most to achieving the waste reduction goals of the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan.

In 1987, 58 dumps or waste disposal units were operated in the Panhandle. Today, the region’s waste disposal needs are being met with 18 permitted solid waste landfills. With each passing year, as a result of the ongoing work of the RSWMAC, the region’s reliance on landfilling as the sole means of trash disposal declines and the expectations for recycling/composting productivity increases. In 23 short years, the RSWMAC has built a legacy that will continue to benefit the Panhandle for many years to come. E

Q U A R T E R L Y F E A T U R E The first Plan was completed and approved in January 1983.

The PRPC’s Local Government Services (LGS)program has renewed relationships once again with the communities of Timbercreek Canyon and Village of Lake Tanglewood. For more than 12 years, the PRPC staff, including LGS Coordinator Jamie Allen, has served as the contract City Manager for these two municipalities. In addition, the PRPC has executed a contract with the City of Dimmitt to assist the community in searching for a new City Manager.

Former Lake Tanglewood Mayor Bob Berman said, “A small village like ours, with very little revenue, doesn’t need a full-time City Manager. So we contract with the PRPC for 15 hours a month. Jamie has done an excellent job for us.” E

City Management Services contracts renewedCity of Dimmitt requests search assistance

The Panhandle recycled 1,326.65 tons (2.7 million pounds) of material in 2011, saving over $46,000 in landfilling fees. These amounts do not include the millions of pounds of yard waste and limbs diverted from landfills, as well as all the transportation costs associated with transporting waste to landfills in other towns or even in other states in some cases.

The CITY OF BORGER operates the region’s most comprehensive composting program. They have been composting yard waste from City-owned property for many years. The City recently started canvassing the residential areas with yard waste dumpsters to claim that waste and avoid hauling and landfilling in the Pampa Landfill. Borger has a full-scale screening operation that refines the compost into a garden-variety compost material for City properties and residential use.

Borger recently began work with the region’s scrap tire recycler and was issued a collection trailer directly from the recycler based on the expected volume of material.

The CITY OF SKELLYTOWN was approached about making recycling available to residents. In FY 2012 Skelllytown received a solid waste grant to refurbish a donated recycle trailer from the City of Borger to make recycling available and the materials will be taken to Fritch for baling and marketing. As the City of Pampa expands its program, Skellytown may work with that community as well.

The CITIES OF SILVERTON, QUITAQUE AND TURKEY are working together to divert landfill disposal. These three communities share a chipper used to divert limbs from the landfills. They also work together to participate in the electronics recycling events. E

Neighbors helping neighbors

A variety of management services are provided, such as:

Providing technical assistance¾

Preparing agendas and agenda packets for ¾items to be discussed

Preparing and presenting annual budgets¾

Monitoring budget vs. actual numbers to ¾ensure spending is within legal parameters

Assisting City Secretary to ensure election ¾requirements are met

Tracking legal matters, pursuing legal advice ¾when needed, informing Board of Alderman on options. E

y y y

y y y

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The Panhandle recycled 2.7 million pounds of material in 2011…S O L I D W A S T ES O L I D W A S T E

For the past five years, Rural Planning Organizations (RPOs) related to transportation planning have been established in the Panhandle. RPOs are the rural counterpart to Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) which provide guidance to the Texas Department of Transportation(TxDOT) regarding highway infrastructure

projects in the region. The Amarillo RPO is called the Panhandle Rural Transportation Planning Organization (PRPO) and constitutes the 17 counties in the Amarillo TxDOT District. All 17 County Judges and eight municipal representatives constitute the membership.

The Amarillo TxDOT engineers and multiple members of the Amarillo TxDOT district staff attend each PRPO meeting, discussing such issues as future location, types, and scale of road projects in the rural portions of

the Texas Panhandle. Further, specific issues including inclement weather policies, fire evacuation, and legislative issues have been routinely discussed in an open forum.

The 13 counties in the Childress TxDOT District including six PRPC Counties formed the Rolling Plains Organization for Rural Transportation (RPORT) in 2008 to meet these same goals. PRPC has served as the administrative agent for PRPO since its inception in 2010 and was requested by the RPORT to serve the same function in 2010. E

Transportation RPOs:Leaders engage in rural planning

The RPOs are a highly valuable mechanism for local officials to have a more fomalized input process into the decision making of their Regional TxDOT District. Thus far, the County, City, and TxDOT officials involved have indicated that the RPO process has been useful to all involved.

The Safe Room Rebate Program, an initiative that was launched in 2006 to encourage residents to build tornado shelters, is being offered for the third time to Panhandle citizens. This program, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), covers 50% of the cost of installing shelters in homes, up to $3,000, with the residents picking up the balance of the cost. To date more than 1,880 safe rooms have been constructed in the Panhandle, with more than 475 new shelters built during the past year.

The Planning Commission coordinates this program for the region, administering the funds from the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management. The PRPC staff can assist residents with the application and installation process. For more information about the program, contact Elizabeth Thomas, Regional Services Program Specialist, at ethomas@theprpc.org. E

Safe Room Rebate Program enters third phase

Judge Lewis Powers, Carson County, Chairman of the PRPO

Judge Jay Mayden, Childress County, Chairman of the RPORT

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R E G I O N A L S E R V I C E S R E G I O N A L S E R V I C E S S O L I D W A S T ES O L I D W A S T E… more than 1,880 safe rooms have been constructed …

Panhandle Regional Law Enforcement Academy (PRLEA) 104th Basic Peace Officer Academy Graduation held on March 8th.

