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Use "FIND" option on toolbar to search for a specific word or string. TOP STORIESDecember 9, 1997High-tech steel company considers PecosBy RICK L. SMITH Staff Writer PECOS, December 9, 1997 - An Illinois steel company may move part of its operations to Pecos in what area officials hope is only the beginning of economic growth for the city. Bob Curry finished a meeting of the Pecos Economic Development Corporation (PEDC) last night by announcing that representatives of Meta Tec Inc. of Lacon, Ill. met with PEDC members last month and indicated a strong desire to bring a branch of their company to Pecos. Meta Tec may locate a high-tech steel mill training center here to complement a plant the company plans to open in Ojinaga, Mexico, Curry said. The training center would employ 10 to 12 people with engineering and computer skills. In addition, the Pecos plant may serve as a freight-forwarding center for Meta Tech, he said. "We are excited about the possibility of the company locating here and they are excited about our response to them," Curry said. Odessa College representatives were also involved in discussions with Meta Tec, Curry added, because the college may be involved in training and screening employees for the company. "Odessa College is already training some people in this field," he said. "They are bending over backward to help in this issue. "This company is coming to Pecos, folks, one way or another." Curry said local property owners have already expressed a willingness to build-to-specs for Meta Tec. Contrary to modern trends, Meta Tec has not asked for any form of tax break to locate in Pecos. Instead, Meta Tec representatives only asked for Pecos officials to do what they can to help the company locate here, Curry said. Meta Tec turned its eyes toward Mexico and Texas after one of its clients, Caterpillar Equipment, advised that the only way Meta Tec could remain competitive would be to move some of its manufacturing operations to Mexico, Curry said. "I think this will be a start in more companies coming to Pecos to take advantage of trade with border cities like Ojinaga," he said. In addition, Curry said the PEDC will be working with area leaders to develop an industrial park to encourage further industrial growth. In other business, five PEDC board members were named. The five drew lots to determine the length of time they will serve on the board. Frank Spencer will serve a two year term; Oscar Saenz, one year; Curry, three years; Linda Gholson, two years; and Dick Alligood, three years. Four other board members will be appointed by taxing entities in the area: one from the Pecos City Council; one from the Reeves County Commissioners' Court, one from the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD board; and one from the Reeves County Hospital board. Freddy Lujan has been appointed to the PEDC board by the PBT school board but the other three entities have not appointed a representative to the PEDC board.
Chiropractor found player's broken neckBy JON FULBRIGHT Sports Editor PECOS, December 9, 1997 - For about 24 hours in early October it looked like the Pecos Eagles' lone unanimous choice for the All-District 4-4A football team, senior lineman Robert Cravey, would probably not even get into another game, let alone earn first-team recognition from the five other district coaches. That was when it was discovered Cravey had played half the 1997 season with a slight fracture of a vertebra in his neck. After complaining of neck pains during the first five weeks of play, Robert was taken to see local chiropractor Dr. Donovan Thomas, who discovered the injury. "I was the one who sent him to Lubbock," Dr. Thomas said. "I did orthopedic and neurological tests that pointed to a C-5 fracture. That's why we did X-rays." Thomas said the injury was "an old one," though Robert was fitted for a neck brace for the 210-mile trip to Lubbock. "It didn't press into the spinal cord, but I just wanted to make sure it was stable. I didn't want him to re-injure it." Cravey's mother, Kathy, said the doctors at Methodist Hospital in Lubbock downplayed the severity of the injury. "They said it wasn't a full break," she explained, while adding, "It scared us to death." The injury apparently occurred at the tip of the C-5 vertebra. Thomas stressed that he is a "licensed physician dealing with muscular and skeletal symptoms," and is authorized to order X-rays, MRIs and to transfer patients to hospitals. He also has taken post-graduate courses in physical rehabilitation. "There are a lot of things I can treat and do that people don't know about," he said. The incident occurred midway through the season, but just prior to the Eagles' District 4-4A opener against Big Spring. Cravey wound up playing in that game, and missed only one day of practice. "After we got through Robert asked `What time is it?' and when I told him, he said if we leave right now we can get back before practice ends," his mother said.
