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Home My WebLink AboutPublicity Vol. 54 (Jan. 1, 1996 - Dec. 26, 1996)Jl'llli's 111811 sclluul ther from all over in a mock legisla- bout the process of "I strongly support his (Gramm's) point, and his point is that Sen. Hutchison ought to be a delegate," the governor said. "It is not right for people to deny her delegate status, -046 — icers believe Witt had with friends at the 7eleased from prison serving 19 months of a -ison term he received junty for delivery of i records show. it appeared Witt had but police also found on his arms . suits are pending. shoots wife, self E and killed his wife in st Harris County home killed himself, officers gt. Danny Billingsley 78, shot his 43 -year -old imes with a .38- caliber stood in the kitchen of t 5643 Ridgedale about t in a livingroom chair self in the chest. i said the victims' witF ' )ending noti- 1. ijured on bike police officer on his lining for bicycle patrol injured Monday when ris bike and was hit by Officer G. M. Storem- Assistant Police Chief mski, was riding with when he hit a pothole block of Washington n. of a U.S. Postal truck ve, but the right rear he officer. • was treated at Her - al for fractured ribs, a ng and a large facial I lards fired .e guards have been rm the Estelle Prison ;ville for allegedly hav- ith inmates, a Texas of Criminal Justice aid. ien took over in Febru- n an - -tigation after rrs( �lationships, :.an gerald said. more guards remain gation. mething we absolutely rate," Fitzgerald said. lute breach of security. iappens, and it's not an !ent." of FM 1960 about 3 a.m. Anyone with ny information on the accident is asked to call the sheriff's traffic enforcement divi- sion at 967 - 5870.1 Officer's services set Services for ouston police Offi- cer L.S. Ballesteros Jr., whose car struck a tree, will be held at 2 p.m. today at St. Christopher's Catholic Church, 8150 Park Place Blvd. Ballesteros, 23, was off -duty when he was injured r'�r the 10000 block of Interstate 45 North about 3 a.m. Sunday. He died of head and chest injuries three hours later in North- west Medical Center. He graduated from the Houston Police Academy � eb. 26 and was the son and brother -in -law of Houston police Officers L.S. Ballesteros Sr. and Adolfo Carrillo, respectively. Burial will bye in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery. Newsmen elect Chiecchi Dino Chiecchi, business editor for the San Antonio Express -News, has been elected president of the 1,600 - member National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Chiecchi, 35, a 10 -year veteran of the Express -News, will serve a two - year term. The group recognizes and offers professional advance- ment to Hispanics in the news in- dustry. Donations sought An organization called the Reagan World War II Association is seeking to raise $100,000 for a memorial honoring Reagan High School stu- dents who seryed in the military during the war. Donations may be sent to a Heights Chamber of Commerce or- gan: Greater Houston Heights Com- munity Fund, Inc./WWII, 545 W. 19th, Houston, Texas 77008. Smugglers nabbed Federal authorities may have un- covered an illegal alien smuggling operation working out of California after a woman in Houston reported a group was holding her daughter for ransom. The woman , Norma A. Santos, who originally is from El Salvador, called Houston police Friday night to report the group wanted $2,600 for her 15- year -old daughter. Agents from the FBI were called and tracked the demand calls to an stance. Gramm last week said if Hutchison was denied a spot as a voting delegate he would give up his spot as well. He said Hutchison was being victimized by "bullies" in the "'1'lle vast majority of Republicans in the state of Texas are tolerant people and good people," he said, "and I'm happy and proud to repre- sent the Republican Party of Tex- as." Tenn co launches suit over exas A &M project By GEORGE FLYNN Houston Chronic) 'Tenneco Power Generation Co. accused the CitiE s of College Station and Bryan Monday of a "campaign of interference" and political pres- sure to kill Tenn 's proposed $120 million cogener ti n project at Tex- as A &M Unvers ty. A state distri ourt suit filed in Houston by att ey Stephen Sus - man alleges t e cities and de- fendant Ense c Development Corp. of Dallas c4 nspired to inter- fere with Tenn c 's 1993 contract with the university. Enserch had joined the cities i a rival proposal. Bryan City ger Mike Conduff said the suit W4 d a a surprise and "Obviously, B �� n believes all ac tions it has take ere done in good faith and in the interests of the citizens here," Conduff said. College Station officials were un- available for comment. In 1989, A &M began examining cogeneration as way to provide cheaper energy nd heating and cooling for its acilities. In two rounds of reque is for proposals, Tenneco submitt d plans that esti- mated more thl an $110 million in EPA 01fiv pl future energy savings for the uni- versity, the suit said. It also alleged that College Station and Bryan had assembled their own team, which placed third in the proposal rankings. However, Tenneco says it ran into trouble trying to obtain tax- exempt bond financing from the Brazos River Authority or the Brazos Coun- ty Industrial Development Authori- ty, described as an initial supporter of the project. "College Station threatened that if BRA participated in financing the project, College Station would hin- der BRA's renewal of its state char- ter," the suit said. It alleges that the development authority said it was nixing any bonds because of "political pres- sure" and that "both cities were waging a negative campaign against the project." Consultants hired by A &M en- dorsed the bidding process and Ten- neco's proposal, the suit says, but the university terminated the devel- opment agreement in June 1994, after the first phase had been com- pleted. A &M's regents voted to nix the project after it became apparent that not all decisions related to the cogeneration contract had been pre- sented to the board for review. ace Tex -Tin plant on Superfund list By RUTH RENDON Houston Chronicle I TEXAS CITY -- local plant once removed from t national priority cleanup register jo hazardous waste sites is again lie g proposed for classification as Superfund site. The Environtn ntal Protection Agency annouric d Monday it is proposing to add the Tex -Tin Corp. site to the cleanup list. The list consists of uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites identified for possible long -term cleanup because of potential risks posed to human health and the environment. EPA is now recommending that the Tex -Tin site should be on the priority list because new tests con- ducted by the EPA and the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission showed soil collected from nearby residential yards had high levels of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury and zinc. The 216 -acre site is located on the southwester'h edge of the heavy industrial area of Texas City and includes a portion of two inactive industrial facilities as well as com- mercial properties and a residential neighborhood in the city of La Mar- que. Comments on placing the site on the priority cleanup list can submit- ted in writing before Aug. 16 to the 71....1...4 TT 0 1G1i]A Many municipal changes in 1 95 • u Bryan elects Stabler first new mayor in decade Bryan got its first new mayor in a decade this year when voters elected Lonnie Stabler with 52 percent on May 6. Councilmember Kandy Rose threw her hat into the ring early in the year as city hall watchers waited for Marvin Tate to decide if he will seek re -elec- tion. On March 7, Tate announced his deci- sion not to run, but STABLER said he would keep selling the city. Three days later, on a cool sunny afternoon in Heritage Park, Stabler, a sign- company owner and two -term coun- cilmen, announced he would join Rose in running for mayor. In his announcement, Stabler said he has the goal for Bryan to deliver high- Noe becomes College Staid n's city manager Wh eii George K. "Skip" Noe became College Station's city manager in July, he was no anger in town. His ughter, Jennifer, attended Texas A &M University for the year before her father ente%�,(:e a city manag- er's o n July W. To me city man- ager, Noe competed against more than 80 candidates, five semi - ' finalis s and one other fmalis . From October 1994 when City NOE Manaj eir Ron Ragland resigned, Tom Brymer served as acting city manager. Of the ' six semi - finalists, Noe is the only 1995 THE YEAR IN REVIEW quality, cost - effective services. Also, he said neighborhoods and businesses must have a 'communications channel giving elected officials and city staff a clear means of understanding ideas. On election day, Stabler received 2,038 votes. Rose had 1,640. A third can- didate, Darrell Gear, had 217. Only 4,201 of the 33,405 registered voters partici- pated in the mayoral election. Stabler took office three days later. one without a master's degree. "I never felt it would hurt my ability to manage," he said. Noe's experience includes three years as city manager in Kingsville, two years as deputy city manager in Fort Collins, Colo. and six years in several administrative positions in San Antonio. He eMis a salary of $97,500 a year and receive a month auto allowance. Upon ming city manager, Noe said, "The most important thing for me is to lis- ten and learn. Listening is an important a skill at tj is point. "In the final analysis, the employees are where th rubber meets the road." A DATE: UO Watch out, Jimmy Carter! few nights ago, my husband answered our front door as some- one outside nearly broke it down. To his surprise, it was a College Statio p olice officer, who gave no Wit,= L..!_dama ndecil?14t- _ q uest - u�ai my husband must give him his drivers licence. Later, after the ticket was written, my husband learned that he was fined because our dog barked at a wild rabbit running freely through our fenced Back yard. Dog barking is a I fine. My dog, Major, is a sweet, friendl Ind quiet lab that only barks at strange people or animals which invad his territory —the back yard. These rabbits have been a problem for some `" time(one of the rabbits bit my dog). Since he has had an unpleasant expe- rience with at least one rabbit, my dog tries to chase them away. I have spoken to a College Station imal control officer about the rab- its (last October) but the city has failed to do its job which would be to place the rabbits in a more suitable environment. These rabbits have napped at me, bitten the previous ten - ts and eaten all of m y pansies clear to W-4.0- They also defecate on my 19%:V rW husband and I both are very offended by this ticket. We are in no way negligent as we do not encourage these rabbits to stay around our home. We have even installed an electric fence but it has not been successful in deter- ring them away. How do you explain to a dog not to protect his home and fami- ly? We feel that the police officer who issued this ticket did so very unprofes- sionally. If the College Station Police Department would spend less time harassing good, quiet, law abiding resi- dents and more time fighting crime, my husband and I would no longer need a dog to protect our home. The City of College Station has no right to ticket us because it has failed to be thorough in its duty to control these rabbits. Why doesn't it run the rabbits out of town instead of its resi- dents? KAREN TADLDCK College Station Watch out, Jimmy darter!.;; few+ of is gh ago, my husband answered our front door as some - one outside nearly broke it down. To his surprise, it was a College Station police officer, who gave no explanation but demanded (not request- ed) that my husband must give him his drivers licence. Later, after the ticket was written, my husband learned that he was fined because our dog barked at a wild rabbit running freely through our fenced Back yard. Dog barking is a z $190 fine. My dog, Major, is a sweet, friendly and quiet lab that only barks at *strange people or animals which invade his territory —the back yard. These rabbits have been a problem for some time(one of the rabbits bit my dog). Since he has had an unpleasant expe -: • rience with at least one rabbit, my dog tries to chase them away. I have spoken to a College Station animal control officer about the rab. bits (last October) but the city has failed to do its job which would be to place the rabbits in a more suitable environment. These rabbits have snapped at me, bitten the previous ten- ants and eaten all of my pansies clear to: ' the ground They also defecate on my front porch. My husband and I both are very offended by this ticket. We are in no = way negligent as we do not encourage these rabbits to stay around our home. We have even installed an electric fence but it has not been successful in deter - ' ring them away. How do you explain to r a dog not to protect his home and fami- ly? We feel that the police officer who issued this ticket did so very unprofes- sionally. If the College Station Police Department would spend less time - harassing good, quiet, law abiding resi- dents and more time fighting crime, my husband and I would no longer need a dog to protect our home. The City of College Station has no right to ticket us because it has failed to be thorough in its duty to control these rabbits. Why doesn't it run the rabbits out of town instead of its resi- dent? KAREN TADLOCK College Station muni • t newspaper since 1966 January 4, 1996 WEvEO dnx N City of Bryan ue s: �y new image campaign to prom o�e diversity 3 The Shapiro-Small Agency re- cently unveiled the City of Bryan's new image campaign "Together in Bryan." Mir The Plano -based firm was hired to create and produce the campaign in order to promote a positive awareness of the city. Scheduled to break in I January 1996, the 0 advertising and public relations ef- fort includes television and radio spots, print ads and a public rela- tions coin onent which will be kicked off at a "Together in Bryan" open house at the Bryan Municipal Building in early January. The campaign was developed us- _` ing research'results obtained from a two -phase s�udy conducted by the a agency. The,survey guaged current perceptions about Bryan from both BI Bryan and I ollege Station resi- dents. Phase,I of the research con- sisted of in -depth surveys with community leaders in both Bryan flowers with the headline "We're and College Station, while Phase II planting seeds for the future," while was compiled through a telephone another in the series is of a group survey of 400 Bryan and College of people from various occupations Station residents chosen at random. with their arms linkede hea The,_ ov erall campaign addresses reads Were s oti '�lyalTfr. i. - results of the Survey which point to The remainin headlines include specific areas bf concern or interest. "We're educati g future leaders," Among these are: overall appear- "We're all playi g our part," "We're ance, education, crime, city gov- watching out', our other" and ernment, downtown revitalization, , We're holdin on to our tradi- employment, residential develop- tions." All mod Is used in all of the ment, retail /restaurant /recreation/ ads are Bryan re idents. culture and cultural diversity. Three televsi n spots were pro - "The image campaign has ex- duced for the 'c mpaign which an- ceeded our expectations, and is right swer the questo , "Why is Bryan a on target," said Joe Brown, com- great place to li a ?" Answers range munity relations director for the from "We're pa sionate about ur City of Bryan "Our vision is that dreams" which s ows a local ball 'Together in Bryan' will promote Tina practicing ier art to "We've pride in our community as well as built a city in !st p with the times, highlight all of the city's positive with a history' all its own" which aspects. Bryan in unique, and this shows one of Bryan's historic campaign will help us deliver that homes. All footage was shot on message." location in Bryan The print campaign features a se- The radio carat aign also answers ries of six ads which promote the the question of why ur.,.,., - ____. city's schools, businesses, services and parks, among other positive aspects. Both spots, however, remit the same conclusion: that the peo- ple of Bryan make the difference. Y "We rite roud of the work we have prb the city thus far;' said Florence Shapiro, principal of the agency. "As a progressive community, the city of Bryan shows tremendous foresight by promoting the city's strengths and Positive attributes. The City Council should be commended on this aggressive undertaking which - will result in positive exposure for the city." A preview party to kick off tlie. image campaign is planned I Bryan's Municipal Building (dateio' be announced) where all compo- nents of the campaign can &: viewed by the public. Mayor Lori -' nie Stabler, members of the City Council, city staff members and representatives from The �w A D istrI 0 a • • 0 �ovu�an,�. 4 1qq/P Judge's ruling has both sides claiming victory Latest development in 'Bryan vs. College Station bfectricity feud By Mark Beal Managing Editor Last week's decision by Federal District Judge Nancy Atlas not to impose a temporary linjunction in the ongoing °lectricity, feud between the cities of Bryan and College Station has both municipalities claiming victory. The cities are locked in a dispute over the cost of transmitting elec- tricity to College Station from a third party using Bryan's power lines. On Jan. 1, the City of College Station ceased purchasing its power from the Texas Mun`cipal Power Agency (TMPA), whi h is operated by Bryan and four other Texas i :Electricit from p. 1A : The City of College Station is- -sued a press release stating that "during final arguments, the Court t : :onvinced the City of Bryan's : ttorney to have Mike Conduff . . ;sign the Remote Control Area Load t ;Agreement which will allow Texas t :Utilities Electric Company to pro - p ride service to College Station on :tan. 1, 1996." r : No mention of coercion on the ;hart of the Court is mentioned in -statements coming from the City of Bryan, but assurances are made that the juice will flow, contract or not. "Of course, we will not interfere ith the transmission of power if n agreement has not been reached y midnight Dec. 31]," Conduff :says. "Our commitment to our .neighbors in College Station is to :keep the electricity flowing." i cantly lower than previous rates. Noe says that Bryan should base its rates on the new guidelines rather than on existing rate schedules. In mid - December, the City of College Station filed for an injunc- tion in Federal Court in Houston requesting the court to issue an or- der preventing Bryan and TMPA from interfering with the flow of electricity, even without an agree- ment on wheeling rates. On Dec. 27, Judge Atlas denied the motion, stating that Bryan had already promised not to interfere with the flow of power to College Station. Thus the victory dances in both camps. see Electricity feud, p.5A feud i the meantime, both sides are lacing a commitment to 3tiations. throughout this process, Bryan repeatedly tried to settle this ter through good -faith negotia- s. We remain committed to that :ess," Conduff says. Ne have always been open to onable proposals to settle this ,er," Noe says. cities, and begin pur from Texas Utilities Electric Company (which goes by the nfortunate abbreviations "T.U. ") However, � Irom to get that electricity T.U. to College Station, it has to pass through Bryan's powlet lines in a process known as I" heeling." Bryan city manager hrli e Conduff says the City of Brya s charging standard rates.for h eling, but College Station city manager Skip Noe claims they are t%0 and a half times the appropriatel rates set by the Public Utility C. mission of Texas (PUCT). At issue is how to define "standard rates." The PUCT is cur- rently considering a ne rate sched- ule for wheeling, whiph is signifi- :Electricit from p. 1A : The City of College Station is- -sued a press release stating that "during final arguments, the Court t : :onvinced the City of Bryan's : ttorney to have Mike Conduff . . ;sign the Remote Control Area Load t ;Agreement which will allow Texas t :Utilities Electric Company to pro - p ride service to College Station on :tan. 1, 1996." r : No mention of coercion on the ;hart of the Court is mentioned in -statements coming from the City of Bryan, but assurances are made that the juice will flow, contract or not. "Of course, we will not interfere ith the transmission of power if n agreement has not been reached y midnight Dec. 31]," Conduff :says. "Our commitment to our .neighbors in College Station is to :keep the electricity flowing." i cantly lower than previous rates. Noe says that Bryan should base its rates on the new guidelines rather than on existing rate schedules. In mid - December, the City of College Station filed for an injunc- tion in Federal Court in Houston requesting the court to issue an or- der preventing Bryan and TMPA from interfering with the flow of electricity, even without an agree- ment on wheeling rates. On Dec. 27, Judge Atlas denied the motion, stating that Bryan had already promised not to interfere with the flow of power to College Station. Thus the victory dances in both camps. see Electricity feud, p.5A feud i the meantime, both sides are lacing a commitment to 3tiations. throughout this process, Bryan repeatedly tried to settle this ter through good -faith negotia- s. We remain committed to that :ess," Conduff says. Ne have always been open to onable proposals to settle this ,er," Noe says. 1 By Mark Beal Managing Editor rM �i ow cities, and begin purchasing' from Texas Utilit es Electric Company (which o'.4 b th f Last week's decision by Federal g y e un ortunate abbreviation "T.U. "). However, to District Judge Nancy Atlas not to get that electricity from T.U. to impose a temporary injunction in the ongoing electricity feud between College Sia ion, it has to pass through Bryan's power lines in a the cities of Bryan and College Station has ,:both municipalities process known as "wheeling." city nager Mike claiming victory. . The cities.are locked in a dispute ,Bryan Conduff says the City of Bryan is charging . ver the cost of transmitting elec- standard rates for wheeling, but College Station city manager Skip tricity to College Station from a, Noe claims t ey are two and a half third party using: Bryan's power lines. timesrthe ap ropriate rates set by On Jan. 1, the City of College the Public U ility Commission of Texas (PUCT 1. Station ceased purchasing its power -, h0M ahe Texas Municipal Power At issue is how to define "standard Agency (TMPA), which is operated rates." The PUCT is rently considering.a new rate sched ` ¢y Bryan_: and four other Texas ule for wheeling, which is signifi- Ele P. 1A The City of College Station is- sued a press release stating that "during final arguments, the Court convinced the City of Bryan's g1torney to have Mike Conduff ... sign the Remote Control Area Load Agreement which will allow Texas Utilities Electric Company to pro- vide service to College Station on Jran. 1, 1996." No mention of coercion on the part of the Court is mentioned in statements coming from the City of Bryan, but assurances are made that the juice will flow, contract or not. "Of course, we will not interfere with the transmission of power if apt agreement has not been reached [by midnight Dec. 31]," Conduff says. "Our commitment to our neighbors in College Station is to keep the electricity flowing." In the meantime, declaring a cot negotiations. both sides are tmitment to Throughout' process, Bryan has repeatedly'' tried to settle this matter through 'good -faith negotia- tions. We remain committed to that process," Condu says. "We have alw ys been open to reasonable prop als to settle this matter," Noe says em I CLINIC, G LLEGE STATION Allergy symptoms got you stuffy? Call 691-EIRG for the Daily Pollen Count 24 Ho A Day cantly lower than previous rates. Noe says that Bryan should base its rates on the new guidelines rather than on existing rate schedules. In mid - December, the City of College Station filed for an injunc- tion in Federal Court in Houston requesting the court to issue an or- der preventing Bryan and TMPA from interfering with the flow of electricity, even without an agree- ment on wheeling rates`. On Dec. 27, Judge Atlas denied the motion, stating that Bryan had already promised not to interfere with the flow of power to College Station. Thus the victory dances in both camps. see Electricity feud, p.5A • The College Station Police Department wants you. The department is seeking applicants for the upcoming Citizon Police Academy. Applications may be pickup at the police department in the orris sec- tion Mondays through Frid4ys from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by mail i by calling Officer W.L. Sayers at 7643573. Applications will be limited to the first 30 qualified applications and they will not be accepted after 5 p.m. on Jan. 26. Classes will start on Feb. 6 and will be held 7 -10 p.m. every Tuesday through April 30. Topics include weapons � �.ing, use of force, uniform patrol, internal affairs, traffic laws, accidedt investiga- tion, communications, crirri' al inves- tigations, special operations (S.W.A.T.), criminal law, the court system, crime scene investigations, gangs and nar- cotic . CS Citizen's Police Academy seeks a few good residents In Town College station to enforce trash law 11 E Laziness can lead to legal troubles in College Station. Anyone who leaves his tra sit cart on the curb too long in Colle a Station can be fined for violating a c Ity ordi- nance. The City of College Station will enforce its trash cart removal ordi- nance with citations for non-compli- ance, city officials said. The city's municipal court handles the cases. The ordinance require people remove their trash carts r m the pick -up point within 12 ho f trash collection. The ordinance was designE d to help decrease parking and traffi hazards and to prevent trash from being spilled all over the place. • 1 � u X h e Pr 5S 7 .II,199fo CS officials urge r sidents to remove carts withi 12 hours 1948, fa�lure to do so could result in a citation for non - compliance. The rpose of this ordinance is to prot� p t citizens from driving and parkin azards, exposure to carts full o rash being spread over yards, t eets or driveways and gen- erally to keep the community at- to City Ordinance tra PAS 4 A'''` -. I 1 The College Station City Coun- cil., the Community Appearance Committee and the Public Services Department are urging College Station residents to remember to remove trash carts from the point of collection within 12 hours of trash collection service. College Station The City of Bryan fired the third round in a legal battle over electricity against College Station in U.S. District Court in Houston on Wednesday. Bryan filed suit against its southern neighbor, claiming the city is unlawfully using Bryan's electric transmission lines. Bryan Mayor Lonnie Stabler said the latest filing is merely to help the city pro- tect its „position in the courts in case the twpt es. cannot negotiate a rate that College Station should pay for using the Bryan electricity transmission lines. 0 He said he would like to sit down with Mayor Larry Ringer and College Station officials and negotiate a rate. Squabbling over electricity erupted between the two cities last year after College Station decided to buy electricity from Texas Utilities Electric rather than from Bryan, which is a partner in the Texas Municipal Power Agency. The power must still flow through Bryan lines to get to College Station and the two cities are arguing over how much that should cost. Both cities have since been at pains to point out that the legal wrangling poses no threat to electricity supply in either city. electric B on the first round in October when B azos County District Court Judge . . Langley ruled void an agree- ment een the two cities concerning electri s rvice to unincorporated areas. In N v tuber, the Bryan City Council pro rate for electric transmission servic at College Station officials thought N as too high. In mid- December, College S ation tried to enforce its claim in U.S istrict Court in Houston. On Dec. 2i, Judge Nancy Atlas denied College S tion's request to force Bryan to reduce he rate. Bryan won round two. Following Atlas' ruling against College Station, Bryan offered College Station a temporary lower rate. Skip Noe; city manager ' of College Station, said he wants a permanent low rate. "I don't intend to debate this issue in the media,” he said. "We have a filing with the federal agency that can set the rates. We intend to pursue and protect our position, just like I expect Bryan to protect theirs. "We'll let the authorities that are out- side our set area it and it will be a rate I that is fair." When asked if College Station would negotiate, Noe said, "That's still possible. Our last offer to them is substantially more than what we started out with and Bryan's position has not changed." S Ih Northgate future for From Al Northgate? CS council approves master plan for area By TODD BERGMANN Eagle Staff Writer Picture parking your car in the ulti- story lot, going for an evening stroll C the Promenade in College Station, )w shopping, then pausing for a beside the Northgate fountain` A dream today, but not a far - fetched scene, planners think. Under a master plan for the Norte� gate area, approved unanimously by College Station City Council on Thursday ght, it could all be in place before too long. The plan calls for an upgrade appear- ance for Northgate, the shopping and social center that adjoins Texas A &M University on the north. Planners visualize Northgate with have a 200 -room hotel, a 500 -car parking garage, a promenade paralleling University Drive, thousands of a art- ments for students and a large park. Councilman Hub Kennady has led the drive for an upgraded appearance for Northgate. "I am pleased the city council is consid- ering this it's number one priority," he said Thursday. Kenneday and other council members have long thought that the current appearance of Northgate is unfitting r a key commercial area next to such a major university. Earlier this week, Joseph A. Pob' er, consultant for the planning firm, f uth, Obata & Kassenbaum, Inc of outlined the basic features of the o the council. Patricia Street would become a prome- nade or plaza for people to gather for events and for people to walk to stores, . The plan provides for an increase in Please see NORTHGATE, page A8 from the current 100,000 square feet to 160,000 square feet. On what is now a mud lot between North�a e and the Albertson's sho i g center on South College Avon ie, would rise a hotel, a parkin arage, a con- ference center a apartments and more retail space. Pobiner suggests the hotel have 200 to 300 rooms. A hotel of this sort would pros- per near the un iversity with sporting events and conferences, he said. North of the shopping center the plan proposes condominium housing for students in the area along Cross Avenue. It would be two or three story s tall. "This is housing that students could purchase, 1'v in for four years and hopefully sell at a prof- it," Pobiner said. In addition to housing for tradi- tional students, the area would contain housing for married stu- dents and Texas A employees. Further back wou,d be a park, which would rur from Hensel Park to the churc ie s area north of Northgate. Private investment as well as state and federal grants and vari- ous tax procedures could be used to pay for the plan, Pobiner said. But he stressed: "It should be self The state and city governments and Texas A &M University must all participate for the plan to become reality, he said. The state and city governments must improve streets and side- walks in the area, Pobiner said. "If you drive in Northgate, most of the streets are falling apart," he said. He also said Texas A &M needs to sell land it owns north of University Drive to developers in order to make the plan work. With more business, more apartments and a street becom- ing a plaza, the area will need more parking, he said. The city, the university or private develop- ers could build a multi -level park- ing lot for 500 to 600 cars, Pobiner said. Kennady said, "After a year of work by the steering committee and the consultants, this is a workable plan. We can do a lot of Positive things with Northgate, just as Bryan has done with its downtown." Bicycles banned on George Bush Drive N Pedestrians and pedal hers are prohibited on George Bush Drive, at least until construction ends there. Signs will go up on Tuesday pro- hibiting bicycle and foot traffic along the construction zone on rge Bush Drive, which is FM 2347. The College Station City Council passed the temporary ordinance Thursday and police officers ers will enforce it. Construction to widen the targeted strip, between Marion Pugh E rive and FM 2818, is expected to lasts out two years. "Our contractor has re ed that some cyclists and joggers travel- ing down the road by using e top of the narrow concrete barrie which divides traffic from the co truction area," said Pat Williams, area engi- neer of the Texas Depart ent of Transportation. "That barrier was not designed for that type of use. he trav- el lanes are also more narrow now, and the shoulders have been eliminat- ed during construction." draws fire in College Station C By TODD BERGMANN Eagle Staff Writer College Station City Councilwoman Nancy Crouch says she opposes a planned restaurant across the road from A &M Consolidated High School because it will sell alcohol. Developers got a green light this week to build the restaurant and a gas station on the southeast CDmer of FM 2818 and Welsh Avenue. The city council approved a zoning change for the property and Crouch cast the lone opposing , ote. After the meet' g, Crouch, a former high school teacher who has said she will run for mayor, sai she opposed the zon- ing change because it would allow on- premises sales of alcohol. State law