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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide for Reeves County, Trans-Pecos, Big Bend of West Texas

TOP STORIES

March 10, 1998


PBT to search for teachers


By CARA ALLIGOOD
Staff Writer
PECOS, March 10, 1998 - A team of about 25
Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD administrators and teachers plan to
attend job fairs throughout the state to recruit teachers
for PBT schools.

Gome Olibas, PBT ISD Administrative Assistant/ Personnel
Director, selected the team of 24 district teachers and
administrators to travel with him in a search for qualified
teachers.

"Our students deserve the best," said Olibas.

Teams will travel to several upcoming fairs around the state
in the near future.

A team consisting of Olibas, Gail Box and Jim Workman from
Crockett Middle School, Laurie Lopez from Zavala Middle
School, Oscar Guerrero from Lamar Middle School, Debbie
Flores from Bessie Haynes Elementary, Barbara Armstrong from
Pecos Elementary and Beau Jack Hendrick, principal of Austin
Elementary, will tour three job fairs later this month.

The team will leave the afternoon of March 30 for a job fair
the following day at Tarleton State University. They will
then go to a job fair at Angelo State University on April 1
and another job fair in Abilene on April 2.

Olibas said that these and other teams will be traveling to
the job fairs to find not only people to fill vacant
positions, but people who are qualified, competent and who
will not only come to Pecos, but stay here and make a
commitment to teaching Pecos students. Olibas said he wants
to recruit professionals who will do the best possible job
of teaching local children.

Commissioners approve arrangements


By RICK SMITH
Staff Writer
PECOS, March 10, 1998 - When the final loan payment for the
current expansion of the Reeves County Detention Center is
paid in seven years the project will have cost the county
$4.383 million. But the expanded facility will begin
generating about $3.9 million in annual revenue immediately,
according to Reeves County commissioners. To finance the
expansion, commissioners yesterday approved taking a loan on
bond sales of $3.455 million at 6.7 percent interest to be
paid off in seven years.

During the meeting yesterday, Reeves County Judge Jimmy
Galindo announced that Ambac Assurance Corporation has
commited to insure the 1998 Additional Taxable Certificates
of Participation that will be used to fund the project. By
obtaining municipal bond insurance, the county lowers its
interest costs for the series by as much as 50 basis points.

A breakdown of project costs shows the day-room addition to
the RCDC will cost $2.08 million; materials testing,
$30,000; smoke and fire walls $325,000; support building
shell, $460,408; contingency for support building, $46,000;
architectural costs, $125,000; general contingency,
$200,000; underwriting management fee, $69,100; lessor fee,
$77,737; cost of issuance, $35,296; insurance $26,302;
rounding amount, $3,547; less acquisition account interest
earnings of $27,392.

Earlier in the meeting commissioners approved payment of
$421,816 to Banes General Contractors for work completed so
far on the RCDC day-room addition.

An agenda item concerning modification #15 of the RCDC
statement of work was tabled until Galindo receives some
clarification from the Texas Bureau of Prisons.

In other business, the county will soon witness a battle of
the tractors as area John Deere, Ford and Caterpillar
dealers bring industrial loader/backhoes to demonstrate
their qualities for the commissioners.

The county recently sent out for bids for an industrial
loader/backhoe and three dealers responded. Cisco Ford had
the low bid at $47,570 with a three-year power train
warranty on a Ford tractor. West Texas Cat bid $50,453 with
a five-year full machine warranty on a Caterpillar. Air
Master Equipment Corp. bid $47,753 with a three-year power
train warranty on a John Deere tractor.

While Cisco Ford had the low bid, commissioners questioned
whether the Ford tractor might end up costing the county
more money in the long run with additional maintenance
expense after the warrant expired.

Russ Salcido reported to commissioners that all three
tractors met the bid requirements, but he recommended the
county consider accepting the John Deere bid.

"I talked to people at TxDOT, Pecos City and Madera Water
who all have John Deere tractors and they are all happy with
their tractors," Salcido said.

