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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Tuesday, June 5, 2001
Busted main leaves homes without water till morning
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tuesday, June 5, 2001 -- Water was shut off to numerous Pecos homes
after a water main broke at about 8 p.m., last night on the east side
of town.
Pecos Utilities Director Octavio Garcia said that the water main at the
intersection of Seventh and Walnut Street broke and the water cracked the
asphalt and filled the street.
Local law enforcement set up roadblocks in that area so that a city crew
could fix the leak.
Garcia said that five crew members were called back to work after the
line broke and spent the night working on restoring water back to the area.
"We had a bunch of problems turning the water off," he said.
Garcia said that some of the valves on the water main were so old that
they would not turn off completely.
In order to fix the leak, Garcia said that the crew had to move farther
away from it and turn off the water from the valves surrounding the leak.
"It took us all night to fix it," he said.
The crew was able to fix the leak with minimal damage to the street, according
to Garcia.
By 6 a.m., this morning the leak was fixed and water was flowing to the
homes in the area.
Garcia said that water leaks like this do not usually occur in June.
"It usually happens between March and April," he said.
Garcia said that he is not sure what might have caused the leak.
He said that it might just be the old age of the piping or the number
of tractor-trailers that seem to be coming through town more often.
"These streets are not made for 18-wheelers," he said.
With the crew working in the dark last night, Garcia said that they had
to watch out for traffic and wanted to ask the community to keep an eye out
for the crews working in the streets, day or night.
"Please take precautions and drive slowly," he said.
VIP box to be ready for rodeo
By JENNIFER GALVAN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tuesday, June 5, 2001 -- After several years of talking about it,
the Rodeo Committee decided it was time to get it done.
It, is a VIP box on the rodeo grounds.
"We have wanted to build a VIP box for a long time now," Rodeo Committee
member, Trevor Teague said. "Instead of just talking about it, just do it."
The construction of the VIP box started two months ago with donations
of material _ tin and pipe _ given by members of the Rodeo Committee and
local ranchers. The Town of Pecos City donated the wood for the floor, Teague
said.
Two of the workers contributing to the construction of the VIP box are
Reeves County Road and Bridge welder, Ruben Cazares and Road and Bridge crewman
David Acosta.
The decision to build the VIP box came after the committee decided that
it was time to give something back to its major sponsors. In building the
VIP box it will provide the sponsors with a better view of the rodeo grounds
and at the same time thank them for all of their support, Teague said.
"It is something to give to the big sponsors that give to the Rodeo,"
Road and Bridge Administrator and Rodeo Committee member, Russ Salicido said.
Sponsors expected to be guests of the VIP box are Coors, Dodge and Texas-New
Mexico Power Company.
As of now there are not a set number of people who will be allowed in
the VIP box, Salcido said.
However, by next year the committee plans to know more about the structure
of the box and how to accommodate as many people as the committee can, he
said.
When asked if there was anything else he would like to add Salicido said,
"I hope it goes well."
T the VIP box will be ready for this year's 2001 West of the Pecos Rodeo,
Salcido said.
"There has been a joint effort between the Rodeo Committee, Russ Salicido
and the Road and Bridge crew in getting this done," Teague said. "We are
thankful to have people like Russ Salicido to get this built."
Jim Ivy's new water-shed
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tuesday, June 5, 2001 -- After coming back to Pecos from serving in
the Marines Jim Ivy has spent the past two decades keeping Pecos supplied
with drinking water, either with household systems reverse osmosis
systems or pre-packaged water bottles.
Owner of the The Water Works, Ivy is celebrating the opening of his new
office and warehouse facility at 2425 Stafford Blvd with an open house.
"Community members are welcome to come see the new warehouse," Ivy said.
The new building gives the company over 9,000 square feet of space, he
said.
L.H. Nutt, according to Ivy, founded The Water Works company in 1940.
Since then the company has seen many changes and owners, including Nutt,
Mike Burkholder and two generations of Ivy men.
Ivy, who was born and raised in Pecos, came back from 10 years in the
United States Marines and time in Vietnam to help out his father, Woody Ivy,
who at the time owned the company, then known as Culligan.
"I came in, in '79 when I got out of the service," he said.
Ivy said that he just planned on working with his father while he decided
what he wanted to do when he "grew up."
"I never thought I would be a `hey, Culligan man,'" he said.
Back then the company was into trucking as well as water, according to
Ivy.
He said that they would do a lot of trucking in the oil fields.
After a few years Ivy said that his father invited him to stay on with
the business.
"I decided I liked it after I got into it," Ivy said.
So Ivy decided to buy part of the company and his father gave him another
part of it.
In 1994, Ivy decided to expand the company and buy AA Janitorial Supply.
After a few years, Ivy said that the business started growing.
"We just outgrew our old location (on Hackberry Street)," he said.
Ivy said that they had grown so much that they were using four 40-foot
semi-trailers and had to pack anything and everything they had into every
"nook and cranny."
"We still couldn't show off half of the stuff we sold," he said.
So Ivy decided it was time for a yet another change and began to move
into the new building about two years ago.
"I'm a slow mover," he said.
Now Ivy and his staff have room to move around in their new building and
want to show it off.
Ivy said that he is blessed with a wonderful staff that works hard to
get things done.