prohibits sales of alcohol within 300 feet of a school. But the law provides for a "cr way of measuring 300 feet," Crouch said. One has to measure from the front door of the school to the road, then along the road and then to the front door of the store or restaurant, she said. She said she is afraid the restaurant might prove to be too much of a tempta- tion to students and said she fears it would make it too easy for older people to buy alcohol for under -age students. The College Station school district also objected to the zoning change for safety Alcohol From Al aters, nightclubs, group housing, fraternity and sorority houses and on- premises consumption of alcohol. Jeff Runge, representing the developers of the property, which would be called Coastal Mart, told reasons a d because school officials believe the restaurant would provide a temptation o cut classes. "I reco e the need for economic developme t," said David Neal, the dis- trict's assis a it superintendent for busi- ness and "I get irritated when those people say, `Oh, but noi i i my back yard. "' But this z ing change involves a more important i s e, Neal said: our children. Opening the store would add more safety haz ds to an already busy inter- section, he id. But Sabir e Kuenzel, senior planner for the city, s , Lid pedestrian traffic at the intersectio would increase anyway once a new library opens across FM 2818 from the sc ol. Also, the proposed restaurant and gas station are co risistent with the city policy of allowing commercial development at intersectioi s of major roads, she said. Until Th day, the property had been zoned C -3, i rl. ich allowed for off - premises sales of a. car washes, storage, garages, re it 31, retail sales and services and plants s. The new ning is C -1. This allows for all C -3 uses a well as arenas, automobile sales, bowl alleys, restaurants, com- mercial amusements, dormitories, drive - in sales, hardware stores, hotels, boat and mobile home sales, printing, the Please see ALCOHOL, page A8 the council that "on- premises consumption of alcohol is not what we are striving for." He offered to place deed restric- tions on the property prohibiting on- premises consumption of alco- hol. Two or more adjoining property owners must agree to the deed restrictions. The city owns adjoining land as a site for a pro- posed library. But the council may not require deed restrictions as part of a zon- ing approval. City Attorney Cathy Locke said the city and the developers might want to record the deed restric- tions at the courthouse and allow the council to approve the zoning request at a later meeting. But Runge said, "We cannot finalize financing until we get zoning." After the council approved the zoning change, it asked city staff to try to put deed restrictions in place. High - school neighbor's plan CS Mayor Ringer M s calling It quits C C Potential successors By TODD BERGMANN Eagle Staff Writer College tation Mayor Larry Ringer will not se k re- election for the position he has hel for a decade, and potential successors eady are lining up. "At this - time in my career, I've decid- ed not to run," said Ringer, 58, who moved to College Station in 1966 and was first elected to the city council in 1976. He became mayor in 1986. Ringer is a statistics professor and assistant department head at Texas A &M University. In 1994, Ringer was re- elected in a landslide, ith 74 percent of the vote against challenger Patrick Siegert. Siegert said he has given some thought to the prospect of running for mayor, but made no plans. "I would congratulate Larry for the many years he has put into the council," Siegert, 41, aid of the mayor. While R ger's last challenger says he is still th' ing about it, both female members o the city council said they intend to n in for the vacant seat in the May 4 elect on. College Station has never had a female mayor. Councilw man Nancy Crouch, 53, said she will make an announcement at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the College Station Conference Center. Mayor Pro Tem Lynn McIlhaney, a 46- year -old homemaker, said she will announce at a later date details about her campaign and her reasons for running. In 1986 McIlhaney ran for mayor and lost to Ringer, 1,336 votes to 1,639 votes. Mcllhaney has been on the council for 12 of the past 13 years and she has been mayor pro tern for two years. ready lining up " this time in my career, 1 decided n t to run." LARRY RINGER Mayor of College Station Bch is a former teacher and has businesswoman for 19 years. She tly sells nutrition products and usly ran a cleaning service. In I outh ran for re- election unop- She has been on the council for six W ien asked why she is running, Crouch said, "I am enthusiastic about College Station. I would offer my skills and talent to help College Station reach its g s." F' ' g dates for the office of mayor and three of six council seats are Feb. 19 through March 20. Crouch and Councilmen Hub Kennady and Larry Mar i t are up for re- election this year. The new mayor and council will take offic n May 9. ne who has lived College Station for a year and is a registered voter may run fo mayor or city council. Candidates do not need to get signa- tures or pay a fee to run. may pick up information packets starox,g Friday at the city secretary's officle. Mediocre Movies VEN' _ a ': _ — Swift: B-CS theaters offer students n c ndauer. Salespeople oipus Wi I tell students�l " 'the (�!leri's Basketball.Team� poor movie selections. anything to earn their commission. - _ recorded their first SW� wirf Aggielife, Page 4 pinion, Page 9 Sports, Page 7 y - 1.07 A Tir A ages) I Serving T.=Ad'M Univmiiy Sinee 1893 ` J (,Ln _ ZZ, 19y(o Monday • J. y 'o A finalized redevelopment plan . will be completed in the next few weeks. By Heather Pace THE BATTAuoN The - College Station City Council approved . Northgate- Devitalization and Redevelop - meat: Plan *Jan. 11, . but Northgate business ' are angry and uncertain about the . plan's benefits... , . . -Although threle official community meetings and. numerous unofficial meetings were held last semester aped in the summer, business owners said them input concerning changes to Northgate has been ignored. A concrete, detailed Northgate plan will be :finalized in the neat few weeks, and starting `dates'.for many of the plan's facets are sched- uled t0 begin thi summ er. e first changes will include renovation of niversity Dr. sidewalk and facade im- ements to Campus Photo and University B rnie Gessner, owner of Aggie Cleaners, sa the plan reflects what designers feel is bet for Northgate. Th e planners and the city have essentially decided they don't like Northgate the way it is,' Gas ner said. "They really haven't gotten any in x t .from the people at Northgate and have p much ignored what we have said." ssner said the major problem with the pl is that it loses sight of Northgate's main 'Their vision for Northgate is to make it a wonderful, cutesy shopping center, . and that s not what Northgate is; it's a ser- vice center for the students,' he said. T dd McDaniel, Northgate project coordina- to said renovation plans change the focus of - see Northgate, Page 6 '1` An L urda At fal a Ap, ~sresid( .. -Start By )oha ±* Bel its h '^ solved -'student ,dence,b In November, four teams of architecture professionals, a itecture students, 'a�chitecture professors. and Hou: local merchants developed sketches of a potential future! orthgate. This sketch, aspects of which May _ cent. of or may not be incorporated into a final design, creates a public space behind the bars on University Dr.. signed resident ►itdlization P. !Vt e- : n. Za` all Street Journal 1 student rates send in low or for faster service ;00 -2BUY -WSJ )m EastemTime Mon. -Fri. for $33 00 x JU[,' Srex _zip Gcadt a6m dae Charge to mr O AMEX O VISA lub Expiradon date t BALL JOURNAL saes loun,al zoo a,mea Road, chi w., MA olo2o . 'J"R.Kr" . arQ • d and adpin the ooaamWU 76a "FSft�bli»hed YL tiietveity�Vugir liu°in[ ppa Alpha is an international men's fraternity with 207 chapters and colonies at col - Ieges throughout the United ptates and Canada. on Continued from Page 1 Northgate only so much a, 1 elude everyone, not just stu - I'd like to see a focus o. interested parties," Mc E said. "We don't want to c the character of Northg t much that students wo l feel comfortable." McDaniel said renovation benefit College Station by �r ing Northgate's unique n 'We feel like we have 4 in place that is doable_ an4 r Jstic,'- he . said, - And we ale irig:to continue forward. ";. But some business r disagree with McDanie� greet the plan with resentm because they foresee lqs their businesses. Robert Forrest, own�i Sarge's, said that none off' Northgate business owners �fq Yin has`ta" lked to "like the changes to come. "No one I've talked to is very sold on the plan," Forrest said. "Some of us are afraid we are go- ing to be run out because of ex- in- pensive retail space." nts Many business owners said i all the City Council is out of niel touch with what citizens want and need. a s O It does not understand that in't Northgate's business comes from the students, Forrest said, will and that business will dwindle eet- . if the plan comes to fruition. -"Me City Council is not get - ilan tan go g the message," Forrest said. 'Its going'to look nice, but, oth- e-rwise, I' don't see any benefits." ''' McDaniel, however, said ers business owners seem to like nd . the Plan. nt Busi - ness owners 'are very i positive, although. they want to protect their interests, 'which I of can understand," .McDaniel the said'. 'We want a Northgate he that suits not only them, but College Station 1h general." "My room but there we man said. and messy n Sawa over 1 HONOLi thorny issue luctant Legi; all 50 states men to mar, marry womei Prodded i mission's 5 -: urging legali riage, Hawa who just ove to, Van same - fresh debase this election -There is this one vote fully watchec legislature: dreds of tl Americans. f the Constitu ally agree t other's statu permits and tions to cou marriage lice .. ..t .. - S p <J O a1 i 1Ua LC;*f i s 'n°� 1 Quantity Limited to stockon hand z` 4 �< •�Gt' - a r ' �" ' x • Prices include assembly 1 �� . 6 ? _ _ yr, Y free,minor adjustmen .:4 IMENOMMENNErp-w7f 10 ��/ ! FuIl Suspension Mountain 555 `c a _ Pr 1C1 ices .;:629 = r Eft , Attack , LJ I _ tWF600 & shock Front Susj YxwE a na: .tbW _ . FS00 Head Sock Front Suss ' x F400 = Rock Shoji Front SuspE M400 - Prices Starti M200 A t DATE: -jam ZLf, 19 9 C:v ;Lower electric' bmilst Id be on the may S Ciry Council to consider reduction average of 10.5 percent By TODD BERGMANN stopped buying electricity from the City of Eagle staff writer Bryan and the Texas Municipal Power electricity Electric rates, hour' mg and rural zoning from Texas Utilities lectriclIInc h' highlight the College Station City Council In addition, some small businesses will agendas this week. no longer pay a peak demand surcharge At 4 p.m. today at city hall, city staff will and large businesses may receive an off. present details about plans to reduce elec. peak discount. tric rates for all its customers. However, all customers will continue to City officials have released limited pay $7 a month service charge for each bill. details on the rate reduction. if the council In housing matters, the council will hear approves the rate reduction plan during from the city's ad hoc housing task force. -its meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, rates will Members of the committee consist of go down an average of 10.5 percent. " homeowners, apartment residents, real Both meetings will be at city hall, 1101 S Vexas estate and banking professionals and con - Ave. The Thursday meeting sultants from Texas A&M. includes a time for public comment. The task force will recommend the city The city can make this reduction make efforts to encourage affordable hous- because it is now paying lower wholesale ilt- "!Affordable costs for electricity. On Jan. 1, the city housing includes houses cost. ing or less and apartments with monthly rent of $300 or less for one bed- room, IWO or less for two bedrooms and $650 a Im nth or less for three bedrooms. The uncil will consider one step to p a affordable housing during its night meeting. The city plans to donate a vacant lot at 1111 Detroit St. to Habitat 13r Humanity. Using olunteers, Habitat for Humanity should omplete a house within 18 months, 3 ity Manager Skip Noe said. For ple living in houses recently annexed to the city, the council will con- sider Zt o , , n g two new zoning classifica- tions. Pro wners in both zones would be exemp urban-t ype laws, such as those requiring permits for farm animals and those prohibiting tall grass and weeds. "It does not make sense to apply the lit- eral, normal, urban-type standards to these type of rural areas," Noe said. One proposed classification is A -OR for new rural subdivisions. These subdivi. sions must have at least 100 acres and a 1. acre minim lot size. The other is A -0X for existing rural areas. It would require a minim lot size of two acres. The Planning and Zoning Committpe involved people living in the rural areas which the city annexed last year in treat. ing the new classifications, Noe said. "We hope they are satisfied," he said. "We'll know at tomorrow night's hearing whether they are satisfied." If the council approves the new classTii- cations Thursday, this action does not rezone the property. The council will have to rezone rural property at a later date. Lf DATE: UU L�19q0 in Town &Texa Meeting will addr widening Texas Ave ue E hConstruction is expected to begin late t,tP month to widen Texas Avenue to lanes m College Station, and a pub- pre-construction meeting is sched- uAed for 9 a.m. Friday at the College Stion Conference Center to discuss the construction contract details. •Area Engineer Pat Williams of the Texas Department of Transportation says both TxDOT representatives and representatives from the contractor Will participate in the meeting. ;Young Contractors, Inc. of Waco was % ,arded the $4.8 million contract for as Avenue in late November. "This meeting is to review the widen- ing plans with the contractor," Williams said. "We'll discuss the con - tcactor's work plan, the necessary utili- ty.adjustments, the traffic control plan aiid all the other issues related tot he contract." Work is expected to commence on *as Avenue by the end of the month W will take more than two years to celnplete. r. DATE: Tcl Neutral Posture gets its grant despite critics By TODD BERGMANN Eagle staff writer Bryan City Council has ratified a $75,000 city grant to Neutral Posture Ergonomics despite cries from crit- ics of "No corporate welfare." The council approved the concept of the grant two weeks ago and the actual terms this week. In both cases, Councilman Dan Galvin cast the only no vote. This week, Galv amended the contract to require that the chair - maker at least annually document its compliance with the contract on the .grant. The contract r quires Neutral Posture Ergonomics to buy a build- ing at 3904 N. Texas Ave. and employ at least 21 people there for seven years. Objections to the grant voiced at the city council meeting Tuesday included a complaint by Br busi- Please see GRANT, Page A6 Grant From Al nessman James Stasny. "I started a business 10 years ago when I was unemployed. I didn't get a handout," he said. "I am getting real tired of my taxes going to pay for corporate welfare," he said. "Instead of going out and earning money for myself, I have to earn money to pay other businesses." Stasny said his 41 employees agree with him. i Area cities did not start giving tax breaks and cash grants to businesses until 1989. Another objector, Don Plitt, said Bryan has many attributes to attract businesses and does not have to give them money. These include access to Texas A&M, good public schools, a rural community in an urban setting and a location be ween Dallas, Houston and Austin, he said. But the council approved cr is for giving incentives to businesses enterft the commu- nity or expanding here. State law requires the city council approve this criteria every two years. The new criteria include no substantial changes om the exist- ing criteria, said City Manager Mike Conduff. . Incentives include tax abatezn ts, free land or cash incentives. The business must expand the tax base, must create permanent full-time jobs and must not be environmental or esthetically detrimental. In a related matter, Mike Holmgreen, presi- dent of Bryan- College Station Chamber of Commerce, asked the council for $75,000 over three years to pay off the chamber's debt on its building. In 1992 and 1993, the chamber paid to finish an incomplete building at 4001 E. 29th St. in exchange for 10 years of free rent. The cham- ber still has $200,000 in debt from that project. Local financial and health care institutions have pledged to contribute to the debt- retire- ment, Holmgreen said. He said the chamber will ask the City of College Station, Texas A &M and Brazos County to contribute to debt retirement,. "The Chamber of Commerce provides a broad base of support for both communities, the county and everyone involved," Holmgreen said. Conduff said the city has funds in its cur- rent budget for the first payment. CS. power users might plug h savings. City council could take action tonight orb putting electricity bills By TODD BERGMANN Eagle staff writer College Station electric users will pay less on their electric bills in February if the city council approves a rate decraase plan tonight. If the council approves the rate reduc- tion at its 7 p.m. meeting at city hall, 1101 S. Texas Ave., customers will find infor- mation in their February bill about how much their individuals bills may yX - ase. reductions will range from 6 to 13 1.. _ at depending on the class of service and the amount of electricity used ' city Manager Skip Noe told the city comicil Wednesday. Residential customers will saw an average of 9 percent on energy use. But they still will have to pay a $7 monthly service charge, even if they use no elec- tricity. The rate decreases are part of a tivnd that started in 1986, Noe said. In 1986, the average monthly ele tric bill was $81.74. Now it is $73.69, he said. With the proposed reductions, the aver- age monthly electric bill would drop to $67.43. "We'll be able to pass substantial savings through to all types of customers." S ;anager NOE College Station city "The reason the rates have consistently over a 10- year -pi wise use of all those fuel c tions," Noe said in an intervi Business customers have a tern in rate reductions,.he sa: For instance, the average ness had a monthly electric b' in 1986. The current bill is $ council adopts the plan, snu bills would drop to $83.10. In addition, some small ar sized businesses will no long pay a high -demand surcharge These business used a high electricity one -month a year 1 had to pay the surcharge me down od is the is reduc- nilar pat - iall busi- of $i18.24 92. If the business medium - have to mount of heat but electrical consultant Jimmy McCord told the council. Schools and businesses that use less electricity from 5 to 8 p.m. will receive off -peak discounts if they apply for them. All reduced rates reflect the city's cost of electricity, Noe and McCord said. The city can make these reduction because it is now paying lower wholesale costs for electricity, Noe said. On Jan. 1, the city stopped buying elec- tricity from the City of Bryan and the Texas Municipal Power Agency and started buying electricity from Texas Utilities Electric Inc. "We'll be able to pass substantial sav- ings through to all types of customers," Noe said in an interview. The city can provide rate reductions regardless of what happenswith legal matters involving the City of Bryan and what rates Bryan and the Texas Municipal Power Agency charge College Station for electricity transmission, he said. When asked about College Station's proposed rate reductions, Mike Conduff, city manager of Bryan, declined com- ment. Please see ELECTRICITY, Page A8 i � But College Station will use only 50 percent of its savings for current rate reduction. The city will use the other 50 percent for capital improvements. The five -year capital irr, p ove- ment plan includes placin lec- tric lines under ground, ding service to new areas, con A mct- ing new street lights and lac- ing major equipment, INVc ord said. By keeping this money n for capital improvements, th city will not have to issue bonds at a later date, Noe said. By th wise use of rate reductions, tt a city can reduce the need fu rate increases in the future, he A. "We will look at these r, t s in a year from now or in six r c nths; to see whether it is poss' 3 a to reduce the rates again," Nc a said in an interview. But the reduction will no be as large, he said. Also, the new rates reduce the number of residential rate tiers; from two to three. This a our - ages energy conservatic n by reducing discounts to large si- dential electric users, Noe 'd. "The high residential ers will not see as large of a d as the smaller •users," Noe told the council. "Instead of thE er- age 9 percent decrease they might receive a 6 p�rnt decrease." Electricity her -'side k,6 annex landO i vner s wi I be exe pt include laws requiring permits for farm animals and those prohibiting tall grass and weeds, mobile homes and parking on the lawn. Councilman Bill Fox said one ne' )or could let his yard go while the neighbors kept the r awn short. "We will create a more awkward stt ation as a result of this than what we have now," he Kee said, "The sense I got from t 11 ing to people in rural subdivisions is that deed ctions will take care of this." Marianne Oprisko, who ownB a rn bfle home on rent- ed land in the recently annexed d "Cows jump over the fence. If your grass is above a main height in the morning it's down by the time y me home." Bill Patterson, who lives in the rrecently annexed area, said people in the area are not folio the tales that new zoning would eliminate. "You should go out there and to ese people that they cannot park on their lawns and they won't listen to you," he said. Even if these properties are exempt from % lawn -park- 2-7 By TODD BERGMANN ' / Eagle staff writer People who own parts of the 4,000 acres College Station annexed last year will soon be applying for rural zoning. The city council approved two new rural zoning clas- sifications Thursday. But this action does not rezone the property. ead, people will have to apply to Planning and ning Commission to rezone their property. City Planner Jane R. Kee said she hopes all of the peo- ple apply for zoning changes at the same time. This way the commission and the city council will be able to make all the changes at the same time, she said. One new classification is A -OR for new rural subdivi- sions. These subdivisions must have at least 100 acres and a one -acre minimum lot size. The other is AX for existing rural areas. It would require a minimum Rot size of two acres. After the zoning changes, property owners ih both zones would be exempt from urban-type laws. These ing prohibitions, the city may use its nuisance ordi- nances to keep out collections of junk vehicles, Kee said. Councilman Hub Kennady asked what would happen in 10 or 15 years, when developers start changing the area from a rural to urban. ' Mayor Larry Ringer said developers would have to go through the normal process to try to rezone the property if the they want to build on smaller lots. , ; The Planning and Zoning Committee invaived�people living in the rural areas the city annexed last year in cre- ating the new classifications, Kee said. This overcomes some of the objections they raised to city annexations, she said. , During a public hearing on the ordinance to create the new classifications, no one spoke in opposition. Nancy Ha.vey, who lives in the annexed areas and participated in drafting the ordinance, said she is satis- fied with the ordinance and the process the city used to develop it. "Some of things we wanted we didn't get," she said. "But that's part of compromise." from urban -type laws IT ` he By TODD BERGMANN Eagie staff writer side of t People who own parts of the 4,000 acres College Station annexed last year will soon be applying for rura. zoning. The city council approved two new rural zo cas- sifications Thursday. But this action does not rezone the property. Instead, people will have to apply to Planning and Zoning Commission to rezone their property. City Planner Jane R. Kee said she hopes all of he peo- ple apply for zoning changes at the same time. 7 us way the commission and the city council will be able o make all the changes at the same time, she said. One new classification is A -OR for new rural ubdivi- sions. These subdivisions must have at least 1 acres and a one -acre minimum lot size. The other is -0X for existing rural areas. It would require a minimum lot size of two acres. After the zoning changes, property owners n both zones would be exempt from urban-type laws These include laws requiring permits fo those prohibiting tall grass and a and parking on the lawn. Councilman Bill Fox said one m yard go while the neighbors kept d "We will create a more awkward of this than what we have now," he Kee said, "The sense I got from rural subdivisions is that deed n care of this." Marianne Oprisko, who owns a n ed land in the recently annexed are over the fence . If your grass is abov the morning it's down by the time y Bill Patterson, who lives in the re said people in the area are not folic new zoning would eliminate. "You should go out there and to they cannot park on their lawns anc you," he said. Even if these properties are exec n urban -type laws ing prohibitions, the city may use its nuisance ordi- nances to keep out collections of junk vehicles, Kee said. Councilman Hub Kennady asked what would happen in 10 or 15 years, when developers start changing the area from a rural to urban. Mayor Larry Ringer said developers would have to go through the normal process to try to rezone the property if the they want to build on smaller lots. ;, : The Planning and Zoning Committee invOly: people living in the rural areas the city annexed last year in cre- ating the new classifications, Kee said. This overcomes some of the objections they raised to city annexations, she said. , During a public hearing on the ordinance to create the new classifications, no one spoke in opposition. Nancy Harvey, who lives in the annexed areas and participated in drafting the ordinance, said she is satis- fied with the ordinance and the process the city used to develop it. "Some of things we wanted we didn't get," she said. "But that's part of compromise." Joint efforts by qwCS bring ' more teamwork t firefighting By ASHLEY PETERSON ced r s, emergency medical service Eagle Staff Writer pro ols and command procedures hav een improved and standardized in When College Station crews had their bot epartments. hands full fighting a blaze that w to this point, Automatic Aid has destroyed , Whataburger restaurant been ighly successful, but like any new recently, cyan firefighters jumped in progr, an it is an on -going improvement to tackle a fire at Greens Prairie Road as thE cities continue to work out the and Texas 6 in South College Station. details. says Bryan Fire Chief James That kind of teamwork is part of the Blar d two cities Automatic Aid program, "T IE ability to train jointly and stan- begun last year to bring a higher level of dart many of our procedures is mak- fire protec ion to citizens no matter ing process much more effective for where they�live in Brazos County. eve ne," The idea is that both fire departments D ve Giordano, College Station assis- will share resources and thus deliver a tant Adef of operations, agrees. faster response when fires erupt — no "B having the closest available unit matter where they erupt. resp d to an emergency, both cities Bryan Fire Department and College and :heir citizens are benefitting from Station Ff e Department personnel the ources of one another," he said trained together this weekend at the Br . ran firefighters have responded to Fire Training School at Texas A &M 172 C ollege Station alarms, while University as part of the program. COlIE93 Station firefighters have Training exercises, responses responded to 168 alarms over the past between agencies, communication pro- nine onths. c Officer suspended pending results of investigation �� By TODD BERGMANN Eagle stiff writer `nesses who saw a man die t a ge Station housing project S day S`d'9'a police officer chased him, p ed her gun and shot him in the head, but police say the man shot himself. The incident is still under investiga- tion and the officer involved, D.K. Bain, has been placed on administrative leave pending the findings. Police say that is normal practice in such incidents. Joe Lee Lewis, 29, of Houston, died at Brazos Valley Medical Center after being shot with a police revolver in what all agree was a struggle at the Southgate Village housing project. Both police reports and witnesses agree that Bain and Lewis became involved in a struggle after the officer was called to the scene to deal with a man who had threatened suicide. But they differ on how Lewis died. In an official police statement, spokesman Lt. Mike Mathews said, "A struggle ensued after Joe Lee Lewis attempted to take Officer Bain's pistol. "During the struggle, Jo successfully took Officer duty weapon away from h one shot, striking himself it Earlier, in an interviei said, "During the struggle, service revolver somehc involved. There's an indical vice revolver was removed f ster." Some residents of the cc say they witnessed Lewis' different story. "She was asking him som He walked away, She_grabbe� resident Douglas Thomas, v saw the incident. He and fellow Southgate dent Lovell Mitchell said grabbed Lewis in a headloc for her revolver and shot I back of the head while he wa; When asked about these Police Chief Ed Feldman sa not consistent with what N able to get so far." Bain, who will receive her on administrative leave, did n to phone messages seeking cc Feldman said he expected t gation to be completed today. "This is unfortunate that t happen," he said. "I wish it Y pened." Police said the incident begs anonymous call from the hot plex shortly after 1 p.m. When officers responder Lewis, address unknown, the the man who later died, sai( ,ee Lewis K. Bain's and fired e head." Mathews officer's became i her ser- a her hol- who tell a n," said said he tge resi- officer reached in the nt over. "That's ve been ly while respond rent. investi- had to n't hap - with an 1g com- James )ther of foe Lee Please see SHOOTI G, Page A8 • Shootin From Al Lewis was suicidal. Police spokesman Mathews said Bain talked to Lewis, who agreed to get into the police car and go to a hospital for evalua- tion. Southgate Village residents Mike Anderson and Tosha Tucker said they saw a white female police officer and a black man running in the project. Bain is white and Lewis was black. Tucker said after the incident the officer locked herself in a police car, smoked several ciga- rettes and called for help. "She was scared," Tucker said of the officer. Additional officers and an ambulance arrived at the scene. The ambulance took Lewis to the hospital. Lewis's family could not be reached for comment. spa*s probe ;f � +•r t A flgato 3 �► - ❑College 'Station officials said ui.1996 Ham, senior marketing major, said the avet'age a residential utility bllj..' he .welcomes the.reductions because. he has will drop to $67.43 per month paid utility bills as high as 5150 per month in College Station d By Kendra S. Rasmussen THE BATrnuON When College Station consumers receive their next utilities bills, they will notice a substantial decrease in electricity rates. Peggy Calliham, city of College Station public relations and marketing manager, said the expiration of the city's contract with the Texas Municipal Power.Agency' has al- lowed the city to decrease electricity rates. When the contract, which provided Col lege Station power services through.:1990, came up for renewal in 1995* city officials de, cided to accept a bid from a power supply company with a lower rate. The city negotiated a contract with Texas Utilities, a large, well- established wholesale electricity rovider. , 'Texas tilities was al selected to provide' wholese . lectricity to College Station at an estimated Savings of $8 million annually for at least four years," she said. •"That is a. $32 million savings over what College .Station had been 1;9& ng through the pr evious con- tract with " T translate into a 9- percent. decrease for: the average residential customer and a 13- percent ase for commercial customers. - February utility bills will contain stick- . ers analyzing each household's . electricity consumption and projecting•what each household can expect to spend on ele uruig summer months. 'As long as the service stays the same, it can't be a bad idea, " -he said. "It's very rare that they drop .the rates like that. It will defi- nitely help in tlAummer months." College Station residents are not the only tones anticipating the savings. "We feel the obligation to encour- age students to call our energy of- fice to let us help them as to whys their energy bill is high. _ — Peggy cdmam . city of College Station public relattionr. and marketing manag Bill Silvis, Post Oak Mall general manager, ,aid business will get a needed break. Z am looking forward to a substantial de- ; cease, Silvis said. 'The businesses all pay or their own (electricity), . so the (savings) Pill be passed on to them as well.' Calliham said half of the savings; from he new contract will be passed directly to tility consumers. "The city has chosen to give. back_M per- ent of the savings to the customers, "_ she Eid. "The other 50 percent will be retained y the city." Some of the money must be retained for See Utility Rates, 'Page S net i A.