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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Friday, August 25, 2000
Council selects interim manager, OKs water loan
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, August 25, 2000 - Town of Pecos City Council appointed Octavio
Garcia, City Utilities Director, as interim City Manager following an executive
session of their regular meeting Thursday morning.
Former City Manager Kenneth Neal resigned last week in order to take
a city manager's job close to Dallas.
The Council chose Garcia to fill in while it goes through advertising
and interviewing for a new city manager.
Garcia was appointed as acting city manager about a year ago while Neal
was away for conferences and vacation, according to City Secretary Geneva
Martinez. He has been Utilities Director since 1988.
The Council also approved applying for a loan from First National Bank
to help fund the South Worsham Water Field project.
Finance Director Steve McCormick said the state-funded loan of over
$8 million the city expects to get has not finished the approval process
so the bank loan is needed for the time being.
The state is finishing the Economic Impact Document where officials
go out and check the land for artifacts, endangered species and historical
land value. After finishing this portion of the approval process the loan
from the state would be approved.
McCormick said the city could be able to be reimbursed by the state
for this loan.
"For us to get reimbursed for this and other money spent, we have to
have a resolution saying that is our intent," he said.
The Council approved a resolution stating its intent to be reimbursed
for the base-price of the loan.
Frank Spencer and Abidur Kahn, of Spencer and Associates, presented
the Council with plans to drill six test holes and build one production
well for the South Worsham Well field.
Spencer and Kahn asked the Council to allow them to submit the plans
to the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, which must approve
plans before the test holes can be started.
Spencer said the land where the proposed test holes would be drilled
has not been acquired by the city yet but the landowner has given permission
for the drilling.
"We have reached an agreement with the landowner to test, then depending
on the results we would go back and try to acquire the land," Spencer said.
The Council approved Spencer and Kahn's request to submit their plans
to the TNRCC.
Kahn also asked the Council to approve a change order on the well number
16A in Worsham Well Field for the 2000 Water Well Project.
He said the change order is for $8,410 less than the original figures.
Kahn explained that using a smaller pump than originally planned saved
money.
The Council gladly approved the change order.
The Council tabled three items on the agenda; the purchase or lease
of a new copier, the annexation without petition of real property adjacent
to city limits and the contract with Corplan Corrections all due to the
lack of information.
NTSB head tours pipeline blast site
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, August 25, 2000 - Officials from the National Transportation
Safety Board and the Department of Transportation's Research and Special
Programs Administration were in southeastern New Mexico on Thursday, touring
the site of last Saturday's pipeline explosion on the Pecos River 60 miles
north of Pecos that killed 11 people.
About 30 people traveled to the site, though the tour was limited to
only authorized personnel. The media were not allowed to visit the explosion
site but could still see the effects of it.
Two large pipelines normally suspended over the Pecos River were expanded
from the heat of the fire causing them to drop down towards the river.
NTSB Chairman Jim Hall apologized for not being able to come to New
Mexico sooner due to issuing the final report on the TWA Flight 800 crash
to Congress on Wednesday.
Hall said he wanted to thank the local officials and emergency personnel
for the quick response to the tragedy. He also thanked El Paso Natural
Gas for supporting the families of the victims during this difficult time.
Hall said this explosion is the deadliest pipeline accident in the continental
United States in nearly 25 years.
The biggest pipeline accident occurred in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1996,
killing 33 people.
"This tragedy becomes the sixth tragedy the board has responded to since
1985," Hall said.
The last pipeline accident happened last year in Bellingham, Wash.,
where a 16-inch pipe exploded killing three children.
Hall said the pipeline that exploded runs for miles and some sections
of it are laid near schoolyards, playgrounds and other populated areas.
Kelley Coyner, who oversees pipeline safety for the U.S. Department
of Transportation, described the 2 million miles of pipeline in the United
States, mostly laid in the 1950s and 1960s, as an aging infrastructure.
"We risk facing more of these tragedies unless we act," Coyner said.
Hall said that since the first accident in 1985 the NTSB has been pushing
for tougher inspection requirements.
Last December, Hall said he gave a speech to the Liquid Gas Pipeline
Association asking for their support of the office.
Hall said the NTSB is planning to push to get numerous things through
Congress to make new laws for pipeline safety.
"We need to be sure we have adequate safeguards available," Hall said.
He said they are additional internal testing, additional qualifications
in training, automatic shut off valves on all pipes and requirements for
tougher steel.
After touring the Pecos River site and holding a press conference, Hall
and his group traveled to El Paso to meet with El Paso Natural Gas Co.
officials.
He was seeking support for the proposed reforms from the company, and
El Paso Energy Co. spokesman John Somerhalder said his company "will do
what it takes to make sure this kind of incident doesn't happen again,"
but stopped short of endorsing the NTSB recommendations.
He said the company supports safety regulations that are realistic.
"They are very large prominent players in the industry and I ask for their
support of the NTSB in lobbying Congress," Hall said, adding his agency
has ``not seen active support from the industry'' in regard to the proposed
recommendations.
Coyner also thanked the local officials and emergency personnel for
their quick response to the tragedy.
She said it is hard to imagine such a tragedy happening where people
enjoy fishing, camping and being outdoors.
"We know this loss of life has touched everyone in this area," Coyner
said.
She said the people in the pipeline industry had some responsibilities
including supporting the NTSB in its investigation and assuring when the
line returns to service that it is operating safely.
She said there would be rigorous testing on the pipeline before it goes
back online and will operated at a decrease of 80 percent of maximum pressure
until they are convinced the pipeline could handle it.
Coyner said the pipeline that exploded had never been inspected. Due
to the layout of the pipes in that area, internal testing and inspections
are not possible.
