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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Top Stories

Thursday, Sept. 24, 1998

Chamber seeks BBQ cookoff entries


By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
With just over a week to go before the 1998 World
Championship Barbeque Beef Cookoff, a total of 17 entries
have been received by the Pecos Chamber of Commerce, though
more are expected prior to the start of the two-day event
next Friday.

"We have a lot of applications out for people who say
they're going to have a spot," said Chamber of Commerce
office manager Rachel Orona.

For others wanting to participate or to claim a campsite at
the Reeves County Sheriff's Posse Arena "They need to come
by and talk to me and pick up an application," Orona said.

This year's entry fee is $75 per team, with A grand prize
of $300 and a silver plate to the overall winner. First
prize of $200 and a trophy going to winners in the Amateur,
Club and Pro divisions. In addition, a new division,
sponsored by Liberty Pump and Supply Company, will include
all oilfield companies wanting to participate.

The winner of this division will take home a trophy and
$100. Contestants may still participate in any of the other
divisions consisting of Amateur, Pro or Club Division.

Second prize in each division is $100 and a trophy, and
awards will also be presented for Worst Barbecue and Best
Camp.

Last year's cookoff attracted about 35 teams to the posse
arena, which has a maximum capacity of 85 teams. Machuca
Ranch won three of the top awards, taking the Grand Champion
plate and first and second place in the Pro Division.

In the Amateur Division, Manuel Garcia took first place with
Crooked River taking second, and Russ Salcido took first
place in the Club Division with Robert Natividad's
construction Company finishing second. The Baeza Brothers
won Best Camp for the cookoff, and featured a cantina at
their site.

The cooks' meeting for this year's event will be at 9 p.m.
on Friday, Oct. 2, just after the briskets are handed out.
Judging will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday, with the awards
given out later that afternoon.

For more information contact the Pecos Chamber of Commerce
at 445-2406 or 445-2407 or any of the Liberty Pump and
Supply locations, at 915-632-8688 in McCamey, 915-336-3354
in Fort Stockton and 915-527-3112 in Wink.

Meeting set to explain 4A sales tax


A public meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday in the
Texas-New Mexico Electric Co., Reddy Room to discuss ways
and means to promote passage of the 4A sales tax referendum
on the Nov. 3 ballot.

The election for city of Pecos voters will be to repeal 1/4
cent of the city sales tax rate and then re-instate it for
use in promoting economic development.

Backers of the issue stress that this is not a tax increase,
only a reallotment of the sales tax already being collected.
They said that a yes vote is a vote for new jobs.

Everyone is invited and urged to attend the meeting Monday
to pose any questions about the election and get involved
in helping to get it passed.

Bob Curry, one of the members of the economic development
board who has been involved in the effort since its
inception several years ago, noted some of the reasons
passage of the 4A sales tax is important to the future
growth and development of Pecos and Reeves County:

- A declining economy during the past 10 years;

- Pecos and Reeves County continues to have one of the
highest unemployment rates in the area;

- Real estate values have declined drastically;

- The school district has a declining enrollment which
effects their budget and ability to provide quality
education;

- Many families have been forced to move from Pecos and
Reeves County in order to find quality employment;

Curry added there are many other reasons to vote for the
plan.

"Why do we need the 4A sales tax for Pecos and Reeves
County?" Curry said, voicing a question local residents have
asked. "This is a means by which the Town of Pecos City and
Reeves County will be placed in a position to sustain
present jobs, assist existing businesses to grow and create
new jobs with taxable investment, put Pecos and Reeves
county in a more competitive position in the industrial
recruitment arena, to facilitate long term financing that is
critical to local economic development efforts.

"The 4A sales tax for economic development has been the most
popular and effective tool used by Texas cities to promote
economic development," said Curry, who noted that "more than
378 cities have levied the economic development sales tax."

Bruce Salcido, who has been involved in working up plans for
the economic development push, said, "The 4A sales tax can
be used in Pecos and Reeves county for business attraction
such as advertising, promotion, marketing and industrial
recruitment. It can also be used for incentives to business
for revolving loan funds, loan guarantees, business
incubator programs and assisting in the establishment of
Enterprise Zones and capital grants.

