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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Top Stories

Monday, September 21, 1998

School board approves recreation plan


By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
Community members will soon have a place to go work out,
exercise and have fun for the first time in eight years, as
part an agreement Reeves County entered into with the
Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD and approved by school board members
during Thursday's regular monthly meeting.

Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD Board members agreed to the
interlocal cooperation contract, presented by Reeves County
Judge Jimmy B. Galindo, for the community sports and
recreation program.

The term of the contract will be for one year from the
effective date and will be automatically renewed unless one
party gives notice of their desire to discontinue this
agreement 30 days prior to the automatic renewal date.

Under the agreement community members will have the
opportunity to use the old Pecos High School gym, which will
be equipped with racquetball courts and workout equipment.
They will also be able to participate in programs organized
by the Recreational Department administration.

Reeves County will provide a proportionate share of all
funding for the recreation department, not to exceed
$85,000, for program operations and staffing.

The county will build two racquetball courts in the small
south gym in the old gym facility and will contract for
general painting and minor repairs of the building on one a
one-time basis, with the cost not to exceed $20,000.

In addition, the county will buy additional fitness
equipment, such as treadmills, stationary cycles and weight
lifting equipment which will be placed in the Old Gym for
fitness programs. The fitness equipment purchased for the
facility would remain the property of Reeves County.

These physical improvements of the facility would become the
property of the school in exchange for general public use of
the facilities.

The county will also pave school tracks at Austin and Pecos
Elementary, and Lamar Middle School for recreational use by
the schools and the public. The paving will be done by using
recycled road material.

The Town of Pecos City will provide a proportionate share of
all funding for the Recreation Department, not to exceed
$20,000 for program operations and staffing.

The city will provide and/or develop recreation facilities
and parks for the activities and programs for the Recreation
Department as the city deems feasible and as may be agreed
to by and between the city and the other governmental
entities.

The school will provide office space for the sports and
recreation program supervisor and provide the use of the old
gym for the Recreation Department. The public will have
access and the use of the school's facilities for program
activities at times that will not interfere with the
regularly scheduled athletic activities of the student body.

"I think this is a great idea, we've gone over extensively
and shown it to our attorneys and they agreed that it would
be all right to go ahead with the agreement," said P-B-T ISD
Superintendent Don Love.

"I did make a call to Fort Stockton and they agreed it was
something positive," said Love.

The board's approval came although president Earl Bates said
that he would like to see the committee that is in charge of
this program view the other facility in Fort Stockton and
wait until the next meeting for approval.

"Everything looks good, but until the committee has a chance
to look at this other facility and figure out who pays for
what and who's in charge, I don't see how we can make a
motion until we see this whole thing through," said Bates.

"I think we ought to approve this and then work on the
specifics," said board member Louis Matta. "That's
administration, I don't think it has anything to do with
this agreement."

"I'm very satisfied with this agreement and don't see
anything wrong with this, I feel this is something good for
the school and community," he said.

"I think it would be a wonderful opportunity to see the
other facility," said Bates.

P-B-T previously provided a recreation facility for the
community, with the help of county and city funding, in the
1970s and 1980s at the old West Pecos Gym, at Third and Park
streets. But the building was ordered closed in December,
1990, due to concerns about the safety of the building's
rafters, and has remained vacant since then.

The Pecos Community Recreation Department, which operated
the gym and maintained outdoor softball, T-ball and flag
football leagues, ceased operations four years ago.

In other action on Thursday, a grant was submitted with the
Texas Workforce Commission to benefit the Pecos Learning
Center, which had been threatened with closure due to
financial problems.

"This is at no cost to the school district, the school will
not be spending any money," said Dick Alligood, a member of
the learning center's board of directors.

P-B-T will offer quality child care at Pecos Learning
Center, Inc. through a subcontract with the
Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD from beginning this month and
running through May, 1999.