- . ,ready by the faltaemestex, Students would receive at .least 32`��" channels and would have - the option of subscribing to premium channels . Ethernet- connections would lie m- i stalled in rooms at an estimated' rate ; i of $9 per student ;per - semester, These ` I connections would allow students rto f connect.directly. into the campus, i t puter network through their own p er- . sonal computers without ha - to _se,s r a modem: The ethernet proj ect would take about four years to complete. Ethernet connections are. Presently' . t available in a limited. number of residence See Rent, Pages i - .. rovi .e cable eth ,,. , e ch opposition to the. terms of residence hall rates in Te aces. Lyons said. fee and nega tive e "Even with the increases, we're still hey a were one of the. cheapest - universities in Lyons terms of residence hall rates in fees, we :ly where Suzanne L e • going. .Y 'ases.will Residence Hall Association p � aua ca. yay - ncrease would not rates unreasonable (460 er universities. creases, we're still st universities in RHA its reviewing bids from ca c meanies •to" install cable in all r f d nce hall rooms as - cheaply -as possi. ] at, a maximum cost of S28,per stud Per semester. All rooms on campus would be ca g � • en- . . air a ises xas se- ;f � +•r t A flgato 3 �► - ❑College 'Station officials said ui.1996 Ham, senior marketing major, said the avet'age a residential utility bllj..' he .welcomes the.reductions because. he has will drop to $67.43 per month paid utility bills as high as 5150 per month in College Station d By Kendra S. Rasmussen THE BATrnuON When College Station consumers receive their next utilities bills, they will notice a substantial decrease in electricity rates. Peggy Calliham, city of College Station public relations and marketing manager, said the expiration of the city's contract with the Texas Municipal Power.Agency' has al- lowed the city to decrease electricity rates. When the contract, which provided Col lege Station power services through.:1990, came up for renewal in 1995* city officials de, cided to accept a bid from a power supply company with a lower rate. The city negotiated a contract with Texas Utilities, a large, well- established wholesale electricity rovider. , 'Texas tilities was al selected to provide' wholese . lectricity to College Station at an estimated Savings of $8 million annually for at least four years," she said. •"That is a. $32 million savings over what College .Station had been 1;9& ng through the pr evious con- tract with " T translate into a 9- percent. decrease for: the average residential customer and a 13- percent ase for commercial customers. - February utility bills will contain stick- . ers analyzing each household's . electricity consumption and projecting•what each household can expect to spend on ele uruig summer months. 'As long as the service stays the same, it can't be a bad idea, " -he said. "It's very rare that they drop .the rates like that. It will defi- nitely help in tlAummer months." College Station residents are not the only tones anticipating the savings. "We feel the obligation to encour- age students to call our energy of- fice to let us help them as to whys their energy bill is high. _ — Peggy cdmam . city of College Station public relattionr. and marketing manag Bill Silvis, Post Oak Mall general manager, ,aid business will get a needed break. Z am looking forward to a substantial de- ; cease, Silvis said. 'The businesses all pay or their own (electricity), . so the (savings) Pill be passed on to them as well.' Calliham said half of the savings; from he new contract will be passed directly to tility consumers. "The city has chosen to give. back_M per- ent of the savings to the customers, "_ she Eid. "The other 50 percent will be retained y the city." Some of the money must be retained for See Utility Rates, 'Page S net i A.- . ,ready by the faltaemestex, Students would receive at .least 32`��" channels and would have - the option of subscribing to premium channels . Ethernet- connections would lie m- i stalled in rooms at an estimated' rate ; i of $9 per student ;per - semester, These ` I connections would allow students rto f connect.directly. into the campus, i t puter network through their own p er- . sonal computers without ha - to _se,s r a modem: The ethernet proj ect would take about four years to complete. Ethernet connections are. Presently' . t available in a limited. number of residence See Rent, Pages i - .. rovi .e cable eth ,,. , e ch opposition to the. terms of residence hall rates in Te aces. Lyons said. fee and nega tive e "Even with the increases, we're still hey a were one of the. cheapest - universities in Lyons terms of residence hall rates in fees, we :ly where Suzanne L e • going. .Y 'ases.will Residence Hall Association p � aua ca. yay - ncrease would not rates unreasonable (460 er universities. creases, we're still st universities in RHA its reviewing bids from ca c meanies •to" install cable in all r f d nce hall rooms as - cheaply -as possi. ] at, a maximum cost of S28,per stud Per semester. All rooms on campus would be ca , • en- . . air a ant n-- n -- e6 - i ;f � +•r t A flgato 3 �► - ❑College 'Station officials said ui.1996 Ham, senior marketing major, said the avet'age a residential utility bllj..' he .welcomes the.reductions because. he has will drop to $67.43 per month paid utility bills as high as 5150 per month in College Station d By Kendra S. Rasmussen THE BATrnuON When College Station consumers receive their next utilities bills, they will notice a substantial decrease in electricity rates. Peggy Calliham, city of College Station public relations and marketing manager, said the expiration of the city's contract with the Texas Municipal Power.Agency' has al- lowed the city to decrease electricity rates. When the contract, which provided Col lege Station power services through.:1990, came up for renewal in 1995* city officials de, cided to accept a bid from a power supply company with a lower rate. The city negotiated a contract with Texas Utilities, a large, well- established wholesale electricity rovider. , 'Texas tilities was al selected to provide' wholese . lectricity to College Station at an estimated Savings of $8 million annually for at least four years," she said. •"That is a. $32 million savings over what College .Station had been 1;9& ng through the pr evious con- tract with " T translate into a 9- percent. decrease for: the average residential customer and a 13- percent ase for commercial customers. - February utility bills will contain stick- . ers analyzing each household's . electricity consumption and projecting•what each household can expect to spend on ele uruig summer months. 'As long as the service stays the same, it can't be a bad idea, " -he said. "It's very rare that they drop .the rates like that. It will defi- nitely help in tlAummer months." College Station residents are not the only tones anticipating the savings. "We feel the obligation to encour- age students to call our energy of- fice to let us help them as to whys their energy bill is high. _ — Peggy cdmam . city of College Station public relattionr. and marketing manag Bill Silvis, Post Oak Mall general manager, ,aid business will get a needed break. Z am looking forward to a substantial de- ; cease, Silvis said. 'The businesses all pay or their own (electricity), . so the (savings) Pill be passed on to them as well.' Calliham said half of the savings; from he new contract will be passed directly to tility consumers. "The city has chosen to give. back_M per- ent of the savings to the customers, "_ she Eid. "The other 50 percent will be retained y the city." Some of the money must be retained for See Utility Rates, 'Page S net i A.- . ,ready by the faltaemestex, Students would receive at .least 32`��" channels and would have - the option of subscribing to premium channels . Ethernet- connections would lie m- i stalled in rooms at an estimated' rate ; i of $9 per student ;per - semester, These ` I connections would allow students rto f connect.directly. into the campus, i t puter network through their own p er- . sonal computers without ha - to _se,s r a modem: The ethernet proj ect would take about four years to complete. Ethernet connections are. Presently' . t available in a limited. number of residence See Rent, Pages i - .. rovi .e cable eth ,,. , e ch opposition to the. terms of residence hall rates in Te aces. Lyons said. fee and nega tive e "Even with the increases, we're still hey a were one of the. cheapest - universities in Lyons terms of residence hall rates in fees, we :ly where Suzanne L e • going. .Y 'ases.will Residence Hall Association p � aua ca. yay - ncrease would not rates unreasonable (460 er universities. creases, we're still st universities in RHA its reviewing bids from ca c meanies •to" install cable in all r f d nce hall rooms as - cheaply -as possi. ] at, a maximum cost of S28,per stud Per semester. All rooms on campus would be ca Thu rsda Febru 41CAMPUS- au dits - enero s o Ci free,' .� tlll. t y offers O Rate 0 n Sta ham said. should dispel the myth that College sed'q, . j!' r,onvPW - e are re e " U rIii- than ...,.S�mehow, despi ea lei , hall finn's utiliffleMO d th am som those of Bryaja and other Texas cities. resi , e' selves' paying more than, .."; H1. d oth expenses, d jxoproyei4en s an the rat reductiony aid, but the city is giving Even before to citi- legs Station residents were,paying average every T month. "ir6 than-ever,before d !said sQem A way mc am said those-studonts shoul 9 city used t retain 60 per- slightly lesi for 1,000 kilowatt. hours of Callih iservation , pr -, , _q h o ontact t&'city's energy. cor �gvxngs- y - .cent of P. electricit than Bryan residents, Calli- c ce at 764-3724 for a free energy audit. get "I'The average residential. customer p aid ham said. "We feel an obligation .to encourage !i$1.74 per month for utility bills in 1986 The reduction will widen the gap students to call our energy office to let us necti at even further. help them as to why their energy�,bill is to but will onl $67.48 per mouth will change, be- 'y hope the perception.;Vii t h 1 N e high;" - she sai he rates definitely have," Calli d. A ::Call ham i e sa rate reduction cause t R_O X.F 411 .77TI., T T T i ii A • • Officer Ip' �\ witnesses and get details of what happened. "Some witnesses may say they know what happened at fast, but once police thoroughly question them they find that the person only heard the shots and heard the story from their friends," McCollum said. "We've got to get the specifics on what the witnesses actually I.. Feldknan says a standard pro - cedur� internal investigation is being carried out along with a criminal investigation to see if charges are warranted. "The criminal investigation is top priority right now, and it Will not overlap with the inter- nal investigation," Feldman said. " e are trying to get at the truth, get some kind of conclu- sion w can take to the district attorney's office. "We've got investigators inter- viewing witnesses, and an autopsy was done this morn -... ing" McCollum said the initial investigations reveal that Bain answered a call concerning a man threatening to kill himself at 1:09 P.M. Sunday, with Sgt. John pbell arriving five minut later to assist her. "From what we understood the man was threatening to kill himself with a gun," McCollum said. "That led her to believe a gun might have been involved." Police said Bain confronted Lewis and asked him if he had a gun. He said no, so she did what she i was trained to do, police said. "She said she tried to talk him into going to the hospital to get counseling. That is what officers are trained to do in a potential suicidal case," said McCollum. He said Bain escorted Lewis to + the police car, while Campbell talked with Lewis' brother, James Lewis of 134 Luther St, at ,,his.apargnent. h7 campbell ' was answering' j James' questions about where Joe was going and when he could go see him, so he did not see what happened between rpohc and Lewis," said ollum. said a struggle broke I o t between Bain and Lewis e she was escorting him to the car, and Lewis was shot. '"That's the story we have up to this point," said McCollum. He also said nothing in the investigation so far shows this was a racial issue. Bain is white; Lewis was black. "When an officer goes in on a ihW or the investigators dig up facts, they are objective," llum said. "We're striving, lukt like we always do, to get the th." Feldman said the length Of�the investigation will depend the cooperation of witnesses, y, etc. We hope to close it by the end the week, but we can't be " he said. "We want any - y that saw anything to come forward and help with the inves- t happens to officers who involved in a case where eone is shot? Ys policy within the depart. t that any officer involved in ting will report to a coun- r /psychologist that we have tamer," said Feldman. ow long does it take before e officer is back on the streets? t depends on the results 01 e counseling," Feldman "Some people bounce back q er. Anytime an officer is v lved, it is quite traumatic. It will definitely take some time." ldman expressed his sympa- ft or the victim's family. e're very sa that this hap - Ix and want to piece togeth- er hat really happened to tell th - why it happened," said s's brother has not ded to messages seeking j en or statements about citing. The rest of the fam- I flaff lieved to live in Houston. lso were unavailable for nt. st time a College Station Po ocer was involved in a sh was in August of 1993, w a 22- year -old stabbing sus - pegt as shot and injured after threatening a police officer at Oak Forest Mobile Home Park on Krenek Tap Road. J - — — - — — -- — . . . .. vvar v I I %.ai I u I %I By ASHLEY PETERSON Eagle staff writer D.K. Bain had no gunpowder on 1 is from her semi - automatic pis - tol -.. killed 297year -old Joe Lee Lewis at Southgate Village housing project, ini- tial investigation results indicate. College Station Police Chief Ed Feldman says that would have been the case had Bain feed the pistol, as some Southgate Village residents have alleged. Lewis died Sunday after a struggle with Bain, who was called to the housing development to investigate reports of a man threatening to kill himself. In a confused saga about what hap- pened next, neighbors say the officer grabbed Lewis and shot him, but police said Lewis seized Bain's gun and shot himself. Feldman said whoever shot the gun would have so -called blow back from the gunpowder in the gun on his or her hands. To his knowledge, he said, investiga- tors looking into the shooting found no blow back on Bain's hands. Police spokesman Lt. Scott McCollum says !the department is determined to find the truth. - We don't want to know what allegedly happened, what people assumed hap- pened ... we want to know what really happened," he said. Police say Bain, 41, who has been with the College Station Police Department since F1e6ruary 1995, told investigators that IA w s grabbed her pistol as she struggled with him, then shot himself. Bain his been placed on administra. tive lea with pay while the incident is under i iv Dstigation. She i ii of responding to requests for comme t bout what happened, but peo- ple wh y they witnessed the incident have ac: her of shooting Lewis. McCo says the inconsistency in witnesses reports' is disturbing. "We've got two extremes, even in the witnesses' accounts, which is unusual," 1 W%.A 1 111 1 1'VVI I he said. "Sometimes witnesses' accounts vary in perception, but are usually con. sistent. This is not the way it is in this case." For example, Douglas Thomas and Lovell Mitchell, who say they saw the incident, said Bain grabbed Lewis in a headlock, reached for her revolver, and shot him in the back of the head while he was bent over. Other witnesses said they saw Bain shoot Lewis as he was running away. McCollum said police used their first full day of investigation to gather all of the witnesses' statements, seek out new lease see OFFICER, page 1 CS police continue investiga By ASHLEY PETERSON Eagle staff writer "We feel confident abou sion of the investigation.' Police say Lewis sti Officer D.K. Bain at Soul Sunday after she respon about Lewis threatening 1 and she talked him into € seling. Lewis then took Bain's himself in the head, Witnesses said it was th Lewis, who pulled the trig Lovell Mitchell, Douglas After two full days of invest ation, College Station police say they ;re get ting closer and closer to the true cir- cumstances surrounding the shooting death of 29- year -old Joe Lee Lewis. "Investigators have been ble to identify the true witnesses tote inci- dent," Lt. Scott McCollum said, "We talked to over 40 witnesses and e still awaiting autopsy reports on Le is. t on in shooti n g death ie progres- Mike Anderson, who say they wit- nessed the officer shoot Louis, declined ;led with to comment further on the incident. ite Village Southgate Village resident James to a call Lewis also declined to comment on his ill himself brother's death. .g to coun- Bain could not be reached for com- ment Tuesday night. The phone num- i and shot ber listed under her name has been dis- lice said. connected. fficer, not Police say they are not releasing other details concerning the investiga- iomas and tion at this time. co Police await autopsy results', in shooting death 1 r � u ^ \ �}-� By ASHLEY PETERSON `11� E agl e st wri On the dajy that Joe Lee Lewis is to be buried, College Station police say they are still awaiting autopsy results that will help them conclude the inves- tigation into who shot him. With five full days of investigation behind them, and interviews with more than 40 people, police say the con- troversial death of Lewis, 29, still has questions. Earlier in a week, College Station Police Chief Ed Feldman had said he expected the investigation to be fin- ished by the weekend. But police said Friday that toxicolo- gy and other tests from the autopsy are still being completed. Lewis as shot Sunday at Southgate Village ii College Station with Officer D.K. B 's semi - automatic pistol. Until tie investigation is completed, police camot say for certain who actu- ally firE d the gun. Police id Bain, who had answered a call about a man threatening suicide, was lea ling Lewis to the patrol car to go for counseling when he struggled with her, took her gun and shot him- self. Witn s es, who claim they saw the altercat o , said Bain shot Lewis. As pol continue the investigation, Bain, 41, remains on administrative leave witi pay. Police spokesman Lt. Scott Me ollum said that is standard see DEATH, page Death ,t ure in this type of case. Is' funeral will be 1 p.m. at Pleasant Grove Baptist h in Bryan. He will be in Wheelock Cemetery. Fa Mi members have rebuffed atte s to seek comment on Lewi ' leath. Ezu li r in the week, Feldman said tial investigation showed that 3 in had no so -called blow back gunpowder on her hands. That ould have been the case had s i fired the gun, he said. Pol c have vowed a full inves- C tigationlof the affair, saying they are dist{u by inconsistency in witnesses' accounts. "We don't want to know what allegedly happened, what people assumec happened.... we want to know what really happened," MeCollu n said earlier. Feldm in has said a criminal investigation is taking priority over stai d procedure internal investigations. "The erminal investigation is top prioi it right now, and it will not ove 1 1p with the internal investig t' n," he said earlier in the week "We are trying to get at the truth to get some kind of con- clusion a can take to the District Attorneys office." 0 I n Town &Texa CS police seel robbery suspe College Station police are man who robbed a shoe s Friday afternoon. The 23- year -old female cl ing at 1711 S. Texas Ave. & walked into the store and directions to the men's she Lt. Scott McCollum said. The clerk described the m foot -tall medium -built bl, between 30 and 40 years old She told police the man c to the front of the store witt $20 boots and tried to pay with a large bill, police repc McCollum said when the c to make change for him, he a black semi - automatic Pointed it at her, demanded money and her purse, took back bathroom and told he there. The man fled the store undisclosed amount of cas dark brown King Ranch pur The clerk said he was m dark brown down -type jackE brown stocking cap, brow type gloves and tan pants. Police said he also had growth of beard. When caught, the man charged with aggravated police said. mg a clerk work - a man .ed for asa6- male e back pair of them said. k tried led out 1 of the er to a to stay ith an and a Lang a a dark down - i light , ill be bbery, C Public invited to meeti g about CS park and land use pans t� tit J The public is invited to attend the meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesd in the council chambers at city all; 1101 S. Texas Avenue. Consultants from Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum Inc. of Dallas will present parks and land use plans, to the College Station Planning and Zoning Commission this week. These plans are part of a compre- hensive plan which the sultants presented last year. DATE: He's a man with 1 99(0 powerful job �4 d L �4 Eagle photo /Dave McDermand Len Jenicek, College Station 9' pervisor of electric lineman, shows one of the jewel boxes he crafts in his spare time. But what he does for relaxation is a jewel l � u W hen he is not fixing power lines, supervising linemen and doing paper work for the city of College Station, Len Jenicek is creat- ing jewelry boxes at home. In addition to cutting wood for a jewelry box, Jenicek molds soft clay with his hands, bakes it and ' Uses it to put a decorative design on top of those boxes. On the boxes are flowers, eagles and western scenes with cactuses and skulls. Designs have eight to 10 intri- cately woven colors and Jenicek molds each of them. "I started when I was playing around making one for my wife's birthday last September," he said. "Now, I'm considering starting a small business." Any night at home with his hobbies and family may turn to a night of work for Jenicek and the nine people he supervises. They may be called out to work an electrical emergency. At all times, two College Station utility employees are on call to take care of any downed wires. ',When the job requires more than two employ- ees, Jenicek, electric transmission and distribution supervisor, will get on the phone and call more "The guys I work with Oire fantas- tic," he said. "At 3 o'clock ' the morn- ing, they can help." Jenicek supervises four rews: one to take care of street lights and three to construct and maintain ower lines throughout the city. Thi includes putting existing lines underground and setting lines in new subdivisions, such as Pebble Creek. "Usually in the winter new con- struction slows down, but we haven't slowed down much this winter," he said. College Station is placing wires underground for safety reasons, Jenicek said. With protective conduit, gardeners are not likely to slice the By Todd Berg lines, he said. But most of College St lines are up in the air. "It takes quite a bit work in a bucket truck,' Work with power li much safety equipment his crew work with 138,000 -volt power lines low voltage compared which is 1 million volts said. "Lighting is so powe said. "That makes me are mere mortals." That sense of adven (�J Le with LEN JENICEK Age: Favorite televi- 33 sion show: "Drew Carey" Born: Wallace, Idaho Favorite movie: Years in area: "Excaliber" 16 Education: Vocational elects cal courses Texas A &M Riverside can Pus. Favorite author: Robert Jordan Book last com- pleted: "Shadow Moon" by George Lucas Family: wife, Linda; sons, William, 15; Preston, 10. Pets: "Mitz," a cairn ter- rier; "Odin," a mutt terrier; "Jake," a guinea Pig. only when fixing lines in College Station, but also when Jenicek is shar- ing people and services with neigh - 1 D boring communities. .Tenicek began at the College Station Utilities Department 13 years ago . on's power In addition to learning, Jenicek is teaching linemen courses at Texas fII training to A &M's Riverside campus. He also vis- 6 said. its College Station schools to teach ies requires second graders about electrical safety. enicek and He tells them not to fly kites near 00 -volt and powerlines and not to touch downed B ut that is power lines. t4 i lightning, "It's interesting, the kids' ques- d more, he tions," he said. "They're sharper than you think." f Jenicek Jenicek summarizes all the respon- "It's ," emember we sibilities of his job by saying, enough responsibility to keep me in ,*e helps not line and enough freedom to grow." with LEN JENICEK Age: Favorite televi- 33 sion show: "Drew Carey" Born: Wallace, Idaho Favorite movie: Years in area: "Excaliber" 16 Education: Vocational elects cal courses Texas A &M Riverside can Pus. Favorite author: Robert Jordan Book last com- pleted: "Shadow Moon" by George Lucas Family: wife, Linda; sons, William, 15; Preston, 10. Pets: "Mitz," a cairn ter- rier; "Odin," a mutt terrier; "Jake," a guinea Pig. Update STATION offers an Oaucation C ollege Station Fite Department's fire prevention division has numerous educational programs to offer. The public education office offers sev- eral types of classes that meet a variety of community needs. Classes and tours can be conducted at any of the three fire station locations or demonstrations or classes can be orga- nized for any size or a of group at their own establishment. Fire safety house: This is a two- story house that the department has built on a trailer used to teach children the safe way to exit a home in case of fire. By using a the- atrical smoke machine, we can generate a realistic smoke Mike Ruesink I layer at the ceil- ing, which sets off real smoke detectors. The kids are shown that ideally, there } should always be two exits from every room. The Fire Saf House is primari- ly for ages 6-10. Kid -sate: This curriculum s presented to pre- school children at ipproved day -care centers. The kid -safe program is taught by the teachers, then fine department represen- tatives come in to reinforce what the kids have learned. A number of module are taught during a semester including: stop, drop, and roll; good fires and bad fires; smoke detectors; exit drills in the home; and community helpers. Fire safety classes: We talk to the children about: fire safe- ty, stop drop and roll, exit drills and other safety points. This program is different from the Kid - Safe program because it is taught to school -age children and by the fire fight - ers themselves. We usually visit every school during Fire Prevention Week: in October if it fits Itto the teachers' schedules. If not, we *ill visit when it is convenient during the year. Elementary and 4at rmediate grades are the ones we try tb i ipproach. Life as a fire fighter. We talk to groups abb what it is like to be a fire fighter in College Station. Along with this we talk about some of the same topics covered in the Kid Safe program, but shorter. Children are given a look at the fire fighting gear, and emergency units. Lab and shop safety classes: These classes are primarily taught at the high school level and include sub- jects such as: extinguisher training, safe- ty while dealing with compressed gasses and flammable liquids; and what to do in a lab emergency or accident. Career awareness: We welcome the chance to go to all pub- lic schools, civic groups and university job fairs or career days to answer ques- tions about recruiting the job applicant. Fire extinguisher training: By combining classroom and practical experience the proper use of a portable extinguisher can be taught to many groups. Fire safety for seniors: We talk to elderly citizens about fire safety in the home and what to do in case of an emergency. Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detector: This topic covers the use of these units and the importance of having detectors in the home. Fire House Visits: Small or large groul s of people, young or old, are always invited to come visit any of the three fire E tation locations. If you have a large groto it is best to call ahead to arrange a tour. Emergency Vehicle Awareness: This is a new program being created for the drivers education classes at the high school level, but it also can be educa- tional and informativ r civic groups or others. We want the citizens College Station to use their fire deixurtment, not only during emergencies, b it to help prevent emergencies. The department also provides free home inspections w firefighters check for any hidden fire dangers and detect for carbon monoxide. For information on classes, inspections, or tours please contact me at 401764 - 3712. ■ Lt. Mike Ruesink is with College Station Fire Department's prevention division C • council discuss roop BERGMANN Eaglelstaff writer The College Station City Council will discuss the top 10 o its strategic goals at its workshop meeting 4 p.m. today at City Hall, 1101 S. Texas ve. The council made a list of 39 strategic issues during its January retreat in Conroe. The council will take up the top 10 of these issues during its meeting this week and the next 10 at a later date. "This is the next step in the work plan- ning effort," City Nanager Skip Noe said. "This is an important step in defining what we are going to be about as an orga- nization for the next year. "All these will msult in some form of work. Not all of them will result in capital improvements." The 10 top issues are streamlining the development process, doing drainage utili- ty district work, Northgate revitalization work, constructin a building at the College Station Business Park, doing drainage plan world, attracting a confer- ence center hotell to College Station, recruiting industry for the business park, attracting more retail business and devel- oping a Tech -Prep education program. The city council will discuss some of these in related business this week. In today's meeting, the council will dis- cuss giving its authrity to approve plats to the planning and zoning commission. This will streamline the development process by as much as three weeks, City Manager Skip Noe aid. The council will still retain authority to accept or reject zoning changes. funds design which Drive Noe the( vide iuncil will take action on redevelopment during its meet - .m. Thursday. The council will using general obligation bond )ay architects and engineers to promenade on Patricia Street, one block north of University "It takes us one step closer to ual physical improvements in the Northgate area. It will pro - e basic design for pedestrian Also, the engineers will find locations for iniprc utility lines. A preliminary estimate is the cost of construction as $1.25 million. The architects and engineers would gel 10 percent of the cost. In a idther engineering matter on Thursd s agenda, the council will con- sider sp exiding $28,550 to pay half the cost of havii g a Dallas firm, Nathan D. Maier, Engine g Consultants, develop street and ut�Jee specificafor both Bryan and Co Station. This has two advantages, noe said. "One, both communities will end up with u o -date specifications," he said. "Two, ose will be uniform so folks who build ' oar area will not have to ask what the star dord is in College Station and what the s d is in Bryan." ThesE q tandards would apply to city, not private construction, projects. "We're talking about how much asphalt you pu a street, ' how much base and how yo o curb and gutter sections," Noe said. A draining project • CS City Cound By TODD BERGMANN Eagle staff writer discusses improvements city it create park land along creeks which f n overflow and thereby prevent flood' . The City of College Station could do $2 million in drainage improvements a year starting in October if it creates a drainage utility district, Tom Brymer, assistant city manager, and Mark Smith, director of pub- lic services, told the city council Wednesday. The district would fmance drainage pro- jects with bonds and then charge a fee on utility bills to pay off the bonds, Brymer said in an rote 'ew. It will likely charge a flat fee on residen- tial utility bills and a fee based on usage on business utiMy bills, he said. However, Brymer said city officials have not yet cal- culated what tYe fees would be. Under state lbw, the district may charge a fee to state universities, public schools and other tax -exempt property, Brymer said at the meeting. Council members and non - elected offi- cials said the ity needs drainage improve- ments soon to :)revent flooding. Councilman Larry Marriott said, "We need to start d ing some improvement soon such as the Bed Creek deal." Mayor Larry Ringer said, "There's gonna be a delay use you have to plan." However, crews are currently making improvements on a tributary to Bee Creek and on Sabine Lawyer Creek, Smith said. The drainage plan will be part of the com- prehensive plan consultants from Hellmuth, Ob ata & Kassabaum Inc. of Dallas are wonmg on, he said. Also, Smith suggested the city should make a tentative priority list of work which needs to be done. "If you make a five -year plan, somebody is going to come up with something that is not on the list," he said. "You have to be flexible." City Manager Skip Noe said the Co woman Nancy Crouch said the city �g s to complete the drainage projects a ci committee suggested several years E and many of which city officials appare ly forgot. Noe 3aid work should start at the same time tl a district starts collecting fees. This way, le believe they are getting some- thing f r their money and will take owner- ship in project, he said. Cour. c an Hub Kennady said the city might able to construct some projects witho netting the fees. "We do this within the existing bud- get, in without a drainage utility dis- trict," e said. How w ar, Kennady did not rule out creat- ing a 'ct. Cro said the council needs to discuss its p phy on drainage. "Wh does beauty fit in there ?" she said. " ere does cost fit in ?" Smiffi said the city would not have to make nijor changes in its drainage ordi- nances ennady said the should not try to confus evelopers with new policies. InStEac of making new regulations, the propo district would try to educate the public uilders and developers about drahnn problems, ways to avoid them and how roposed