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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Wednesday, January 12, 2000
Work underway on OC's planned campus in Pecos
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Jan. 12, 2000 - Demolition and cleanup has already begun at
the site for the Pecos extension of Odessa College, and the target date
for completion has been set for four months from now.
"The target date for completion has been scheduled for May 15," said
Pecos Economic Development Director Gari Ward.
Ward was instrumental in procuring the building, which was donated by
Dr. Norman Harris and in obtaining funds for the reconstruction of the
former auto supply and repair store.
"There's about 26,000 square feet in here and right now the crew is
cleaning up and tearing down walls," said Ward.
Vanco Insulation Abatement of Midland has three weeks to complete the
demolition and cleanup part of the project, which began on Monday.
"The floor will come up next, because of asbestos," said Ward. "We'll
just have clean space, four walls and a roof, to start the reconstruction
part of the project," he said.
Brick walls will cover the front of the building, with the offices located
in that area. Towards the rear of the building there will be six classrooms,
a lounge and restrooms, located behind the office space.
The building will accommodate two study rooms, which can be used by
any student, a computer lab with 48 computers and one room for interactive
courses.
Out of the six classrooms, the building will include one science lab
and one computer room, according to OC's Pecos Office Director Michelle
Workman.
"This has been very exciting and I'm looking forward to moving in here,"
said Workman, whose office is currently located at the Executive Building,
320 S. Oak St., Suite 4.
Registration for classes to be offered in Pecos through Odessa College
was held Monday. "For the fall semester we had a total of 71," said Workman.
"The total right now is 273," she said.
Regular registration will be held until Friday with classes set to begin
Jan. 18. Late registration will be held Jan. 18-21. "A $10 extra charge
will be assessed for late registration," said Workman.
"Out of the total number of enrollees, we have 18 that are high school
students," said Workman.
A year and half from the date that the project was first proposed, it
is now becoming a reality. Discussions were held about an OC campus in
Pecos a decade ago, but the college opted to keep its smaller campus in
Pyote open.
"It's been great working on this project, this is probably the greatest
thing that has happened in the community," said Ward. "It's the best thing
that could happen to Pecos, because it gives us the opportunity to train
people in different areas, that they otherwise wouldn't have the chance
to train for."
Vocational courses will also be offered and one side of the building
will be dedicated to those particular skilled courses.
"Right now we can't say what vocational courses we'll be offering,"
said Workman.
Workman stated that this decision would depend on the number of students,
their needs and their particular career plans.
"It depends on the students, where their interests lie, based on career
plans, that tells us what they need and we'll take it from there," she
said.
The Pecos office offers counseling, financial aid, admissions, guidance
and counseling, degree plans, short-term loans, and will also be a bookstore,
of sorts.
"I'll be going to Odessa on Friday and they'll have books ready for
me to bring back," said Workman. "A lot of the students who registered
on Monday thought they would have to drive all the way to Odessa for the
books."
The books will be in the Pecos office on Tuesday, Jan. 18. The office
is open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. or for more information call 445-5535.
College, dairy on PEDC agenda
By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Jan. 12, 2000 - Renovation progress on the Odessa College building
and a prospective new dairy for Reeves County are among topics to be discussed
Monday by the Pecos Economic Development Corporation's board of directors.
Oscar Saenz, board chairman, will preside for a discussion of changing
the fiscal year to Oct. 1-Sept. 30 to coincide with that of the city; approval
of the 1999 financial statement, and a review of four articles in the by-laws.
Under "Annual Report," the board will consider the chief executive's
report and adopt the $124,000 budget for Year 2000.
They will discuss tenure of officers, annual meeting and selection of
officers.
Kyle Hoodenpyle and Pecos Economic Development executive director Gari
Ward will present proposed strategies that would encourage more dairies
to locate in Reeves County, with a note from Pete Kunkle, independent dairy
farm appraiser.
Hoodenpyle plans to establish a dairy on 1,000 acres he owns southwest
of Pecos.
Bob Curry, president of BCTI, will report on their planned expansion
since being included in the Enterprise Zone.
Ned Pilcher, Odessa College dean, will update the board on renovation
of the old White's building for use as a Pecos campus. Work began Monday
to tear out walls and ceilings, which will allow removal of all asbestos
materials.
Ward said the building's interior would then be remodeled to accommodate
classrooms, offices and vocational training labs.
The meeting begins at 5 p.m. in the snack bar on the second floor of
the Security State Bank building.
Crockett plans top Thursday's P-B-T agenda
PECOS, Jan. 12, 2000 - Final review of plans and specifications for the
Crockett Middle School additions, and releasing documents for competitive
sealed proposals will be among the topics of discussion at the regular
Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD board meeting scheduled for 6 p.m., Thursday, in
the boardroom.
