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Friday, October 15, 1999

Schools OKs share of funds for drug dog

By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer

PECOS, Oct. 15, 1999 - Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD discussed and approved purchase of a drug detection dog during the regular school board meeting held Thursday evening.

"I received a call from Pecos Police Chief Clay McKinney about possibly purchasing a drug detection dog for the district," said superintendent Don Love.

Love said the district would use the dog, but so would the police department in non-school investigations.

In his letter McKinney said that this project is on a six-year basis, barring any illness or injury to the dog. Currently, the department does not have a drug dog.

A drug detection dog will assist the department in drug enforcement, and drug seizures and be readily available to all the schools within the school district, according to McKinney. Hopefully the mere presence of a drug dog in our schools will serve as a strong deterrent, he said.

McKinney was at a training session and could not attend Thursday's meeting, Love said.

However, in his correspondence he said, "It is commonly known that children easily bond to dogs and that a drug dog will make a lasting impression on our children at school. Therefore, the dog will be used in a variety of anti-drug programs conducted throughout the year."

McKinney noted that this would help make Pecos a better place to live and a safer place to raise our families.

The estimated cost over a six-year period is $17,951. The city would share the expenses with the school district, according to Love.

"Do we really need one?" said board member Louis Matta.

"I think if we had a really good drug dog, it would be good for the schools and community," said Love. "And they tell me that these dogs they get from San Antonio are guaranteed."

The dog would make unscheduled visits to the school, according to Love.

"The cost is a little high, but it's something positive," he said.

Love said he would like to visit with the chief a little bit more and discuss the cost.

"If you can negotiate something better, I'm for it, and also we need to talk to our lawyers about the legal aspects of this," said board member Matta.

In other action, board members turned down a donation of property to the west of the Pecos High School vocational building to be used as a sports complex.

"I've been talking to Jimmy Dutchover, Judge Galindo and Kenneth Neal about this, a sports complex," said Love. "We just haven't come up with any grants and we don't want to use the school district's money."

Dutchover told the group that grant funds cannot go to the school district for this type of endeavor, but the funds can be given to the city or the county.

"I've talked to Jimmy (Galindo, Reeves County Judge) and he's looking into some type of grants that can be used," said Dutchover. "However, the school district can't hold the title for this property."

"It's a long and tedious project," said Dutchover.

Also, the property in question is behind on about $8,000 worth of taxes, and is owned by Nash Lamb of Furr's, Inc., of Albuquerque, N.M. Furr's had sought to build a supermarket on the Washington Street site in the 1980s.

"They were hoping to donate this property to us, but they still owe taxes on it," said Love.

A resolution authorizing additional penalties on delinquent taxes was also agreed to by the board. "By passing this resolution, this allows us to collect the 15 percent," said Love. "This keeps everything consistent and makes it legal," he said.

Love said that it was basically a clarification of the law. "If we didn't approve it, the 15 percent would come out of our money," he said.

Another resolution was approved to recognize 4-H as an extracurricular activity. "They would fall under the same rules, with the 15 days that they can be out," said Love, referring to missed classtime for extracurricular events during the school year.

Options offered to P-B-Ton consolidation

By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Oct. 15, 1999 - Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD board members listened to a proposal by Monte Hunter with Hunter Corral Associates, on an assessment of facilities used by the district for Kindergarten through eighth grade.

Hunter gave board members a summary report, a report on each of the campuses and two options the board could follow in consolidating campuses and improving some of the school facilities, five of which Hunter said could be considered in "poor" condition.

Projections indicate the district will experience a slow decline in general enrollment of 4-5 percent each year. Accuracy tests of enrollment projections indicated an accuracy rate within 2 percent, according to Hunter.

"The purpose of this assessment was to improve facility value while maintaining minimum space standards," said Hunter. "This was accomplished by, projecting enrollment, assessing facility condition, assessing facility utilization, interviewing district staff, comparison to benchmarks, projecting enrollment, and projecting long term costs of various options," he said.

"The facilities were in marginal condition," said Hunter.

The measure of facility condition was the Facility Condition Needs Index which is the ratio of improvements needed to bring facilities to current standards, compared to facility replacement costs. Ideal ratio is less than 10 percent. Ten to 25 percent is fair condition, and greater than 25 percent is poor condition.

The findings made by Hunter Corral ranked Pecos Elementary, Lamar, Zavala and Crockett Middle Schools and the Carver Center in the "poor" category. Lamar was ranked at 40 percent, Pecos Elementary at 39 percent, Carver at 36 percent, Crockett at 28 percent and Zavala at 27 percent.

The other three schools _ Pecos Kindergarten (18 percent), Austin Elementary (21 percent) and Bessie Haynes Elementary (23 percent) were rated in "fair" condition.