district will impact them, Smith d. This could have a similar bene- ficial ffect that recycling education pro- grams 14 ve, he said. Before' the district starts collecting fees and correcting drainage problems, the city counci ivill have to conduct public hear- ings, c to the district, approve fees and approv a a priority list of projects. The until could do all this before Octo , Brymer said. Meanwhile, engi- neers can. start planning, Smith said. LM By TODD BERGM Eagle staff write .A The City of College Station will nd $1.25 million N een now and 1998 to build a promenade on Patricia 5 eet in Northgate. the city council its first step to redevelop Northgate, son Thursday a proved the spending and rough night. The -project will be in two p aces, Northgate Coordinator Todd McDaniel said. be from College Phase One, which will cost $850.000, $Mg ,,00 Boyette west from Boyette S t othe end of the Patricia Street. However, the city needs to do the engineering work for e entire street at one time, McDaniel said. Patricia Street, which McDaniel calls Trish Street, will me a promenade cover with pavers — small bricks Please see NORTHGAI L, rage AD Second Street will dead end just $ , 0 for new sew north of a plaza on Patricia $3344 2 for street and Street. This will permit the city to replacement, $ for c for block off Second Street for festi- ing, $100,000 for omr v I water treatment, $55,000 als, McDaniel said. "We will have a gathering place lighting, $5000 for bus tion, $188,700 'or cont in the middle," he said. and $125,010 for archi All con- engineering services. ops and The city will likely incur addi- l. Under tional expenses to acquire and 'al plaza build parking lots, McDaniel said. mdation Mayor Larry Ringer said many said. adjoining businesses may want to rses are donate rights of way to the city. Ic lines, This would enhance their busi- lines, ness, he said. lines, The council approved the plan - idewalk on a 6-0 vote. mdscap- Councilman David Hickson left m area the meeting before the vote. )r street Councilman Hub Kennady left op loca- the meeting a few minutes before agencies it ended and missed two minor ats and votes. LI The pedestrian Noilhgate b bus bikeways, McDaniel ss From Al - -'� t the pavers and the cer and new utility lines, hi designed for walkways. a The costs for both F "We want to have Trish Street $300,000 for moving elec offset from other side in the $ $22,000 for new wat a II $ All con- engineering services. ops and The city will likely incur addi- l. Under tional expenses to acquire and 'al plaza build parking lots, McDaniel said. mdation Mayor Larry Ringer said many said. adjoining businesses may want to rses are donate rights of way to the city. Ic lines, This would enhance their busi- lines, ness, he said. lines, The council approved the plan - idewalk on a 6-0 vote. mdscap- Councilman David Hickson left m area the meeting before the vote. )r street Councilman Hub Kennady left op loca- the meeting a few minutes before agencies it ended and missed two minor ats and votes. LI LI CS planner foresees 65 new parks 20 -year proposal based on projected By TODD BERGMANN Eagle staff writer College Station and whatever areas it might annex will need 65 new parks in the next 20 years, says a Dallas consul - tant hired to help the city plan for growth. Joseph A. Pobiner, of the Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum Inc. planning firm, said he was basing projected needs on the assumption that the city would double in population. He said the National Recreation and Park Association recommends that cities size of College Station should have acres of parkland per 1,000 people. k.,Jnder that guideline, Pobiner told the Parks from Al "Everybody wants to look out on the natural landscape," Crompton said. The higher taxes the city receives from higher property values pay for the cost of the park in five to 20 years, he said. Co ege Station could do the same g, Crompton said. "Your point is well taken," Pobiner told him. "To a certain extent we've tried to take advan- city's Planning and Zor Parks Board on Wedne Station's park space sh from the present 426.2 a acres in the next 20 years. Pobiner did not indice tions for any proposed par the city should have parks children can walk to them "Children would not major thoroughfares to gel he said. The city's comprehensiv 65 new parks in the currer it expects to annex, hi include 20 community range in size from 15 to 50 But John L. Cromptor inexations, population g(o*tli Board and parks and recreation at Texas A &M, had ay, College reservations. ld increase "Rather than have 20 new community es to 1187.6 parks, we have an opportunity here to do something really exciting," he said. exact loca- "That is to develop large regional parks. But he said I'm not talking about ball complexes. all areas so "All the great park systems of the om home. country are built around great natural ve to cross resource parks. Those parks cost the the parks," cities nothing. They were bought ahead of time." plan calls for Crompton said he knows of several ity and land studies showing that residential proper - said. These ties built around natural resource parks irks, which have a high appreciation in value. res. professor of Please see PARKS, page A6 tage of that with areas to be re- served as green space." But Crompton interrup e , "No, those are drainage dit h s with empty land. They are ug when you walk alongside them.' Pobiner told the boards tha e was not suggesting the city ha 1 o build all the parks. Instead it could co-develop parks with e College Station Indepen e t School District or private org ir. i- zations. Currently, the city and the school district are building a park next to the new Pe b e Creek School. In addition to parks of 50 a Crompton suggested, Pobiner said. Crompton also s�ggested that developers provide money for parks rather than land for parks. With land, the city has to pay for the cost of developing the park. With money, the city can pay for both land and construction costs, he said. or less, the city operates Lick Creek Park, which is 550 acres. The city needs more regional parks of 150 acres or more, Pobiner said. He recommended the city build a regional park near Texas 60. "There is an opportunity to pre- serve land now or as it becomes available," Pobiner said. "In some areas, it is now impossible to go out and get five or 10 acres for a park." With the comprehensive plan and its park portion the Parks Board can designate areas for parks, including the ideas But o iner responded: "We need er study here because there is s me concern on how the Texas laws are structured." About 50 people attended Wednesday's meeting, which also dealt with transportation and utility plans. O fficer i in shootir ig returns to d ty By ASHLEY PETERSO Eagle staff writer College Station police o ioer Bain, whose gun was used in D.K. the Jan. 28 shooting death of 29 -ye rlold Joe Lee Lewis, is back on the jot). After doctors gave her a cle j bill of health this week, Bain began working a desk job in the admi department, strative said offices at the police Lt. Scott McCollum. Bain A a$ administrative leave after put on shoot- ing at Southgate Village. Please see OFFIC page A8 • Off icer From Al Controve y still surrounds the case. Police say Bain was escorting Lewis to her patrol car to go for counseling when a struggle broke out. l ewis had told people earlier that he wanted tQ commit suicide. Police say, Lewis grabbed Bain's gun, then shot himself in the head. Witnesses, who claim they saw the incident, said Bain shot Lewis. Throughout the 12 days of investigation, officers have interviewed more than 70 sus- pected witnesses. `We're still waiting on the toxicology )orts that are included in the autopsy )orts," McCollum said. "It is obvious to us x he died, but the toxicology reports — .ich are important in this case — always .e a quite a bit longer than the general :opsy report." t the conclusion of their investigation, ice will bring their findings before the nd jury. will look at it objectively to ensure was overlooked," said McCollum. :Collum said, to his knowledge, no grand hearing date has been set for the case. F loods prompt arg Ong By TODD BERGMANN Eagle staff writer' Hawthorn Street residents say they are satisfied with some of the work the College Station City Council with city l plans for @a their area, bout they cannot ag'ee th cause of flooding on their street Professor Emeritus Garland Cannon, who lives on Hawthorn, spoke about his and his neighbors' concerns at the council meeting Thursday. Cannon said that since a developer, Johnson Executive Homes, started work on a new subdivision late last Year, flooding increased in the intersection of Thomas and Hawthorn streets. The intersection is about one-half mile south of the Texas A&M cm- pus. "One of our neighbors who is not here tonight pointed out his house has been flood- ed three or four times a year for two years;" Cannon said. He said related flooding on Bee Creek has caused the city to close a bridge on Thomas Street during heavy rain. If the city corrects creek problems, it would save the cost of putting out barricades every time it rains, Cannon said. Steve Homeyer, graduate civil engineer for the city, said the new subdivision and most of the homes on Hawthorn Street are in a 1oD-year flood plain. The oldest available maps of the area, from 1981, show the same lines for the 100-year flood Pte, Homeyer said Friday. Cannon built his house in 1986. Developers are not responsible for correct- ing problems with existing flood plains, but are responsible for correcting any Problems they create, Homeyer told the council. The developer has met all its responsibilities, he said. To meet these responsibilities, the devel- oper built a water retth'rtion pond and flrune leading from his street to the pond. After. Cannon complained that water from the sheet did not go into the flume and pond, but instead flows down the street. Homeyer checked the situation. In late December, he opened a fire hydrant and found Cannon to be correct. Since then, the developer made the flume wider and correct- ed its grade. In late January; Homeyer conducted another test by using water from the same fire hydrant This time, the water went into the flume and pond. Homeyer showed videos of both tests to the council. But Cannon said the volume of water dur- ing the test is not as great as the volume dur- ing a major rain. He contends the flooding problem still exists. "We hope to provide you with some pho- tographs that what I say will come to pass," Cannon said. Mayor Larry Ringer said Romeyer or another city employee should videotape the area during several downpours. Ringer said this will provide better evidence than still photos. Also, Cannon suggested the city require the developer to obtain a bond to protect the neighbors from flitum damage. "if you require a bond, then we can be sure if there will be flooding, if there will be dan- ger, if there will be cost to the taxpayers, the city won't be a party to the lawsuit," he said. City Attorney Cathy Locke, who had laryngitis, said thA city might require a bond of the developer for future damage to proper- ty in the development, but not to neighbor• ing property. In a letter dated Friday, Carrion said he could not hear Locke's remarks during Thursday's meeting. Also, the letter states the neighbors are not convinced that the city may not require a bond of the developer if it will protect the public interest. Further, Cannon told the councfl that the developer should enlarge the capacity of the pond and build another inlet to the pond and the city should try to limit unsafe traffic coming out of the private drive, restore the street light which the developer took down and do something about drainage problems on Bee Creek. Ringer said the city would wait for more video tapes before requiring the developer to do more pond work. The city is currently working on a citywide drainage plan, which would take care of the creek problems. Also, he ordered the city staff to reinstall the street light as soon as possible. The city previously installed a stop sign to reduce traffic hazards, Homeyer said. Following the meeting, Homeyer said the developer will eventually put gates on the private road about which Cannon com- plained. ' in Friday's letter, Cannon said the neigh- bors are grateful about the stop sign and streetlight, that the city is requiring the developer to follow all federal and state flood laws and that the city will remove impedi- ments from Bee Creek. This might not only obviate the runoff from the impervious surfaces created by the developer, but even reduce or eliminate our current flooding problems during heavier 'rains," the letter states. Grant partnershi effective for B -CS e City of College Station receives a yearly allocation from the U.S. Department of Housing and rban Development under the Commimity Development j Block Grant pro', Ids idY „, gram. One of the requirements on the use of these v, funds is that they must be used pri- ffi s' xnarily to assist to- moderate .ie individu- Phe city uses CDBG funds to Paula Ralls improve housing, streets, and recre- ational facilities in low income ne' bor- hoods. Since 1989 the City of College S ation has allocated a portion of the grant t fund human service programs provi ' ser- vices to moderate and low income c' izens in a joint effort with the City of Bryan. CDBG funds can be used for such items as personnel, operation expenses and 'direct client services. The cities of College Station and Bryan have developed a process that fun up to 12 agencies each year, six progr per city. In January, 1994, the cities we rec- ognized by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for their innovative, cooperative approah to CDBG funding of human service ag ncies. The Community Development staffs from both cities organize and coordinate the application and allocation process. On January 12th a workshop was held for all icies interested in applying for CDBG As. At the workshop, the federal reg i- " ions for receiving the funds were dis- cussed as well as eligible activities, record keeping and monitoring requirements. The completed applicatii February 23rd. During tl process, community develo; available to meet with appl vide technical assistance. All submitted appl reviewed by CD staff for Joint Relief Funding Revi reviews the eligible app] committee consists of tY from each city who are ap] city council. The JRFRC members Station are Winnie Garnet and Mike Orozco. Tamara , Hall and Jennifer Bohac committee members. While most of 'the wor during the spring, comm often accompany staff on i its to the funded agencies d They also meet with HUD during HUD's annual mon the city. Review committee mem role in the funding pro( During March and April, c( bers will meet weekly for applications. They will al: visits to each agency that funds and spend many h( applications. For the past several yea number of applications been 24. Once all applicati reviewed and site visits are review committee will con( hearings to determine the ommendations. The first rank the agencies, with th ing determining the level the top agencies. econd hear - funding for The review committee is an advisory committee to the city council. Once the public hearings have been held, the com- mittee's recommendations are presented to both city councils. After recommenda- tions are approved, the staffs determine which agencies will be funded by the City of College Station or the City of Bryan. The CDBG funds are available on October 1st of each year. The agencies selected for funding enter into a contract with the respective city. Staff members then monitor agencies for compliance with HUD regulations and the city's con- tract on a quarterly basis. The cooperative effort between the cities of College Station and Bryan in the CDBG allocation process have been effec- tive in providing over $2 million to agen- cies since 1989. During the past year, the funds provided by the City of College Station enabled local agencies to provide services to 199,937 residents. For more information on CDBG funding, contact Paula Ralls at 764 -3778. lyi D8TE: Fehr Watch your t Q-1 IgC10 7j cs @ p olce aim for safer streets through the STEP program, College Station. police are always telling drivers not to speed, but from now until Sept. 30 they will be driving the point home. The department has assigned extra offi- cers to University Drive and FM 60, as part of the Speed Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP). Transportation supported grant program, has an overall goal of reducing the num- ber of accidents that occur on the streets of College Station. "The officers are paid overtime for their participation in khe program," McCollum said. "They work in two hour shifts, and concentrate on the peak traffic hours." "We m a it to keep our streets safe for everyon ,' Lt. Scott McCollum said. "We experien x d much success with the pro- gram las ear, and hope to see a decrease in speedinL as a result of this year's pro- gram." The S;; program, which is a federally funded and Texas Department of McCollum said the city has participated in the occupant safety /seat belt program for the past four years as well. "We experienced so much success with those programs — with an increase int compliance from citizens — that we no longer qualify for that grant," said McCollum. ii • - The L � .1 E ft �.iion ' ]EiDi7roi roWARD Qollege Station dese F 0 U es credit for visitation. 3 from the increased through the area. benefits of the train- : obvious. .tors will leave B -CS better impression of �a because of the hos- e treatment they re- Also, the employees now how to react. bet - problematic situa- such as traffic acci- and thefts, through raining. of this will encourage rs to return to .B -CS„ he iY>- ea$edourisnl =_ avrove the` economy of .St oi} has takeA; rite s: in at�ticipati40 A. increased number of is to`°the area. The city anfatid local;.business4 uld follow College Staff lead and prepare their yees for the impact of onal visitors. its efforts to promo (Although Bryan - College sulti S tion is not Acapulco, the traff area's attempts to promote T] tourism are not surprising. +ng f Texas A &M's rich history V: and its status as one of the witb largest cqt universities in the ntry bring hundreds of , the pita thousands of visitors each ceiv year to B -CS. will The new George Bush.. .ter Presidential Library, which. tion is scheduled to open in Fall den 1997, will only increase the thei: number of visitors. A 1 Given the increased attrac- visk tion, the city of College Sta -., and ti attempts to offer tourism .will training to its employees are the very commendable. C Currently, most city em- sms p oyees must complete 10 of t h urs of tourism training. tour The training includes educa- of E tion on directing services to- es s ward a different group of tion people, and also addresses eml possible safety problems re- add F 0 U es credit for visitation. 3 from the increased through the area. benefits of the train- : obvious. .tors will leave B -CS better impression of �a because of the hos- e treatment they re- Also, the employees now how to react. bet - problematic situa- such as traffic acci- and thefts, through raining. of this will encourage rs to return to .B -CS„ he iY>- ea$edourisnl =_ avrove the` economy of .St oi} has takeA; rite s: in at�ticipati40 A. increased number of is to`°the area. The city anfatid local;.business4 uld follow College Staff lead and prepare their yees for the impact of onal visitors. 7he kttk I ion L city pre pare � Q Employees -of the city of College Station are required to participate in 10 hours of tourism training. By Eleanor Colvin THE BATTALION Texas A &M and the city of College ta- tion are preparing for a boom in tourism that they anticipate the George Bush esi- dential Library will bring to College Stat on. The George Bush Presidential Library, Which is expected to attract 400,000 isi- tors in its first year, is scheduled to pen Fall 1997. University and city officials anticipate that the library will attract more people to A &M than Bonfire and Aggie Muster combined.l, Dr. Don W. Wilson, executive director of Febro 13 for the Bush Presidential Library Center, said the opening of the library will increase retail sales in the twin cities. "Bryan- College Station is -one of Texas' undiscovered areas," he said. "The library will provide the area with more visibility and help us become a desirable destination year - round, not just during football season." ■LJ The Bush Library will h se 38 million documents in 18,000 square et of exhibit space, the Presidential Conference Center and the George Bush School f Government. Dick Forester, director of 2 e Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the Bush Library will 311 an excellent �. 0 0 Tuesday • February 13, 1996` T o rists Continue from Page 1 from pla es as far away as Canada," he said. "Because A &M and College Station con- tinue to grow, this is where people want to be when touring Texas." Forester said when groups of bus tourists spend one night in College Station they often spend $3,600 on food and lodging alone. The Special Events Center and the change from member— ship in the Southwest Confer- ence to the Big 12 are two other factors tha city officials expect to dramatically increase tourism in College Station. Peggy C6lliham, public rela- tions and' arketing manager for the. city of College Station, said the influx of tourists cre- ates special needs and may im- pact safety and services offered by the city. A t' addition to Brazos Valley taasm. "Last year, tourism.;�%razos Valley gen erated $105 million," he said. "If library visi tors stay in town .for four hours, they wil spend at least $37. "Thirty -seven dollars, spent by 300,000 t 500,000 people really adds up. This area i bustling and thriving with tourism, and th library will certainly enhance this." Forester said the College Station econom; is sure to benefit as the number of conven tions, conferences and bus tours in Colleg Station increases. "This is an excellent location for confer ences considering that 80 percent of th Texas population lives within a 250 -mile re dius of A &M," he said. Many tourists in Texas want to atop ii College Station, Forrester said. "In the last year, we've had 50 bus tour See Tourists, Page 1 The city has required that most of its employees complete 10 hours of tourism training. "The training is a broader ed- uc a ion that helps us see our senices in a different way," she s . "It will help us to be more h s itable hosts to visitors." alliham said the city's pri- mai y concern is the two -fold im- pac that tourism will have. aturally we will deal with a h gher incidence of theft and tral ic accidents, simply because th e e will be a higher concentra- ti ' of people," she said. "But Bryan-College Station will still bi,enefit from the immense eco- noinic opportunities that tourism provides. We simply need to be pre- p d to handle the challenges." DATE: LE UPOLI FV-- B -CS bus -man tacturer lays off employees; says woes tem lorary By MARIA KRI SKY Eagle staff writer A Bryan-based bus manufacturer backed by a $500,000 10) guaranteed by the City of College S tion is laying off its employees for a w k because of money problems, company officials said Wednesday. The company, North American Transit, Inc., has an $18 million con- tract to build buses and trolleys for a Please see BUS, Page A7 msit system serving southeast ,xas, but president Wayne Cook id he has a "cash flow" prob- m that he expects to resolve by ,xt week. Cook declined to specify his sh problems except to say that ,e company wasn't receiving iyments on time, so it in turn iuldn't pay for supplies and Cook said he had laid off 54 of s workers — all but himself and curity staff — pending resolu- )n of his financial problems. He dd he expects that to happen sxt week and he will rehire Lem then. North American Transit began aerations last year with $Z mil - on in bank loans from First merican Bank. The City of College Station uaranteed $500,000 of the mount. Under the terms of the )an guarantee, North American tansit was supposed to move its perations from Bryan's North , oint Industrial Park to a site in Allege Station by early this year. t hasn't done so. The City of Bryan earlier had ,eclined to co- guarantee the loan. Cook said that if the plant eopens next week as planned, he repercussions should be min- "We won't be able to buy sup- plies and equipment here, but it Shouldn't affect anyone too much," he said. The company has an $18 mil- lion contract to build revolution- ary compressed natural gas -pow- ered buses for Brazos Transit System, the largest rural system in Texas. Brazos Transit serves 94 com- munities in 13 southeast Texas counties and it has said it intends to expand into 14 east Texas coun- ties without public transit. I Ye • D)�TE: reb. I J11 9 4-7 7 G some plan n a recent article, you repo a Coll ege Station City Manager Skip N ' "suggested the city might create par_ land along creeks which often overflo and thereby prevent flooding" (Eagle, F There is a precedent for doing this. I served on the city's Parks and Recreation" Committee in the 1970s. On Jan. 11, 14377,' plat came before us for single - family homes along Anderson Street reaching all the way back to Bee Greek. In fact the =F developer was planning to build several houses in the 100 -year flood plain, raising n the land,with fill..The plat had already passed the Planning and Zoning commit ''tee without change. It came before the 'Parks Committee for another reason �i . : entirely — an exchange of land on the northern edge of the property for astreet ° right -0f -way. I had many, friends on Glade S r the I treet on the other side of Bee Creek One ,'- had recently shown me a photo of water _ from the creek up to her back stoop after a heavyrain. It seemed obvious that if this plat went through unchanged, the homes on Glade Street would flood. So the com- mittee recommended the city purchase the flood -prone land all along the creek, "at least enough to have a minimum park site of 10 acres...' I remember asking Paul Wojciechowski, director of the Parks and Recreation Department at the time, "What is the" city policy for purchasing park land? j "What city policy ?" he answered: ",We've never purchased any park Land." We lobbied the members of the city council, telling them that this land was the last remaining attractive wooded land. between 'Glade Street and Texas Avenue, Southwest Parkway and Jersey (Bush);- ; Drive. Most of the area was open past then, including what is now the Kroger- shopping center, but we foresaw that it= ?r would be heavily built in the near fu Usually, it seemed,` we wanted open, fla parkland for ballfields — why not pur chase this pretty area where people co g take a walk among the trees? On Feb, 8, 1977, in a joint meeting n 1 city,coi ncil and -tne Parks and Recrea Gomm ttee, Mayor Lorence Bravenk, Council Members Ann Hazen, Gary uid the nx ently- deceased and much nissed'James Gardner decided than would buy 7.7 acres along the en per acm, L ater the entire count k..rand jury issues no -bill after hearing 23,witnesses in Uoliege btation = By ASHLEY PETERSON Eagle staff writer A Brazos County grand jury voted unanimously Thursday not to charge College Station Police Officer D.K. Bain in the Jan. 28 shooting death of Joe Lee Lewis. "We listened to all of the witnesses and fey' criminal charges should be b against the officer," said David � t he foreman of the Band jury. J a variety of witnesses — those people who saw the incident and those who said they saw it. We heard from close friends of Lewis and police of l- cers." Jahnsen said the 12- member jury beard testimony for eight hours but took only 10 or 15 minutes to decide to no-bill the officer. Brazos County District Attorney Bill Turner said the panel heard 23 witnesses —19 citizens and four police officers. Some witnesses had alleged that Officer Bain, who is white, shot Lewis, Officer From Al those witnesses eing under oath," Turner said "When wit- nesses testify under oath it increases the likelihood of truth- ful testimony." Turner said grand jury wit- nesses included those submitted by Kevin Washington, president of the Brazos County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "Kevin asked if we could get the attorney general's office involved, so we called and got someone to come in. We also made sure that all of the witness- es he submitted were called to the hearing," Turner said ' also felt some people may not want to t who was black. But police said Lewis grabbed the officer's semiautomatic pis- tol and shot himself in the head Police said Bain answered a call that Lewis, 29, of Houston, was tlLreatening to commit suicide at his brother's apart- ment at 134 Luther St. Investigators said Officer Bain was in the process of escorting Lewis to her car to go for counseling when a struggle for her gun began. Lewis took Bain's gun, then shot him- self in the head, police said talk to local people, but wot open up to state officials." John Pantermuehl, of Teii Attorney General Dan Moral office, conducted an independ n investigation into the case. "I spent most of the: Tuesday with Washington," Pantermuehl, who declined tc comment further on his inve ti gation. Turner said the jury got bf total picture at the hearing. "Our position was to make s all the information got to h4 grand jury and to accept findings," Turner said "And, accept it wholeheartedly." Turner said the criminal in tigation is complete. College Station Lt Scott McCollum said in an earlier interview that an internal inves- tigation would begin once the inciaeni Some witnesses who claimed to have seen the incident said Bain shot Lewis, however. Turner said the grand jury hearing allowed for an objective opinion to be given by 12 court- appointed people who had no involvement in the case. He said the grand jury room provided a setting for the most accurate testimony. "All of the witnesses were sworn in, and the grand jury had that advantage of Please see OFFICER, Page A7 criminal investigation ended:. 'The two are in no way related, other than it deals with the same case," McCollum said '"Ibe inter- nal investigation deals with the department's policies and proce- dures, and making sure they were followed in this case.". Bain, 41, has been on ,the College Station force for one ycer. She was put on administrative leave following the shooting, which is standard procedure after a shooting .involving a police officer. The officer began working a desk job in fhe administrative offices last week, McCollum said College Station Police Chief Ed Feldman and Bain were not avail- able for comment on the outcome of the hearing. Lewis' family declined com- ment on the case anOw hearing L DATE: j UAIL1 Delay in move'' Finance stall b _ A RIA KRINSKY ter of guarantee to help - 'Eagle Staff writer the bus manufacturing American Transit, . J M 4sn' its "a ny. The deal was made a; to help the t likely to make deadline to move to program is .development of the V 26 Ilege Station. laid College Station area. :. North The :bus manufacturer off 54 employees at is Bryan : American Inc. received a feder, 1ocatiori . on Wednest leav and paid.off the note m ago, releasing ing only security personnel on a year of College Station' .fr s � The company's. financial financial responsibilit College problems put , a dam r on an that vitas made in Skip. Noe, aTrans'ta agreement May : 1994, . when the company College American l have to apply for an E agreed to relocate o by Feb. 26, .. Station. for the commit- .. But Noe said the city . . In return ment, the City of College Station co- signed a $500,000 let- the bus company's problems into Cons: bus -a-week production level. , F anwin ected, 's move to cs - ,� ! " Lance when deciding on an extent„ mpa- sion. x. "We recognize they are not z art of in. a position . to move," Noe.. _ nom- said. "We want to make sure Cyan- they have a healthy company to relocate." msit, The agreement already was grant extended once because the` ' than company was `unable `to find a'- . ' City suable site in College Station.° 1 any.. Cook said the lay -offs are- .' only temporary and he hops � tation to rehire everyone next week will and return to "the plant's. 10-:r bus -a-week production level. , F anwin "As soon as we get, our .cash >. ll take flow problems worked out we . will be able to get 'people on, . .ancial ration. board :— he- saifl:r a` . f �. lyi DATE: F&. 25, Lawsuit claims Whistle Ex- landfill supervisor believes compli By SAM LAWRENCE 2I Z5 Attorneys for both c o Eagle staff writer questions to Fort Wor Bettye Springer, who is rE A former landfill employee is suing the cities of Bryan and College Station and the landfill operator, i claiming the entities violated the Whistleblower Act. I Franklin Gold, who lives about four miles south of College Station, filed suit in December. He says the entities discriminated against him after he told landfill supervisors they were not complying with state and federal regulations. Gold, a 12 -year employee with the landfill, was fired in October 1995 while he was landfill operations supervisor. One of his duties was to monitor and report problems in com- plying with state regulations, accord- ing to a petition filed in distrit court. awsuit c , the defendants. She was office and ThL could reached Tripp attorney City of he canni about tY GOLD he said have answer to the lawsuit court. The documents state th the Brazos Valley S Management Agency den tions listed in the petitiol Gold 55, referred all under physician when he was fired. prom Al cials, the suit claims. • "Prior to (Gold's) termination, 6e related these problems to Mark Smith, director of College station's public services depart- ment, and was told that the com- bliance problems were Mr. Schleisman's responsibility and ` Gold) should not concern him - s&f with those problems oher t�l San reporting any p robl em s vlr. Schleisman," the suit states. 1 -The landfill lies on 119 acres of kand about two miles east of !texas 6 on Rock Prairie Road. 