Eagles named to 4-4A All-District teamBy JON FULBRIGHT Sports Editor PECOS, December 9, 1997 - Three Pecos Eagles earned first team honors on the 1997 All-District 4-4A football team, while three others were named to the second team in voting by district coaches. The selections were made last month and released following Sweetwater's 39-0 loss to Denison in the Region I-4A finals on Saturday. Seniors Robert Cravey and Jason Abila were named to the first team on defense, while senior Jeremy Thomasson was the Eagles' lone first team offensive selection. Two other seniors, Jose Contreras and Jake Fowler, were second team picks at defensive end and on the offensive line, while the lone junior named from the Eagles, Oscar Luna, was chosen both at cornerback and at wide receiver. Both Abila and Cravey earned their all-district honors despite playing hurt this season. Abila was hampered by a late-season wrist fracture that hampered his play at quarterback and has kept him out of basketball though the first three weeks of the season, while Cravey's injury came before District 4-4A play started, but was potentially more dangerous. He was diagnosed with a possible fractured vertebrae in his neck and sent to Lubbock, where further tests showed the incident had probably occurred sometime during the summer but healed itself by the time it was uncovered in mid-October. Cravey wound up as one of nine unanimous selections on defense, and was one of five interior linemen selected. Abila was one of five cornerbacks chosen. He had two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, and was boosted by his work on run defense, while the Eagles' other cornerback, Luna, wound up tops in interceptions during 4-4A play with four, while earning second team recognition. Both players were two-way starters for Pecos, with Cravey also handling the duties at center, in front of Abila at quarterback. Coaches selected Thomasson as the Eagles' best line blocker, the first all-district selection for the two-year varsity starter. He played
Commissioners approve mutual aid with cityBy MAC McKINNON Enterprise Editor PECOS, December 9, 1997 - Reeves County Commissioners moved through a short agenda quickly yesterday morning, approving financing for new cars for the sheriff's office and a mutual aid agreement between the county and Town of Pecos City for centralized dispatching services and confinement services as well as a number of other items. County Judge Jimmy Galindo was out of town. Commissioner Dr. W.J. Bang presided over the meeting. Commissioner Bernardo Martinez normally would have presided as the senior commissioner but he was about 10 minutes late for the meeting. Commissioners approved financing 10 new 1998 Chevrolet Luminas for the sheriff's office purchased from Colt Chevrolet-Buick through First National Bank of Pecos at an 8 percent rate for three years. Each car will be financed individually. The cars have not been turned over to the sheriff's office pending receipt of payment. The mutual aid agreement between the county and city also was approved with the sheriff's office providing free room and board for city prisoners in exchange for dispatching services by the city, saving the city about $12,000 per year and the county about $20,000 plus. The city has been paying for that room and board while the county has had their own dispatching services. There was some discussion about payments from the Permian Basin for 911 services made to the city that should have been shared with the county to be used for mapping services. However, this is being negotiated between the city and county and is not part of the mutual aid agreement. The city and county have split payments in the past. Also approved was a contract for detention of juvenile offenders in Reeves County for the counties of Moore, Andrews, and Pecos at a day rate of $70. Establishing procedures for resale of struck-off delinquent tax properties in Reeves County was tabled due to a lack of information. A bulk service rate of $290.25 monthly for cable service from Classic Cable for the Reeves County Detention Center which has 27 TV outlets was approved. Martinez suggested looking into getting television reception through digital satellite dishes and saving money. He also suggested the contract be limited to one year which was approved. County Grant Administrator Mari Maldonado reported that bids for the third phase of housing rehabilitation under the Texas Community Development Program for five homes came in much higher than anticipated and the construction manager Norman Roman recommended the bids be rejected and rebid. There was only one bidder for the five projects, J&J Construction. Martinez said he wanted Roman's recommendation in writing. The commissioners approved rejecting the bids as too high and to rebid the projects. The Cruz Muniz home was projected to cost $23,000 but bid at $31,130.97; Abel Sanchez's estimated to be $12,000 but bid at $21,285; Antonio Muniz's estimated at $6,000 but bid at $10,170; Brijida Esparza home estimated at $25,000 but bid at $38,062.11 and the Ismael Dutchover project, estimated at $22,000 but bid at $26,145.16. Estimates were made by Roman who did the construction write-ups for the homes. Other items were routine. It was pointed out there are problems with the sewer lines at the county jail but Commissioners Felipe Arredondo reported those problems are being worked on. County Auditor Lynn Owens reported that the county's finances appear to be better than expected with a surplus that could be about $1 million at year's end.