The Panhandle Regional Law Enforcement Academy (PRLEA) is one of the PRPC’s longest standing initiatives, dating back to 1971 when the First Basic Certification Training Academy was held. Since then, there have been 104 subsequent academies and nearly 2,420 PRLEA graduates.

Funding to support the operation of the Academy has been provided by the Criminal Justice Division of the Governor’s Office. This grant funding has allowed the PRPC to contract with Amarillo College to maintain the operations of the PRLEA and to offer training throughout the years at little or no cost to the region’s law enforcement agencies.

PRLEA hosts its 104th graduating class

PRLEA and Amarillo College continue law enforcement initiatives

The City of Hereford Police Department (HPD) can attest to the importance of the Academy. “All but one of our twenty-six officers received their training from the PRLEA,” said Captain Esrael Silva, the Hereford native and 1985 PRLEA graduate. “They attended anywhere from 10 to 31 years ago.”

Captain Silva says the Academy is a great resource for young men and women who want to go into law enforcement. Six of the current police force were selected to attend the Academy, with training and expenses paid. “I wanted to go into law enforcement, but didn’t have the funds to attend the several-month

training. Putting me through the Academy has allowed me to work my way through the ranks from patrolman to Captain.”

Police Chief David Wagner is also a PRLEA graduate who began as a patrolman. “The Academy provides excellent law enforcement training for our region,” said Chief Wagner. “Nearly all of the officers we’ve hired through the years have been trained by the PRLEA. The training expertise and funding resources that Amarillo College and the Planning Commission provide are critical to making our communities safer.” E

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C R I M I N A L J U S T I C E C R I M I N A L J U S T I C E … the Academy is a great resource for young men and women …

a strong supporter of cities and local control and was able to defeat legislations that would have eroded municipal authority. E

PRLEA and Amarillo College continue law enforcement initiatives

The Area Agency on Aging (AAA) recently became a field placement agency for both the Bachelors and Masters level Social Work programs at West Texas A&M University. Two bachelor level social work interns came on board last fall; this spring three bachelor level interns and one master level intern are serving internships.

“The goal of the AAA Social Work intern program is to broaden the know-ledge of the students regarding the region’s aging population,” said Melissa Carter, AAA Director. “Geriatrics is not something that many students have dealt with or had the chance to really learn about in their studies. Internships with the AAA educate these students about what aging services are about by allowing them to shadow AAA staff members and eventually take on clients of their own.

“Our hope is to encourage and educate these students to really consider working in the field of geriatrics. There will be a huge need for social workers as the baby boomers continue to retire and take advantage of aging services.” E

AAA provides WTAMU internships

OLDER AMERICAN’S MONTH CELEBRATION

Friday May 11.20128:30am - 2:30pm

Region XVI Education Center5800 Bell Amarillo, TX

Free to Attend

For More Information Call:Lisa Hancock806-331-2227

lhancock@theprpc.org

Lunch will be provided

Opening Session – Bev HarrisReminiscing the Generations – Maxine Westmoreland

You Are What You Eat – Andy CrockerKeeping Connected: What Can I do to make a Difference? – Alan Abraham

Safe Social Networking: Dr. Browning, WTAMUGet Up & Move! – Charlene Cole

Laughter Yoga – Danny Mize, Tanja Good, & Shirley GreenfieldLove, Sex, and Your Health – Gerald Rogers

Music Therapy – The Power of Music – Ameka Mobley

Activities to Include:

During the recent Texas Municipal League (TML) Annual Conference in Houston, the League recognized five lawmakers who have consistently supported cities and defended munici-pal authority. Senator Kel Seliger re- ceived a Legislator of the Year Award for efforts in the Texas Senate during the Eighty-Second Session of the Texas Legislature.

After serving four terms as Mayor of Amarillo and as a member of the

Amarillo City Commission, Senator Seliger was elected to the Texas Senate in 2004. He is chairman of the Senate Committee on Redistricting and also serves on the Senate committees on Education, Finance, International Relations and Trade, and Natural Resources. During the Legislative Session, Senator Seliger authored the Texas Municipal Retirement System flexible, non-retroactive cost of living adjustment (COLA) bill. He was also

Senator Seliger receives TML honor

Senator Kel Seliger

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C R I M I N A L J U S T I C E C R I M I N A L J U S T I C E … huge need for social workers as baby boomers continue to retire …A R E A A G E N C Y o n A G I N GA R E A A G E N C Y o n A G I N G

SPRING 2012

Panhandle Regional Planning CommissionP.O. Box 9257415 S.W. 8th Avenue, Amarillo, TX 79105806-372-3381

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDAMARILLO, TX

PERMIT NO. 657

Fifteen years ago the Regional 9-1-1 Network purchased Andy the Ambulance, a three-foot, remote controlled ambulance, to help educate young children living in the Regional 9-1-1 area about when, why, and how to call 9-1-1. Since that time, Andy has “attended” parades, the Tri-State Fair, health fairs, schools, and daycare centers throughout the Panhandle. With his unique features and capabilities, Andy is an excellent teaching tool for children.

The PRPC recognized that in order to keep Andy around, he needed some internal and external updating. The original manufacturer provided the internal repair, while the staff worked on his external look, repainting, reassembling, and adding new decals. The new viper blue Andy has a new L.E.D. light bar, new remote controllers and batteries, and an MP3 player to replace his former tape player. If you would like Andy to attend an upcoming function, contact Mike Peters at mpeters@theprpc.org.E

Andy the Ambulance gets new lease on life