Hall said the pipeline safety agency overseen by Coyner, which is funded
by fees assessed on the oil and gas industry, is severely underfunded and
has only 55 inspectors to cover the 2 million miles of U.S. pipeline.
The NTSB has not been able to determine the ignition of the explosion
but is continuing its investigation.
A portion of the pipe has been chosen for investigation and will be
crated up and shipped to Washington.
Local band able to perform for Pope during Youth Day
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, August 25, 2000 - A local Christian music group had the experience
of a lifetime recently after they were invited to perform before Pope John
Paul II in Rome.
Sudden Impact was in Rome for six days earlier this month, performing
as part of World Youth Day held on Aug. 15.
"We performed Tuesday at the opening ceremony, we sang along with (Christian
artist) Dana, the song, `We Are One Body,'" said Eddie Vasquez, a member
of the group.
Vasquez said it just happened that when they were performing John Paul
II was coming through St. Peter's Square. "We were so fortunate that he
just happened to walk out at that time," said Vasquez. "We sang on the
steps for about 700,000 people."
The experience has left the group breathless and filled with an inner
peace and excitement.
"It's just awesome, it was beautiful," said Vasquez.
The group arrived on Saturday, Aug. 12, and since their hotel room was
not ready at the time, they went directly to St. Peter's Square, where
most of the activities for World Youth Day were taking place.
"We had some time to sightsee, since we didn't start working until Tuesday,"
said Vasquez.
Vasquez stated that he and the rest of the group, which consists of
his brother, Mickey and friend, Jason Alvarez, had the chance to see the
Roman ruins, the coliseum, a castle and beautiful old buildings.
"We walked the streets of Rome and everywhere you looked you saw all
these young people that were there for youth day," said Vasquez. "Some
were carrying flags from their respective countries."
Vasquez stated that it was quite an experience to see it packed with
people there for World Youth Day.
Vasquez stated that there were several stages. "There were different
concerts and on our stage there were six groups," he explained.
"On our stage, anybody that watches, EWTN, or Channel 28 here, the emcee
from one of their shows, Jeff Cavins, was the emcee for us," said Vasquez.
"His program, `Life On The Rocks,' the show he hosts, is very popular."
Vasquez said Sudden Impact received a great response from the audience
and were thrilled with the amount of people there.
"I had never seen so many people at one place, it was just awesome,"
he said.
World Youth Day was first held in Rome in 1984, and has been held at
two- or three-year intervals since then in different countries around the
world.
During World Youth Day, the Pope invites all the youth to come together
in unity, to meet with him and to be inspired. "Even though it's initiated
by the Catholic faith, all religions are invited," said Vasquez.
"It's basically Catholic, but since the beginning there have been youth
of different religions," said Vasquez.
World Youth Day 2002 will be held in Toronto, Canada, with the site
each time decided by the Vatican, according to Vasquez.
"Italy is the only country that has had it twice," said Vasquez. It
has also been held in Buenos Aires, the Philippines and Paris, among other
countries.
Vasquez said he had a chance to participate in World Youth Day when
it was held in Denver, Colo.
"It was a wonderful experience, anyone that saw it on television, it
just doesn't do it justice," he said.
Vasquez added that the excitement and the whole atmosphere was something
to feel and see. "This time it was more beautiful than in Denver, because
Rome is such a beautiful, old city," said Vasquez.
During the week surrounding World Youth Day, there were different areas
that gave teachings for the youngsters and the idea of the trip is to learn
more about the faith, to learn more about Jesus and to do it in a city
that's historically in the Bible is a wonderful experience, according to
Vasquez.
"It's pretty cool, to experience something like this in Rome, a city
from the Bible, a beautiful, old city," he said.
Vasquez said the group's record label is usually pretty active during
World Youth Day, so the group might participate in the one in Toronto scheduled
in 2002.
"Our record company does a lot of tours in Canada, so it might be possible
that we participate in the next one as well," he said.
Vasquez said the band did miss the closing ceremonies, but got to see
them on television. "We were booked to play in Oklahoma, but we were able
to share our experience with the people in Oklahoma and with the people
that didn't get to go," said Vasquez. "We'll be sharing that experience
with everyone, wherever we go and perform."
Sudden Impact travels year-round and has performed in New York, Chicago,
Phoenix and Miami.
Vasquez was also the organizer of a Christian concert called SonShine,
which was held annually in Pecos for 10 years. "We got so busy, I just
didn't have time to organizer it anymore," said Vasquez. "I did it for
10 years and if were still doing it, this would have been the 12th
annual."
Bonilla to visit Stockton to talk about ag issues
PECOS, August 25, 2000 - U.S. Representative Henry Bonilla, R-Tx., will
address the Pecos County/Reeves County Farm Bureau on Monday between 3:30
and 4:30 p.m. at the Texas A&M University Extension and Research Building
located at 2101 W. Dickinson Blvd. in Fort Stockton.
Bonilla will address agricultural concerns currently before Congress.
"I encourage the residents of Pecos and Reeves Counties to visit with
me if they have any questions about the pending Ag issues before Congress.
I am always looking for better ways to serve the Ag community," said Bonilla.
The San Antonio Republican was first elected to Congress in 1992 and
is current seeking his fifth two-year term in Washington.
Obituary
Armando Granado
Funeral arrangements for Armando Granado Sr., 66, who died Thursday, Aug.
25, 2000, at Odessa Medical Center, are incomplete.
Pecos Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Weather
PECOS, August 25, 2000 - High Thursday 100. Low this morning 68. Forecast
for tonight: Clear. Low 65-70. Southeast wind 5-15 mph. Saturday: Mostly
sunny. High 95-100. Southeast wind 5-15 mph. Saturday night: Clear. Lows
65-70. Sunday: Partly cloudy. Low 65-70. High in the mid 90s.
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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