Board must act to avoid losing control of waterBy JON FULBRIGHT Staff Writer PECOS, December 9, 1997 - Red Bluff Water Power Control Board members were told Monday they need to come up with a water usage plan and prepare to gain a voice on the planned Regional Water Planning Board, or face the prospect of losing both some of the district's water and a say in Red Bluff project proposals to communities, groups and businesses outside the area. The warning came during the board's monthly meeting, and was voiced by the district's lawyer, Tim Brown, along with Sonny Kretaschmar of HDR Engineering. The pair were in Pecos for a briefing on the impending effects Senate Bill 1 will have on water usage throughout Texas. "The state has really been pushing conservation planning," said Brown, though to date they haven't impacted on water usage within Red Bluff's area, which includes parts of Reeves, Loving, Pecos and Ward counties. Board members were shown two regional water area plans, approved last month by the Texas Water Development Board. One would split the state into 16 regions, with Reeves County serving as the western border of Region F. It would stretch as far east as Brownwood and Junction and include San Angelo and the Midland-Odessa area. The alternate plan splits the state into eight regions. Red Bluff would be part of Region 4, which again would have its eastern border near Junction and Brownwood but would extend west to El Paso and include all of the Rio Grande area between there and south of Sanderson. "Everybody in these areas is going to have to work on plans for future protection of water rights," Brown said. "The problems you have in Reeves, Loving, Ward and Pecos counties are far different than what you have in Brownwood. You're going to be in a region with people who have very different feelings about water." Each of the planning areas will have a board initially made up of 11 members who will oversee the water conservation plans for their area. Brown and Kretaschmar stressed that Red Bluff and other local government entities and private water users need to be sure they have representation on the board, whose members will be nominated sometime in the near future. "We'll be competing against Midland, Odessa, San Angelo, Brownwood, TU Electric and a lot of others," said Red Bluff General Manager Jim Ed Miller, who had questions about how the district should approach the situation. "Should Red Bluff divorce itself from the (four) counties and just develop a plan for Red Bluff, or get together with the counties?" Miller asked. Board member Lloyd Goodrich noted that most of the water used for agriculture in the area comes from underground aquifers that are recharged from the Delaware Mountains, to the west of Red Bluff's territory. "You want to try and have as much unanimity as possible," Kretaschmar said. Board president Randall Hartman added, "We'll carry more weight as a larger county group, because we're going to have a problem with (low) population out here." Hartman suggested county water districts "write up thoughts for themselves to bring in, then we'll draw up a plan for the whole group." Brown said every entity in the state which controls 10,000 acre/feet or more of water is required to draw up a water use/conservation plan. "That plan is added to other plans, and they go down to the state and put together a big plan," he said, adding the Water Development Board would have the final say on resolving conflicts between plans. He and Kretaschmar also said other area plans could involve seizing water considered 'excess' from Red Bluff for their own use under emergency situations, though the example of Midland running a pipeline to the lake for use as a drinking water supply to serve a growing population drew laughs from the board. "They can go ahead and pipe it in and drink it, and then they'll be dead and that will cut the population," Goodrich joked. Red Bluff's high water usage per acre/feet could be a problem in the future, the board was told, even though members said the poor water quality out of the Pecos River requires a higher water amount than other areas. Conservation plans such as lining the district's canals with concrete or using pipelines were called not economically feasible for the district. "You have a unique situation, but the law isn't excusing you because of that," Brown said. Kretaschmar said the district could also lose their rights to Pecos River water to other areas by failing to use it for its allotted purposes over a 10-year period. "We sell all the water