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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Tuesday, September 10, 2002
City to hold Sept. 11 memorial at federal courthouse
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., Sept. 10, 2002 -- Community members are asked to don their
red, white and blue and join in the commemoration ceremony scheduled
for Wednesday, Sept. 11.
"We Will Never Forget It; In Remembrance of 9-11" a commemoration ceremony
will be held in front of the Lucius Bunton Federal Courthouse located at
Fourth and Cedar streets.
Events will begin at 9:15 with a welcome and introduction by the Pecos
Downtown Lions Club.
An opening prayer led by John Grant of the Lions Club will follow, along
with the reading of a proclamation by Town of Pecos City Mayor Dot Stafford.
At 9:30 a.m., "a period of remembrance" sponsored by the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah
ISD District Counselors will be held. At this time the sirens will sound
and everyone, wherever they may be are asked to join with the Pledge of Allegiance
and followed by a moment of silence.
The lowering of the flag to half-staff by the federal courthouse staff
will take place at 9:35 a.m. and at 9:40 a.m. the Catholic War Veterans will
participate in a 21-gun salute.
"Taps" will be played by a Pecos High School band member and at the end
of the ceremony the federal courthouse staff will present certificates of
appreciation.
"We want to invite everyone to come out here and join us to pay tribute
to all those who were killed last year," said Lions' Club and Pecos City
Council member Michael Benavides.
County's above par water bill blamed on new meter
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., Sept. 10, 2002 -- A dispute over a water bill submitted to
Reeves County by the Town of Pecos City will have to be settled with
a meeting between city and county officials.
The Reeves County Auditor's Office clarified that the bill the county
was disputing, for $12,310, was for one meter only _ a meter that was placed
at the driving range.
"That's a new meter that the county put there when they took over the
driving range," said Town of Pecos City Utilities Director Octavio Garcia.
The issue was brought up during the reports from various departments at
the regular Reeves County Commissioners Court meeting held Monday morning.
Commissioners questioned the amount of the bill and noted that it was for
four months.
At that time, county auditor Lynn Owens said that the bill was averaging
about $3,000 per month. It was later clarified that this was for one meter
only and not for the entire golf course.
Garcia said that an outside contractor had previously operated the driving
range and that person took care of that meter and the water bill that came
with it. "But then the county took over and that meter was not included in
(the existing) contract with the city."
The contract is renewed every 10 years and states that the county will
only pay $5 for water from each meter each month. "It's supposed to be a
separate meter, so we sent them a regular bill for the new meter," said Garcia.
Garcia said that the county has been flooding the driving range with city
water, instead of using the well water. "That's why their bill is so high,"
he said.
"That contract is renewed every 10 years and this year is a renewal year,"
said Garcia. "We need to negotiate to see if it is going to stay the same
or not."
Garcia said that city officials have been trying to meet with the county
officials to discuss the contract and this matter, but have been unable to
do so.
"We haven't been able to get a hold of him for us to get together and
work this out," he said.
The driving range at the Reeves County Golf Course has been redone over
the past year by the county, which installed lights at the facility this
summer to allow the range to remain open at night.
Board told new round of salt cedar spraying to begin
By JENNIFER GALVAN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., Sept. 10, 2002 -- The fourth year of spraying to eradicate
salt cedars along the Pecos River is about to begin, though some areas
may not be included in the upcoming effort, Red Bluff Water Power Control
Board members were told during their regular monthly meeting in Pecos
this morning.
According to Managing Director Randall Hartman, the spraying of the salt
cedar was to begin this week in the area east of Pecos on the Pecos River.
However, when a group of people went out to look at the trees a portion of
them had leaves that were limp.
Hartman said that because the leaves were limp they were not able to spray
the trees. According to him, the leaves must be alive so that the spraying
could work. Hartman also added that people would be brought in to determine
why the leaves are limp.
However, the spraying procedure did take place near Coyanosa and up the
Monahans highway for two to three miles.
"They are going to send me a print out of what they have already sprayed,"
Hartman said.
A total of 13,000 acres, from the state line to Santa Rosa, have already
been sprayed, according to Hartman.
"That is where we are at spraying," Hartman said.
The salt cedar project was one item covered by the board during their
monthly meeting, which began with the board approving the agenda and the
minutes of the August 13, meeting.
After welcoming their visitors, the board moved on to discuss and approve
the financial reports of the August disbursements with Director Manuel Lujan
making the motion and Director Charlotte Wilcox seconding it.
