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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
February 20, 2001
City OKs Main Street post,
discusses clean-up agenda
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, February 20, 2001 - The Town of Pecos City Council has unofficially
approved hiring a full-time Main Street Program manager during the Council
workshop last night at City Hall.
City Manager Carlos Yerena said that utilizing the hotel/motel fund
would provide the funding for the new position.
He said the person who fills the position would help in assisting existing
projects and recruiting volunteers to help with city clean ups and other
projects.
"We're trying to gear up to apply for admission in the Main Street
Program," he said.
Pecos has now become a self-initiated Main Street city at the recommendation
of state officials in charge of the program.
Last fall Pecos was denied admittance into the Main Street Program
but according to the local Main Street Program Director Jeanette Alligood
the city's choice to be self-initiated this year would help Pecos' chances
of being chosen next year.
"It would greatly enhance our chance to be initiated," she said.
Yerena said that the city would be able to re-apply to become a Main
Street city in late July but regardless of whether or not Pecos is chosen
plans to beautify the city will continue.
"So we want to aggressively pursue the revitalization of the downtown
area," he said. "Regardless if the city gets implemented or not the city
is going to push forward."
Yerena said that the city is exploring many options to enable them
to help in the revitalization of the downtown area.
One option is to implement a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone that would
allow the city to use tax money on the buildings and reinvest it into the
maintenance and beautification of those buildings.
"Any tax increase would go into a special fund to help beautify the
downtown areas," Yerena said.
Mayor Ray Ortega said that the city hopes to get the support from all
the taxing entities and area organizations to help revitalize the community
and to make the downtown area more attractive to prospective businesses.
"It's going to have to be a community effort," he said.
Ortega said that the first thing that needs to be accomplished is assisting
those businesses already there. "The existing businesses in this town are
the backbone of the community," he said.
Ortega added that the city has many projects in the works right now
and so the clean up effort would take a long time to see a change.
"We've got so much going," he said.
The city plans to start the clean up effort by working all day Wednesday
in cleaning up the downtown area.
City crews, volunteers and possibly trustees from the Reeves County
Jail will begin the clean up at 8 a.m., and work on painting parking stripes
and curbs, as well as pulling weeds up from between the sidewalk cracks.
Ortega said that the downtown area looks the way it does as a result
of 15 to 20 years of neglect, and it is time to turn things around.
Yerena said that everything that is done "today" would reflect on the
future that is why the city has been applying for the Main Street Program
and trying to beautify Pecos.
"So we can improve the quality of life for the citizens," he said.
Yerena said Wednesday's clean up is just the beginning and would continue
for quite some time.
"We're just trying to lay the foundation," he said. "Start setting
things into place."
The Council also unofficially approved giving the Pecos Volunteer Fire
Department's (PVFD) fire truck unit number 306 to the Barstow Volunteer
Fire Department.
The PVFD has had to make many repairs on that truck and Council members
recently approved purchase a new 1,000-gallon truck from Ferrara, Inc.
to replace unit 306.
The new truck was originally set to be delivered to the PVFD by Feb.
28 but the delivery date has been moved back to March 7.
"It would be a week more than they predicted," Pecos Fire Chief Roy
Pena said.
Barstow Mayor Benny Hernandez informed the Council that the reason
they have requested the old truck is because of the current trucks in Barstow
need many repairs, but are so old that replacement parts are no longer
available.
He added that Barstow has relied on the PVFD to assist in many fires
and accidents on the interstate in Ward County because of the problems
with their current trucks.
"If we have something to get to it we would not bother this fire department,"
he said.
The Council asked Pena if Barstow was aware of the problems with unit
306 and Pena replied that he has informed them of the problems, the main
one being radiator repairs.
Hernandez said that they did not mind the fact that this truck would
need repairs because they know that there are parts still available for
it.
The city of Balmorhea also requested acquisition of the truck, but
no one from that city was present last night.