we get right now," Hartman said, but Brown explained that the district's water rights on paper are 43,000 acre/feet annually, and "If you use only 20,000, they can forfeit out the other 23,000." "You want to register the highest amount you will use," Kretaschmar explained. "You have great water rights, and great resources in a sparse area. Hopefully, something will materialize in the future to let you utilize it better," he said. "The first priority is to protect what you've got. You don't want El Paso, Midland-Odessa or New Mexico taking your water because you're not taking good advantage of it." Brown said that under SB1, in a water rights dispute between Red Bluff and another group, the district could still lose its water, while the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission would make the other group put up a bond to be held until negotiations are complete. He added he didn't believe this section of the bill was constitutional. At the end of the talk, the board agreed to visit with Brown and Kretaschmar again during next month's board meeting, and to talk about having HDR draw up a plan for the district. In an earlier discussion, Miller told the board he's awaiting word from Albert Wagner of Sun West Salt Co. on final approval of the right-of-way for the Malaga Bend salt water pipeline. Red Bluff plans to drill a well to pump water from the salt spring at Malaga Bend away from the Pecos River and into three artificial lakes Wagner will build to catch the salt for later mining. "If he can get the right of way we can get to work right away getting the drilling permit," Miller said. The board was also shown the latest water report, which ended on Nov. 15 when deliveries were stopped from Red Bluff Lake to farmers along the river. The board was told the lake is currently up to 87,000 acre/feet, nearly double its total of four months ago. "We're in better shape than we were last year," Hartman said, though Miller added that the extra water, due in part to releases from New Mexico, have hampered salt content testing, as they've diluted the amount in the river below Malaga Bend. "The one above Malaga Bend should be lower, but in this case they're doing a big release, so it gives the wrong impression," he said. Board members also accepted the investment committee report, which showed a fund balance of $1,018,528; authorized Miller to dispose of the district's old Xerox copier and approved cash disbursements and accounts payable for November.
School board will meet on ThursdayPECOS, December 9, 1997 - The Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD Board of Education will hold its regular meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, in the board room at 1304 S. Park St. The agenda is as follows. *Approval of minutes for meetings held Nov. 13 and Dec. 2, 1997 *Audiences - Ms. Burner's enhanced fifth grade's book of Pecos Bill and other audiences *Discuss/approve recommendation by DEIC to contract with Connie Podesta for staff development (1998-99 school year) *Discuss/approve Pecos High School auditorium sound budget amendment *Discuss County/PBTISD/City Interlocal Agreement for wellness program *Discuss/approve AEIS report/school report card hearing *Discuss/approve resale of property struck off at previous tax sales *Discuss approve a representative to serve on the committee to sell foreclosed property *Second reading and discuss/approve Policy Update 57 *Discuss/approve taxpayer Manuel Rubio's concerns *Discuss/approve girls' softball *Discuss/approve long-term substitute's pay *Discuss/approve pay scale for teachers of visually handicapped students *Discuss/approve fuel bid *Discuss/approve 1997-98 budget amendments *Discuss/approve budget amendment to fund the maintenance portion of the Zavala Middle School 7th grade library and lab technology project *Discuss/approve tax office business hours for all days school is not in session *Closed Session for discussing personnel or to hear complaints against personnel (discuss administrative assistant applicants and discuss other personnel) *Discuss/approve salary for Administrative Assistant position *Discuss/approve Interim Superintendent's recommendation for Administrative Assistant position *Discuss/approve professional personnel resignations, appointments, transfers *Tax report *Depository securities report *Cafeteria report *List of commodities received *Discuss/approve payment of current bills and financial report *Date for regular meeting *Calendar of events *Request of items for next agenda *Adjournment.
