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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Thursday, January 11, 2001
Balmorhea council gets park plan
By JENNIFER WARD
Special Correspondent
PECOS, January 11, 2001 - The Balmorhea City Council met on Tuesday
to receive the Texas Rural Development Council's Rural Resource Team Report
on how to better the city of Balmorhea.
A resource team consisting of five members met this past October with
any citizen of Balmorhea that wanted to voice their opinion on what needed
to be improved most in the community. These members considered the problems
and then wrote up their recommendations for the problems that they saw
needed the most attention.
Darren J. Clark, Resource Conservation & Development Coordinator,
presented the report and answered resident questions last night as well
as set up a follow-up meeting scheduled for Monday, January 22, in the
Balmorhea School Cafeteria at six o'clock.
A copy of the recommendations of the team can be picked up at Balmorhea
City Hall.
Reeves County Judge Jimmy Galindo also presented a plan for the upcoming
Balmorhea Community Center and park. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
has awarded Balmorhea funds to build the park, however, the city will have
to come up with a matching amount of money.
Galindo presented a solution to the matching amount of money situation.
By allowing the new Community Center and the park to be built on the same
property as part of the same project, residents will be able to enjoy both
the park and the Community Center.
The council will meet again later this month to vote on the resolution
and to then to allow a representative from Balmorhea and the Galindo's
office to go to Austin to talk to the Park & Wildlife Department to
see if the original plan can be amended so that the Community Center can
be used as Balmorhea's half of the money.
If everything goes as planned, the park and Community Center will be
built on 9.1 acres of land east of Balmorhea, donated to the Texas Nature
Conservation. The Reeves County Water District No. 1 will also be asked
if it is possible for water to be diverted to go through the land.
If the plan is approved by the state, the groundbreaking for the project
will be sometime in March or April, and the project may be expected to
be complete by January 31 of 2002.
Council members were also told on Tuesday that the Balmorhea EMS board
and members would be meeting the first Monday of each month at six o'clock
in either the Saragosa Center or the Balmorhea School Conference Center.
The first Balmorhea Chamber of Commerce meeting of 2001 will be held February
8.
City Council receives update on landfill plan
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, January 11, 2001 - City Manager Carlos Yerena gave an update
to the Town of Pecos City Council on the Type IV Landfill Permit the city
has applied for with the state during this morning's regular council meeting
at City Hall.
Earlier this week, Yerena made a trip to Austin to meet with the Texas
Natural Resource Conservation Commission to discuss the status of the city's
application.
"I visited with TNRCC who has a new team leader, Wayne Lee," he said.
The former team leader, Bergess Stingle, left the agency to work for
a private company, according to Pecos Health and Sanitation Director Armando
Gil.
"There is a new team leader so it's going to slow it down for us," Yerena
said.
There are several dates established by state law for certain things
to happen.
Yerena said the next step would be for the TNRCC to send the city a
notice of receipt.
Soon TNRCC will start the administrative paperwork and technical reviews.
The series of technical reviews are established to "identify any potential
issues" that might come up and give the city time to address those issues,
Yerena said.
The overall process of getting an approval on the application by the
state would take about a year.
"We should have the entire process wrapped up in one year," Yerena said.
"Within six months we should have a good idea of whether it's going to
fly."
Two of the three technical reviews should be done within the six months.
Yerena said TNRCC have a maximum of 60 days to finish the first technical
review with 60 days for the city to respond.
The second review then should be done within 30 days after that with
30 days for the city to respond.
While in Austin, Yerena attended a workshop designated for cities in
the Main Street Program.
This year, Pecos was failed to qualify for the Main Street Program,
but the city is now looking into being self-initiated, Yerena said.
The Main Street Program is part of the economic development process
to bring in new businesses into down town Pecos as well as restore buildings.
"We're exploring all the options," Yerena said.
Representatives from the Texas Main Street Program are scheduled to
visit Pecos in February to tour the town and speak with local officials.
In other action this morning, Pop Warner Football League Board President
Randy Baeza and Treasurer Michael Benavides received certificates of recognition
on behalf of all the league's board members and coaches from the Council.
This year marks the first time in 19 years that the town of Pecos has
had a Pee Wee football program.
The new league brought out 160 kids to practice and compete in football,
according to Benavides.
Mayor Ray Ortega presented the two board members with a stack of certificates
for the board and coaches.
Benavides thanked the Council for their support in the program.
"Without your support we couldn't have done it," he said.
Benavides and Baeza in turn presented the Council with a plaque of recognition.