Changes at Crockett are in preparation for the combining of both seventh
and eighth grade classes at the school. Currently seventh graders attend
Zavala Middle School, but under the board's plan, the school will be converted
to use by sixth graders who now attend Lamar Middle School. Lamar would
be closed under the district's consolidation plan.
Board members will also discuss a report on school uniforms; proposed
policies for Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD golf students/coaches for Reeves County
Golf Course; renewing the Texas Disaster Shelter and Feeding Agreement
with American Red Cross of Southwest Texas; Take Our Daughters to Work
Day and discuss/approve closing debt service fund _transfer to maintenance
and operations.
In other business the board will discuss and approve request by American
Cancer Society Relay for Life for use of the Pecos High School football
stadium May 19-20, and waive fees; 1999-2000 budget amendments and Y2K
report.
A report on reading academies Grades K-5 will also be discussed.
Other items to discussed and approved include:
· Attendance/enrollment report.
· Tax report.
· Depository securities report.
· Cafeteria report.
· Commodities received report.
· Current bills and financial report.
· Investment transaction report.
· Reconciled bank balance report.
· Reeves County Community Recreation Department report.
· Date and time for next board meeting.
· Calendar of events.
· Request for items for next agenda.
The group will also meet behind closed doors, as authorized by the Texas
Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Section, 551.101 et. Seq., Section
551.074: discuss personnel or hear complaints against personnel and Section
551.071 _ private consultation with the board's attorney. They will also
discuss extending Administrative Assistant/Personnel Director Gome Olibas'
contract.
Board members will return to open session and take action, if any, on
items discussed in closed session.
State approves charter for Rodeo Hall of Fame
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Jan. 12, 2000 - It's official. Pecos will have its very own
Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame.
New president of the Pecos Chamber of Commerce Jeannette Alligood presented
the charter to John T. Rediger, at their regular meeting held Tuesday,
during the Chamber's monthly luncheon meeting at the Pecos Senior Citizen's
Center.
"This is in appreciation of all his help in making this a reality,"
said Alligood.
"This is very exciting and with everybody's help we can make it work,"
said Rediger.
Rediger presented his idea to the chamber a while back and since then
has been working with chamber director Tom Rivera in obtaining the charter
and trying to get a lease on the old Missouri Pacific train depot at First
and Oak streets, the site designated for the Hall of Fame.
"We really want to pursue this thing and with everybody's support,"
Rediger said. "Now, we're trying to get a long-term lease on the property."
After that, it will be a done deal, according to Rediger.
Rediger said that since it will be called Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame,
funds would come from the state.
"We're really proud and excited," said Rediger. "Tom (Rivera) put in
a lot of work into this, but we've still got a ways to go."
"I'm proud of our town and I hope we can all work together in making
this dream a reality," he said.
The Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame will feature items from the rodeo, all
Texas cowboys and different things associated with the rodeo.
On a related topic, West of the Pecos Rodeo Committee chairman Starkey
Warren spoke to the group about upcoming plans for the Annual West of the
Pecos Rodeo scheduled for July.
"We're trying to improve attendance at the event," said Warren. "Bringing
in the cowboys is no problem
Warren said among the plans for this year will be awarding belt buckles
to the public for the first time. "Award Design Metals, who make this buckles
for the national rodeo event, will be donating eight buckles to us," said
Warren.
"We'll be giving them out during the rodeo events," said Warren. "Maybe,
by lucky seats or program or something, that's something we'll have to
work out," he said.
Another addition will be the use of a scoreboard for the first time
at the Buck Jackson Rodeo Arena. "The sound system we have is just not
going to get any better, because the arena is so big," said Warren. "We've
had numerous complaints about the sound system, that people didn't get
to hear the score or who else was coming up and sometimes the announcer
only says it one time."
Copenhagen Skoal will be one of the sponsors of the new scoreboard.
Along with showing point totals, people can just look up and see who
is due to ride next, according to Warren. "More billboards will be added
to the back section to help fund the event," he added.
Four more billboards will also be added to the north side. "These will
be for sale, if anyone wants to advertise," said Warren.
A new program, which will go out about five weeks before the rodeo,
is also part of the plans to increase attendance at this year's show. "They
have this program, from Prescott, Arizona, that they hand out before the
rodeo," said Warren.
"We want to spread ours all over West Texas before the rodeo," said
Warren. "We're kind of following the example from Prescott."
Warren said this way people would know what's happening in Pecos a month
before the rodeo begins.
"Another idea is bull fights and clowns," said Warren.