Balmorhea Board of Trustees will meetBALMORHEA, December 9, 1997 - The Balmorhea ISD Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11 in the board room at First and El Paso streets. The agenda is as follows. *Call to order and determine quorum *Public comments *Report - School Nurse immunization status *Report - Grievance procedure caution *District report card *Addition of additional secondary special education teacher *Open discussion of the academic Excellence Indicator system *Board/Superintendent dialogue *Auditor's Report *Reeves County/BISD Interlocal Agreement *Reeves County Juvenile Officer *Addition of the color black as an accent color *Update 57 *Local Policy DAA *Approve minutes of November 18, 1997 *Finance *Accounts payable *Closed Meeting to discuss personnel -employment, resignations, assignments, evaluation, reassignment, duties or discipline *Reconvene in open session and take any action based upon discussion in closed meeting *Future agenda items and announcements *Adjourn
City begins search for police chiefBy GREG HARMAN Staff Writer PECOS, December 9, 1997 - Advertisements are out - in Odessa and San Angelo papers, and on the Internet. With Chief of Police Troy Moore's recent announcement of retirement, the city (along with Moore's help) is shopping to fill the position. According to City Manager Kenneth Neal, the city hopes that the advertisements it has placed already will be sufficient to bring applicants in. "It would be preferable to land someone from in the area," said Neal, "But if there is no response pretty quick we may go with some more papers." He said that the city has considered placing advertisements in El Paso and Lubbock papers. The deadline for applications is January 2, and the city hopes to fill the position by the 25th of that month, when Moore plans on vacating his position. If the process should take a little longer, Moore has offered to stay on with the police department until a suitable applicant be found.
OBITUARIESArmando GarciaArmando Garcia, Sr., 61, of Lubbock, died Saturday, Dec. 6, 1997, at his residence. A rosary is scheduled for 7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 9, at Martinez Funeral Home Chapel in Pecos. Mass will be held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 10, in Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church in Barstow, with Rev. Antonio Mena, officiating. Burial will be in Barstow Cemetery. Garcia was born Feb. 20, 1936, in Presidio. He was a carpenter for over 40 years and was a member of the Carpenters Union, local #1884. He moved to Lubbock in 1963 from Barstow. He was a member of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Lubbock. Survivors include: his wife, Otilia Garcia of Lubbock; three sons, Jesus, Armando, Jr. and Cruz Garcia of Lubbock; three daughters, Virginia Trevino of Dallas, Elodia Hanes of Lubbock and Corina Flores of El Paso; two brothers, Jose Garcia of Barstow and Robert Garcia of Lubbock; three sisters, Flora Baca of Pecos, Elosia Rubi of Riverside, Calif. and Chavela Ramos of Abernathy; 15 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Martinez Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Ylario OrtegaServices are incomplete for Ylario (Larry) Ortega, Jr., who died Tuesday, Dec. 9, 1997, at his residence in Pecos. Martinez Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
WEATHERPECOS, December 9, 1997 - High Monday, 72, low today, 45. It's going to seem more like winter across most of Texas as a mass of cold Arctic air is headed for the state. The cold air is expected to arrive in North Texas and West Texas on Wednesday. There is a chance of snow flurries from the Big Country and the Edwards Plateau northward into the Panhandle tonight. It will be mostly cloudy on Wednesday across West Texas with a chance of light rain or some more snow flurries. The mass of cold Arctic air will arrive several hours after a cold front moves through the state tonight and early Wednesday in North Texas. Lows tonight will be in the 20s and 30s in West Texas, highs Wednesday will be in the 30s and 40s.
Pecos Enterprise
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