Scott Cyberg, Cisco Ford owner, said he did not understand
why the commissioners did not accept his low bid since it
met all of the bid requirements.

"If this was going to be negotiated, why waste our time with
bids?" Cyberg said. "We bid in good faith, we were low bid,
so therefore we should be awarded the contract."

However, Cyberg agreed with the other three dealers to bring
a tractor to Pecos for a demonstration for the
commissioners. The agenda item on the tractor was tabled and
a demonstration is expected to take place late next week.

Commissioners approved the purchase of a full size pickup
from Colt Chevrolet at $17,434. Colt was the only company
responding to a request for bids on the truck.

The purchase of property located at Third and Mesquite
streets by the Pecos Catholic War Veterans was approved by
commissioners. The property was condemned for lack of
payment of back taxes and the veterans group offered payment
of $10 for the land and building. The group has already been
approved by the Pecos City Council but was rejected by the
PBT school board. Representatives of the Catholic War
Veterans said they would now seek approval from the Reeves
County Hospital District Board to purchase the property. The
group must get approval from all taxing entities before the
property can be purchased.

Pupfish may not be native to Pecos River


By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, March 10, 1998 - The Pecos River pupfish can be found
in only one tributary of the Pecos River in Texas, and may
never have used the river as a natural habitat, a marine
biologist investigating the fish's status told Red Bluff
Water Power Control District board members on Monday.

Bart Reid, a marine biologist involved with shrimp farming
at the Imperial Reservoir, was retained by the district to
locate the habitats of the small fish, whose fate could
determine future water use of the Pecos River in Texas.

Federal officials are considering adding the pupfish to the
endangered species list as the result of a lawsuit filed
against the government, Reid said. That would allow federal
officials to determine water and land usage within the
fish's habitat area.

"The fish's former range was from Fort Sumner, N.M. to
Sheffield," Reid said. "I've spent the past few weeks
researching the Texas side, and the only remaining habitat
is the upper reaches of Salt Creek (Screwbean Draw)."

The draw comes into the Pecos River just south of Red Bluff
Lake.

"The Pecos River is no longer a suitable habitat for the
pupfish ... and will probably never be suitable," Reid said,
explaining that the fish only lives in very brackish water,
and the salt content of the Pecos is too low to support the
pupfish.

Board president Randall Hartman said New Mexico's capture of
much of the Pecos River's water in the 1940s may have raised
the salinity of the river high enough to allow the pupfish
to live there in the ensuing years, and board member Lloyd
Goodrich said the river's flow above Screwbean Draw was
"almost non-existent," back in 1980.

A lawsuit filed by Texas against New Mexico was finally
settled in 1989, and forced New Mexico to release more water
downstream. Releases over the past several months have
raised the amount of water in Red Bluff to 100,000
acre/feet, and Goodrich said the salt level in the river is
much lower than in past years.

Reid said the Texas Department of Fish and Wildlife is
aligned with Red Bluff in seeking to prevent the Pecos River
pupfish from being added to the endangered species list.
Reid added that the fish was not even identified as a
different species from the Leon Springs Pupfish, whose
habitat is in the Fort Stockton area, until 1975.

"We need to keep it from being listed until we find out how
long it's been here, and if it is a distinct species," said
Reid, who added the fish can still be found in sinkhole
ponds near the Pecos River in New Mexico.

The pupfish that were in the river have been hybridized, and
have lost dominance to the Sheepshead minnow. That fish is
normally found along the Gulf Coast, though Reid said the
ones in the Pecos River didn't come from there.

"We don't know if it belongs here or not," he said. "The
main thing is, we need for the feds to back off until we
figure this out."

The pupfish was one of several items discussed by board
members during their regular monthly meeting. General
manager Jim Ed Miller told the board the district's effort
to further reduce the river's salt content, by pumping a
spring at Malaga Bend away from the river, is still awaiting
final approval from the city of Carlsbad.

