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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Tuesday, November 26, 2002
Repenting for repainting
Baptist churches want sign's missing two Commandments restored
By JENNIFER GALVAN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., Nov. 26, 2002 -- The local Baptist churches of Pecos are asking
that two of their Ten Commandments be returned after their signs were
painted over.
According to Ken Winkles, a member of the North Temple Baptist Church,
the two missing commandments they concerned with are the ones on either side
of a billboard located off of U.S. 285 heading towards Fort Stockton.
The churches erected billboards along five of the highway entrances to
Pecos, each with two of the Ten Commandments on either side.
The signs on the south side of Pecos, which read `Thou shall not bare
false witness among thy neighbor,' and `Thou shall not covet anything that
is thy neighbors,' were located on the property of Hector Garcia's business,
which is located on the southwest side of the U.S. 285 intersection with
Interstate 20. The signs now contain the words `Hector's Tire and Wrecker'.
The signs were put up about two years ago after receiving permission from
the property owners, Winkles said.
However about two weeks ago Winkles said that he noticed the sign was
painted over,
"About two weeks ago when I was coming in from Crane I noticed that the
sign was painted over," Winkles said.
He then decided to call Calvary Baptist Church minister Ron Garcia and
ask him to call Hector Garcia to find out why he had painted the sign.
According to Winkles, Ron told him that Hector had decided to paint over
the sign because it was on his property and that it was his sign.
"I then called Hector and asked him what the problem was," Winkles said.
"Hector told me that about a year ago he had told Ron to move the sign."
He then asked Hector if he wanted the sign removed.
"I then called Kevin (Duke) to ask him to move the sign for us," Winkles
said. Duke owns the local billboard company that had painted the Ten Commandments
for them. Winkles said he knew that the signs belonged to the church but
then painted over the commandments when Hector called him.
When he called Duke to remove the sign, he said that he did not want to
get involved because Hector was a good customer but that he would go ahead
and talk to him and then call Winkles back.
When Winkles and Duke talked again, Duke told him that Hector Garcia was
going to get a lawyer on Monday because the sign was on his property.
The cost of the each sign was $1,400 and Winkles said that they had asked
Garcia to either pay for the sign and he could keep it or pay for the signs
to be repainted with the two commandments.
"He told us to move it because he was not going to paint the sign over
and would not pay the church $1400 for the sign," Winkles said.
He also said that Garcia had told him that he did not want to fight the
churches.
"We do not want to hurt Hector out there," Winkles said. "We are also
not upset with him. He knows what is wrong and right."
Ron Garcia said that they just want the their sign back, while Hector
Garcia said that the church was to have taken the sign down but that they
have not come for it as of this morning.
"Since last year I talked to Ron Garcia and told him to come get the sign,"
Hector said.
Since he did not charge them for the time it was up on his property, he
said that he was not going to repaint the sign.
Winkles said that he had the idea of the putting up signs to illustrate
where the local churches were located after he had been out of town and he
had wanted to attend church but saw no signs that directed the way to a local
church.
"Pecos is the only city that has the Ten Commandments you can read," Winkles
said.
According to Winkles, because they are religious signs they had to receive
permission from the city property owners.
"The signs must be within the city limit," Winkles said. The other signs
are located on Business I-20, north U.S. 285 and State Highway 17 at the
Pecos city limits.
Commissioners OK Balmorhea center contract
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., Nov. 26, 2002 -- Reeves County Commissioners approved a contract
to proceed with construction plans of the Balmorhea Community Center,
during their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday at the Reeves
County Courthouse.
Commissioners approved a professional services contract by Anderson Building
and Development Group, Inc. for the Balmorhea Community Center and authorization
to bid construction.
Lorraine Dailey, architect for Dailey, Rabke and Gondeck, was on hand
to discuss the most recent project with the group and answer questions.
"The cost of work described and agreement of $400,000 does include fees
and all onsite costs," said Dailey.
She told commissioners that there were two amendments in the contract
and the stipulations of what the GMP (Guaranteed Maximum Price) included.
"We'll start issuing the documents on Friday," said Dailey.
The contract would include additions and deletions, which have already
been negotiated with Anderson, she added.
In other action, commissioners approved payments to several contractors
currently working at the site of the new Reeves County Detention Center III,
along with change orders on the 960-bed addition to the 2,000-bed facility
that would move the project's completion date back to the end of January.
Carothers Construction site manager Kurt Nissen was on hand to explain
some of the change orders. Carothers is in charge of the entire project.