'The landfill, which disposes of calid waste for Brazos and 11 sur- �ounding counties, takes up almost 70 acres. In May 1995, Gold filed a work - ter's compensation claim after oinjuring his knee on the job. He xeturned to work under doctor's oadvice not to bend his leg or work :on irregular surfaces, which was ;a requirement at his job, accord .ine to the petition. He was still slower violations nce warnings got him fired referred legal counsel. Bryan attorney Travis lawyer Brewer said his client is telling the , esenting Lt of the truth. "We're filing the claim because we think it's valid and we stand behind �dnesday day and what we file," Brewer said. Lot be He declined further comment -iday. because the case is pending. Walter, Gold said in his suit that supervi- for the yan, said sors did not take action after he repeatedly warned landfill officials comment were not complying with federal and case, but state regulations regarding the dis- oth cities posal of solid waste, the petition .led an states. The primary problem was a lack space to meet waste demands. 1 district of The suit says Gold's supervisor, cities and Anthony Schleisman, took no action A Waste on the reported compliance problems. the allega- That prompted Gold to notify city offi- Please see LAWSUIT, Page A7 .estions to Gold and a fellow NN rker met with Bill Angelo, exe u ive direc- tor of the waste inmiagement agency, in September W "discuss landfill n on-compliance issues with him because pl 'tiff felt he could no longer continue to work in an environment where his repeated complaints pf violations had met with no esponse," according to the petit An excavation of the landfill, ordered by Angelo uncovered small amounts of solid waste and significant amount of liquid waste. Angelo then p aced Gold on administrative le e with pay pending an investiga ion, docu ments state. Angelo said Friday he could not comment on the case. Gold was fired about one week after a pre - termin t' n hearing was conducted by Angelo, the petition states. Go d unsuccess- fully appealed t e decision, claiming he was fired in retalia- tion for reporting the violations and filing a worker's compensa- tion claim, he was being used as a scapegoat for the problems and waste management agency fired him to avoid punishment from the state. Gold said Friday he has yet to find a replacement job. "I'm still looking for work," he said. "I haven't found anything. I'm still looking." The suit claims the defendants "committed unlawful retalia- tion' under the Whistleblower Act. The three entities discrimi- nated against Gold, according to the petition, by placing him on administrative leave, by forcing him to participate in a pre- termi- nation hearing to defend himself and by firing him. The suit also claims the defen- dants discriminated against Gold under the Labor Code by dis- charging him in retaliation for filing a worker's compensation claim. Gold seeks actual and punitive damages for lost wages and bene- fits, emotional pain and suffer- ing, inconvenience, mental anguish, damage to his reputa- tion and loss of enjoyment of life. He also seeks court and attor- ney's fees. cs council OKs rezoning for Sebesta Road By TODD BERGMANN Eagle staff write The College Station City Council has approved rezoning that will allow Texas Digital Systems to be built in the same spot where they denied a Douglass Nissan car dealership in 1994. Council members cited the increase of traffic flow, noise pollution and lower property values as reasons for the rezon- ing denial in 1994. But they say the new company will have no outside storage, will keep a clean plant, will not put any traffic on Sebesta Road and will donate land behind the building to the city for open space. Rezoning the land at Texas 6 and Inside M CS police to apply for grant /A3 r Road plan tabled /A9 Sebesta Road from residential to com- mercial was approved at Thursday night's meeting. Bob Bowers, developer of that property and owner of Texas Digital Systems, con- ducted several neighborhood meetings to explain his plans before he started going through city zoning processes, Plans include three brick buildings of two stories or less for a warehouse, offices and a research center. A park will Cou cil From Al ing classification, which would restrict use of the property to what Bowers proposes, Ringer said. Councilwoman Nancy Crouch said, The neighbors really need the security of deed restrictions." Councilmen Hub Kennady and David Hickson voted for an amendment to the zoning ordi- nance that would remove the deed restrictions when the research and development zoning takes effect, Ringer, Crouch and councilmen Bill Fox and Larry Marriot voted against the amend- ment. Mayor Pro Tem Lynn McIlhaney did not attend the meeting because she was at a Texas Municipal League meeting. On a 5 -1 vote, the council rezoned the 34 acres from residen- tial and agricultural to manufac- turing. Kennady voted no. When asked Friday to explain his vote, Kennady said, "The city should not be in the business of be put the middle of the development. Whe it moves to these buildings, Texas D tal Systems will add 60 to 80 emplo3 ees to its current workforce in Colleg tation, William S. Dahlstrom, an att r . y for the company, told the p land zoning commission on Feb. 15. Part of the council's plans call for putting the developers promises in deed restrictions, which the city may enforce. Stacey Gunnels and Col. P.E. Wilson, representing two neighborhood associa- tions, said a consensus of homeowners support Bowers' plans. But one neighbor, Dick Crooks of Fitzgerald Circle, spoke in opposition to the de ielopment. Crooks said he enforcing deed restrictions. It sets a bad precedent for the city to take land to enforce d restric- tions." On another zoning ' ue, the council approved a fin l lat on a portion of Block 23, College Park Subdivision. Jim M r an, an owner of the grope rdivhe recently discovered Ty had been illegally u ided before he purchased it in 1982. Plat approval makes the subdi- vision legal. The othe weer of the property is Veroni ' Morgan. an assistant city e eer for College Station. In another construe i matter, the council approved a � of $151,200.20 for Hidell and Associates, Architects, of Dallas to do design and other work for received no information about the neigh- borhood meetings and said Bowers might be an investor who is speculating in property and hopes the city rezones it. Further, Crooks expressed concern that the city might not enforce deed restrictions on the developer. Ringer told Crooks if the city is lax in enforcing deed restrictions, Crooks as a citizen has input through the council. The council split on whether the deed restrictions" disappear when the council rezones the property from manu- facturing to research and development. The city will need at least 60 days to create a research and development zon- Please see COUNCIL, Page A6 the new library. The architects will design a $1.3 million library based on recom- mendations of a steering commit- tee. The contract price includes taking the steering committee on tours of libraries, fundraising work, several plans and weekly inspection of the library during construction. In an unrelated matter, the council raised the annual salary of City Manager Skip Noe from $97,500 to $101,500. The council took this action after it discussed Noe's performance in closed ses- sion. Noe, who has been city manag- er since July, will continue tc receive $500 a month autc allowance. The pay raise is retroactive to Feb. 1. ATC4 E =111 I FA DATE: R?b , 2L� Al N maner of zoning no transportation College Station officials, residents to work together t provide new subdivision access -2-12.+ By TODD BERGMANN Eagle staff writer College Station planning officials and homeowners in Edelweiss subdivision will soon work out a plan to provide access to a new subdivision at Graham and Schaffer roads. Graham, Schaffer and Arnold roads, which border the proposed subdivision, are substandard, Senior Planner Sabine Kuenzel told the council Thursday. Developer Joe Courtney plans to move Schaffer Road from the edge to the mid- dle of the subdivision and abandon a por- tion of Arnold Road. D `ng the Feb. 15 planning and zoning U ion meeting and this week's G neeting, several neighbors in raftx.ss Estates said they oppose the new subdivision because it would create more traffic in front of their houses. Both bodies voted to table the zoning change. Mayor Larry Ringer said this allows it to return to the planning and zoning commission and the council with- out public hearings. Ringer said he normally allows all interested people to address the council on Ell agenda items, even those that do not require a public hearing, . and he hopes the next mayor will do the same. Ring er, whose term ends in May, is not see reelection. He said he is unsure how much time the parties need to reach a so ution. Kuenzel presented several possible solutions, such as adding collector str is, building hiking and biking trails and building roads specifically for hik- ers, ikers and emergency vehicles. The subdivisions need adequate roads to allow fire trucks and ambulances to come from the two nearest fire stations, she said. "The secondary response is just as crit- ical as tl e first response," Kuenzel said. Afte Wenzel presented information on altE rr atives, transportation plans and emergi n y routes, Ringer said, "I'm a lit- tle bit or maybe a lot confused." RinE ar said he believes the matter at hand U 2 Dning not transportation. The ' posed zoning would rezone the pro _ from open agricultural to sin- gle-fair it r residential and duplex resi- dential. I etween the two types of housing would open space for a park and dra' a right of way. Befo a opening the public hearing, Ringer sked people speaking at the hearin talk about the zoning change, not th ansportation plan and to not repeat vhat others had said. The fevelopers heeded Ringer's instru ins, but most of the residents did no Street, md, who lives on Hasselt he believes the rezoning will decrease his property value. "Duplexes, I don't believe they are compatible with our neighborhood," he said. "Why is it necessary to build duplexes right next to a nice residential neighborhood? Sometime; you will have to decide where are these cars going to go " Also, Bland complained about a pro- posal to build a collector street behind his house. "When I bought my house, I under- stood that to be a bike path, not a collec- tor street," he said. "If we just go ahead and rezone it, we have no assurances of what the lot sizes are going to be. Larry Rilett, a transportation engineer who lives on Aster Drive, said, "We're talking about development in this area with no access. There is no way people in this area will go south to go north." Rilett said the original plan will pre- sent danger to the 200 children - aho live in Edelweiss Estates. L • 0 DATE: Feb. 24 1 q (D Bus compan ?!Zq- granted Bela College Station has granted a six - month extension for North Nnerican Transit Inc. to from Bryan. The 54 employees laid o om the bus manufacturing company on Feb. 14 are still out of work, I spite a promise from officials to have them back to work within a week. Owner Wayne Cook said the compa- ny laid off all of its emplo5 e3s, with the exception of security personnel, because of cash flow problems. He said he expects talks with clients to finish up on Wednesday. "We are still trying to wok out the difficulties," Cook said. "Hopefully everyone will be back to work on Thursday." The bus company's money problems put a damper on an agree ent that was made in May 1994 that c3inmitted the company to relocate to College Station by Feb. 26. In retura for the commitment, the City of ollege Station co- signed a $500,000 letter of guarantee to help finance t e bus manufacturer. North American Transit C. paid off the loan over a year ago. i lyi DATE: Fcb, CS council to consider library contract Members discuss steering committee, sugc By TODD BERGMANN 2, port from people in the CAVI Eagle staff writer Designing College Station's new library will be an interactive process and the building itself will likely offer many interactive features, architect Bill Hidell of Dallas told the College Station City Council Wednesday. At its meeting ,it 7 p.m. today at City Hall, 1101 S. Texw; Ave., the council will consider a $151,000 contract with Hidell and Associates for• architectural services for new library. The council is considering spending $I q million to build a new 15,000- square- + brary on la nd it owns across FM from A &N1 Consolidated High ol. Typically, libraries cost $80 to $'90 a square foot, Hider[ said. Successful libraries start with a steer- ing committee thiat represents various segments of the community, Hidell said. These committee:; can even build sup- Council "CAVE stands for Citize Virtually Everything," he sc process, we can get CAVE pe port a new library. The proc be your library." Councilman Hub Kennad, that Larry Ringer, who will down as mayor in May, be c the committee. Ringer and cc bers agreed, but took no Wednesday's meeting, wh workshop meeting. Kennady said, "I found th people is maximum number mittee." Linda Piwonka, executive management services for th gested seven and was Kennady. Councilwoman Nancy Croi committee should include sales and marketing expe young couples with children "We need someone on thi From Al included in Hidell's fee, will also help the architect and committee communicate, the architect said. "If you want a children's wing in a playful color, what :you call a playful color and I call a playful color may not be the saine thing unless we see a playful color," he said. Also, Hidell suggested some high -tech features sucl rect lighting, which he not cause eye damage u your computer screen." High -tech services more, not less, space tl tional libraries, Hidell instance, computerized logs require more space fashioned card catalogs Computers will never books, Hidell said. "How many people to puter with them to bed? The committee mem also decide if the librai steel high -tech features e said. that is not just our age," the 53 -year Against councilwoman said. "In the Because the new library will be across e to sup- the street from the high school, a high allow it school student should also be on the tradi- committee, Crouch said. aggested But Hidell said, "Children on the com - stepping mittee have not worked well because irman of they have limited attention spans." cil mem- Instead, he said architects will present ;tion in ideas and solicit ideas from children was a during the design process. a com- Piwonka suggested the Bryan Library about 10 Board have a representative on the the com- steering committee because the library will go is under the board's jurisdiction. rector of Officials have not determined the future :ity, sug- relationship between the Bryan and :ked by College Station libraries. Once the city selects the committee said the members, they will tour other recently ple with built libraries to get ideas for the College nce and Station library. The tour, which is )mmittee Please see COUNCIL, Page A8 as indi- on the Internet, a global network id "does for computer users. are on "How do you police it ?" Hidell said. "If you have 10 people on require line how do you keep those peo- tradi- ple from tying it up all day ?" id. For With suggestions, the archi- d cata- tects will create a few model an old- libraries and list costs. If the e said. costs are over budget, the som- eplace mittee will consider eliminating some features or having fund dri- a com- ves. e said. Possibly, the committee could rs will agree to name a wing or a room will go for large donors, Kennady and 46) CS street 1 (A� An Eagle staff report Work will start work this week on a series of streets east of Texas A &M University near College Hills Elementary School. Streets scheduled for work late this week or early next are Brooks Avenue from Walton Drive to James Parkway, Bolton Avenue from Walton Drive to James Parkway, Williams Street from Gilchrist Avenue to James Parkway, Williams Street from Gilchrist Avenue to Lincoln Drive, Marstellar Avenue form Gilchrist Avenue to Francis Drive, Woodland Parkway form Munson Avenue to Marstellar Avenue, the entire length of Holt Street and Gilchrist Avenue form James Parkway to Walton Drive. Projects scheduled for later in the year are Gilchrist Avenue from James Parkway to Walton Drive and James Sd par ay from Kyle Avenue to Puryear Drive. The city is scheduling work on these projects to coincide with work on the stgate sewer project. Bill Watson, street maintenance fore- man,! aid he is unsure when work on the last t io projects will begin or work on the ers will be complete. all depends on the whether," he said. Tae city selected the streets based on a nuril ier of factors, Watson said. Criteria incR ded traffic volume, curb and drainage problems, road condition and age pavement. me of the streets are 30 to 40 years of " he said. rk will consist of replacing all dam - ag d concrete and placing 11/2 inches of asl balt over existing roadway. e city is scheduling work on these pri ojects; so people can always find an on street to College Hills School. Illyi DATE: �. 2,) i 19 r • CS Council to disc new library By TODD BERG cha During s. the meeting, the commis- Eagle staff wr iter sion voted to rezone 34 acres at The College Station City Council Seb s a Road and Texas 6 from resi- agricultural and denied a will discuss plans for a new library denl req and e t to rezone 113 acres from agri- and police substations and zoning at meetings this week. cult al to single - family residential matters At its workshop meeting at 4 p.m. and d Alex residential at Schaffer and today, consultant Bill Hildell will give Gra i, the council a presentation about the T iE Lin roads. developer's plan would move library planning process. Mark Sch Smith, director of public services, will from er Road, which is poor shape, the boundary of the proposed present a five -year drainage improve- sub Jivision to the middle of the subdi- ment plan. vision. Police Lt. Scott Simpson will dis- Saveral neighbors in Edelweiss cuss the expansion of the city's com- Estates du 1 expressed dislike for the xes and the plan which would munity- oriented policing program. Currently, the police department has cut access from their houses to an officer assigned to the substation at Gr, Road via Schaffer Road. the Southgate Village Apartments. Ho The police department wants to add fav wever, most neighbors said they the rezoning of the Sebesta Road an officer at Southgate and two in the prcperty for Texas Digital Systems. Wolf Pen Creek area. third issue is to consider a final The police department will apply for ph on a portion of Block 23, College a $214,466 federal grant and use P $115,480 of city funds for the project. Zo liqg Subdivision. The Planning and Commission approved this At its regular meeting at 7 p.m. las Thursday, the council will consider I Lt eek. that meeting, owner Jim Morgan three zoning matters. Last week, the sa' i he discovered the property had he College Station Planning and Zoning b The illegally subdivided before ased it in 1982. Plat approval took action on the issues. council p makes the final decision on all zoning w' ake the subdivision legal. „ TL4 0 = I DATE: Feb. 20, I February 20 1996 `J Two council members file for CS mayor post McIlhaney, Crouch to square off in race By TODD BERGMANN Eagle staff writer The race for College Station mayor got off to a fast start Monday with two members of the city council filing for the post. Mayor Pro Tem Lynn McIlhaney and council- woman Nancy Crouch regis- tered to run for the mayor's seat on the first day of candi- date filing. Should either of A them win, she would become the first female mayor in College Station history. The winner will take the place of incumbent Mayor Larry Ringer, who announced last month that he would not seek re- election to the post he has held for a decade. In announcing her candidacy, Crouch, 53, of 8700 Appomattox Drive, said, "I'm Please see MAYOR, Page Ali Mayor �. From Al proudest of my efforts to encour- age long -range planning and effective division of labor between the council and staff by way of our goal statements.” For the past two years, Crouch has chaired the city's subcommittee on city affairs. This committee met regularly with the Bryan City Council and the Brazos County Commissioners. Crouch noted that sh worked on Brazos 2020 ' and that her committee "has fostered a healthy ex of information and prom number of cooperative effc McIlhaney, 47, of 1009 M Village, said she has the leadership and knowled city needs. "The mayor of College does not lead the McIlhaney, a 13 -year met the city council, told friends and family membi attended her news con also Monday at city hall. .ion, "The mayor helps the council cork by keeping members focused and Inge on the point," she said. -d a McIlhaney said her work with the Texas Municipal League and field the National League of Cities and rong filling in during Mayor Ringer's the absences qualified her for the office. ition Crouch said she will continue :ity," to bring good ideas to College er of Station from conferences of the e 40 Texas Municipal League and who other organizations. •ence Crouch, who has taught at the college and high school levels, As for ansportation, Crouch owns a cleaning products sales said, "Wring together with our Texas A &M, we firm. She has also run a cleaning sister city and service. can improve highways and air "My business background gives service, m, king it easy and pleas - me a customer - service focus, an ant to travel to and from College interest in cost - effective govern- Station fo business and plea - ment and a desire to see that the sure." city gets a high return on its Mcllha y cited her work with investments," Crouch said. the College Station School Board, Crouch said her platform the City, of Bryan and Brazos includes balancing public pros- County W improve the area. She perity with neighborhood integri- said she Wants to continue such ty, enhancing transportation and cooperat v efforts. expanding greenbelts and city Future ity councils will need parks. to provide, increased services for less cost, she said. College Station has encouraged staff to seek creative and cost -sav- ing solutions to problems, reach- ing mutual aid agreements with Bryan and building parks in co- operation with the College Station school district. As a full -time housewife, McIlhaney said, she will have ample time to devote to the unpaid job of mayor of College Station. Filing for municipal elections is open untl March 20. kow BY! DATE: Peb 19, I 9`7 A real eo le peis p p CS customer service representati) By TODD BERGMANN Eagle staff writer Debra Cornell enjoys helping people at work in city hall, at home, in schools, at church and in prison. ' enjoy helping children," she said. When children accompany their bill- paying parents to the College Station Utility Department, Cornell gives the little ones crayons and color- ing books. "Sometimes, parents go through the drive- through so fast, I never have a chance to give children the crayons and coloring books," she said. If college students and adults come to the College Stations Utility Department, instead of crayons and a,. coloring books, Cornell gives them tips on saving energy. As a customer service representa- tive, Cornell hears complaints about high electric bills. In gtost cases, the utility department does not adjust bill, but instead gives peopr tips to make their bills lower. "Some students will be moving in in August with the air conditioning on and the all the windows open," she said. "We can tell people how to lower their bill through saving energy." Cornell gives people brochures on saving energy and can set appoint- ments to have an expert come to a house and point out ways for people to save energy. She has worked in the College Station Utility Department for 15 years. "I've worked in every position except supervisor," she said. "I enjoy customer service the most." As part of her work, she spent a day traipsing around the city with a meter reader. If there's a dog in. the yard, walk out of the yard backwards, facing the dog," Cornell said. But meter readine and trving to oes her job with a smile L Eaala nhntnlrMA Pam nn L XAEJ E =0 I Yj DATE: Feb. I(p, I • Delay in moves expected Finances stall bus firm's move to CS By MARIA KRINSKY Eagle staff writer North American Transit, Inc. isn't likely to ake its Feb. 26 deadline to move to College Station. The bus manufacturer laid off 54 employees at its Bryan location on Wednesday, leav- ing only security per Ionnel on staff. I_ The company's financial problems put a damper on an agreement that was made in May 1994, when the Icompany agreed to relocate to College Station. In return for the commit- ment, the City of College Station co- signed a $500,000 let- ter of guarantee to help the bus manufacturing ny. The deal was made a: a program to help the f is development of the College Station area. North American Inc. received a federa and paid off the note me a year ago, releasing t of College Station fr( financial responsibilit} Skip Noe, College city manager, said American Transit, Ir have to apply for an e) by Feb. 26. But Noe said the city the bus company's fl problems into consid lance when deciding on an exten- )mpa- sion. "We recognize they are not art of in a position to move," Noe mom- said. "We want to make sure ,ryan- they have a healthy company to relocate." ansit, The agreement already was grant extended once because the an company was unable to find a City suitable site in College Station. any Cook said the lay -offs are ation only temporary and he hopes Vorth to rehire everyone next week will and return to the plant's 10- nsion bus -a -week production level. "As soon as we get our cash 1 take flow problems worked out we racial will be able to get people on ation board," he said. ATk4m=5yi DATE: �b- I 6 , 1 Officer won't be charged in shooting death Grand jury issues no -bill after hearing 23 wit*sses in College Station incident �'\ 0 By ASHLEY PETERSON Eagle staff writer A Brazos County grand jury voted unanimously Thursday not to charge College Station Police Officer D.K. Bain in the Jan. 28 shooting death of Joe Lee Lewis. "We listened to all of the witnesses and felt no criminal charges should be brought against the officer," said David Jahnsen, the foreman of the grand jury. We heard a variety of witnesses — those L people who saw the incident and those who said they saw it We heard from close friends of Lewis and police offi- cers." Jahnsen said the 12 -member jury heard testimony for eight hours but took only 10 or 15 minutes to decide to no-bill the officer. Brazos County District Attorney Bill Turner said the panel heard 23 witnesses — 19 citizens and four police officers. Some witnesses had alleged that Officer Bain, who is white, shot Lewis, Officer those witnesses being under oath," Turner said. "When wit- nesses testify under oath it increases the likelihood of truth- ful testimony." Turner said grand jury wit- nesses included those submitted by Kevin Washington, president of the- Brazos County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "Kevin asked if we could get the attorney general's office involved, so we called and got someone to come in. We also made sure that all of the witness- es he submitted were called to the hearing," Turner said. "We also felt some people may not want to who w Ls black. But police said Lewis grab a officer's semi- automatic pis- tol and h A himself in the head. Poli said Bain answered a call that Lewis, 9, of Houston, was threatening to commit s icide at his brother's apart- ment a 1 4 Luther St. Ines ' ators said Officer Bain was in the p ss of escorting Lewis to her car to go fc r counseling when a struggle for her gur began. LewL took Bain's gun, then shot him- self in I he head, police said. talk to local people, but wo open up to state officials." John Pantermuehl, of Te: Attorney General Dan Mora office, conducted an independ investigation into the case. "I spent most of the 4 Tuesday with Washington," s Pantermuehl, who declined comment further on his inve gation. Turner said the jury got total picture at the hearing. "Our position was to make s all the information got to grand jury and to accept tt findings," Turner said. "And, accept it wholeheartedly." Turner said the criminal ins tigation is complete. College Station Lt. Sc McCollum said in an earl interview that an internal ini tigation would begin once Some witnesses who claimed to have seen the incident said Bain shot Lewis, however. Turner said the grand jury hearing allowed for an objective opinion to be given by 12 court- appointed people who had no involvement in the case. He said the grand jury room provided a setting for the most accurate testimony. "All of the witnesses were sworn in, and the grand jury had that advantage of Please see OFFICER, Page A7 criminal investigation ended. "The two are in no way related, other than it deals with the same case," McCollum said. "The inter- nal investigation deals with the department's policies and proce- dures, and making sure they were followed in this case." Bain, 41, has been on the College Station force for one year. She was put on administrative leave following the shooting, which is standard procedure after a shooting involving a police officer. The officer began working a desk job in fhe administrative offices last week, McCollum said. College Station Police Chief Ed Feldman and Bain were not avail- able for comment on the outcome of the hearing. Lewis' family declined com- ment on the case and the hearing. • � -CS bus manufacturer lays off employees; says woes temporary By MARIA KRINSKY Eag staff writer D9 I A Bryan -based bus manufacturer backed by a $500,000 loan guaranteed by the City of College Station is laying off its employees for a week because of money problems, company officials said Wednesdy. The comp ny, North American Transit, Inc., has an $18 million con- tract to build puses and trolleys for a Please see BUS, Page A7 Bus Eroi Al transit system serving southeast Texas, but president Wayne Cook said he has a "cash flow" prob- lem that he expects to resolve by next week. Cook declined to specify his cash problems except to say that the company wasn't receiving payments on time, so it in turn couldn't pay for supplies and labor. Cook said he had laid off 54 of his workers — all but himself himself an staff — security st — pending tion of his financial problems. He said he expects that to happen next week and he will rehire them then. North American Transit began operations last year with $2 mil- lion in bank loans from First American Bank. The City of College Station guaranteed $500,000 of the amount. Under the terms of the loan guarantee, North American Transit was supposed to move its operations from Bryan's North Point Industrial Park to a site in College Station by early this year. It hasn't done so. The City of Bryan earlier had declined to co- guarantee the loan. Cook said that if the plant reopens next week as planned, the repercussions should be min- imal. "We won't be able to buy sup- plies and equipment here, but it shouldn't affect anyone too much," he said. The company has an $18 mil lion contract to build revolution- ary compressed natural gas -pow- ered buses for Brazos Transit System, the largest rural system in Texas. Brazos Transit serves 94 com- munities in 13 southeast Texas counties and it has said it intends to expand into 14 east Texas coun- ties without public transit. e 9 DATE: �ej 15 1, I q ��(c *,your View �1 it takes some planning n a recent article, you reported that College Station City Manager Skip Noe "suggested the city might create park land along creeks which often overflow, Viand thereby prevent flooding." (Eagle, Feb 8). There is a precedent for doing this. I served on the city's Parks and Recreation Committee in the 1970s. On Jan. 11, 1977 ' a plat came before us for single - family homes along Anderson Street reaching all the way back to Bee Creek. In fact the developer was planning to build several houses in the 100 -year flood plain, raising the land with fill• The plat had already passed the Planning and Zoning commit - tee without change. it came before the Parks Committee for another reason entirely — an exchange of land on the northern edge of the property for a street right -of -way. ; 1 had many friends on Glade Street, the street on the other side of Bee Creek. One had recently shown me a photo of water from the creek up to her back stoop after a heavy rain. It seemed obvious that if this plat went through unchanged, the homes on Glade Street would flood. So the com- mittee recommended the city purchase the flood- land all along the creek, "at least enough to have a minimum park site of 10 acres...." i s 7" "I`remember asking Paul Wojciechowski, director of the Parks and Recreation Department at the time, "What is the city policy for purchasing park land ?" "What city policy ?" he answered. "We've never purchased any park land." We lobbied the members of the city council, telling them that this land was the last remaining attractive wooded land between Glade Street and Texas Avenue, Southwest Parkway and Jersey (Bush) Drive. Most of the area was open pasture then, including what is now the Kroger shopping center, but we foresaw that it would be heavily built in the near future. Usually, it seemed, we wanted open, flat parkland for ballfields -- why not pur- chase this pretty area where people could take a walk among the trees? On Feb. 8, 1977, in a joint meeting of the city council and the Parks and Recreation Committee, Mayor Lorene Bravenec and Council Members Ann Hazen, Gary Halter and the recently - deceased and much- missed James Gardner decided that the city would buy 7.7 acres along the creek at $7,000 per acre. Later the entire council voted in favor of the purchase. That area. became Lemon Tree Park. It takes a bit of inquisitiveness an cre- ativity sometimes, to make a decision that will serve the cornmunity in the