|
Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Thursday, September 28, 2000
Council delays vote on giving motel tax break
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, September 28, 2000 - The Town of Pecos City Council tabled a
request for a tax abatement from a company seeking up build a motel in
Pecos to house Union Pacific Railroad employees, during their regularly
scheduled meeting this morning at City Hall
The council tabled action on the request from Roy Riggs, Director of
Development for Lodging Enterprises, who is seeking abatement on land just
west of the Flying J Truck Stop on Interstate 20. His company is planning
on building a new Oak Tree Inn in order to allow railroad operators and
workers to rest.
Riggs said his company has a contract with Union Pacific guaranteeing
a specific number of rooms for UP employees, but the motel is also a commercial
facility.
Commercial rooms would be available at a competitive commercial rate,
according to Riggs.
Riggs said there are similar motels all around the United States, including
a few in this area.
"We have a similar facility in Alpine," he said.
Riggs said the construction site next to Flying J was chosen because
the availability of the 24-hour restaurant, The Cookery.
He said the motel would have 40 rooms and bring to the city 15 new jobs,
plus the jobs during construction.
When asked about the rates the Oak Tree Inn would charge to Union Pacific,
Riggs said the rates would be considerably lower than regular rates but
would enable more employees to stay at the motel.
"Union Pacific wanted it in Toyah but we convinced them to move to Pecos,"
he said. The railroad is seeking to standardize its crew changing locations
in Texas, roughly 210 miles apart in Fort Worth, Sweetwater, Pecos and
El Paso.
Sam Patel, owner of the Quality Inn, questioned the fairness of having
a contract with Union Pacific.
"It is unfair to other hotels to have a guaranteed occupancy," he said.
Patel explained that the contract with the Oak Tree Inn would take business
away from the other hotels that currently house UP workers, including the
Quality Inn.
"It is not a competitive market because you have that contract," he
said.
City Attorney Scott Johnson will look into the information further and
will discuss the results with the Council in a future meeting.
In other action this morning, the council approved an agreement with
Troy Vines, Inc., for the lease of property beside the company on Stafford
Boulevard.
The property involved is one acre beside the hospital that the company
already uses but the lease has lapsed.
Johnson said the company wants to renew the lease with an adjusted rent
rate from $600 to $800 per year.
The council also approved the recommendation from City Secretary Geneva
Martinez for a new photocopier.
The Council heard the second readings on the amended water and sewer
rate ordinances, the budget and tax rates from Johnson.
The tax rate was kept at its current 69.67 cents per $100 valuation,
while the council adopted the lower of the two ordinances concerning the
water and sewer rates.
The council set two rates earlier this month, but after making an agreement
with Reeves County Judge Jimmy Galindo, the council agreed to adopt the
lower of the two rate ordinances. The agreement involved placing $400,000
of county funds in an escrow account, which the city will use to guarantee
loans from the state to develop the South Worsham Water Well Field. Finance
Director Steve McCormick said the money would be needed to prove to the
state that the city would be able to pay back the loan.
Had the agreement not been reached, council members said they would
have to adopt the higher of the two water ad sewer rate ordinances.
City receives team's report
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, September 28, 2000 - Town of Pecos City Council members were
given a report on the city's major needs and possible solutions this morning,
and discussed what to do with the information during their regularly scheduled
meeting at City Hall.
Darren Clark, Resource Conservation & Development Coordinator, presented
the report compiled by the Pecos Resource Team, which visited Pecos and
talked with community members earlier this year to find out the problems
of the community and offer solutions to those problems.
Clark explained to the council that the first part of the report is
all the answers to their original three questions; what are the major problems
and challenges in the community, what are the major strengths and assets
of the community and what projects would you like to see implemented in
the community in the next two, five, ten, or 20 years?
He said the team of six members from all over Texas looked at those
answers and their own observation of the community.
The second part of the report is individual views from each team member.
Clark said some of those reports are somewhat repetitive.
"That is an area we all picked up on," he said.
In those reports Clark said the team members also gave recommendations
on what needed to be done and how to go about doing it.
"When we make a recommendation, we try to give you a solution," he said.
Clark said he understands the city's tight budget and suggested to the
council that a lot of the projects could be done mostly with grant money.
Clark said he has made 150 copies of the report for the community and
suggested having a town meeting.
Jeanette Alligood, Pecos Chamber of Commerce President, suggested to
the Council that they have a retreat with Chamber members and the Council
to go over the report and then have a town meeting.