The clowns will get inside the arena to fight the bulls, according to
Warren. "We're trying to get that in the schedule," he said. "Anything
we can do to get attendance up, we'll do."
Under the financial report, Alligood reported that as of end of December
the chamber was under their revenue projections.
"The bed tax did a record setting collections," said Alligood.
Alligood said that because of all the construction going on in town,
with the Union Pacific Railroad workers replacing 25 miles of track, Texas
Department of Transportation doing curb work and the construction work
at the Reeves County Detention Center and the U.S. Border Patrol Building,
the companies are brining in people to Pecos.
"This is great for us," said Alligood. "The tourism and advertising
committee is doing an excellent job," she said. Still to come in 2000 is
construction of a new Post Office building at Eighth and Cedar Streets
and a new facility for the Texas Department of Transportation on Interstate
20.
Alligood stated that some representatives from the chamber were on hand
at the regular Reeves County Commissioners Court meeting held Monday. "We
were there because the civic center was on the agenda."
Another meeting of the civic center committee will take place at 5:30
p.m. next Monday, at the civic center.
"We'll be bringing a report back and hope we can bring back some type
of agreement about the center," said Alligood.
Operations and who would be in charge of fees and clean-up, were to
be the topic of discussion, about the civic center. Commissioners tabled
the item on Monday, to give the committee a chance to meet and come up
with some recommendations.
During the executive director's report, Rivera passed out information
on Ray Stone and the work he does. "This should explain a little bit more
about his program," said Rivera. Stone is being considered as a speaker
in Pecos, and has broadcast the Dallas Cowboys Report on radio for the
past two decades.
Chamber members listened to an update from Jesse Stephens, during the
community development report.
"As you know, the city has entered into an agreement with GrantWorks
to obtain a $240,000 grant from the Texas Department of Housing and Community
Affairs (TDHCA) under the HOME program," said Stephens.
The city will also have to pay GrantWorks another 15 percent for getting
the grant.
"Now they're reneging on that," said Stephens. "It seems to me that
they were trying to eliminate competition."
Stephens told the group that Town of Pecos City Mayor Dot Stafford and
city manager Kenneth Neal would be attending a seminar in Socorro to talk
about this. "And if the city gets some money, they'll need help with this,"
he said.
"It's a very complex situation and I would like to see a committee formed
to learn more about it," said Alligood. "We will also need help from other
groups."
Alligood stated that the chamber would really need to look into this
program and see what needs to be done and what it entails before starting.
Chamber of Commerce directors opted to form a committee to study the
housing project further.
Rotary Club to hear from district governor
PECOS, Jan. 12, 2000 - Pecos Valley Rotary Club members will gather Thursday
to greet the district governor for district 5730, Dudley Faver, and assistant
district governor Don Shinn.
According to Bill Hubbs, a member of the Pecos club and former district
governor, the life of the district governor for district 5730 is a hard
one.
"This district covers a lot of territory _ from Pecos, east to Sweetwater
and all of the Panhandle," Hubbs said. "The governor will visit each of
the 55 clubs in the district at least once this year."
"It's a lot of miles. I wore out a car the year I was governor," Hubbs
said.
Faver, who lives in Lubbock, retired from the Air Force as a general
and has served as chairman of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce, chairman
of the Lubbock Armed Services Committee and is a charter board member of
the Institute for Vietnam Studies.
Balmorhea ISD's academic report on board's agenda
The Balmorhea Independent School District will hold a public hearing on
Thursday at 7 p.m. to discuss the Academic Excellence Indicator System
(AEIS) report. The discussion will be part of the board's regular monthly
meeting, which will be held in the BISD boardroom at First and El Paso
streets in Balmorhea.
Copies of the AEIS report are available to the public at the BISD administration
office.
Other items on Thursday's agenda include evaluation of superintendent
Dr. Carl Hoffmyer, discussion on the Balmorhea High School senior trip
for 2000, driver's education instructors and SBDM board participation.
In executive session, the board will discuss personnel, a staff member's
discipline of students and administrative response and the BISD athletic
program.
Lotto
AUSTIN (AP) - Results of the Cash 5 drawing Tuesday night: Winning numbers
drawn: 8-13-14-25-38. Number matching five of five: 0. Matching four of
five: 206. Prize: $935.
***
AUSTIN (AP) - The winning Pick 3 numbers drawn Tuesday by the Texas
Lottery, in order: 7-1-4 (seven-one-four)
Weather
High Tuesday 81. Low this morning 46. Forecast for tonight: Clear. Low
near 40. Light southwest wind. Thursday: Sunny and not as warm. High 70-75.
Northeast wind 5-10 mph. Thursday night: Fair. Low in the lower to mid
30s.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
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Copyright 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
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