Red Bluff wants to remove the salt water and pipe it across
land owned by Carlsbad to three man-made lakes, where the
salt would later be harvested by Sun West Salt Co., of
Loving, N.M. "I talked to Albert (Wanger, Sun West
president), and he said there's still a few things they need
to do," Miller said.

He added that Curt Kennedy of the Texas Natural Resources
Conservation Commission, who has been working with the
district, advised Miller to being to make plans to file
permit applications for pumping with the state of New
Mexico, in order to speed up the process.

On a motion by Richard C. Slack, and seconded by Teresa
Walker, board members voted to keep the lot lease rate at
Red Bluff Lake at $120 annually. Miller said about 10 to 12
families live in homes at the lake year-round, and some are
retirees.

The fee hike was discusses as a possible way to get
"undesirables" out of their leases at the lake, but Goodrich
said it would hurt the other residents.

"We don't need to raise it on people who don't have anything
except Social Security," Goodrich said. "We can throw out
anybody who's objectionable. we have a real tight lease, but
it won't be if we don't enforce it."

The board also voted to approve the 1998 district budget,
which projects a $119,760 surplus, based on income of
$443,150 and expenses of $323,390. Of that total, $152,000
goes to salaries for district employees, and $50,000 was set
aside for drilling the Malaga Bend well.

Cash disbursements and accounts payable for February were
also approved. That included a $1,250 bill to James Blair,
Inc., of Odessa, for removal on Sunday of an antenna tower
located at the rear of the district's Second Street offices.

The antenna had been out of use for about 40 years, and was
put up back in the 1940s for dispatch work, when the
district ran its own power company at the lake. Goodrich
later said work needs to be done on removing two other
antennas, located near the Red Bluff Dam.

Second man arrested for enticing a child


PECOS, March 10, 1998 - A second man in the past two weeks
has been arrested in Pecos for enticing a child. The name is
different, but the case is similar, an adult man dating a
teenage girl and not staying away from her after being told
to do so by the girl's family.

Steven Ray Natividad was arrested shortly after 11 a.m.
Friday at Eddy and Lincoln streets on two warrants, a local
warrant for enticing a child and a Travis County warrant for
insufficient funds.

OBITUARY

Isabel Lara


Isabel "Chavelo," "Bill," Lara, 58, of Pecos, died Saturday,
March 7, 1998, at Reeves County Hospital.

A rosary is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 11, at
Martinez Funeral Home Chapel.

Mass will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday at Santa Rosa
Catholic Church with burial in Greenwood Cemetery.

Lara was born July 8, 1939, in Stanton. He was a lifetime
Pecos resident and a Catholic.

Survivors include: his wife, Modesta O. Lara of Pecos; four
sons, Ernest Lara of Odessa, Leonard Lara of Roscoe, Mondie
Lara of Farmington, N.M. and Rene Lara of Pecos; three
daughters, Elsa Levario, Norma Mata and Lisa Lara all of
Pecos; two brothers, B. M. Lara of Goldsmith and Ramon Lara
of Pecos; four sisters, LaLa Villalobos of Odessa, Chaga
Paredez of Big Spring, Olivia Carrasco of Monahans and
Jessie Pratt of Pecos; 21 grandchildren; and one
great-grandchild.

Martinez Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

WEATHER


PECOS, March 10, 1998 - High Monday, 55, low this morning,
26. Temperatures plunged into the teens in the Panhandle and
to below freezing as far south as the Hill Country early
today. More cold weather is in store across the state at
night until a warming trend begins on Friday. It was 17
before dawn at Amarillo, 24 at Dallas-Fort Worth
International Airport and 31 at Burnet. It was 47 at McAllen
and Corpus Christi. Clear to partly cloudy skies are
forecast for West Texas tonight and Wednesday. Lows tonight
will be in the teens in the Panhandle and in the 20s and 30s
elsewhere in West Texas, highs Wednesday will be in the 40s,
50s and 60s in West Texas.



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Pecos Enterprise
Mac McKinnon, 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 1998 by Pecos Enterprise