"We need to get a working group and then spread out," she said.
Finance Director Steve McCormick said he was concerned that having a
retreat would make community members feel alienated.
Clark said it really made no difference which meeting comes first as
long as something is done and the reports don't get pushed aside.
Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tom Rivera agreed with Clark.
"Let's not put it on the shelf, let's do something with it," Rivera
said.
Councilman Gerald Tellez said the Council should also get the Reeves
County Commissioners, the Reeves County Hospital Board of Directors and
the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School District Board involved.
"The more people we get involved the better it's going to be," Alligood
said.
Dell City hosts Hudspeth Fair next weekend
PECOS, September 28, 2000 - Dell City will be hosting the 42nd
Annual Dell Valley/Hudspeth County Fair the weekend of Oct. 6-8 in Dell
City.
Events include exhibits, a parade, a barbeque dinner, a team roping
and rodeo competition, horseshoe pitching activities and kids games. The
events will be at the fairgrounds, two miles west of Dell City, off FM
1437 in northern Hudspeth County.
For further information, contact Terri Lutrick at 915-964-2319.
Obituaries
Manuel Bitolas
Manuel "Bobby" Ortiz, Bitolas, Jr., 56, of Pecos, died Tuesday, Sept. 26,
2000, in Pecos.
A rosary will be held at 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29, at the Pecos Funeral
Home Chapel.
Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m., Saturday, at Santa Rosa Catholic Church
with Father Ben Flores officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Evergreen Cemetery.
He was born Oct. 1, 1943, in Pecos, was a lifelong Pecos resident, a
member of the Army National Guard, a retired foreman for Pennzoil and a
Catholic.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Lydia Bitolas.
Survivors include his parents, Manuel "Bibi" and Cruz Bitolas of Pecos;
four daughters, Myra Taylor and Nancy Ontiveros of Pecos, Bonnie Garcia
of San Antonio and Olivia Castillo of Midland; one brother, Danny Bitolas
of Pecos; one sister, Mary "Lila" Bitolas of Midland and seven grandchildren.
Pecos Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Guadalupe Mora
Guadalupe Nunez Mora, 57, of Pecos, died Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2000, in White's
City, N.M.
Viewing in scheduled from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and a rosary will be held
at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29, at Martinez Funeral Home Chapel.
Mass is scheduled for 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30, at Santa Rosa Catholic
Church with burial in Greenwood Cemetery.
She was born July 9, 1943, in Fort Stockton, was a housewife, a lifetime
Pecos resident and a Catholic.
She was preceded in death by Atanacio and Catalina C. Nunez and one
brother Nicolas Nunez.
Survivors include one son, Bernardino Mora of Houston; three daughters,
Melinda Ramirez of Houston, Grace Marie M. Peters of Converse, Tx. and
Melissa M. Orona of San Marcos; two brothers, F.C. Nunez of Madisonville,
La. and Benito Nunez of New Mexico; one sister, Eulalia Valdez of Lubbock
and eight grandchildren.
Martinez Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Luis Mora
Luis Mora, 59, of Pecos, died Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2000, in White's City,
N.M.
Viewing in scheduled from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and a rosary will be held
at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29, at Martinez Funeral Home Chapel.
Mass is scheduled for 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30, at Santa Rosa Catholic
Church with burial in Greenwood Cemetery.
He was born Feb. 3, 1941, in Pecos, had been a member of the Army National
Guard, was retired from Pennzoil, was a lifetime Pecos resident and a Catholic.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Bernardino D. and Elena A.
Mora; one brother, Manuel Mora and one sister, Mary Castro.
Survivors include one son, Bernardino Mora of Houston; three daughters,
Melinda M. Ramirez of Houston, Grace Marie M. Peters of Converse, Tx. and
Melissa M. Orona of San Marcos; two sisters, Delma Mosby of Carlsbad, N.M.
and Ramona Jimenez of Odessa and eight grandchildren.
Martinez Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Weather
PECOS, September 28, 2000 - High Wednesday 91. Low this morning 52. Forecast
for tonight: Clear. Low 50-55. Southeast wind 5-10 mph. Friday: Mostly
sunny. High in the upper 80s. South wind 10-20 mph. Friday night: Clear.
Low in the mid 50s. Saturday: Mostly sunny. High in the lower 90s. Sunday:
Mostly sunny and fair at night. Low 55-60. High in the lower to 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
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
|
