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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Friday, September 26, 2003
Council approves budget, new water field wells
By BRENDEN BRIGGS
Staff Writer
PECOS, Fri., Sept. 26, 2003 -- The town of Pecos city council met last
night to approve their annual budget and to decide the amount of
revenue this year that would be dedicated to debt repayment.
The city's budget this year totals $5.675 million going toward the
general fund as compared to the budget of last year that came in at
$5.264 million for the general fund. The city has allotted for most of
the personnel and vehicles requested to keep up with the additional
services provided for the taxpayers this year.
A new fire truck, five new police cars, a new backhoe for the city
utilities department and three additional employees to staff the new
city landfill are among the additional items added to the 2004 budget.
"The largest allotment was for Water and Sewer, with the total
expenditure estimated at $3.197 million," city manager Carlos Yerena
said. "This is, however, the location of the deepest cuts that were
necessary to offset the dip in revenue due to depressed property
values, the lack of a tax increase and the additional services
provided."
The city's tax rate of .6967 cents per $100 in property tax
valuations also was passed on second reading. The tax rate is the same
as a year ago.
The council did approve the allotment of 0.21142 cents per $100 of
valuation to go towards the sinking fund. This fund is utilized for the
repayment of the city's debt, which now totals approximately $3.745
million. The last time the city issued a bond was in 2000 according to
Yerena.
Also approved last night was the addition of two new wells at the
South Worsham Water field. This new construction will bring the total
number of wells to 20.
The project is expected to cost around $420,000, with $70,000 coming
from an existing grant the city has from the Texas Water Development
Board. The Texas Community Development Project through the Office of
Rural Community Affairs will supplement the remaining $350,000.
The city was told in 1994 that the existing Ward County and Worsham
water fields would only be able to provide Pecos with adequate water
supplies through the year 2008. After getting that information, the
council contracted for engineering studies to find the best location
for a new field.
After studying underground water sites in Winkler County and beneath
the former Freeport McMoRan land in Culberson County, the city settled
on the South Worsham Field, located about 20 miles southeast of Pecos.
The new water lines should be ready to be added to the town's water
supply by the middle of October. Council members are expecting an
improvement from the additional water. The proposal was passed
unanimously.
In other action, a tax exemption for senior citizens, the medically
disabled and disabled veterans was passed last night. The exemption is
similar to that passed by the Reeves County Hospital Board earlier this
week, the exemptions are for senior citizens over 65, 15,000, for the
medically disabled, 10,000, and for disabled veterans an exemption
ranging from 5,000-12,000 depending level of disability status.
Council members also approved the lease of the former Chevron
service station south of Interstate 20 for the use of a mobile truck
wash facility. The station will primarily be used for a home base of
operations, as most of the actual washing will be done where needed.
Also approved was the sale of 2027 S. Adams St for the $1,000 bid
plus approximately $4,000 for three years of due taxes. Myra Hernandez
of Mineral Wells has put forth the bid; she has two more entities to
get approval from before the sale can be finalized.
Blood drive set at church is postponed
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Fri., Sept. 26, 2003 -- A blood drive originally scheduled for
Sept. 21 at Santa Rosa Catholic Church and then moved to this coming
Sunday has been moved again, to Sunday, Oct. 5, according to Nancy
Ontiveros, Reeves County Hospital Director of Special Programs at
Reeves County Hospital.
United Blood Services of the Permian Basin will have their mobile
blood donation unit parked outside the church on East Fourth Street
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 5 as part of an emergency blood donation
effort across the area. It will be the second blood drive in four days
in Pecos, with the first scheduled for next Thursday, from 1 to 7 p.m.
in the lobby of Reeves County Hospital.
The blood drives were set up after officials with United Blood
Services said on Labor Day weekend that their stocks had been depleted
to "emergency levels," and that donations are urgently needed.
Ontiveros at the time said United Blood Service had no blood on
their shelves, though Reeves County Hospital did have enough blood on
hand for non-emergencies.
