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THE PERKINS JOURNAL, Thursday, December 23, 2010 - A3
Master Gardener Classes Offered
By Stan Fimple
If you are a gardener,
then you know that one
can never know every-
thing about gardening.
There is always something
to learn. If you are married
to a non-gardener, then you
also know how much fun it
is to visit with others who
don't roll their eyes when
you start gushing about the
awesome tomato or rose
you grew.
Wouldn't it be great if
there was a program where
you could learn more about
gardening while also having
fun with others who share
your love of green things?
There is, and that program
is the Payne County Master
Gardener program.
You may have seen or
heard about the activities
the Payne County Master
Gardeners have been
involved with this year.
k
Why not take your love
for gardening one step fur-
ther and become a Master
Gardener? You will not
only gain a greater under-
standing of many areas of
hortiq re, but you will
also share your love of
gardening through volun-
teer activities in our local
communities. The sixth
Master Gardener class in
Payne County will run
from February 4, 2011 to
April 15, 2011. Registra-
tion is open until January
7, 2011. Cost is $100 for
those willing to do volun-
teer hours and $250 for
those wanting to just take
the class.
So what exactly is a
Master Gardener? Master
Gardeners are volunteer
resource people for hor-
ticultural questions and
issues that come in to the
local Extension office in
their community. Their
efforts multiply the capa-
bilities of county Extension
educators.
What does the program
entail? Interested persons
must first read through
an information packet or
schedule a personal meet-
ing with the program coor-
dinator. This is to ensure
that the potential student
knows exactly what the
program is all about and
the high level of commit-
ment it requires. In signing
up for the classes, students
agree to "pay-back,' 50 vol-
unteer service hours to help
further horticulture in the
community within one year
of completing the class.
Once enrolled in the
class, the student takes a 4
hour class once a week for
11 weeks. The topics of the
classes include subjects like
plant physiology, soils and
plant nutrition, woody and
herbaceous plants, ento-
mology, weeds, and IPM
(Integrated Pest Manage-
ment). Also included are
topics such as plant pathol-
ogy, vegetable production,
turf/lawn care, fruit and nut
culture, and others.
Once students pass the
classroom training pro-
gram, they become Master
Gardener Interns for one
year. During this time
the interns complete the
service hours in various
ways. These may include
diagnosing plant, insect, or
disease problems, giving
educational programs
to children in schools,
answering phones in the
local extension office,
giving presentations to
garden and civic clubs,
helping disabled people
garden through horticul-
ture therapy, doing local
beautification projects, and
manning booths at fairs and
home and garden shows.
Once the interns have
completed the required
service hours for one year,
they graduate and become
full fledged Master Gar-
deners. After graduation,
Master Gardeners must
continue to complete some
service hours and contin-
ued education to retain
active status.
So why should you
become a Master Gar-
dener? You will become
knowledgeable about a
wide array of gardening
subjects. The practical
training is designed to
increase your confidence
and horticultural skills.
This will enable you to help
the public with questions
and problems involved
with gardening. The vol-
unteer hours will help you
contribute to your commu-
nity and give you the plea-
sure and reward of working
with others who share your
interests.
Before you sign up, you
should ask yourself the fol-
lowing questions:
• Am I eager to participate
in a practical and intense
training program?
• Do I look forward to
sharing my knowledge with
people in my community?
• Do I have enough time to
attend training and to serve
as a volunteer?
If you answered yes to
these questions, the Master
Gardener program could be
for you. For more informa-
tion call the Payne County
Extension Office at 747-
8320. Registration dead-
line is January 7, 2011.
Vrom our and Officers
m
00,You Can ,
ayne County Bank
oW Us!
Main Bank 202 S. Main, Perkins. OK • Convenience Branch 417 E. Hwy 33. Perkins, OK
@
(405) 547-2436 • www.paynecountybank.com ,=
Perkins Lions Deliver Christmas Cheer
Lynn Kinder, chairman of the Perkins Lions Club Christmas Committee, shows off just
some of the gifts Lions Club members delivered to 49 local families last Saturday. 'qhe
community was very generous this year, "Kinder said. 'q'he dollars came in for the food
boxes and people were asking for names of children in need more this year than in any year
in the past. One individual donated 28 bicycles to children that didn't have one. Walmart
gave the organization a $500 grant to buy bicycle helmets for the youngsters as well. Kinder
expressed his thanks and gratitude to the community for their support.
Journal photo by David Sasser
Lincoln County Assessor reminds
residents to file for exemptions
The Lincoln County Asses-
sors office will begin taking
exemption applications and
personal property assess-
ments on Monday, January
3,2011, according to county
assessor Randy L. Wintz.
The annual exemption and
assessment period will con-
tinue through March 15,
2011.
Wintz said that Oklahoma
law requires that all per-
sonal property be listed and
assessed each year during the
January 1 through March 15
assessment period. Among
the property that must be
listed and assessed are trac-
tors, farm machinery, farm
equipment, business inven-
tories, business fixtures and
business equipment.
The assessor said that state
law defines mobile homes
located on another person's
land as personal property.
Those mobile homes must
also be listed and assessed
every year during the assess-
ment period.
Wintz said that any personal
property not listed before the
deadline must be assessed a
valuation penalty as required
by law. To avoid the penalty,
property owners must return
the assessment papers no later
than March 15.
New homestead exemp-
tion applications, double
homestead exemption appli-
cations and senior valuation
freeze applications must also
be filed no later than March
15 to be effective for the 2011
tax year.
Wintz said that all qualified
Lincoln County homeowners
should file for homestead
exemption in order to save
from $75 to $109 on their
2011 tax bill. To qualify for
homestead exemption the
property owner must have
owned their home and been
living there on January 1,
2011.
Property owners that qualify
for homestead exemption
may also qualify for an addi-
tional or double homestead
exemption if their total gross
household income for 2010
was $20,000 or less. The
double homestead exemp-
tion will save a homeowner
an additional $75 to $109 per
year.
The assessor said that prop-
erty owners at least 65 years
of age with a gross household
income of $49,000 or less in
2010 are eligible to apply for
the Senior Valuation Freeze.
This property tax limita-
tion freezes the assessor's
valuation on the applicant's
homestead property from
any increases, unless the
property is improved or sold.
However, Wintz said that the
tax levy on the property could
change which can increase
or decrease the homestead
property's tax amount.
Wintz said that 100% dis-
abled veterans that have not
previously applied should
apply for an exemption that
will exempt all the real estate
tax on their homestead prop-
erty. Qualified veterans must
have a letter from the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs con-
firming their eligibility.
The assessor's office in the
Lincoln County Courthouse
is open from 8:15 a.m. until
4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday. The office will also
be open Saturday, March 5,
and Saturday, March 12, from"
8:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon.
STATION
Continued from Page A1
includes an evaluation of the
fire department, water mains
and hydrants, and 911 dis-
patch and paging services.
The rating is based on a scale
of 1 to 10, with lower ratings
being the best.
Perkins' current ISO rating
is 5.
"Lowering the ISO rating
is a big deal," Barta noted.
"The process is complicated
and takes time and a lot
of work. This is one small
piece of it."
Barta noted insurance rates
vary between insurance com-
panies.
"It may only be 1-to-2 per-
cent, but community-wide,
it's a big deal," he said.
The fire department is
pleased to accept donations to
help with cost of conslruction
for the new station.
If you have questions or
concerns about the new
station or any other fire
department-related matter,
call Chief Barta at (405)
547-2045.
FIRST UNITED
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1005 E. Kirk • Perkins