Instructors will structure activities for 25 children four
years old through sixth grade under the grant, which is for
$25,000 and will be utilized for the operation of the
learning center.

"This was agreed upon by private businesses who have
children in the day care and want to see the day care carry
on," said Alligood.

"There are currently 10 employees' children attending the
daycare, I have a good feeling about this and am real
excited," said Love. "Cookie (Canon, business manager for
P-B-T ISD) will release the funds and coordinate these funds
at the day care."

A program at Pecos High School, which targets pregnant
students and students who already have children, already has
some children enrolled in this day care, according to Love.

"Deb's (Armstrong), program has several children who attend
the day care also," said Love.

Health insurance and possible litigation was also discussed
at Thursday's meeting.

"We recently changed insurance companies and the old company
doesn't want to pay some bills submitted between June and
August," said Love.

The board approved the payment of the insurance claims,
totaling $186,000, contingent with actions by the school's
lawyers to get the money back.

"Hopefully we'll get reimbursed," said Love. "Our attorneys
are school lawyers and have turned it over to some insurance
lawyers that will take care of this."

Frank Spencer and Pecos Economic Development Coordinator
Gari Ward made an economic presentation and gave the board
an update on the 4-A Sales Tax.

Spencer outlined the tax, which would designate part of the
current city sales tax for economic development. He said the
reason for this is to create new jobs and bring in new
businesses.

"That's our main concern right now," Spencer said. "We need
funds to do this, but we have our goals -- to bring economic
development to the community."

Ward briefly reviewed what the committee has been doing. "In
the past 90 days we have done extensive work, consulting,
developed data base, written an analytical review that's
included into the data base and developed an overall
economic development plan," said Ward.

A vote on the 4-A Sales Tax measure has been scheduled as
part of the Nov. 3 general election.

Judge orders livestock farm to pay


BY PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
Reeves County has won its suit against Pecos River Livestock
Inc. and nine of its directors on a defaulted $131,000
low-interest loan made five years ago this month.

Visiting Judge Paul McCollum of Odessa found that Reeves
County should recover from Pecos River Livestock Inc.
$82,156.41 as the principal amount due, plus $9,982.56
interest and $9,213.90 attorney fees, plus costs of court.

Rosemary Wilke of Carlsbad, N.M., one of 10 individual
guarantors to the note, is to pay $16,248.78, plus $1,624.88
attorney fees. Should other defendants fail to pay their
assessment, Wilke would have to pay any shortfall up to
$19,650, her total guaranty.

Assessed $8,642.68, plus $864.27 attorney fees each are John Teague, David Kidd, Mark Wilke, Wiley B. Kidd, Roger
Simmons, Elvia Reynolds, Louis Lively and Trevor Teague.

In his findings of fact and conclusions of law, Judge
McCollum found that Pecos River Livestock had made two
interest payments on the note -- and nothing on the
principal -- before Reeves County sought foreclosure on the
note.

Randy Reynolds, one of the original 10 guarantors, settled
with the county for $19,650 before the suit was filed, and
he was not named a defendant. He paid $9,500 in cash and
signed a promissory note for the remainder.

McCollum found that he will owe an additional sum of
$6,748.78, "depending upon the amounts secured from the
other guarantors."

Wilke owes more than the other defendants because she
requested an extension of payment on the debt without
consulting the other guarantors, Judge McCollum found.

Reeves County extended the payment on March 1, 1995, when
the principal balance was $131,000 and interest due totaled
$4,734.10.

Reeves County, acting through its sheriff's office,
conducted a foreclosure sale of the real property owned by
Pecos River Livestock, without any notice to the corporation
nor to any of the guarantors, Judge McCollum found.

"The only notice apparently given was to Danny Reynolds, who
was not an officer of the corporation and not a guarantor of
the debt," McCollum said.

"The county's sale of the real property was not made in
accordance with the court's order. The parties subsequently
stipulated that $30,000 would be an appropriate value for
the real property to be applied as payment to the
outstanding interest and principal due on July 26, 1996," he
added.