United Blood Service's coverage area includes 43 counties in West
Texas, along with three in southeastern New Mexico. Blood collected is
used by 47 hospitals in the two state area, said Lee Hartmann,
Associate Executive Director with United Blood Services in Midland.
Rodeo Hall gets site, needs renovation funds
By BRENDEN BRIGGS
Staff Writer
PECOS, Fri., Sept. 26, 2003 -- The Texas Rodeo Hall Of Fame Corporation
presented its formal proposal for the new facility to Town of Pecos
City Council members Thursday evening.
This was one more step towards the establishment of a Rodeo Hall of
Fame at the former Missouri Pacific Railroad depot at First and Oak
streets. The city was given the deed to the proposed site by its
current owner, Union Pacific Railroad, earlier this month and last
night the city turned that deed over to the TRHFC.
The railroad depot, located across the street from the West of the
Pecos Museum, is now scheduled for some light renovations before actual
work can begin on the Hall of Fame itself.
The sprucing up will allow the building to be declared a historical
monument, in the hopes that the plaque outside of the depot will
attract visitors and investors alike.
Now that the location is finalized, the Rodeo Hall corporation now
faces the problem of funding. Planners are not sure of where the
revenue needed for the renovation will come from.
The group is actively soliciting private donations, and is planning
a fund raising barbeque luncheon at the depot on Tuesday, Oct. 28. from
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Reeves County Sheriff's Posse members are donating their cooking
skills, and with the museum and Security State Bank working together to
fund the food costs, the Hall of Fame supporters will be one step
closer to making their dream a reality.
The luncheon will also give citizens a chance to see the old depot,
which for many of them may have never seen or have not seen in a long
time.
"We are beginning the process of writing to foundations for support.
However most of the possible sources of revenue require a matching
amount of money to be put forth by us," TRHFC president John Rediger
said. "That fact makes fund raisers like the barbque and donations from
citizens vital to the success of this project."
"The project has been in the planning stages for around four years
now, we are estimating that once the funds are raised the construction
will be finished within two years," he added.
A temporary exhibit will be set up in the museum to allow people to
give their support to the Hall of Fame with the donation of rodeo
memorabilia.
"We are hoping that the museum and the Hall of Fame can work
together to bring in tourism to the city, people and come to town for
either exhibit and hopefully we can guide them to the other," Rediger
said.
Pecos claims the site of the world's first rodeo, on July 4, 1883 in
the downtown area, about two blocks south of where the Hall of Fame
would be located. The Hall will focus on those personalities that
performed and won here in Pecos.
Rodeo supporting staff will also be featured, such as the long time
announcer Buck Jackson for whom the West of the Pecos Rodeo Arena is
named.
Pee Wee football season openers set for Saturday
PECOS, Fri., Sept. 26, 2003 -- The Pecos Eagle Pee Wee Football
League will hold its 2003 season opening games on Saturday morning at
the Crockett Junior High School football field.
Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 9 a.m. at the field, to be
followed by the Colts versus Dolphins game at 9:30 p.m. Two other
games, the Redskins-Packers and Vikings-Cowboys, are scheduled for
Saturday.
The league will have three teams in the Grades 3-4 age group and
four teams in the Grades 5-6 division. Regular season play will run
through Nov. 1.
Weather
PECOS, Fri., Sept. 26, 2003 -- High Thursday 84. Low this morning
63. Forecast for tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows near 60. East winds near
10 mph in the evening becoming light and variable. Saturday: Partly
cloudy. Highs near 85. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Saturday night:
Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 50s to the lower 60s. East winds 10 to
15 mph. Sunday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower to mid 80s. East
winds 10 to 15 mph. Sunday night: Partly cloudy. Lows near 60. Monday:
Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 80s. Monday night: Partly cloudy. Lows
near 60.
Obituaries
Balente Machuca and Frank Salcido
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, 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
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2003 by Pecos Enterprise
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