long run. MARY CIANI SASLOW College Station, CS seeks help in honoring ma pr�� ID ,z The City of College Stat for groups and individu pate in May 17 activit Mayor Larry Ringer. is looking to partici- to honor . the early iese include drinks and or 10 years before that. ns. For his i of the sta- �xas A &M of city ser- f a library, oved inter - rith other waste col - !d designa- d Tree City iarticipate in call Peggy Activities will begin evening at Central Park. a public ceremony, fooc entertainment. Ringer has been mayo and a councilman for sev Both are voluntary posi day job, Ringer is chairn + tistics department at University. During Ringer's 17 yep vice, College Station ope built more parks and it governmental relationE jurisdictions, started a r • lection system and reci tions as a Clean City 2000 USA. People and groups whc the activities should • Calliham at 764 -3768. is looking to partici- to honor . the early iese include drinks and or 10 years before that. ns. For his i of the sta- �xas A &M of city ser- f a library, oved inter - rith other waste col - !d designa- d Tree City iarticipate in call Peggy I ( ' MI1 F C DANE: ►1 CS historic prase tion panel to discuss street gn project 3h The College Station Historic A] Preservation Committee will com install a new member, review an tion application for an historic home for plaque and discuss the Southside the street sign project during its chec meeting this week. tion The city is planning to place C. signs in the Southside area which Deb. say "no parking" when in the sion open position and would say Tl "Southside" or "Southgate" the when closed. Wed The signs will be open during Par] football games and possibly other Dep special events. Roa during the meeting, the ttee will review an applica- r an historic home plaque 1 Westchester Ave. During view, the committee will to make sure all informa- L the application is correct. il Wagner will replace Lh O'Bryant as a commis - ,ember. public is invited to attend meeting at 5:15 p.m. sday, at the College Station and Recreation :ment, 1000 Krenek Tap I Cos1 F I] DATE: mard I COLLEGE STATION 14th Straight $hot set on loop cours A ttention all runners and walkers, the 14th annual 1Aggieland Straight Shot is almost pon us. The 10 kilometer, five kil eter and fitness walk coordinated by the Bryan and College Station Athletic Association and the College Station Parks f and Recreation Department is scheduled for March 30 at 8:30 a.m. The largest ; running event in the area will like- Cathy Capps ly attract 800 to 900 participants this year. Over time, the Straight Shot has gen- erated an extremely loyal following, with several people running in all 13 races. These runners will notice the Straight Shot has undergone a few temporary changes in 1996. The most significant change is in the course. Construction on Texas Avenue has thrown the Straight Shot for a loop, a loop course that is. The new loop course will begin and end at Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater in College Station. Straight Shot runners will also notice the race is later in the spring this year. Milder weather condi- tions are expected to ensure a great race day. To enhance this year's event, pre -race and post -race entertainment will be on the amphitheater. Local radio personali 'es will be on hand to host the morning INEL, itertainment and present awards. nother addition to the Aggieland Straight Shot is the Kid's Mile, a one mile race open to all runners under age 12. The Kid's Mile is designed to attract children to an event that promotes fit- ness and healthy living. Awar based on school cl� The fastes age group receive a efforts. Tc "Kid's Mil In race: sented to 1 top two wl three malE race. For t the Strai€ Cancer A` the event mograms, tion of bre The Str race, it als out the co cies pitch i a great suc The Te) managing and water Fruit ar the Aggie Runners c water at th erosity o Ambrosia ' Entry ers interes are $12 fon March 22. Late r Entry fore College St; or Cathy ■ Cathy for the Recreation "&D will be presented, but not eed. Rather, the elementary with the largest number of will collect a special award. ndividual will be presented yards and each finisher will -shirt and ribbon for his ncourage participation, the entry fee is $5. )r adults, awards will be pre - top three finishers overall, &hair finishers and the top nd female finishers for each second year, proceeds from Shot will benefit Breast reness. Money raised from 11 help fund low -cost mam- ;sisting in the early detec- t cancer. ;ht Shot is not only a great generates goodwill through - munity. Several local agen- to make the "Straight Shot" A &M Corps of Cadets will racers along the course leverages will be served by iance at the amphitheater. enjoy fresh bagels and nish line thanks to the gen- Breugger's Bagels and for all runners and walk - in the 5K and 10K events plications postmarked by ration entry fee is $15. are available from the i Parks and Recreation 00 Krenek Tap Road. For a form call Tony Scazzero at 764 -3424. )ps is a recreation assistant lege Station Parks & C I DATE: s sanitation inspector for College Station, Peter Barilaro is a police officer and teacher. "I'm a trash cop," Barilaro said. In addition to enforcing a variety of city ordinances pertaining to trash, he teaches Texas A &M students, busi- nesses and the public about what they can do to reduce the amount of waste going into the landfill and keep College Station beautiful. "Most people are not aware that the regulations have become very, very stringent," Barilaro said. Barilaro said he tries to educate the public on the regulations before he enforces them. "If I make a presentation to a group of College Station and Bryan res- idents, within the next week, I will have a dozen phone calls about things that are found," he said. With the information he has gath- ered while a teacher, Barilaro will start his police work. Barilaro works to eep prohibited items out of the trash These include appliances and automobile oil, filters, tires and batteries. i Instead of putting these items in the garbage, people maj bring items to the Brazos Valley Solid Waste Management Agency's'• March 30 col- lection at the Brazos Cinter. Through this collection, the agency, Bryan and College Station can recycle just about everything people bring to the collection. Hazardous waste can have many consequences, Barilaro said. "If you add something to a dump - ster which is hazardous waste, that makes everything in the dumpster haz- ardous waste," he said. "A gallon of used motor oil will contaminate 1 mil- lion gallons of water. "We have people all the time who are dumping used motor oil into the gutters and the sewers.' These people have to pay for the cost of cleanup up to 1 million gallons of water, Barilaro said. To keep people from damping motor oil, Barilaro is telling people why they should not dump motor oil and the city has started a used- motor- oil collection center at the public ser- vices building on Cole W. King Street. Behind many stores, gas station and restaurants in College Station peo- ple will find overflowing dumpsters, barrels, stacks of old tires and piles of oil filters. Barilaro will work with business- es to correct these problems. This includes placing large dumpsters lyi Photo and sto dumpsters, they may force the busi y ness to pay more for trash collection by PETER BARILARO costs, Barilaro said. That is why it it television ing furniture with recycled 45 st ow: illegal to throw trash in business Todd Bergmann and Order" dumpsters, he said. Heroes: Weymouth, Mass Favorite As part of his job, Barilaro helps Quiet Man' "He was a firefighter. businesses reduce their trash collec- behind apartment complexes when stu- tion costs. In some cases, this may dents move in and out. h Wayne result in a decrease in collection fees By correcting the proble n. in a from $375 a month to $90 a month, he reasonable time, businesses can avoid said. paying a fine and cleanup c 3s S, he In addition to enforcing laws said. If city employees clean ul a trash about the wrong kind of trash put in problem, they usually do this n week- containers and trash put somewhere ends and the city will charge tae prop- other than containers, Barilaro erty owner time and a half, Barilaro enforces the city's trashcart ordinance. said. If a trashcart remains in front of Other crimes the trash c p looks his house for more than 12 hours after for are people putting trash ' t busi- pickup, Barilaro will put a warning ness dumpsters and people r6nioving ticket on the cart. If it happens again, items from recycling contain , trash he will put an actual ticket on the cart. cans and dumpsters. "My job is not only the enforce- "This is not only hazat Jous, it ment of everything," Barilaro said. "I also brings a $150 fast offense tn," he have to know how everything operates said. and how the whole system works and People can catch hepitatig 1, from where it all goes. " items in dumpsters, Barilaro said. This year, word of Barilaro's Also, dumpsters can catch on flre, he work has moved beyond the city limits said of College Station. Recently, Barilaro "A fire in a petrochemical liant is spoke at the state solid waste confer - safer than a dumpster fire," Bgrilaro ence in Austin. said. In April, Barilaro will speak Firefighters know what the about solid waste in Costa Rica. He will petrochemical plant and wh a it is. explain the city's solid waste system to But they do not know what i in a the president and other leaders. dumpster, he said. "The president and most of the Although people help cle p the major industrialists are all Aggies," he city by throwing trash in u iness said. ° wz PETER BARILARO Age: Favorite television ing furniture with recycled 45 st ow: fence pickets. and Order" Place of birth: Heroes: Weymouth, Mass Favorite movie: My dad. Quiet Man' "He was a firefighter. Years in area His dedication to public 10 years F v rite actor: service lives in me." J h Wayne Education: Favorite Family: book: Bachelor's degree n Wife, Bonnie Matter of Degree" chemical engineering, University of New York; Favorite author: Pets: master's degree in military John Forsyth Button, "one 20- year -old, science, United State very well traveled and Military Academy. Free time activities: tired cat." R hing, hunting and mak- V I THE EAGLE DA M' IILY NEWS 7' � ', 9 �--- The Eagle Date: l Scrambling for eggs I N ; ' ` �` -7, • " Parents and children rush to find Easter eggs at the College St, Saturday in Central Park. About 3,200 prize - filled eggs were hidden an early appearance, to the delight of younger participants. Eagle photo/Butch Ireland Police Department's 15th Annual Easter Egg Hunt park for the free hunt. The Easter Bunny also made r E By TODD BERGMANN Eagle staff writer A three - month -old dispute between the cities of Bryan and College Station over electricity transmission costs, which is costing electric customers more than $4,000 a day in legal bills, could be resolved by a Public Utility Commission of Texas ruling expected later this month. The two cities have been squabbling over how much College Station should pay Bryan for use of its electric lines to receive power transmitted from Texas !s Electric Inc. age Station's known legal bills e $161,000 to Jenkins and ist, which has offices in Austin, Houston, San Antonio and ngton, and $10,000 for Bickerstaff, and Smiley of Austin. nwhile, Bryan spent $70,000 to defending a case College Station it in federal court in December 100,000 in an unresolved case Station brought to the Federal Regulatory Commission. Please see POWER, Page A7 Power From Al Also, the Texas Municipal Power Agency, of which Bryan is a member, paid Fulbright & Jaworski of Houston about $loo,000 to defend in federal court a suit brought by College Station. This brings the total to about $400,000 for a dispute that is less than 100 days old. But these figures represent only a portion of That each of three entities spend on legal fees, Joe Brown, public information for the City of Bryan, said. In some case, the lawyers have not sent bills for service provided and the city officials have not added all the numbers, he said. Bryan Councilwoman Kandy Rose said she is, "incredibly dis- appointed and saddened that the' two cities have not found a way. to settle this with the expense and staff time of litigation." Mike Conduff, Bryan city man- alter, said the money spent on, legal fees is justifiable. "We have an entity that is try- ing to trespass on our electric lines and we need to defend our- selves against that action," he said. Skip Noe, College Station's city manager, said he would prefer it if the city could avoid spending money on legal fees. But, he added, "Given the fact that we are talking about 5.5 mil- lion a year for at least four years, we think spending a couple hun- dred thousand at this time is jus- tified." The dispute started after College Station announced last year that it would no longer pur- chase electricity from the Texas Municipal Power Agency, of which Bryan is a member is a partner, and instead purchase it from the Texas Utilities Electric Inc.. be about cal Coll tomer. But C want to ous acti, a lower The Commis in the p and ask informa mission to justif The a a hearir commis present resched sion is "We Utilities the Since Jan. 1 College Station "We jt has received Texas Utilities agency power through Bryan and TMPA CollE lines. Decem Under rates proposed by the Energ} City of Bryan, the cost of trans- and th mission to College Station would Housto $1.84 a month for a typi- ge Station electric cus- ;e Station does not those rates. In vari- the city is asking for Public Utilities n of Texas intervened *ss in early February both cities to present n on whether the com- ould get involved and roposed rates. mission had scheduled br today. But only two n members could be so the commission d to March 13. A deci- ected March 27. Vt care if it's Public Dmmission of Texas or Federal Energy >n," Cathy Locke, city rr College Station, said. want an independent set the rate." Station, in mid- asked the Federal . egulatory Committee U.S. Circuit Court in :) set rates. On Dec. 26, Federal Judge Nancy Atlas denied College Station's request to force Bryan to reduce its rate. Meanwhile, the federal agency has yet to act on the request. Conduff says he will wait for all state and federal agencies to com- plete their decisions before say- ing if the city would be satisfied with an independent agency set- ting the rates. Alexis "Tripp" Walter III, Bryan city attorney, said the city would rather allow the federal agency to do it. But Locke said the agency is notoriously slow in making deci- sions. Atlas's decision did not bar the parties from taking other action. Since the decision, Bryan has filed two suits against College Station. On Jan. 10, Bryan filed suit in U.S. District Court claiming College Station is illegally using its electric lines. College Station has until March 15 to respond. On Jan. 3o, Bryan filed a Simi- lar suit in Brazos County district court. Judge J.D. Langley has taken no action on the case. } Power struggle By TODD BERGMANN Eagle staff writer A three- month -old dispute between the cities of Bryan and College Station over electricity transmission costs, which l is costing electric customers more than $4,000 a day in legal bills, could 'be resolved by a Public Utility Commission of Texas ruling expected later this month. The two cities have been squabbling over how much College Station should pay Bryan for use of its electric lines to receive power transmitted from Texas Also, the Texas Municipal Power Agency, of which Bryan is a member, paid Fulbright & JAworski of Houston about $100,000 to defend in federal court a suit brought by College Station. This brings the total to about $400,000 for a dispute that is less than 100 days old. But these figures represent only a portion of Vhat each of three entities spend on legal fees, Joe Brown, public information for the City of Bryan, said. In some case, the lawyers have not sent bills for service provided and the city officials have not added all the numbers, he said. Bryan Councilwoman Kandy Rose said she is, "incredibly dis- appointed and saddened that the two cities have not found a way tp settle this with the expense and staff time of litigation." : Mike Conduff, Bryan city man• tiger, said the money spent on legal fees is justifiable. We have an entity that is try- ing to trespass on our electric lines and we need to defend our- selves against that action," he said. Skip Noe, College Station's city manager, said he would prefer it if the city could avoid spending money on legal fees. But, he added, "Given the fact that we are talking about 5.5 mil - lion a year for at least four years, we think spending a couple hun- dred thousand at this time is jus- tified." The dispute started after College Station announced last year that it would no longer pur- chase electricity from the Texas Municipal Power Agency, of which Bryan is a member is a partner, and instead purchase it from the Texas Utilities Electric Inc.. Since Jan. 1 College Station has received Texas Utilities power through Bryan and TMPA lines. Under rates proposed by the City of Bryan, the cost of trans- mission to College Station would toward legal bills costing B -CS $4,000 daily Utilities Electric Inc. Colleg Station's known legal bills include $ 61,000 to Jenkins and Gilchrist hich has offices in Austin, Dall as, ston, San Antonio and Washingi o , and $10,000 for Bickerstaff, Heath an miley of Austin. Meanv6hile, Bryan spent $70,000 to $75,000 defending a case College Station brought in federal court in December and $100,000 in an unresolved case College Station brought to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Please see POWER, Page A7 be about $1.84 a month for a typi- cal College Station electric cus- tomer. But College Station does not want to pay those rates. In vari- ous actions, the city is asking for a lower rate. The Public Utilities Commission of Texas intervened in the process in early February and asked both cities to present informat o on whether the com- mission uld get involved and to justify p oposed rates. The co ission had scheduled a hearin r today. But only two commiss o members could be present, o the commission rescheduled to March 13. A deci- sion is expected March 27. "We don't care if it's Public Utilities Commission of Texas or the Federal Energy Commission," Cathy Locke, city attorney for College Station, said. "We just want an independent agency to set the rate." College Station, in mid - December, asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee and the U.S. Circuit Court in Houston to set rates. On Dec. 26, Federal Judge Nancy Atlas denied College Station's request to force Bryan to reduce its rate. Meanwhile, the federal agency has yet to act on the request. Conduff says he will wait for all state and federal agencies to com- plete their decisions before say- ing if the city would be satisfied with an independent agency set- ting the rates. Alexis "Tripp" Walter III, Bryan city attorney, said the city would rather allow the federal agency to do it. But Locke said the agency is notoriously slow in making deci- sions. Atlas's decision did not bar the parties from taking other action. Since the decision, Bryan has filed two suits against College Station. On Jan. 10, Bryan filed suit in U.S. District Court claiming College Station is illegally using its electric lines. College Station has until March 15 to respond. On Jan. 30, Bryan filed a simi- lar suit in Brazos County district court. Judge J.D. Langley has taken no action on the case. DANE: I Road ahead uncertain for bus finit s t Eagle plwtas/Dave McDermand p tf Buses stand uncompleted on the factory floor at the empty North American Transit Company factory In Bryan. Below, the f: doors are tightly shut. The company, which laid off all 54 employes a month ago, has financial troubles. V Financial woes d r plague Bryan , , L manufacturer RAASI V f 0 By MARIA KRINSKY 73 NO RTH ; Eagle staff writer I When a bus - manufacturing company 1 set up shop in Brazos County two years ago, economic development officials 1 c painted a picture of a thriving firm sup , f g plying transit for all of Southeast Texas, C 40 jobs and an annual payroll of $7T The future is not so rosey anymore for largest rural public transit s em in in 13 North American that it will halt pay ments for contracted trolleys yet to be u s North American Transit, Inc. the state. It serves 94 comet southeast Texas communities. s built. , The company's Bryan factory is shut Brazos Transit has bought North Wayne Cook, president of North i) and barred, all manufacturing opera- and stopped and its 54 employees tions American Transit's natural s- pow - American Transit, challenges Brazos Transit's claim of faulty suspension sys- d have been laid off for almost a month. ered buses, but says they have and suspension problems. ring tems, saying the bus company had an s The company is owed $ million but its only client is refusing . pay unless John McBeth, administrat r of the i original engineering firm check on the suspen- sion and found them in working order. t , North American Transit corrects what Brazos Transit System, says contract with North American Transit Meantime, the North American the customer says is suspension prob was for 75 units — 25 buses ai td 50 trol- Transit plant in Bryan remains locked lems on the vehicles. North American Transit's only cus- tomer is Brazos Transit System, the leys• But he says the company told Please see BUSES, Page A7 t, 0 C W u Buses From Al and shuttered and workers are out of jobs until the dispute is set- tled. McBeth said Brazos Transit did not just refuse to pay for the bus order, but rather paid for all of the buses, and 10 trolleys, before it found a fleet defect in the buses about six weeks ago. He said Brazos Transit discon- tinued all future payments until the technical difficulties are cor- rected. Cook said North American Transit, Inc. has been talking with Brazos Transit and is trying to work out a compromise. "We are waiting for a response to our proposal," he said. "We proposed that they pay us some now and continue to pay us in payments. McBeth said Brazos Transit hired an independent engineer to look at the bus system. Based on the engineer's analysis, Brazos Transit will decide how North American Transit should rectify the suspension problem, he said. When North American Transit opened last year, it did so with a $500,000 loan guarantee from the City of College Station. The guar- antee was part of program designed to help the economic development of Bryan- College Station. In return for the co-sign let- ter, the bus company committed to relocate to College Station The bus company paid off the loan over a year ago, but it has not yet moved to the city. Robert Worley, executive director of the Economic Development Corporation said although it the matter is no longer in the hands of the Economic Development Corporation, it is unfortunate to see the company having Orob- lems. "We were disappointed,' he said. "But we have high holws it will be resurrected." Worley said problems with new businesses are to be expect- ed. "The reality is, most new busi- nesses fail," he said. "Starting up a new business is difficult. The odds are against new business D91 e 3111940 start- ups." Before the bus company's recent difficulties it was meeting all expectations, he said. "Things were going well," he said. Cook said his main concern now is getting workers back on the job. "We have got to get our employees back," he said. "Just today we lost two real good peo- ple who had to get other jobs." Robin David, 38, is one of the North American Transit employ- ees who was laid off. Although she says she is one of the lucky ones because she has a shift doing security work at the company three nights a week, she said it is hard providing for her four children with the drastic reduction in pay. "It is very difficult," she said. "I enjoy working for the compa- ny, but as a single mother it is hard to provide for my children." David said although money is tight, she wants to hold off look- ing for a new job. "I am committed to the compa- ny," she said. "I don't want to look elsewhere." Investigation absc her in shooting dE By ASHLEY PETERSON Eagle staff writer Go ge Station police officer D. Bain, g hose care f was under a cloud r the p�hhoOting death of a man in Janu Lry, has en absolved of any blame and be ` back on patrol Monday -, r °Me internal investigation w ks com- pleted earlier this w and a commit- tee of three staff meirs revie red our findings," College Station Police spokesman Lt. Scott `McCollum, said Wednesday. ; Sgt. Larry Johnson, Sgt. Dan Jo' es and Sgt. Gary Bishop reviewed the and found that .Bain had followed of the departments policies and pr ores, McCollum said. ' The 41-year-old , officer's semi -a tomat- ic pistol was used in the death of Joe Lee Lewis, 29, at Southgate Village. ! Police said Lewis seized Bain's gun in a struggle and shot himself shortly after Bain answered the call about his threats of suicide.. But people who said they saw tl ueJan. 28 incident told police that Bat i shot Lewis.:: The department conducted a investigation to seek.the.truth ' n the case, and findings were brought b f6re a grand jury Feb. 15 at the Brazos County Courthouse. The 12- member " d � unanim ously not to .c t=°�' e shooting.- -b';2, 6 Bain was put on a trativE '.leave .immediately after shooting,' stan dard procedure in su cases, McG�ollum said. But she began working a desk Pb in the - administrative offices in ?early January. She has not responded to several attempts by The Eagle to tell her s ory of the incident. lyi DATE: CS City Council to discuss development By TODD BERGMANN business park, recruiting retail 1995 bond funds. 3113 Eagle staff writ businesses; Wolf Pen Creek Bill Hidell of the firm told the drainage; tech -prep cour e at council on Feb. 21 that success - The College Station City area schools; and city se Council will discuss attracting to the area near the Gorge ces ful libraries start with a steer - ing committee representing new business to the city at its 4 Bush Presidential Librarr and many segments of the commu- p.m. meeting today and will Northgate revitalization. nity. name a library steering com- Thursday, the council will The council will consider mittee at its 7 p.m. Thursday appoint a steering committee appointing Kathi Appelt, Bill meeting. to work with arch tOcts Barzak, Ed Holdredge, Bill The public is invited to involved with the new College Lancaster and Darcus Moore attend both meetings at College Station Library. as members of the committee Station City Hall at 1101 S. Last month, the cox icil and Larry Ringer as chairman. Texas Ave. selected the Dallas archit - Ringer will step down as mayor At today's meeting, the coun- al firm of Hidell and Asso i , ites in May. cil will continue discussion of to design the library. ThE ity The steering committee will strategic economic develop- plans to spend $1.3 million to ask other community members ment issues identified at its build a new 15,000 squar -foot to serve on subcommittees. January retreat in Conroe. library on land it owns on FM Other items on Thursday's Likely topics include attracting 2818 across from A&M agenda include purchasing a a hotel and conference center; Consolidated High School The new fire truck and new water recruiting businesses for the money comes from a porti n of meters. • The Eagle CS city council agrees new fire truck needed By TODD BERGMAN! L Eagle staff writer The College Station Fire Department and the city council agree that the city needs a new aerial truck, but they dis- agree on how tall the ladder should be. Fire Chief William L. Kennedy told the city council Wednesday that his depart- ment needs to replace the current 12- year -old fire truck, which has a 100 -foot ladder. The truck is now out of service. He said if a fire breaks out in a tall building inl, College Station, a fire truck from Bryan, will have to come put out the fire. If that truck is busy with another fire or out of service, people in College Station will have to wait an hour for a truck to come from Brenham, Fire Chief Kennedy said. The current truck has numerous main- tenance problems that will cost $86,000 to put back into service, he said. The current truck, which weighs 69,000 pounds, could damage streets and it would have problems getting to some areas on the Texas A &M campus, Kennedy said. The truck only carries 200 gallons of water, which lasts only two minutes while fighting a fire, he said. Kennedy recommended that the city purchase a 40,000 -pound truck with a 500 - gallon water capacity and a 75 -foot lad- der. The truck would have man y advan tage ' fighting fires, he said. It would have p umbing in it so no one would have to climb to the top of the truck to start squirting water on a fire, Kennedy said. But Councilmembers Hub Kennady and � 1 cy Crouch said the truck would have pne disadvantage. Firefighters would hot reach people trapped 75 to 100 feet above the ground. Fim Chief Kennedy said the Bryan- Colle a Station area has 34 buildings that area t 75 feet tall. Of those, 25 are on the T a as A &M campus. Lue ' y, Fire Chief Kennedy said, none of th has caught fire in recent years. Crouch said the city might look at buy- ing a truck with a 150 -foot ladder to reach taller b ' dings on the campus. If t city does not have a tall enough ladde d some students die in a fire at Texa &M, the city might have a liabili- ty pr blem under its agreement to pro- vide !refighting services to the campus, Coun ilmembers Crouch and Kennady said. Councilman Kennady suggested that city officials inquire if the university would like to subsidize the cost of a truck with a taller ladder. Ma Tor Larry Ringer said the council shoul ' itiate the bidding process at its meet' at 7 p.m. today and meanwhile talk university officials about their l The EagleK . Date: L�� I to lGJ!Cv PUC issues ultimatum ! electricity battle CS mayor welcomes promise to decide conflict; Bryan mayor hopes for'con Y y p sensus By TODD BERGMANN �+I Eagle st aff writer J The Public Utility Commission of Texas will decide what College Station should pay Bryan and the Texas Municipal Power Agency for electric transmission rates if the parties cannot resolve the issue. The PUC announced its decision in an 18 -page, written order this week. College Station has purchased electric- ity from Texas Utilities Electric Inc. since January but must use lines owned by Bryan and the Texas Municipal Power Agency. Bryan is one of four cities which own the agency. Until Dec. 31, 1995, College Station had bought electricity from the agency. The disagreement invol s Bryan and the agency's cost of prov' ing the ser- vice. Under federal and sta e law, power line owners may only charg a their cost of providing the service. C liege Station wants to pay lower rates, a d Bryan and the agency want to charge higher rates. The difference could mea as much as $1.84 a month for a typical, residential customer. Since November, the two Cities and the agency have submitted proposed agree- ments but have been unable to reach an agreement. Both cities have filed suits in federal court and spent more than $400,000 in legal fees in unsuccessful attempts to settle the matter. Larry Ringer, mayor of College Station, welcomed the PUC's decision. "That's what we wanted all along," Ringer said. Bryan Mayor Lonnie Stabler said the city wants "to sit down and discuss it and resolve it. I think we can reach a consen- sus on this." PUC From Al In the order, the commission told city officials and the agency to meet with the Office of Regulatory Affairs to resolve any differences. If that is unsuccessful, they must file their positions on unre- solved issues by March 27. The commission will make a decision on those issues during a public hearing on April 10 or at a later date. If the commission finds unresolved factual issues, it will refer those to the State Office of AdminiE trative Hearings. The commission will likely set a temporary rate followed by a perman nt rate, Ringer said. "Both cities have made good faith off rs to each other," Stabler said. "Those were rejected." Ringe� and Tom Brymer, assis- tant cjt manager for College Station, aid they expect the com- mission o'set a rate which is rea- sonable 1 and fair considering what TeXas'utilities pay for elec- tric power ,fransmission. City and the for com gers for both cities cy were unavailable on Friday. Please see PUC, Page A5 T L99 . The EagleK . Date: L�� I to lGJ!Cv PUC issues ultimatum ! electricity battle CS mayor welcomes promise to decide conflict; Bryan mayor hopes for'con Y y p sensus By TODD BERGMANN �+I Eagle st aff writer J The Public Utility Commission of Texas will decide what College Station should pay Bryan and the Texas Municipal Power Agency for electric transmission rates if the parties cannot resolve the issue. The PUC announced its decision in an 18 -page, written order this week. College Station has purchased electric- ity from Texas Utilities Electric Inc. since January but must use lines owned by Bryan and the Texas Municipal Power Agency. Bryan is one of four cities which own the agency. Until Dec. 31, 1995, College Station had bought electricity from the agency. The disagreement invol s Bryan and the agency's cost of prov' ing the ser- vice. Under federal and sta e law, power line owners may only charg a their cost of providing the service. C liege Station wants to pay lower rates, a d Bryan and the agency want to charge higher rates. The difference could mea as much as $1.84 a month for a typical, residential customer. Since November, the two Cities and the agency have submitted proposed agree- ments but have been unable to reach an agreement. Both cities have filed suits in federal court and spent more than $400,000 in legal fees in unsuccessful attempts to settle the matter. Larry Ringer, mayor of College Station, welcomed the PUC's decision. "That's what we wanted all along," Ringer said. Bryan Mayor Lonnie Stabler said the city wants "to sit down and discuss it and resolve it. I think we can reach a consen- sus on this." PUC From Al In the order, the commission told city officials and the agency to meet with the Office of Regulatory Affairs to resolve any differences. If that is unsuccessful, they must file their positions on unre- solved issues by March 27. The commission will make a decision on those issues during a public hearing on April 10 or at a later date. If the commission finds unresolved factual issues, it will refer those to the State Office of AdminiE trative Hearings. The commission will likely set a temporary rate followed by a perman nt rate, Ringer said. "Both cities have made good faith off rs to each other," Stabler said. "Those were rejected." Ringe� and Tom Brymer, assis- tant cjt manager for College Station, aid they expect the com- mission o'set a rate which is rea- sonable 1 and fair considering what TeXas'utilities pay for elec- tric power ,fransmission. City and the for com gers for both cities cy were unavailable on Friday. Please see PUC, Page A5 T L99 The Eagle Date: 3I ZZ19(o CS Fire Dep"ent to hold safefiu ego E O The College S' Department is hosting Expo from 10 a.m. 1 Saturday at the Lincol Eleanor, in College Sta Fire extinguisher home inspection dE will occur all day. Free food and drink. for the first 600 visit are planned for safe such as smoke detectc guishers, bicycle heln aid kits. The Safety Expo is by Aggieland Cyclir Sam's Club and the C Station. For more informat Ruesink at 764 -3712. ion Fire Fire Safety 4 p.m. on ,enter, 1000 ining and nstrations are available rs. Drawings equipment fire extin- s and first- .