According to Hunter, facilities are underutilized. Full utilized rates for K-6 facilities should be around 90 percent. For junior high it should be 80 percent. The average for facilities surveyed was 55 percent.

Hunter said the general classroom size was acceptable. District facilities may be inhibiting education in several ways, including library resources, (individual grade campuses make it difficult to offer a diverse selection of books. Consolidating campuses would provide more book selection for students); facility condition, (as previously noted, district facilities are in marginal condition. Research has revealed that facility conditions impact student achievement and teacher morale. Many studies indicate improved facilities result in higher test scores) and physical education, (opportunities for interior physical education are below standards at most campuses).

"I would recommend that you budget more every year, instead of waiting for a bond issue," said Hunter.

Hunter told the group that the Pecos Kindergarten, Austin Elementary School, Bessie Haynes and Crockett were the primary schools looked at. "These are some of your best schools, because of course they're newer than the others," he said.

The improvements or consolidations would be made steps at a time, according to Hunter.

Improvements were placed in three priority levels. Level 1 should be corrected in the next year. Level 2 should be corrected in the next few years and level 3 should be corrected when economically feasible. Level 1 and 2 are considered backlog, according to Hunter.

Level 1 needs were assessed at $181,041; level 2, at $1.5 million; and level three at $4.1 million.

"Budget for annual facility renovations to avoid renovation bond program," said Hunter. This strategy could save approximately $525,000 as opposed to a forced bond program. Facility condition has been proven to impact student achievement and teacher morale.

Projections indicate the district would save $2.4 million in 10 years with either plan and these savings are after additions, and Level 1 and 2 improvements are funded, according to Hunter. Return on investment for additions is less than four years.

Educational opportunities such as library resources, labs and physical education would be improved.

Under Option 1, Kindergarten would consist of Pre-K and Kindergarten.

· Austin Elementary would be first, second and third grades in 2001 or 2002. Add new library and convert existing library to computer lab and community tech.

· Bessie Haynes, - 4th and 5th grades.

· Zavala Middle school _ 6th grade.

· Crockett Middle School, 7th and 8th grades in 2000. Add five classrooms, one computer lab, restrooms, storage room for $580,000. Add gym and two locker rooms for $660,000.

· AEP would be moved to the newer part of Lamar, older part of the school closed.

· Pecos Elementary would be closed.

· Carver would be closed.

Under Option 2:

· Kindergarten _ Pre-K and kindergarten.

· Austin Elementary _ 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades in 2001 or 2002. Add new library and convert existing library to computer lab and community tech training center for $288,000.

· Bessie Haynes Elementary _ 4th and 5th grades.

· Zavala _ 6th grade.

· Crockett _ 7th and 8th grades in 2000. Add five classrooms, one computer lab, restrooms, storage room for $580,000. Add gym and two locker rooms for $660,000.

· AEP would remain at Carver Center.

· Pecos Elementary would be closed.

· Lamar would be closed.

Hunter told the group to look at the summary report and study it. "If you need to talk to me again, we can discuss this further, because this is a lot of information to digest," he said.

"If we had the money today, how long would it take?" asked P-B-T ISD superintendent Don Love.

"It could get done before the start of the new school year," said Hunter. "Get bids out, construction going," he said.

"Would these be portable buildings or additions to the existing facilities?" asked board member Freddy Lujan.

"The additions would be permanent and the materials used much like the existing facility," said Hunter.

The school district has been studying consolidation of grades for the past five years, and shut Barstow Elementary prior to the start of the 1998-99 school year. The Pecos Head Start program is now using the Barstow campus.

Task force nets $175,000 in drugs, cash

By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Oct. 15, 1999 - A two-month investigation involving several law enforcement agencies ended with the arrests of four individuals in Midland and Monahans, and the confiscation of drugs and cash valued at over $175,000.

On Wednesday, officers with the Trans Pecos Drug Task Force, assisted by the West Texas Narcotics Task Force, FBI, Midland County Sheriff's Office and Midland Police Department, concluded the two-month investigation, which ended in a two kilo (4.4 pounds) cocaine reverse sting.

Arrested during the reverse sting was Jesus Edmundo Ramirez of Dallas; Cecil S. Thompson of Dallas and Andrew Smith of Los Angeles, Calif.

The conspiracy to purchase the cocaine having a street value of over $150,000 ended at a motel in southeast Midland with the arrest of the three suspects and the seizure of over $28,500, according to Reeves County Sheriff Andy Gomez.

"This was a cooperative effort that ended successfully," said Gomez. "We want to thank all those who helped out."

Gomez said the task force is working on other projects and will continue to work diligently.