"Other things the 4A sales tax money can be used for include
grants for land, building, equipment purchases, leases,
building upgrades, land for industrial parks and speculative
buildings," Salcido said.

"Infrastructure upgrades can be made to both commercial and
industrial areas such as for water, sewer and roads for
industrial parks."

Salcido noted that the 4A sales tax money can also be used
for training and education programs including training
geared for specific companies, assistance to technical
education, JTPA supplemental funds and workforce development
resources."

"The question has been asked many times who will oversee the
work of the development corporation that will be responsible
for the implementation of the economic development program
for Pecos," he added, explaining that "Upon passage of the
4A sales tax Nov. 3, the city council of the Town of Pecos
City will appoint a five member board of directors to govern
what is known as a Section 4A Development Corporation.

"The directors serve at pleasure of the city council
and may be removed at any time without cause. The board of
directors is subject to both the open meetings act and
open records act.

"Section 21 of the Development Corporation Act provides the
city council shall approve all programs and expenditures of
the corporation and shall review annual statements and books
of the corporation."

Everyone is encouraged to attend the meeting Monday night.

Odessan guilty of marijuana smuggling


By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
Federal court jurors had a hard time making a unanimous
decision in the trial of Odessa resident Sandra Renteria
Wednesday, but finally returned a "guilty" verdict.

Renteria, 24, claimed she was asleep and didn't know the GMC
suburban her husband, Robert Granado, 31, was driving had
354 pounds of marijuana in the rear, covered with a blanket.

They were arrested July 6, after Border Patrol agent Warren
Bennett became suspicious of mud on the Suburban and the
fact that neither occupant looked his way as they passed on
Texas Highway 118, traveling north.

Bennett said that a license check determined the car was
owned by a Midland woman whose Anglo name did not fit
occupants of the Suburban, so he stopped the vehicle for an
immigration check.

When he questioned Granado about his citizenship, he notice
sweat on Granado's brow, despite the cool weather, and he
appeared nervous.

After alerting to the rear of the vehicle, Bennett's
drug-sniffing dog, Duke, climbed into the interior through
the open driver's door and sat on a blanket covering seven
burlap sacks in the rear of the Suburban.

Bennett's backup agent, Lorraine Hollenback, placed the
couple in custody, and they were taken to Alpine, along with
the vehicle.

Jay Miller prosecuted for the government, and Merry Worley
represented Renteria.

Trash hauler outlines rules


By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
Pecos residents are being urged to comply with the proper
rules for disposing of trash, in order to help the service
which is currently in charge of the city's waste disposal.

"We at Duncan Disposal/Charter Waste would like to encourage
the citizens of Pecos to help in our efforts to keep Pecos
clean," said area manager Ronny Ruiz. "In order to better
serve the community we would like them to know about our
procedures."

Items placed in the alley need to meet the city ordinance
requirements, according to Ruiz. Those rules include:

- Debris must not weigh more than 60 pounds and measure more
than three feet by four feet.

- Tree limbs will not exceed four feet lengths and must be
bundled.

- Any accumulation of brick, concrete, lumber, ashes, dirt,
sand, gravel, automobile frames, dead trees, and other heavy
bulky material, shall be disposed of at the expense of the
owner, according to company rules.

"If you wish to dispose of the waste on your own, each
resident is allowed to dump one time per month at the
transfer facility, free of charge up to 2,000 pounds," said
Ruiz.

A copy of the current water bill must be provided at time of
disposal.

Duncan Disposal, formally known as WesTex Waste, is
open 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, while
the hours of operation for the transfer station are 8 a.m.
until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. until noon on
Saturday.

"We can be reached at different places," said Ruiz.

For the transfer station community members are asked to call
915-447-9133; Charter Waste in Odessa is 915-381-4722 and
Duncan Disposal has an 800 number, 1-800-654-9521 or
residents can call Duncan Disposal at 915-563-5060, the
24-hour answering service for weekends and after hours.

Contact names will Jerry Millan at the Transfer Station; Roy
Knowles at Charter Waste and Ronnie Ruiz, Jason Payne or
Jack Burns at Duncan Disposal.



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Pecos Enterprise
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324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
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