�o sponsored Wal -Mart, ty of College call Lt. (6w C C x� ; �! The Ea le Date: �l I' COLLEGE STATION Wolf Pen theater3�2 plans busy season W e would like to welcome the Brazos Valley to the Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater's 1996 sea- son. If you're look- ing for a great deal on enter- tainment Wolf Pen Creek has just the ticket. Join us this spring for an out- standing array of events. Our performing season opens Saturday with the Otis Day of Animal House And BOW fame. Wear your toga and get ready to rock and shout with an evening of sheer delight. On April 7, Easter at the Creek is a community outreach sponsored by A &M United Methodist Church. Music will include the Texas A &M Century Singers, the University Symphonic Concert Band and the Freedom Worship Band. Share the Easter celebrati in our outdoor setting. On April 13, Rick Trevino, a Texas A &M former student, will perform. He has become one of the best entertainers in today's country music. Along with Robbie Wooten, from Brenham, with his "Rocky Mountains in Texas," this evening will dazzle you with perfor- mances of the superstar and the rising start. The Mavericks, a country band will perform on April 18. The group's last album shot past platinum. In 1995 with a Grammy nomination under their belt, the Mavericks took home two Academy of Country Music awards, top new vocal group as well as top vocal group. Along with the vivacious Junior Brown, April 18 will be an evening of "crank it up" pro- gressive countrv. O11 April 25, a touching ceremony will ho or those who have been victims of violent crimes as part of National Crime Victim's Rights Week. For more infor- me tion call 268 -7273. e Jazz & Blues Festival and Ch en's Festival will be April 27 from 11 1.11 to 9 P.M. and April 28 from Noon to .m . The smooth sound of the saxo ph will hit you like a ray of sunshine d g WPC's Jazz & Blues Festival. Perrormers include Jasmine Blue, the Big Apple Trio with Ruthie Foster, Eugene Eugene, Diamond Blue and a special Sunday appearance of the North Texas One O' Clock Jazz Band. So kick back and spend an evening, an afternoon or the entire weekend enjoy- ing the best in jazz and blues, your for the taking at Wolf Pen Creek. younger set is not overlooked as KK radio hosts the second annual Ch' en's Festival to be run concurrent- ly i the Jazz & Blues Festival. Special acti i ies designed especially for chil- drer include pony rides, train rides and exo -c petting zoo, Jupiter Jumps, falcon- ry e ibitions and a performance by the College Station Police Band "Blue Heat! J 1 Nava will perform at the Cinco de VIa o Family Celebration May 4. This - is' g star represents the best in contein- ?ore r1r Tejano music. The music and icti i ies for children as well as the 7.0 g at , heart will make this evening in ackopierce, End of Semester Bash will May 8. This rollicking alterna- tive band will help Aggies celebrate the end of the school year and the beginning of a at summer. O Y Torch Relay Ceremony will e May 21 at Noon. Local heroes run the t rch throughout Bryan and College '1' a event is climaxed with the light- ing f the official Olympic cauldron at Wolf P n Creek and an unforgettable cer- emo y that includes Aggies Over Texas parachute team, the Brazos Valley United Choirs and the powerful singing talen f M.A. Sterling. T is just the beginning. The Wolf Pen Q r ek Amphitheater has a summer full o events. For ticket and event infor- mation call 7643486. ■ Anel Bow is programs and events supervisor for Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater. 1 6 — i Date: = ��2�3J'� Pebble Creek Elementary ears completion�--. Project ahead of sch�dule, under budget By JENNY NELSON tive at this point, with all of the new Eagle staff writer houses popping up," said Brad Lancaster. "Once registration begins, College Station's newest elementary school, Pebble Creek Elementary, is nearing completion. In fact , it is two months ahead of schedule. "That's very unusual," said Pebble Creek Principal Brad Lancaster. "We'll have the whole summer to move in and get ready for the kids." The building was scheduled for com- pletion in July, but Lancaster said a lay move -in looks promising. All that is left to do is "finish work," .id Tom Eyeington, the district's rchitect for the project. "They have to put the carpet down, finish the cabinets and some other touch -up work," Eyeington said. During tonight's board meeting, Eyeington says a landscape contract will be awarded. "The initial landscape budget was $70,000, but the contract will be for around $52,000," he said. This will save taxpayers $17,000. In fact, he said the whole construction pro- ject is under budget. Lancaster says he is expecting about 400.950 students in the fall. In last month's board meeting the trustees approved rezoning. Pebble Creek gained 200 children from Rock Prairie Elementary and 115 from Southwood Valley Elementary. Other students will come from the Windsor Pointe apart- ment complex and from families new to the Pebble Creek housing addition. "Our enrollment is highly specula- they have to put the carpet own, finish the cabinets nd some other touch -up 1 fl P- 5 pk ncipal BRAD LANCASTER of Pebble Creek e ll have a more solid figure." Registration is planned to begin once dministrators move into the building in May. Pebble Creek will have about 115 computers on the campus. Each of the 32 classrooms will contain one teacher and one student computer. There will a computer lab, library computers ith card catalog, accessibility and ore computers in resource rooms. The students won't even have to wait the cafeteria because of a two-line ystem with a pass - through hot and .o ld storage rack for faster service. "The cafeteria workers will have food ady to replace the empty containers," Brad Lancaster said. "On one side food will be put in and on the other it will be taken out. This keeps the lunch lines Flowing." 1�1 Eagle photos /Jenny Nelson The new Pebble Creek Elementary School campus, above, is scheduled to be competed in May. Construction superintendent David Wright, bottom left, shows architect Tom Eyeington, middle, and Principal Brad Lancaster measurements of "cobbles" for students' books. The Eagle 1 6 — i Date: = ��2�3J'� Pebble Creek Elementary ears completion�--. Project ahead of sch�dule, under budget By JENNY NELSON tive at this point, with all of the new Eagle staff writer houses popping up," said Brad Lancaster. "Once registration begins, College Station's newest elementary school, Pebble Creek Elementary, is nearing completion. In fact , it is two months ahead of schedule. "That's very unusual," said Pebble Creek Principal Brad Lancaster. "We'll have the whole summer to move in and get ready for the kids." The building was scheduled for com- pletion in July, but Lancaster said a lay move -in looks promising. All that is left to do is "finish work," .id Tom Eyeington, the district's rchitect for the project. "They have to put the carpet down, finish the cabinets and some other touch -up work," Eyeington said. During tonight's board meeting, Eyeington says a landscape contract will be awarded. "The initial landscape budget was $70,000, but the contract will be for around $52,000," he said. This will save taxpayers $17,000. In fact, he said the whole construction pro- ject is under budget. Lancaster says he is expecting about 400.950 students in the fall. In last month's board meeting the trustees approved rezoning. Pebble Creek gained 200 children from Rock Prairie Elementary and 115 from Southwood Valley Elementary. Other students will come from the Windsor Pointe apart- ment complex and from families new to the Pebble Creek housing addition. "Our enrollment is highly specula- they have to put the carpet own, finish the cabinets nd some other touch -up 1 fl P- 5 pk ncipal BRAD LANCASTER of Pebble Creek e ll have a more solid figure." Registration is planned to begin once dministrators move into the building in May. Pebble Creek will have about 115 computers on the campus. Each of the 32 classrooms will contain one teacher and one student computer. There will a computer lab, library computers ith card catalog, accessibility and ore computers in resource rooms. The students won't even have to wait the cafeteria because of a two-line ystem with a pass - through hot and .o ld storage rack for faster service. "The cafeteria workers will have food ady to replace the empty containers," Brad Lancaster said. "On one side food will be put in and on the other it will be taken out. This keeps the lunch lines Flowing." 1�1 Eagle photos /Jenny Nelson The new Pebble Creek Elementary School campus, above, is scheduled to be competed in May. Construction superintendent David Wright, bottom left, shows architect Tom Eyeington, middle, and Principal Brad Lancaster measurements of "cobbles" for students' books. The Eagle Hazardous waste collection Satur T he Brazos Valley Sol Management Agency w hazardous waste from 9 p.m. Saturday at the M azos C Briarcrest Drive. Hazardous wastes inclu household cleaners, pestici chemicals, automotive produc vents. The agency will recycle o dispose of all items brought to tion. C 1' Waste collect n. to 4 �r, 3232 many pool ►d sol- collec- 4 . • The Eagle Date: Beautification proposal g o to bi fore CS City Counci 3l (0 By TODD BERGMANN allow neighborhood associa- Eastg t areas to prohibit the start of the ootb sea - Eagle staff wri ter tions to build gateways and park' during special son, Noe said. They will cost landscaping on city rights -of even City employees will $30,000 to $40,000. The College Station City way and provide city grants open he signs in the "It hopefully will improve Council will consider several up to $7,500 to pay up to 50 South to area the night the situations in those neigh - ~oposals to beautify the city percent of the cost. before tball games and in borhoods during those its meetings this week. The city will use some of the the 1,astgate area before events," he said. "It will guar - r , In most cases, the council proceeds it is receiving from Bonfire. antee our ability to get emer- will hear presentation on the the bonds voters approved Wh n open the signs will gency vehicles into those issues at its meeting at 4 p.m. last spring. say parking, tow away areas during events. today and will take action at "Our goal here is to zone, slecial event, parking The signs will make the its 7 p.m. Thursday meeting. improve the appearance of prohibit id entire block, this work of law enforcement offi- In addition to its regular our community," said City side o s reet. " cers easier during special Thursday meeting, the coun- Manager Skip Noe. "This is WhEn closed the Southgate events, Noe said. cil will have a combined meet- one way we do it in a co -ven- signs Will display a picture of On the other side of cam - ing with the Planning and ture basis with the neighbor- the fcnner College Station pus, the council will consider Zoning Commission at 6:15 hood." railroad station and the two issues involving p.m. Three zoning issues are Only neighborhood associa- words "College Station Northgate at Thursday's on the agenda. tions that collect signatures of South i e Historic Area." meeting. The public is invited to 60 percent of the people in The tgate signs will dis One is the appointment of a attend all meetings at city their neighborhood will be playa c ty logo. Northgate revitalization hall, 1101 S. Texas Ave. eligible for the grants. if city approves the board to r the One proposed ordinance is The second item is placing signs week, city employ- Please see PROPOSAL a gateway ordinance. It would of signs in the Southgate and ees Install them before , Pa ge Al2 E 0 C 6 The Eagle Date: l I CS police sd annual Easter Associated Press tl a The College Station Police P Department will kick off its K 5th Annual Easter Egg Hunt 10 n m. Saturday in Central Park. si Crime Prevention officer Sanice Kemp said 3,200 prize- d filled eggs will be used in the tl free hunt. 21 'I ' "It is something good for the S lids that may not get a chance �o have an Easter egg hunt at ti home, and our way of showing ti our commitment to the commu- A nity," Kemp said. J There will be three age cate- K Dories: 1- to 3- year -olds, 4- to 5- S year -olds and 6- to 7- year -olds. Kemp said the Easter Bunny S will be on hand to entertain the ri kids, and he will be available for pictures. K Registration forms for the S drawing that will be held after c duIe�lLY /g4 -gg hunt aster egg hunt are avail - at the College Station Department, Target and L radio station. Those who er for prizes must be pre- ) win. ticipants are asked to off registration forms at ,partment or mail them to Texas Ave. S., College n, 77840. isting the department in faster egg hunt prepara- are the Citizens Police ,my Alumni and the es. Co- sponsors include radio, Target, Randall's, Club and Coca -Cola. ap said if rain falls on day, the hunt will be ,duled for April 6. tral Park is located off �k Tap Road in College n. For more information, emD at 7643600. ws The Eagle Date: CS council will allow A &M By TODD BERGMANN Eagle staff writer xas A &M student, approved by the until, will be a voting member of ,ew College Station's Northgate Revitalization Review Board. The city council approved this depar- ture from precedent on a 6.1 vote on Thursday. Mayor Larry Ringer, a profes- sor and chairman of the university's sta- tistics department, voted no. Ringer said he voted no, in part, because he prefers taxpayer representation. Northgate -area businesses and apart- ments are primarily geared toward stu- dents. The city does not plan to change this emphasis in its redevelopment plans. The council approved 11 members rep- resenting Northgate property owners, Northgate merchants, university admin- istration, Northgate churches and the real estate and architecture professions. The council is now accepting applica- tions for the student position. The members are Bill Boyett, John Raney, Richard Benning, Tara Sopasaskis, Cheryl Anz, Tom Williams, Julius Gribou, Charlie Burris, the Rev. Thomas Estes, the Rev. Charles Anderson and Jerry Gaston. Gribou will be chairman. Benning will be vice chair- man. Councilwoman Nancy Crouch asked Northgate project coordinator Todd McDaniel why he did not recommend the student be a voting member. "It's a random decision," McDaniel said. Councilman Hub Kennady said, "You were a student once too, Todd." Ringer said the student should be appointed by the council if he is to be a voting member. "if the student is appointed by the student government then he should not be a voting member," he said. ►pent Vote for Northgate board When asked following the meeting to fund up to 5o why he voted against allowing them on the council as a voting member, Ringer pe�cent the costs.bf gateways. Gateways include signs, land - said he wants representation from tax- scaping and fountains at the entrances4o subdivisions. payers who approved bond issues to pay for Northgate redevelopment. The grants are funded from voter - "I'm also concerned about the type of approved bonds from the spring of 199. A total of $90,000 will be available for student who will apply and have time to commit to it,' he said. "Our experience 1995 -96, and $30,000 will be available in with studer is at meetings is that they each of the next two fiscal years. ■ Approved spending $30,000 to $40,000 provide us Wormation discussion. and contribute to elcome that." for new signs prohibiting parking during However, students liaisons often do special events in Southgate and Eastgate. The signs will be on one side of the not attend For instance, ity meetings, Ringer said. a student liaison has street to eliminate half of the parking in the attended a Muncil meeting only once in area. The restrictions allow emergency vehicles access to the areas the past s' Scott Jeffcoz t nonths. Student liaison esigned at that meeting and promote public safety, Ringer said. ■ Amended two months 1g). its budget to purchase a Ringer said e city has received no £ire truck with a 75 -foot ladder. The amendment adds $285,000 to the applications for council. student liaison to the equip - ment replacement fund and assumes a In other b4siriess, ■ the council: $150,000 from the trade -in for the current truck. The new truck will cost a Author' $7,500 per neighborhood mately $400,000. PProxi- • The Eagle Date: z jq�') e �1 Bus c sues Brazos T ransit 9� By MARIA KRINSKY Eagle staff writer A faltering bus- man4facturing company in Bryan has filed a la*uit against its sole ,ustomer, alleging a breach of contract in chat its president admits is an attempt to ,% ave the company. We didn't know what else to do," said Wayne Cook, president of North American Transit, which is suing its customer, Brazos Transit. Brazos Transit System is the largest rural public transit system in the state, serving 94 communities in 13 southeast Texas communities. "We filed the suit to get them to react We want to get them moving," said Cook. Date: The Eagle He says the bus company wants the $1.4 for fbi I razos Transit said the company leaving just security perso el sand the million that Brazos Transit refused to pay halted p tyments for the contracted trol- secretary. As of Tuesday the secretary is for a bus order. Brazos Transit alleges the leys y t 13 be built. gone. buses are faulty and officials say they will Ca enges Brazos Transit's claim "They are alleging lost profits for not pay North American the money owed as of fad ty buses, saying the bus company less than $1 million," said Robert Orozco, soon as the buses are mended. had ar e igmeering firm check on the sus - lawyer for Brazos Transit System. But North American Transit is unable pensio a found them in working order. He said Brazos Transit will pay the to fix the buses without at least partial pay- He sai razos Transit is now changing its money owed to North American Transit if ment from Brazos Transit, Cook said. claim of suspension problems, and now the buses are fixed, but said the next steps "We are flat broke," he said. "They will says thei 3 are problems with the frames of for Brazos Transit are to respond to the have to pay us the money they owe us the b court and to file a counter suit against before we can fix the buses." "We' c on't believe there is anything North American Transit. Brazos Transit had an original contract wrong'w the buses," Cook said. "But we "We are not the bad guys," he said. "We with North American for 75 units — 25 will do what they want to fix them." are contracted to deliver buses and we are buses and 50 trolleys. Brazos Transit paid Meanwhile, Cook said there are now 55 not able to." for 25 of North American's natural gas- employees out of work at the company. Orozco said the case is also going powered buses, but said they have suspen- When the bus manufacturer closed shop transferred from San Antonio, wh sion problems. John McBeth, administra- on Feb. 14, 54 employees were laid off — was filed, to Brazos County. r� L The Eagle Date: y 7 �� I COLLEGIi STATION By p ssmg the came from one person Olympic torch brings e re er in stages, the Torch relay expresses the handing down of this sym bolic i e from generation to generation. great Kist y t0 Cs This e r the Olympic Flame will arrive in LosAngeles from Greece on April 27. It will travel for 84 days, through 42 W hen the Olympic Torch reaches states and Washington, D.C., visit 29 Bryan-College Station on May 21, capit 1 , will come within a two -hour you may be tired of hearing distanca of 90 percent of the US popula- about it. tion. But for now I Th3 torch will be carried by 10,000 would like to torch arers and will travel by runner, give you a little bicycle 19 -car train, horseback, canoe, history lesson stea bat, Great Lakes Laker, plane and on the Olympic sail boat. It will travel and average of Torch Relays. 182 miles per day at approximately 14 The Olympic miles an hour for 13 1/2 hours a day. flame first Each runner will carry the torch became a tradi appr x mately 3/5 of a mile. Local com tion of the mod muni heroes will carry the torch for a ern Olympic portion of the Bryan and College Station Games when an route Olympic flame Dwight Baker is a 31 year old spina was lit and Peggy Ca I I i loam bifid victim, who once walked on remained burn- crutches from College Station to ing at the Hous oa in 12 days to raise $9,000 for the entrance to the Olympic Stadium cauSE c f spina bifida. Russ Howerton, is throughout the 1928 Amsterdam Games. a 7 volunteer at South Knoll The lighting of the flame captured ElemRntary School where he supports the public's imagination and has his bel that children are our richest remained a traditional ceremony for the resource. He is also a soccer coach. opening ceremoni s of the games. Laura Jones is a 17- year -old junior at Conceived by Dr. Carl Diem of A&M Consolidated High School who Germany, the modern torch relay was learned about volunteerism at an early inspired by ancient Greek drawings and age. ISbe has bagged food for the hungry, the writings of P tarch. Diem created coaches T -ball at College Hills the first relay fror 1 Olympia to Berlin as Elementary school and is active in Girl part of the openi ag ceremonies of the Scou s 1936 Olympic Gan es. On July 20, 1936, a young Greek, 0 P 7 g Calliham is public relations Konstantin Kond lis, became the first and rketing manager for the City of runner in the h tory of the modern Brya . Olympic Torch Relay. He left Olympia, torch in hand, launching a tradition that has become an integral component of each Olympic Games. Technically, the torch relay does not represent the pas ing of a torch, but cel- ebrates the passi g of the sacred flame from one torch to the next. The Olympic flame symbolizes the light of spirit, knowledge and life. k r c The Eagle Date: E-}) -7 I E of Victoria Bank and Trust. Hall says the bank is blessed with ki assistants. Exe say administrative ass i 4JI By MARIA KRINS Eagle staff writer Once, every executive hal a "girl" sit- ting in a front office answering phones and filing. Now, executives boast their administra- tive assistants are vital to their profes- sional achievements and do everything. Answering phones is the least of their duties. In a recent nationwide s irvey, 97 per- cent of polled executives said their assis- tant is an important factor in their suc- cess. The survey was developed by OfficeTeam, the nation's leading staffing service specializing in hig y skilled tem- porary office and adminisirative profes- sionals. The survey polled nanagers and executives from the nation'3 1,000 largest - 3p ensible Andrew Denka, executive director of OfficeTeam, said administrative assis- tants today are an integral part of a team — doing a variety of tasks. "Their duties have increased in scope, and their opinions on work - related issues are valued more now than ever," he said. Ronnie Hale, vice - chairman of Victoria Bank and Trust, said the administrative assistants there are delegated major responsibilities. "We are blessed with assistants with great knowledge," he said. "Our assistants are officers of the bank. They have duties well beyond secretarial duties." Hale is not the only Brazos Valley pro- fessional who says he is heavily reliant on an assistant. Jerry Gaston, A &M Vice President for Administration, said administrative assis- Ill____ ___ •Af1I�T�aT ___._ lii Pag C4 Bryan - College Station Eagle Sunday, April 7, 1996 From page C1 Assistant From C1 tants are critical to every office —at. Texas A&M. "There isn't an office on cam- pus that doesn't depend on admin- istrative assistants to keep the flow of paper and communication going in a logical and efficient manner," he said. "Their impor- tance cannot be stated strongly enough." - Although sometimes used interchangeably, Gay Belt, divi- sion director for OfficeTeam, said the titles secretary and adminis- trative assistant differ. "It depends on the company," she sa id . "But in o view, a dmin- istrative assistants are not doing a lot of clerical work. They are doing large projects and vital tasks. They are assuming more responsibility." Belt said secretaries tend to do more clerical tasks such as faxing and filing, but she said the role is expanding. People want to advance the role of secretary," she said. "The perception is changing. They are gaining more respect. "A lot of executives depend so highly on their assistants." Skip N d assistant is critical to his job as College Station City Manager. "You need someone you can rely on with the volume of stuff that comes into our office," he said. Noe said his assistant has a tough job because she must keep abreast of all of the latest city hap- penings. Virginia Speck, secretary at the Bryan branch of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, admits her job performance is ess ential to the overall effi ciency of the commission. "I run this office," she said. "I was out for a week in January with a broken ankle and everyone went crazy." Speck has been in the same line of work for 20 years. She said over the years her tasks have broad- ened to include everything from data entry to computer work to taking care of monthly reports, but she doesn't mind the title of secretary. "At first I did correspondence and took carp of Phones," she s " The rciicS 1313 �e - �9re now." Denka, of OfficeTeam, pointed out that assistants today are also taking on significant supervisory responsibilities. "They are frequently called upon to train other administra- tive staff, handle vendor relations and manage office functions," he said. Ronnie Morrison said his daily endeavors as executive vice pres- ident for the Bryan- College Station Chamber of Commerce requir a lot of help fr an administrative assistant. "She is my right arm," he said. "She is the hub to how everything evolves." Morrison said the Chamber, like many organizations, relies on assistants to complete a vari- ety of tasks. "Companies are downsizing, so we are using administrative assistants to do more and more," he said. Julie Ramirez, administrative assistant for County Attorney Jim Kubov orks e from budget proposals to payroll to training interns. Ramirez said her job is further expanded because she has to keep up on the statutes. Al Jones, Brazos County Judge, said he would be at a loss without his assistant's expertise. "She has a difficult chore," he said. "She is the first line of defense. She serves as my coun- cil." Jones said his assistant keeps busy doing everything from pro- viding reference material to keeping law books current to being responsible for the County Commissioners Court. "She can handle anything that comes up," he said. "There is too much for her to do than answer phones." The Eagle Date: f G -- Did you � No thgate hol Sta ! O ion histor By Kendr . Rasmussen apps THE BATT N buil and the lik, phc _: Ph( 4. bui Ec( city sigt der Gwendolyn Struve, TifE BATTALION Cafe Eccelllwas College Station's first official CiN Hall. ow is College lesson -s today, the truth is that familiar zgs have undergone almost con - .hange since their construction. is about Northgate's past lead to believe that revitalization ef- rill never change, improve or take 'rom the historic district. mown to most students, the "Toon- Trolley" used to travel from down - 3ryan to the Texas Agriculture and nical College, which had a faculty zdent population of about 750. Bryan and College Station In- )an Railway was established in and made its last run April 13, almost 73 years ago. L939, soon after the city's birth, )llege Station City Council moved ampus into the city's first tempo - ity Hall. council's first home now serves as rid-floor apartment above Disc Go . at the corner of College Main and is Street. en Martin, whose father, Joe Soso - med the building, built it for his shop after the original Aggieland burned down in the 1930s. City Council later occupied the ig that students now know as Cafe . The building is considered the :first official City Hall and was de- by A &M architecture students un- supervision of Ernest .K. Langford, e Station mayor and former depart - iead for the College of Architecture. building that Fitzwilly's now occu- as housed numerous restaurants in years but was originally built as an See Northgate, Page 8 A Every day, hundreds of Texas A &M students v sit Northgate to eat, drink beer, buy tE xtbooks and socialize. However, most do not realize they are buying the r books at a former grocery store, chul ging a few beers at an old bookstore o having a burger and fries in a stranger'i apartment. Althoug i many students would like to think No hgate has always been as it and the lik, phc _: Ph( 4. bui Ec( city sigt der Gwendolyn Struve, TifE BATTALION Cafe Eccelllwas College Station's first official CiN Hall. ow is College lesson -s today, the truth is that familiar zgs have undergone almost con - .hange since their construction. is about Northgate's past lead to believe that revitalization ef- rill never change, improve or take 'rom the historic district. mown to most students, the "Toon- Trolley" used to travel from down - 3ryan to the Texas Agriculture and nical College, which had a faculty zdent population of about 750. Bryan and College Station In- )an Railway was established in and made its last run April 13, almost 73 years ago. L939, soon after the city's birth, )llege Station City Council moved ampus into the city's first tempo - ity Hall. council's first home now serves as rid-floor apartment above Disc Go . at the corner of College Main and is Street. en Martin, whose father, Joe Soso - med the building, built it for his shop after the original Aggieland burned down in the 1930s. City Council later occupied the ig that students now know as Cafe . The building is considered the :first official City Hall and was de- by A &M architecture students un- supervision of Ernest .K. Langford, e Station mayor and former depart - iead for the College of Architecture. building that Fitzwilly's now occu- as housed numerous restaurants in years but was originally built as an See Northgate, Page 8 A Page 8 Tii is BATTALION Thursday • April 11, 1996 ley, so he poured each day's bot- fore it was annexed orthgate tle caps there to remedy the by the Dixie Chick - Page 1 problem. en in 1979. Continued from Pa g It took about two years for Ganter said Ste - apartment home. the alley to be completely cov- vie Ray Vauehn MCA n - ... . ..