The county received for the sale under a security agreement
for the personal property assets of the corporation $18,450
to be applied to the obligation.

Judge McCollum found that Danny Reynolds, manager of Pecos
River Livestock Inc., did remove from the property some
welding equipment, but did not find the value exceeded sums
owed Reynolds in compensation and expenses.

Nor did the corporation overpay Elvia Reynolds for the real
property, McCollum ruled.

A letter alleged by Elvia and Danny Reynolds to have been
libelous and slanderous did not result in any damage or harm
to either party, Judge McCollum found.

Guarantors are not entitled to attorneys fees from any other
party, and Reeves County did not violate the Fair Debt and
Practices Act, the "findings" conclude.

In conclusions of law, Judge McCollum found that Reeves
County was authorized to make the loan.

Because Rosemary Wilke requested extension of the debt
without authorization from the other guarantors, she is
liable for interest from that date (Mar. 1, 1995) forward.

Parties to the suit have 30 days to appeal.

Strippers make quiet return to Pecos


The return of male strippers to a Pecos club Saturday night
prompted far less controversy than a similar appearance did
five months ago.

Male and female strippers performed at Club Suavecito on
Saturday, after a performance by male dancers in April
prompted protests by local religious leaders and the
passages of an amendment in August by the Town of Pecos City
Council regulating sexually-oriented businesses within the
city limits.

Club owner Sandra Fierro said about 50 people attended
Saturday's performance, fewer than had been at the South
Cedar Street club the previous night for the closed circuit
telecast of the Oscar De La Hoya-Julio Cesar Chavez WBC
welterweight title fight.

Saturday's turnout was about 50 percent less than the April
27 performance, which attracted a handful of protesters and
local TV coverage. As a result of that show, which did not
feature full nudity, the city council was asked to pass an
ordinance that would limit sexually oriented shows and sales
within Pecos.

Council members in August passed the proposal by a 3-2 vote,
but it will not take effect until next month, and therefore
had no influence on Saturday's show.

The ordinance will restrict sexually-oriented businesses
from operating within 800 feet of a church, park, school,
residential area, convention center, coliseum or shopping
mall.

It further restricts such businesses from operating within
1000 feet of each other.

A license for operation will be required to run any
sexually-orientated business at a cost of $500 per year.
Also, the applicant, or applicant's spouse, may not have
been convicted of any offense of a sexual nature, involving
prostitution, public lewdness, indecency with a child or
possession of child pornography, among others.

OBITUARY

Frank Baca


Frank M. Baca, 84, of Pecos, died Saturday, Sept. 19, 1998,
at Odessa Regional Hospital.

A rosary is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 22, at
Martinez Funeral Home Chapel, and mass will be held at 2
p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 23, at Our Lady of Refuge in Barstow
with burial in Barstow Cemetery.

He was born May 10, 1914 in Carrizozo, N.M., was a longtime
Pecos resident and a Catholic.

Survivors include his wife, Flora Baca of Pecos; four sons,
Juan and Frank Baca, Jr. of Odessa, Eddie Baca and Pablo
Briones of Pecos; five daughters, Millie Navarette, Linda
Reyes, Grace Lopes and Tillie Baca of Pecos, Licha Ortiz of
Monahans; two brothers, Clovis Baca of Roswell, N.M., George
Baca of Mercedes, Calif.; one sister, Mary Valencia of
California; 30 grandchildren and 42 great-grandchildren.

Martinez Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

WEATHER


High Friday 90, Saturday 97, Sunday 102. Low Saturday 62,
Sunday 70, this morning 73. Forecast for Tonight: Fair. Low
in the upper 60s. South wind 5-10 mph. Tuesday, mostly
sunny. High in the mid 90s. South wind 5-15 mph.



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Pecos Enterprise
Mac McKinnon, Publisher
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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