The three suspects will be arraigned in Federal Court next week. A fourth co-conspirator was arrested this morning in Monahans on state charges and faces federal charges at a later date, according to task force commander Gary Richards.

Observatory hopes dark times ahead

By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Oct. 15, 1999 - Electric lights without a shield lose about half their illuminating power and pollute the night sky, said Bill Wren, public information specialist for McDonald Observatory.

Beginning at the observatory and working outward, Wren is educating the public to the need to control outdoor lighting, he told the Pecos City Council Thursday.

Wren showed a satellite map of the United States on which street lights in population centers dot the dark background.

"McDonald has the darkest night skies of any major observatory in the country," he said. "The majority of those on the west coast are useless because of city lights."

Fort Davis, Marfa and Alpine already have joined the effort to shield outdoor lighting, Wren said, and the city of Balmorhea has voted to install sky caps on all their street lights.

McDonald Observatory purchases the $17.50 sky caps, and West Texas Utilities installs them free of charge, he said.

Mya Surratt, public information officer for Texas-New Mexico Power Co., said TNP would probably do the same.

The council agreed to work with Wren to install about a dozen shields as a demonstration project in Pecos.

Wal-Mart already has shielded lighting, Wren said, and Flying J Travel Plaza has some shielded lights.

Reeves County Detention Center is a major offender, with unshielded security lighting that not only pollutes the night sky, but falls short of illuminating the prison grounds, he said.

"We recommend they tilt the fixtures down. They could get better security and increase visibility under the lights," he said.

Reeves County Civic Center has full cutoff lighting and is "very well lit," he said.

"There is a lot of debate about the relationship between lighting and security," Wren said. "More lighting doesn't always mean more security. Some schools have gone to a lights-out policy after dark so that vandalism has fallen to zero and security personnel know if they see a light on to investigate."

He showed a security light at Madera Valley Water Supply Corp. at Verhalen, which had black paint on one side to deflect glare from the nearby residence.

Full cutoff fixtures re-direct light to the ground, he said, giving better illumination and saving energy costs.

The Texas Legislature this year passed a law requiring any institute receiving state funds to use full cutoff fixtures, and the Texas Department of Transportation has adopted it as a standard for all highway lighting.

Digital picture reprints offered

By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Oct. 15, 1999 - Electronic technology has changed the way the Pecos Enterprise handles news photographs, said Jon Fulbright, managing editor.

"We are using digital photography for both news and sports," said Fulbright. "That means we make fewer black-and-white prints for our press operations, cutting down on darkroom work required for film."

Digital photos are stored in the camera on a computer chip and transferred directly into the computer, Fulbright said.

"We can crop the image with the computer, lighten or darken it and remove defects caused by dust or light streaks on the lens," he said. "As news and sports pages are assembled on the computer screen, photos are placed with related text. The full page is printed out, camera ready for our offset press."

Fulbright said that digital photos appearing in the newspaper are available as color prints by special order, starting at $7.50 for a 4x6 glossy.

"Digital photography produces an acceptable print, although slightly inferior to quality prints made from a negative," Fulbright said. "Since Pecos is without a photography studio, we also offer to provide digital portraits _ either on a disk or as a print _ as a service to our readers."

Masons to honor Merritt

PECOS, Oct. 15, 1999 - The Pecos Valley Masonic Lodge #736 will hold an Open Meeting at 7 p.m., Saturday to honor Woody M. Merritt by awarding him the Golden Trowel Award for his services to the lodge and community.

Right Worshipful Ferris Benham of Odessa, Past Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Texas, will be the main speaker and present the award to Merritt.

All Masons, their families and friends are urged to attend this meeting, according to Greg Luna, worshipful master of the Pecos Valley Lodge.

Lotto

AUSTIN (AP) - Results of the Cash 5 drawing Thursday night: Winning numbers drawn: 7-12-15-25-31. Number matching five of five: 2. Prize per winner: $39,096. Winning tickets sold in: Georgetown, Houston. Matching four of five: 277. Prize: $423.

***

AUSTIN (AP) - The winning Pick 3 numbers drawn Thursday by the Texas Lottery, in order: 6-4-9 (six, four, nine)

Weather

PECOS, Oct. 15, 1999 - High Thursday 92; low last night 53. Tonight, mostly clear. Low 55-60. South wind around 10 mph. Saturday, mostly sunny and becoming breezy late. High 75-80. south to southwest wind 10-20 mph shifting to the north late in the day and increasing to 15-25 mph. Extended forecast, Saturday night, windy and much colder with a slight chance of showers. Low 40-45. Sunday, mostly cloudy, windy, and cold with a slight chance of rain. High in the lower 50s. Monday, mostly sunny. Low in the lower to mid 30s. High 60-65.



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Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
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