His staff includes his mother-in-law Jimmie Johnson, a full-time secretary
Elfida Howard, his "main man" Daniel Jaramillo, Oscar Baeza, and the company's
"sales force" Matt Williamson.
Together Ivy and his staff services residents and businesses in Pecos
with good drinking water and water treatment systems as well as the surrounding
areas with janitorial supplies.
Throughout all the changes and difficulties in life and business the one
who has stuck through it all with Ivy is his high school sweetheart, Jeanine,
whom he married in 1970.
Ivy said that while he was in Vietnam, his wife came back to Pecos from
being away at Baylor University to teach in Pecos.
Once Ivy got out of Vietnam, he said that he and his wife moved away for
a while before coming back in 1979.
They have been here ever since and have raised two children here.
Ivy said that his daughter, Kellye, is now married and has a two-year-old
son of her own named Joshua.
"He's a pretty special little guy," he said.
Ivy's son Matt is currently going to school at his mother's alma mater
Baylor and studying aviation science and working on getting his private pilot's
license.
"He loves to fly," he said.
With all the traveling Ivy and his wife have done they have agreed that
they would not want to be anywhere else.
"We decided we like small towns," he said. "The people in Pecos are probably
the friendliest people in the world and that's the truth."
Rodeo on schedule with new announcer, vendors
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tuesday, June 5, 2001 -- Plans are underway for the West of the Pecos
Rodeo and this year's rodeo will provide plenty of entertainment for
the entire family.
A new announcer will be on hand for the annual event.
Benje Bendele of San Antonio will be doing the honors this year at the
Buck Jackson Rodeo Arena.
Rodeo performances are scheduled for July 4-7, with slack scheduled for
July 2.
"A special section of slack will be held July 3," said West of the Pecos
Rodeo Committee President Brenda McKinney.
Local "cowboys" can also join in the fun and sign up to participate at
the Pecos Area Chamber of Commerce beginning on June 15.
"Anyone who is interested in entering the local events can do that at
the chamber office," said McKinney. Local events include the wild cow milking
and the wild mare race.
Reeves County Sheriff's Posse will hold nightly dances after each rodeo
performance, Mckinney said.
Tickets for the event will go on sale Monday at the chamber office. Anyone
wanting to purchase tickets can call the chamber office at 915-445-2406 or
1-800-588-BULL.
"We are once again having vendors," McKinney said.
McKinney said that the participation and response to vendors at the rodeo
events was great last year and the group plans to once again feature local
vendors.
"We had such a tremendous response and any local people interested in
having a booth can pick up an application at the chamber," McKinney said.
McKinney said that they had had such an overwhelming response, that only
a certain number of vendors will be allowed to participate. "We have room
for only so many," she said.
Some box office seats may also be available. "Anyone interested can contact
Debbie (Thomas) at the museum," McKinney said.
The West of the Pecos Rodeo Parade, held in conjunction with the rodeo,
is scheduled for 10 a.m., Wednesday, July 4.
Area fires contained but threat remains high
By JENNIFER GALVAN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tuesday, June 5, 2001 -- As of late this morning, the three fires
located in the Fort Davis area have been contained.
Kelly Bryan, Fire Chief in Fort Davis said that with the fires controlled,
volunteers are demobilizing and pulling out, and he is uneasy because of
the thunderstorms that expected for this afternoon and through Saturday.
"As of right now I am uneasy because of the thunderstorms expected for
this afternoon and we will have to watch carefully through Saturday," Bryan
said. "The volunteers are going back to their normal lives."
When asked if enough resources were still available to help contain the
fires, Bryan said that it was a matter of where a fire was located.
"If the fire is in a remote area we will not be able to contain it. We
don't have enough volunteers and the fire may be to far away to get to."
"If a fire brakes out on a ranch or in a flat, we are able to control
it since we can get to it. Ranchers will let us do what we need to do in
order to help control the fires," Bryan said. "It is in the evergreen woodland
that we have problems controlling a fire. We can put out grass fires."
With the thunderstorms expecting to roll in this afternoon, and conditions
in the area continuing to stay dry there is a possibility of future fires.
The past two years now fires were seen because of the lack of rainfall
the area received, according to Bryan.
"If we were to get at least two-inches of rain across the mountains, we
would have a 75 percent chance of reducing the amount of fires we see."
The last fire seen in these areas was in 1998. Bryan said the fire was
easier to control then because the fire was not in the pine forest.
As of now the three fires have burned 2300 acres in Right Hand Canyon,
900 acres on Pine Peak and 450 acres on the Ryan Ranch.
Lightning struck last evening in Fort Davis and a new fire began on Glass
Mountain near Alpine.
"That area is so inaccessible that they will have to let it burn out by
itself," said Traci Bowen with the Texas Forest Service.
Rec department enrolling children for dance classes
PECOS, Tuesday, June 5, 2001 -- Reeves County Community Sports and Recreation
Department is now enrolling children for dance classes which will be held
two days a week for six weeks.
Parents of children between the ages of 5 to13 who are interested may
pick up enrollment forms at the Recreation Office during regular hours.
Entry deadline is June 15 and individuals need to bring the child's birth
certificate and both parents' signatures on the form.
Cost will be $10 per child. For information call 447-9776.
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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