"This is a no-cost change order, it's just an extension in time," said
Nissen.
Nissen said that the completion date would be changed if the change-order
was approved. "This will change the completion date to Jan. 29," he said.
Nissen explained that the change order was needed due to bad weather,
which has hindered the construction at the site. "There's a lot of site work
being done out there and concrete work, which was hindered due to the bad
weather we've experienced recently," said Nissen.
Dailey said that the days were legitimate "bad weather" days included
in their contract.
"Well it's a good thing you came and told us now, instead of waiting until
the last minute, like they did the last time," said Precinct 1 Commissioner
Felipe Arredondo.
"No, that's not the way this company operates, they stick to their contract
and are always ready to inform the court of anything new," said Dailey.
"This company operates a lot better and more efficiently," said Reeves
County Judge Jimmy B. Galindo. "We're very pleased with their work so far."
The court approved LMD's request for payment. "This is reimbursement for
airfare, for her and the engineer to come out here, it's all documented,"
said county auditor Lynn Owens. The payment was in the amount of $6,112.
A payment to engineer Frank Spencer in the amount of $2,763 was approved.
Also approved was a change order for N.C. Sturgeon in the amount of $4,367;
a change order for Texas Commercial Fence, in the amount of $2,250 to add
additional gates to provide access to the recreation yards, and a deduction
of $20,141 for barbed wire.
"This is for labor only and the materials will be turned over to Reeves
County to be used elsewhere," said Nissen.
Change order for Scott Thane Ditching for a new tank and leach station
was approved in the amount of $10,169. "This was a request by Frank Spencer,"
said Nissen.
Commissioners also approved several insurance proposals during their regular
met.
Dury still seeking desserts, deliverers
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., Nov. 26, 2002 -- Donations over the past week have helped provide
the Pecos Christian Home with almost everything they need for their
annual Thanksgiving dinner, set for Thursday at the Reeves County Civic
Center.
But director Bruce Dury said he's still seeking donations for the final
course of Thursday's meal, along with help in bringing it to people around
Pecos.
"The biggest thing we need right now is desserts," he said. "If anybody
has got a dessert they want to provide, they need to get it down to the Civic
Center as early as possible Thursday, because we're going to start serving
at 10 a.m.
"The dinners for Meals on Wheels will be prepared first," said Dury, who
added they will then need people to deliver the dinners to people helped
by the program, which does not run on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day when
the Christian Home holds its annual dinners.
"We always need volunteers. I want as many as I can get down there, because
we have about 90 meals to deliver," Dury said.
In the past week, the Christian Home has received donations of turkeys,
cranberry sauce, green beans and yams for Thursday's dinner, which will begin
at 10 a.m. and usually runs until sometime between 1 and 2 p.m. Aside from
the 90 people in the Meals on Wheels program who will receive dinners, in
recent years between 150 and 250 others have come down to the Civic Center
to either eat their meals or bring them home to their families.
Dury said that if anyone would like to volunteer they are asked to go
to the Civic Center before 10 a.m. on Thursday. Those who want to bring desserts
by before Thursday morning can take them today or Wednesday to the Christian
Home located at 1201 S. Elm St. Donors can also call 445-2049 and someone
will pick up the items.
Property bids, reports on hospital board's agenda for tonight
PECOS, Tues., Nov. 26, 2002 -- The Reeves County Hospital District Board
of Directors will hold their regular monthly meeting this evening at 6 p.m.
in the hospital district's classroom.
The Board of Directors will review the minutes from previous meetings,
hear public comments and the report from the Hospital Auxiliary.
The directors will also receive a monthly tax report, financial statements
and amendments and the pay of bills.
Bids on property located at block 32, L&W Sub, Pecos, Reeves County
Texas, the Christmas Appreciation Awards, an investment report, sale of property
located at 525 Martinez Street and the HIPAA presentation will all be discussed
and approved by the directors.
The directors will also hear the medical staff report and the administrator's
report.
Weather
PECOS, Tues., Nov. 26, 2002 -- High Monday 47. Low this morning 32. Forecast
for tonight: Mostly cloudy and continued cold. Lows in the mid 20s.
Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Wednesday: Mostly cloudy. Highs
near 40. East winds 5 to 10 mph: Becoming southeast. Wednesday night:
Mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s. Thanksgiving Day: Mostly
cloudy. Highs 40 to 45. Friday: Mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s.
Highs in the lower 50s.
Obituaries
Lewis Cowart, Irene Holm, James D. Locker and Josephine Shultz
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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