Councilman Danny Rodriguez said that he believed that the truck should
be given to Barstow despite the fact that the town is in Ward County.
"I think it's a safety issue," he said. "I consider Barstow as a part
of our family."
The council gave preliminary approval to the request but won't officially
approve it until the regular meeting on Thursday.
After that vote, the request it will go before the Reeves County Commissioner's
Court because the county owns 50 percent of the truck.
The council also discussed paying for Cobra insurance for recently
retired city employees for three months.
Cobra insurance would allow employees who decide to retire or leave
the job to still have insurance through their employer for up to 18 months
at their expense.
Yerena said that way the employees would be able to find some other
insurance or find another job without being off of their current insurance.
The council decided to look further into the matter in order to be
able to base it on the years of service that would be required by the employees.
Levario first city councilman to
file for new two-year term
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, February 20, 2001 - One of three Town of Pecos City Council members
whose terms are up in May has already decided he wants to keep his seat
and serve the city for another two years.
Incumbent Councilman Larry Levario has filed for a position on the
Town of Pecos City Council on Monday afternoon, the first day to file for
positions in the May 5 elections for city, school and hospital board.
Levario is one of three Town of Pecos City councilmen whose terms expire
in May. Gerald Tellez and Johnny Terrazas hold the other two council seats
up for election on May 5.
The first day to file applications for a place on the ballot in school,
city and hospital district elections was Monday, and will continue through
March 21.
In the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah school board election, three three-year
terms are up for election along with an unexpired term currently being
served by Paul Deishler.
Deishler, who was appointed last year to replace Frank Apolinar, Jr.,
on the board, has filed for one of the three-year term along with one of
the three incumbents, Brent Shaw.
Three-year positions on the board up for election on May 5 are those
currently being held by Shaw, Earl Bates and Louis Matta, who is president
of the board. Deishler's unexpired term will also be up for election.
In the Reeves County Hospital Board election, only voters in Precincts
2 and 4 will be casting ballots this year. No one has filed for either
of those seats, which are held by Marcella Lovett and Holly Key.
Council seats also will be open on May 5 in the Balmorhea, Barstow
and Toyah city elections, along with the Balmorhea ISD election.
If there are no opposed candidates, along with no propositions and
no vacancies to be filled by special election in the various city, school
and hospital board races, the election may be canceled anytime after this
date.
The last day a person may register to vote in the local elections is
April 5. Early voting by personal appearance will be April 27 through May
1. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., on Election Day, May 5.
Rio Grande plan topic of meeting
set for Sanderson
PECOS, February 20, 2001 - The Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River Partnership
Team will hold their fourth meeting this coming Sunday and Monday in Sanderson.
The team is composed of federal, state and county officials along with
representatives of private landowners, commercial outfitters, recreational
users and conservation organizations. The team's goal is to assure that
all interested parties have a voice in the National Park Service's efforts
to write and implement a River Management Plan for the Rio Grande.
The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. Sunday with a reception and barbeque
at 5 p.m. in rthe St. James Parish Hall in Sanderson. Park Service officials
will offer a presentation on the current status of the river following
the reception and dinner, while a discussion between NPS officials and
representatives of other groups ad the general public will be held on Monday
at the Parish Hall, beginning at 8:45 a.m.
Anyone wishing to attend the Sunday BBQ is asked to contact Terrell
County Judge Dudley Harrison at 915-345-2421.
Obituaries
Eugene Patterson
Weather
High Monday 83. Low this morning 39. Forecast for tonight: Partly cloudy.
Low in the lower 40s. Southwest wind 5 to10 mph. Wednesday: Mostly cloudy.
High in the lower 60s. North wind 10 to 20 mph. Wednesday night: Cloudy
with a slight chance of rain. Low near 35. Chance of rain is less than
20 percent. Thursday and Friday: Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of
showers or thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 30s and lower 40s. Highs in
the 60s.
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
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