Council honors Portales volunteer

A regular meeting of the Portales City Council did take place on Tuesday, although normal business took a back seat to the recognition of one hard-working citizen.

Frankye King, 86, was honored with an hour-long fete prior to the 7 p.m. start of the meeting and, during the council meeting, with a recognition ceremony and the presentation of the Excellence in Citizenship award. To accommodate King’s friends, family and associates, the meeting was moved to the more spacious Memorial Building from the usual City Hall location.

“You always see somebody else, and you’re always glad and happy for them. But when it’s you getting it, it’s fantastic,” King said.

King went to high school in Portales before moving away for a decade. Some 55 years ago, she returned to the city and commenced a lifelong devotion to volunteer service. Among other achievements, King was cited for her service to Camp Fire girls, the organization of a local chapter of the Good Sam club and Roosevelt General Hospital.

In a proclamation that was read before the council, King also was noted for her approximately 15 years of service as the chairwoman for the local First United Methodist Church’s annual turkey dinner.

“She is no stranger to rolling up her sleeves and helping,” Portales Mayor Orlando Ortega said.

“This lady’s been very special to me. I’m scared of her like I’m scared of my mother,” joked ENMU women’s basketball coach Linden Weese said. “All small communities thrive because of people like Frankye.”

In regular business items, the council unanimously approved a motion for a lease contract with Tamco Inc./Shoretel Financial Solutions for a new telephone system for the city departments. Tom Howell, Portales city manager, said the new system would enable city personnel to transfer incoming calls to other departments located in different areas of town.

“We’ve been in long need of replacing our phone system,” Howell said.

Also, the city authorized the continuation of a mutual aid agreement, originally created in 1987, with Eastern New Mexico University to coordinate resources in the area for the protection of citizens.

The agreement, among other things, calls for the assistance of ENMU in identifying shelter facilities, multiple occupancy vehicles, equipment and accompanying manpower that will be incorporated into the comprehensive All-Hazard plan for Roosevelt County.