The August Receipts were also reviewed with Director Theresa Walker making
the motion and Lujan seconding it.
In reviewing the accounts payable, Office Manager Robin Prewit informed
the board that the general liability insurance with Texas Municipal League
was paid up for six months so that it would then expire at the same time
as the directors liability insurance.
The board moved on to the next time on the agenda, the reservoir operations
report of the month of August.
"As you can see we are not gaining or losing," Hartman said. "We are setting
where we were."
The board then moved on to new business of repaying a loan given to them
by the Ward County Irrigation District No.1 as soon as they receive a check
from the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission.
"We should receive the check this week," Hartman said. "As soon as we
get it, we can give it to Tom (Nance of Ward County WID #1)."
Director Lujan made the motion to accept the distribution of the money
once they receive the check with Vice-President Jay Lee seconding the motion.
Along with the salt cedar project, another item taken up again by the
board with morning was cloud seeding.
Director Richard Slack informed the board that Reeves County Judge Jimmy
Galindo and the district that he represents (Reeves County WID #2), are in
favor of the cloud seeding project. And because of that, they have asked
that the board not oppose the decision to support the project.
"We did not oppose it," Hartman said.
Reading from the minutes of last month's meeting, Hartman said that the
board approved not to contribute to the project with Wilcox making the motion
and Lujan seconding it.
"We weren't interested because we did not have any figures to look at,"
Walker said. "We may change our minds if we get some figures."
District Secretary Lloyd Goodrich told Nance that they were not interested
in the project because they did not know how the money would be used. The
discussion was a continuation of a similar one from August's board meeting.
"We do not know how the money will be spent," Goodrich said. "Will you
spend it on personnel and equipment."
Nance said the money would be used in purchasing radars and airplanes.
Slack advised Nance to make a better presentation by providing the board
with more details.
Nance informed the board that he was just seeking their blessing and hoped
that they would be willing to participate at some level.
According to Nance, though the project is in the organization process
it has already received money from their district, from Loving County as
well as from other places.
"We are not seeking actual money but participation," he said.
Nance informed the board that the state would pay for 50 percent of the
project and that after the year 2003 if the state did not fund the project,
the project would either be ended, or area residents and taxing entities
would have to fund it themselves.
Nance ended by saying that he felt that there had been a consensus among
the board that they would not participate in the project at any level.
"I knew that they did not want to participate at any level," he said
Hartman told Nance that maybe he could be wrong and any involvement in
the water modification program was up to the board.
Alzheimer's group meeting at RCH
The Alzheimer's Association STAR Chapter _ West Texas Region will sponsor
the Pecos Daytime Support Group meeting scheduled for 10 a.m., Thursday at
the Reeves County Hospital classroom.
Topic for this month is: "Behavior Problems" and everyone is invited to
attend and learn more about Alzheimer's disease.
Weather
PECOS, Tues., Sept. 10, 2002 -- High Monday 89. Low this morning 68. Forecast
for tonight: Mostly cloudy with isolated showers and thunderstorms.
Lows around 65. Northeast winds 10 to 20 mph. Wednesday: Mostly cloudy
with isolated showers and thunderstorms. Highs 85 to 90. East winds
5 to 15 mph. Wednesday night: Partly cloudy. Lows 65 to 70. Thursday:
Partly cloudy with isolated showers and thunderstorms. Highs around
90. Friday: Partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and
thunderstorms. Lows 65 to 70. Highs 90 to 95.
Police Report
EDITOR'S NOTE: Information contained in the Police Report
is obtained from reports filed by the Pecos Police Department, Reeves
County Sheriff's Office, or other officers of those agencies.
The serving of warrants by an officer for outstanding fines of either
traffic citations, animal control violations or other court costs are considered
arrests and will be printed as such unless indicated that the fines were
paid. In such instances we will indicate payment and release.
***
Defino Lujan, 50 was arrested at 7:45 p.m. on September 9, in the 500
block of East 12th Street, for Public intoxication.
***
Joel Fuentez, 35, and Geronimo Hignojos, 58, were arrested at 9:34 p.m.
on September 9, in the 400 block of Mulberry street. Joel Fuentez was arrested
for failure to show identification, resisting arrest and on a warrant for
a parole violation. Geronimo Hignojos was arrested for public intoxication.
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 2002 by Pecos Enterprise
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