Also today, the Council approved last month's accounts payable and the
municipal court and financial reports.
Weigh-ins start for Reeves County Stock Show
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, January 11, 2001 - Sheep, lambs, goats and steer will invade
the Reeves County Civic Center this weekend for the Annual Reeves County
Livestock Show and Sale.
The big show will begin this afternoon, with weigh-ins scheduled from
4:30-7 p.m. for all sheep, goats and hogs.
"We have a good amount of entries," said stock show committee member
Jodie Exum, though the total is down this year from 108 last year to 91
entries this year. "That's still a good number considering the economy."
Steers weigh-in will be held at the 4-H Complex from 4:30-5:45 p.m.,
and all steers must be at the civic center show barn by 6 p.m.
The show will continue on Friday, with the goat show set for 5:15 p.m.;
steer show at 6:15 p.m. and the lamb show at 6:45 p.m.
On Saturday the hog show will take place at 8:30 a.m., with the premium
sale scheduled for 7 p.m.
"Anyone can make a donation, it can be from $10 to $100 or the whole
animal," said Exum. "The profits go to recoup some of the feed cost."
To make a donation individuals can all any committee member.
KIUN will be broadcasting the show live throughout the weekend, according
to Exum.
"We also want to thank the P-B-T ISD for the day off," said Exum. School
will be out of Friday, as part of a four-day weekend that includes Monday's
Martin Luther King Day holiday.
Everyone is invited to come and see the show. "People are invited to
come, even if they have seen it before, or if they haven't, it's just a
lot of fun," said Exum. "It's a good activity for the youth in the community."
A concession stand will be open throughout the weekend, featuring delicious
food and sponsored by the Balmorhea Ag Boosters.
Last year's grand and reserve champions and buyers included: grand champion
steer, exhibited by Courtney Clark and purchased by West Texas National
Bank for $1,400; grand champion lamb exhibited by Brandi Harrison, $1,200
by Champion Club; grand champion hog, exhibited by Jennifer Ward and purchased
by West Texas National Bank for $800; grand champion goat, Clifton Brantley,
$1,000, Freeport McMoran and Pecos Valley Field Services; reserve grand
champion steer, exhibited by John M. Clark, $1,300, Security State Bank;
reserve grand champion lamb, exhibited by Justin Owen, $750, by Pecos Insurance,
Rediger's Pharmacy and Kett Engineering Co.; reserve grand champion hog,
exhibited by Brandi Bradley, $600, purchased by West Texas Gas and reserve
grand champion goat, exhibited by Heath Armstrong, purchased for $700 by
Lloyd's Amoco.
The 2000 Showmanship winners were: junior steer, Jamie Gallego; junior
lamb, Justin Owen; junior hog, John M. Elliott; junior goat, Tyler Hebbert;
senior steer, Courtney Clark; senior lamb, Brandi Harrison; senior hog,
Liberty Wofford and senior goat, Jennie Canon.
Judges for this year's show will be for steer, Sam Fields, of Midland;
lamb and goat, Curt Skelton, of Lubbock and hog, Jay Waller, of Ira.
Auctioneer will be Mem Hall of Marfa.
"We want to thank everyone for all their help and contributions," said
Exum. "And all donors will be acknowledged."
Council to hold special meeting on new jail site
PECOS, January 11, 2001 - Town of Pecos City Council will hold a special
meeting at 11 a.m. on Friday at City Hall to formally designation the location
for the city's new Criminal Justice Center.
A committee appointed by the council to look at sites for the 96-bed
facility, which would house city inmates and U.S. Marshal's Service prisoners
awaiting trial in Pecos Federal Court, recommended a site located along
Interstate 20 and between Texas and Moore Streets, just to the southeast
of Reeves County Hospital.
Along with serving as a jail, the facility will also house Pecos Police
Department offices, which are currently located on South Oak Street.
Obituary
Annetta Heinen
Weather
PECOS, January 11, 2001 - High Wednesday 52. Low this morning 41. Total
rainfall last 24 hours at Texas A&M Experiment Station: .04 inch. Forecast
for tonight: Mostly clear. Low near 30. Light southeast wind. Friday: Partly
cloudy. High in the mid 60s. South wind 10 to 20 mph. Friday night: Increasing
cloudiness with a slight chance of rain. Low in the upper 30s. The chance
of rain is 20 percent. Saturday: Cloudy with a chance of morning rain:
Then decreasing cloudiness by afternoon. High in the mid 50s. Sunday: Partly
cloudy. Low in the upper 20s. High in the upper 50s.
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 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
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