- `.a, •�� =�llgme proper- ties, said the building was com- wu-iuues to pour caps on the ground every day. The building that Loupot's pleted in 1928 and was the city's first apartment complex. He said a popular bookstore once occupied what is now part now occu' pie's was once a.; pharmacy, and the Boyett said the building, nicknamed the "Alamo," housed of the Dixie Chicken. "The rattlesnakes (caged second floor was a 12 units and was supervised by - near some of the bar's pool ta= pool hall _that later inc u e adult ar a housemother. Don Ganter, owner of the Dixie Chicken, bles) now occupy the entrance to the old Loupot's books cades and video ma- Gwendolyn Struve, THE BAW AUON c hines. The Disc Go Round was originallyaphoto said bottle ca p alley developed from a trouble- he said The portion of the Dixie duke Fatranella fore. - -- some mud hole. Ganter said the building's Chicken that Loupot's once oc- and Charlie Operstedy once owned a popular grocery store now located. Once Patranella owners would not al- low him to put gravel in the al- cupied, he said, was a rock -n- roll bar called Miranda's be- called Luke and Charlie's where the Texas Aggie Book Store died, the grocery store was simply known is as Charlie's. 1 Aldrich stresses importance of education By JENNY NELSON Eagle staf w Steve Aldrich said his involve- ment in the community will give him an advantage if he is elected to the College Station school board on May 4. Aldrich met with the Eagle Editorial B o a r d Tuesday. The board is inter- viewing candi- dates in the LDRICH Aldrich said if elected to the school board he would like to help set policy to help teachers do what they do best — meet the needs of the students. Aldrich said he thinks Bryan and College Station should remain separatttttt��i�� cities, but their school disc, is could work bet- ter together. "I think it i important we have two separate entities and challenge each other, not to com. pete, but to challenge," said Aldrich. Year -round education is some- thing Aldrich said he wants the May 4 election. I i Aldrich faces Jeff Milburn in the race for Place 7. "My level of community involvement has given me the ability to communicate with a broad range of people," sad Aldrich. "I will have the o r- tunity to solicit information aid input on what's best for tl e College Station school district. Aldrich, 41, has lived in e College Station area for n y 20 years. He and his wife a have two children who at d College Hills Elementary Sclro 1. "I am very happy with the ¢d •- "My level of commu me the ability to con range of people." cation they're getting at Collegt Hills," he said. Aldrich said that the interac- tive process between parent, teachers and students is an important part of the education process. As for technology in the class- room, Aldrich said he feels it is important, but should never come close to replacing teachers. "There are some really amaz- ing things being done with tech- nology," he said, "but training for the teachers is important so that it flows smoothly and gives the best success." involvement has given iicate with a broad STEVE ALDRICH Candidate, College Station school board Place 7 . school district to give a chance. But he said he wants to balance Year-round school between stu- dents so parents aren't on differ- ent schedules when they have children at more than one school. "I think it will be one of our major problems in the next two years," he said. D communication The Eagle C+� i Date: CS ratepa ers to see By SAM LAWRENCE Eagle staff writer P ' College Station electricity customers will start seeing a reduction in their utility bills next month because the city overpaid its supplier almost $1 million last year. Residential customers will have a $3 per month deduction starting with the May bills, said Bob Pohl, city electric vision manager. The refunds will end tourer: er the August bill. Th the city was overcharged about estima )0,000 by Texas Municipal Power is the ency, which supplies electricity to costs a Hege Station, Pohl said. "We 'They over - collected for a year," he from ti d. "They cut the fuel adjustment lot of @ ht at the end of our contract They never ve refunded all of it (to the city) and burnt N we're going to refund it to the cus- city ower u) pays the agency based on costs, Pohl said. The refund wence between the estimated he actual costs. I an agreement to buy power ,' he said. "Since they burn a nd have a lot of expense, you 1w the cost until after it's Dials will suspend the power filit bill Y ` idP cost adjustment charge on electric b' s during the seven -month refund, Pohl said. The current $.003 charge per kilo- waft hour of electricity used will be cut to zero to reflect the refund. Residential and small cgmmercial customers will be refunded Pa total of about $22. Medium commercial cus. tomers will see a $&30 total refund and large commercial users will be refund- ed about $5,83s. p � • u The Eagle h., u• `:r Date: 4 I q - I � Maloney CS traffic By SAM LAWRENCE E agle staff writer �ys A former candidate for the llege Station City Council he will work closely with eighborhood associations if he is elected during his current push for a council seat. Dennis Maloney is running for Place 6 on the council against Dickr: Birdwell and Barbara Maloney A with The tgle editori- board ednesday. MALONEY he board is �terviewing candidates for the Ay 4 election. Maloney said a public transit 'stem for commuters could duce the traffic in College 'The solution that I have for tr traffic problem is I would Le to pursue the option of iving a shuttle service," he "If we can get a bus company who wants to take a shot at it, I ink it can work. I think it's g ing to take incentives. Just like high -tech businesses, we're just going to have to offer tax abatements to get the interested." A car pool incentive program woould also reduce traffic con- gestion, he said. But the pro- gram would not be successful, he said, unless businesses offer incentives to workers who car pool. Maloney, a 45- year -old paint- ing contractor, unsuccessfully ran for the College Station City Council in 1995. %lion said city officials "I want people to st here and grow treE s and raise their children." DENNIS MALONEY 1 College Station city council, Place 6 shoidd lives in College Station W1 wife, Frances. Their 22- YE son, Zachary, is e ed in his first year at the T good Marshall School of L at Texas Southern Ui i iersity. Tandy, the cou- pl ' 18- year -old daughter, is a fr s iman at Sam Houston State- University. people there." Loney said older neigh - bo oods need special city ate tion to avoid turning into ru own "slums." He encour- ag re- investment into older ar s to reduce electrical w' i g and crime problems. it's going to ruin our quali- ty life forget it," he said. "I w people to stay here and trees and raise their chil- es., said city officials "I want people to st here and grow treE s and raise their children." DENNIS MALONEY 1 College Station city council, Place 6 shoidd hold a monthly meeting with eighborhood associations toe wourage communication. "I L Community is only as good as i citizens living there," he said `We have to think about aes tics. It's like a home — YOII'M got to give a certain feel. There's a certain philosophy that directs people there." •vN ■ 711! DAVE: (,(a1 _Q I ca i ) q�� 0 11 Thursday that will hang across the city to Manner. The banners will fly in three areas texas Avenue, the Northgate area and along �ners in a city contest, was awarded $500. University Drive this summer. Painting College Station 4)1219�- iYL4R=3FA DA 9 CS City Council OKs beidification effort By SAM LAWREkE 4j The city's goal, Noe said, is to ladder truck, Kennedy said. Eagle staff writer beautify the city and "to improve "We rely on internal systems the quality of entrants to neigh - in buildings to put fires out The City of College Station borhoods." sprinkler systems and things wants to provide funs to help The gateway ordinance is one like that," he said, referring to neighborhood associa ions beau- of two beautification proposals. the smaller ladder size. tify subdivisions with entry Another proposal includes signs The city will use money from gates and landscaping in Southgate and Eas g to areas the vehicle maintenance fund, The College Station City prohibiting parking during spe- vehicle replacement fund, gener- Council approved a gateway cial events. al fund and the resale of the old ordinance Thursday n ght allow- In other business, th council truck to purchase the new truck, ing neighborhood grou ps to build also approved $410,77L to buy a Noe said. signs and gateways i i the city 75 -foot ladder truck fDr the fire "The old one was going to right -of -way at the entrances to department. require almost $100,000 in subdivisions, said College The new truck will :replace a repairs," Noe said. Station City Manager kip Noe. 12- year -old, 100 -foot lad er truck The truck should be shipped The city will use $1 0,000 from with frequent maintena ace prob- from the manufacturer to College voter - approved bonds last spring lems, said William ennedy, Station in July. to grant up to $7,500 to neighbor- College Station fire chief "It's on the assembly line right hood groups. The new truck can also carry now," Kennedy said. "We've put The grants can pay up to half of up to 500 gallons of w t r. it through on an emergency the cost of the gateways and land - This makes it a d - purpose order. These things normally scaping. vehicle — a pumper 4ck and a take 12 to 13 months." • OGLE DAILY Nt=VVO ■ DA'$'E: C • Couple's love spans borders of 2.,�4lges Jane and Bubba Sayers love to tell tales of the two cities for which they work. Budba Sayers Is a crime prevention officer for the College Station Police Department. His wife, Jane, is an energy service advisor for the City of Bryan. The two will celebrate their 25th anniversary next month. F or Bubba and Jane Sayers, life is energy in your home and ways to about helping people. Story and photo reduce that." Whether battling crime or conserv- by Jane said the elderly are as important ing energy, the Sayers are a team dedi- to her as businesses. Electric bills are a cated to service. Todd Bergma significant cost for people and business- Bubba is a crime prevention officer es. for the College Station Police work at the College Sta io Police Energy savings and cash incentives Department. His wife, Jane, is an ener- Department and Jane start working to buy energy - saving appliances and gy service advisor for the City of Bryan. for Mid -South Electric COperative light bulbs are important, she said. She They live in rural Bs Co tly_ Association in Navasota. particularly enjoys helping new, strug- Jane said, "We're n Bryan utilities." In College Station and eksewhere, gling businesses and people on fixed Bubba said, "But, iwe have a College Bubba has worked in all areas of law incomes save money. St ation Addrp— c ........... .... ..........a........,.......,... • Community help determine future he City of College Station is nearing the final stages of work toward a new comprehensive plan. A city's com- prehensive plan is a document that: guides public officials in mak- ing decisions about the devel- opment of their community. ' A plan is made up of various ele- ments, a few of which are the land use ele- ment, showing future locations of different types of land uses, the Jan Kee thoroughfare ele- ment showing where new roads will be built and what size these road- ways will be and th parks element showing where there future neighbor- hood parks might be located. A plan may also contain statemen of policy that guide decision - making. College Station's plan will include this policy document as well as a master plan for water and wastewater utilities. This utilities element will guide the city and ;ollege Station hired an insulting firm in August work on this new plan. ral months were spent mation fmm the public appointed officials. The effort were shared with community meeting in Subseque tl two more community meetings wee held in the Fall of '95. At these meeting the consultants present- ed draft land use concepts and began to address transportation issues. Since those meetings, the consultants have been refining the land use and thorough- fare elements using input from the pub- lic and city s . It is now time to present these refine me its to the public again in the form of more community meet ings. The fast be held on April 23, at the College Statior Conference Center, 1300 George BusA Drive, College Station, Tx:, at 7: p.m. Meeting will be to discuss the thorn plan. The biggest chal- lenge the consultants face in improving our thoroughfare system is in finding alternative north -south routes that do not negatively impact residential areas. The second mmunity meeting will be held one w k later, on April 30, at the College Statt n Conference Center. City staff and co tants will be avails* between 4 p. . and 6 p.m. at the Conference Center for anyone wishing to come by and review materials that will be presented later that evening. The evening meeting will begin at 7: p.m. This meeting will be to review and discuss the land use element of the Plan and any othe issues or items that mem- bers of the public would like to address. ■ Jane Key is a for College Station. Texas Utilities to buy Enserch ``r By RICHARD A. OPPEL and GREGG JONES The Dallas Morning News Texas Utilities, the state's biggest elec- tric company, has agreed to acquire the largest natural gas utility in Texas Lone Star Gas, for $1.7 billion in a deal that will give the . company a virtual lock on providing power to homes and business- es in North Texas. The acquisition, the second billion -dol- lar deal for Dallas -based Texas Utilities in rec ent m „lea strete,h its ser- vice territory from one side of the state to the other and boost annual sales by near - ly $1.7 billion. Texas Utilities plans to acquire not only Lone Star Gas but also most of its parent company, Dallas -based Enserch, making it one of Dallas -Fort Worth's top employers with about 7,000 workers. Inside ■ Merger's affect on B -CS /A3 Electric and gas rates for customers aren't likely to change in the short run, according to executives, who pointed out that both utilities' rates are set by regu- lators. Most of Lone Star Gas' 1.3 million customers are already in Texas Utilities' service territory. "Potentially, there may be a real oppor- tunifty to save money for consumers from cost - cutting and other sources, said Tom Smith, an Austin -based consumer advocate who closely follows utility issues. Those savings could have a human cost, however. Company officials said the deal could cause layoffs, though they were quick to say they hope most of the job reductions could come through hir- ing freezes and attrition. Otherwise, it's too early to tell, they said. "I don't have a number in mind and I don't really know there will be a need to eliminate jobs," Texas Utilities chief executive Erle. Nye said. "That's not to say that somebody's job might not be affected." Still, there will be duplication of some jobs when the deal closes, which is expected later this year, officials said. "We have guys who read meters, tb-Y have guys who read meters uic gilt guys sending bills out, they have guys sending bills," said James Hinds, a Lone Star Gas senior vice president. Pending approval from federal regula- tors, Texas Utilities will buy two Enserch businesses, Lone Star Gas and Lone Star Please see DEAL, Page A3 J Tuesday, 16, April 1996 ray — Station Eagle _ b different g¢ one - overseen Y and on an d on at utilities a state authorities —the dint, local and m lghbe able meter reading, combined company a thtwo N ye pans Texas Utilities to l costs and P but Deal said the com• way that boosts its ret chief executive, should operate h � cons umers. _ bind company c heaply could be cost shifting," r m efficie y id ntly and ��There ding Al � ore roving the quality °f he said- "No one'," le improving be min 1Om, Texas whi the store' line, for $550 million in p ro to customers. e New York Stock Exchange a of Texas pipe • have to have two Monday. share Texas The You don k licies, two that he trading cents to $ Utilities stock {eaea'Isto k�On In service debt and P Enserch insurance��Ph° said, joking Utilities fell wined; $1,375 to third business off f of w hom have while Enserch ge deal is e xpect- w ill be spur' an d Bieeer, both 75. Th Exploration Inc., left on their heads, close at $2 ties earn to shareholde three Years little hail s haring b sharing a hair- ed to lessen Texas U ,tents per The deal comes executive world " �� by 5 cents to but it will after Enserch chief appointed with cut" share in the first Y r share e stressed that T Utilities weir' _ � David Biegler wa� PPh°e company H pas has gone • ane add to' the comp a mandate top s to cut jobs n? a .1 attri- Profits by the tli . out of Wall eng-, preIyi_ng heavily yoffs. In — Burdened ears had con sistent- { o °arid voluntary has cut Enserch for y the company DO you f l disappointed Investors. than years, positions. claimedthatba ° P r t_ recent than comes just five Siegler pro rice would be e deal writing g the stock P lon Star after Texas Utilities a ority. He restructure billion for Let US c to spend 55 $1. Gas and sold �so g a n�nber Of a o gr'eed s electric•distribu• 2 Exploration still l an Australian e finishing Years moves, but the stock con- tion utility• capital spending o intments now as earnings dNoPw Enserch of mamm th c Utilities Even tinkled• forced to sink Projects, with cash. Exploration will be finds it flush or swim debts from on its In ° an fne after Pay g gas and PiP� . to meet its tar - be teamed with these two acquisitions, the com' M the businesses will the state's doors- pants r a g up to $� m Utilities, il' stock within three years, Texas it es, i with 2 A mil get of rep nant power company lion customers which is s titio l ion , i execu tives sak. Daps, this indi- to prepare for comee ers. To co � Utilities is at Ming m ailer challeng from leaner, small power cates well d for co other monopoly p debt , Co mpanies prepay ..for deregus petition already and doesn't need any down the big lationI Texas Utilities able t ce Plant con - worry that they won't di able i help Paying the 1970s and 198 bcause struc recoup the cost of building these load it used to finan P plant beca use ht to question la ors oug biggest power P arket "Rego owe rates in a competitive m whether consu for °Stranded if they have enough extra wouldn'tebeehigh enough, as comPa Them g "broadens the com the utility out and buy M panes' exposure for greater cash to go " as a ll energy costs, providers prepare who runs Michael nses and Austr alian electric co said st anies," said Smith, competition, an alyst p pu bl i c Citizen. an electric - uton New : e Texas office of Pu izen. Y Worms, ded costs refers to d est- in with CS First Boston in ro Stran Comps that gas per that utilities m not be York. anes lants that miMht. vide both electric and g soup I i s deregulation. vices will be prominent players s the merger could o forward." uisition While he Say ers, Smith said he as we g e acq t h e state He added that See some work - benefit cons since „ u ltimately Commission reMu There seems 61 publicsUtilsty as force an r ed ucti on - of synerMre is utilities —and M a regulatory people, procurem lates elecu e little immediate atec B -CS to se . es Enserch deal It Texas Utili will said. "And even then, tlie� any I staff report be very little change — elp with release? , ou at an te. Free n. Call - Adobe Comma 639 0775 at (713) V your Collectibles Hearten For 56 Ulage V ac nd es D -P , v D �gicles Co m n f . Pred omens ' ar ets Ha rk KeePsak ��Sarah s Atti . All s ld Arc Glass I CU L •PER PLAZA WGOUD A OR EAST ROSE GARDEN PARTY AI e blooming Tole switha h in to cotta pot, compl iniature garden tools $25 Delivered (Locally Only) �niversiry Flowers & Gifts 1049 S. Texas Ave. College Station IC arg by Phone 696 -85 1 800. 962.2519 An rage thing.- is a lmost P ti Station resi- R sand he is ill Bryan-College 'repercussions the meTg early to d will feel no rep itrve of Texas approved. but�haY too mean the merger from an d the Enserch CO if evgr, speculate on twin cities. Utilities r p. for about a year ter, opefa. Co id Kean Regis — to the College $egin Jan. 1, Beginn buying electric'- J ne S sa. tions manager of Lota Bement, is a win- Station started r ather ty f Texas anil'$riat a The agr Register said. ' he t han from Bry in the Texas Municipal situation about We are egoiod for emplo �s "It is g arilier power Agen must Still flow sand. and consumers t Register said it will tak io The power through Bryan s Imes to get suit Station. Bryan filed Court tolgo oaths 0rif shareholders College .itract Jan 10 in U S. Ds 10 College Station is ule- Bement. ap prove the th will no can. using its electric lines. "Locally, y time soon,, changes he Rally wll�l�� Local in CS ma yoral race touts e x p er ience Mc Ilhaney By SAM LAWRENCE council. bringing the two groups together the master plan for the Wolf Pen "I have been an effective when they're in the listening Creek are ai� - - " Brin g +t,.,+ m a s ter plan hark ' mode. College Station City tion of the council over the McIlhaney said traffic is a pri- she said. aBring that commit Councilwoman Lynn McIlhaney years." mary issue facing older neigh- back. Is it still meeting our two said Monday that voters should McIlhaney, 47, has served off borhoods. original objectives and if it isn't elect her and on for 13 years. She was "That is an immediate need what do we need to do to change mayor because elected in 1982 and served until that people are seeing and vocal- it ?" of her experi- 1986 when she unsuccessfully izing right now," she said. The master plan's first phase ence and lead- ran for mayor. She was re- elected Many citizens have com- has been completed to help solve ership. to the council in 1987 and has plained about the large number drainage and erosion problems, McIlhaney served as mayor pro tem for the_ of cars using Munson Avenue as she said. Voters rejected the sec - met with The _; last two years. a through street, she said. and phase in the city's last bond She said one of her goals is to "You cannot go back and Eagle editorial ;; ;�� issue. board Monday. ensure a good working relation- change the fact that now it's McIlhaney said the communi- The board is " ship between the residential and open," she said. "I don't think ty's support of her has increased interviewing McILHANEY business communities. The that situation can ever be c oin- since she was first elected to the c for the May 4 elec- groups should meet before coun- pletely solved. It didn't get that council. tion. embers decide - zoning ' ues way overnight - and it's not goi ng " "It's my depth of McIlhaney faces fellow coun- to ensure that all sides agree on to be solved overnight." she said. "I think it's the vision - cilwoman Nancy Crouch and Jim the development aspects. She said the city must deter- ary leadership I can bring to the Irving. "It takes strong neighborhoods mine an "innovative and cre council and the proven leader - "One of the main reasons I and a strong business communi- ative" way to lessen the Munson ship. The mayor has got to be chose to run for the mayor's post ty for a city to survive," she said. Avenue traffic and reroute dri with a broad is because of my length on the "I want to try and deal with those vers to Texas Avenue and Texas a ble rroup of people and be able to council," she said. "It's also what issues before it's a decision -mak- 6. I've been able to do while on the ing process. It's a philosophy of Another goal is to re-examine work with them." J c Crouch seeks to expood greenbelts By SAM LAWRENCE the cities concerning electicity Eagle staff writer rates, she said. "I think the power issue " Parks Parks are the only The cities of Bryan and College Station must end their ;lit to lawsuits are a symptom of a er problem," she said. deep- thing I n College attract businesses and be ' shar- ing sales tax revenues, said Nancy "The deeper problem is ' competition between each rent city Station close to pay - Crouch, a College Station city (for) revenue. The bottom e is councilwoman running for mayor. money. n g Its Way. "The concept is that we say ... Vouch said a system of g from here on, for anyboc y who tax revenue from comrr a cial, NANO CROUCH locates anywhere, we share in the would al bus ssess ga Crouch said. "The rmula give both College Station mayoral candidate would have to be worked out. It county a share of benefit; from would be a any business moving to Bryan or very complex College Station. ties are agreeable, she said. formula" "To me, it solves the problem," Traffic congestion on College g g based on pop- she said. Station streets could be lessened ulation and r Crouch, a former Texas Blinn College English k&M with a community -wide transit or governmental and cp po- trolley system, she said. tax rates. sition instructor, has three if "I see a trolley as a tourist Crouch met elected mayor. attraction," Crouch said. "After with The My major areas of inter t are visiting the George Bush Library, Eagle editori- balancing economic p ro p rity they can get on the trolley and go al board CROUCH with neighbor hood in ity, somewhere." Friday. The enhancing transportation and In addition, more park land and board is interviewing can idates expanding parks and green alts, green -belt areas would increase running in opposed races in the she said. "I have a plan w to the property values of adjacent May 4 elections. achieve that — a series of s." houses. This would raise the city's ' Crouch, 53, has served s years Crouch said the city ust tax base, Crouch said. On the council. She faces fellow expand the number of basic dus- "parks are the only thing in councilwoman Lynn McIlhaney tries. Companies are needed that College Station close to paying its and Jim Irving. build components here are way," she said. The idea of "gain sharing" could sold elsewhere. "We have a lot of active parks, help solve disputes between the The city should also requ new but we don't have a lot of passive twin cities, Crouch said. industries and manufa t Uring parks where people can just walk Fighting for revenue is the under- companies to work with earbY and they aren't ball fields with lying reason for a lawsuit bletween residents to ensure that par- lights." Ayc4mmlyi nom= (�u.�- 21j q- COLLEGE STA Costa Rica links wit CS for Earth Day, By Katie Gibson ' n College Station, as a Clean Cities Member, we try to celebrate Earth ay every day. This April we have much to le- brate in our community. Our curb ide recvcling program has increased di er- le to the addition of steel food cans tems being accepted. 1 food cans, added in December 1995, may go in the same clear bag with the aluminum cans. The Clean Green yard waste co ec- tion program is diverting about 100 tons a month. In this program, the brush and yard trimmings piled at the curb are taken to the City of Bryan co- compost facility Please remember to keep the C can Green brush and yard trimmings sepa- rate from the other bulky items you might have out for collection. Last month, College Station divert- ed 198 tons of recyclable materials and Clean Green yard waste for a diversion rate of 23.55 from residential waste. , rhis is a record high for us, thanks to the par- ticipation of our citizens. This year our community has an opportunity to do something very sp cial for Earth Day. We have been ask to share information on recycling and olid waste management with the Central American country of Costa Rica. Solid -waste disposal issues have increasingly become a problem to this small but fast - growing country. "' -e opportunity for this information ge has been made possible h a collaborative effort of the TexCA&M University Office of Me ican and Latin American Programs, the Texas A &M Club -Costa Rica and the Republic of Costa Rica. This case study will include our pro- grams, operations and methods of public A group of solid waste professionals, including and recycling professors, education. I can't think of a better way to cele- Bryan and College Station city staff, stu- brate Earth Day or do our part to help dents and private businEss managers, than by sharing our local commitment to will be going to San Jose, Costa Rica, to the environment with another communi- speak at ECOEDUCA 1996. ty in a different part of our world. ECOEDUCA 1996 is a conference on Opportunities to learn more about exploring the opportunities for Costa what you can do to make a difference Rica to divert secondary commodities or include: recyclable materials frorn solid -waste The Brazos Earth Day Festival will disposal. be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 27 on the Texas The City of College Station will be rep- A &M University Archery Field (next to resented at the conferenCE by recycling Bonfire Site). coordinator Katie Gibso i and Peter This event is co- sponsored by the Barilaro, sanitation inspec Friends Just Peace Institute and the We will be presenting a se study of Texas Environmental Action Coalition. how our city, as a Clean Ci iE s 2000 mem- There will be over 50 booths exhibiting ber, works toward our commitment to ways to help the Earth along with live waste reduction and recycl ir. g. entertainment and refreshments. The Planet Earth Celebration will be 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. on June 15, also on the Texas A &M University Archery Field. can't think of a better way This event will be sponsored by the cities of Bryan and College Station . and to ce lebrate Earth y or d o Texas A &M University. Take the Earth Day challenge and ou r pa rt to help t h by doo something good for the Earth this s har i n our local m m . t- Recycle more, learn to backyard com- p post, recycle your used oil and filters, ment to the envi ro ent and learn the best time to water your yard or get an energy audit for your with another commu nity i n home. You really can make a difference. a different part of r World. CEKatieGibsonisrecyclingcoordinatorfortheCi Station. of ollege THE EAGLE UA 1 lL1'R=WWO Exc item nt of fuels the job CS firefiahter's enthusiasm. f Joe Warrens s his vocation is in his blood M 0 6 By ASHLEY PETE S N ati Eagle staff write A day in the life College Station firefighter Joe M arren remembers t_ his first fire just like it was yes "I y. volunteer Joe Warren was lo-yearsold, and my Firefighter. It was a fatality fire," was a a 33-year-old fire- fighter said. "I knew the guy ittal traumatic, but exciting." died. It was very your adrenaline is pumping is to control your emo- , - "I knew that night that £ ting was what I tions. If you lose them, people will lose their faith itr- wanted to do with my life ... It That fire, and a little inspira t my blood." ' from his father you," Warren said. Warren said that invaluable lesson helps in all sit - and a family friend, led Warn small town outside of Lubbock n from Matador, a College Station's nations — not just fires. "We came up to a major accident where a little girl, Brayton Fire School in Februar I of 1989. had died and a lot of people were injured. That can Warren joined the Coll g Station Fire really get to you, but you've got to remain in control . Department in June of 1984 an asted no time in and not let your physical emotions take over," he fighting a big blaze. said. "Your focus must be on them — the people who . "About a month after I start Apartments caught on fire. I still d, the Walden Pond member, it was are injured at the scene." Though there are those who suffer during the fire, July 13, 1984 ... on a Friday," le said. "The apart- sadness can also be found in the aftermath. "I'll' •. ments were under construction and the three build. never forget the sadness on the face of this little boy mgs burned to the ground wilhii 20 minutes. We who came up to the Bryan Library after it had could see the flames and spark; were driving over there." hooting up as we burned down," he said. "We were still there cleaning up and apparently he and his mother had not heard - fire. He had to book and was "It was the first big fire I hal seen in my life. It about the come return a Eagle ph olDa +e Mcoefmand impressed me, but it also scared Warren said although these the hell out of me." situations can be upset when he saw the library." Warren, who is also a volunteer firefighter in Joe Warren joined the College Station Fire Department in June scary and stressful, firefighters must remain calm Hearne, said the Bryan Library fie in March of 1995 of 1984. He has since become an expert in hazardous materi. on the job. and the Hearne Junior High fire in November of 1995 - als. "He gives too percent to everything he does," said fellow "The most important thing to remember when - Please see FIREFIGHTER, Page A10- firefighter Lt. Mike Ruesink. Last book read: "The Hot Zone" Firef i Favorite Television Show: "NYPD Blue" From Al Favorite (Restaurant: The "They _] Longhorn Tavern in Bryan were the two wort fires he ever have the best chicken -fried steak fought. in town." Lt. Mike Ruesink, who has Name: Joe Warren Hobbies: carpentry, jogging worked with Warmn for 11 years Age: 33 Pet Peeves: people who smoke and who started o the same shift Family: wife, Kathy ometown: If you could be someone else with him, said Wal Ten is a "small Matador for one day, who would you be? town boy that came to the big city Favorite Food: Spaghetti "I would like to be an astronaut and does nothing I itit good for the Favorite Movie: Fo est Gump and explore space." community." "I would put up against on calls involvffig hazardous and equipment, and the program any other firefighter in the state," materials and sp' Is ... like from is two years old. Ruesink said. "He has common accidents and Such. For instance, Ruesink commends Warren on sense and the ability to do any - we had to go to the ryan Library his intense involvement with thing that is asked of him." fire because there s asbestos in HAZMAT. Warren is heavy klliwr involved in the building," W n said. "We the Hazardous aterial Team used the decont i ation equip "He took the time to become a (HAZMAT) pro am with the ment to decont i ate the fire HAZMAT expert,' where the rest College Station fire department. fighters who fought the fire." of us just stopped at the techni- "The HAZMAT is a special part Warren said the MAT crew cian level," he said. "He gives 100 of the fire department that goes has special suits',, air - monitors percent to everything he does." Tuesday, April 43,1996 . L ocaUState CS candidates call for control of costs By SAM LAWRENCE Eagle staff writer College Station leaders should com- bine city and university water systems, keep a watchful eye during budget deci- sions and cap spending wherever possi- ble, said mayoral and city council can- didates at a Monday forum. The forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Brazos County and the Brazos Valley Jaycees, was held at the College Station Conference Center. Dick Birdwell, who is seeking Place 6 on the council, said a combined water system would cut costs. Also regarding spending, Hub Kennady, a Place 2 candidate, said city officials must enact a spending cap. "I think we need to take a departmen- tal look at the entire process." Kennady said. Hugh Simonich, another Place 2 can- didate, said the council must address the rising crime rate. "I'd like to see more cops get to know the neighborhoods, walk around and introduce themselves," he said. The three mayoral candidates all agreed that the city must work to main- tain the appearance of neighborhoods as rental property increases. "I believe code enforcement is the pri- mary negator of that activity," said Jim Irving. "I think residential areas need to stay residential. Nancy Crouch said she is considering a landlord ordinance that pe izes rental property owners when tenants violate city codes. She said the ordi- nance could help in enforcing existing codes. Lynn Menhaney said the city must avoid business zoning that adversely affects neighborhoods. Palmer, seeking Place 6, said council members should carefully watch the budget process to help reduce costs. Council members must ask the city staff more questions instead of just "rubber stamping" what is requested, she said. Dennis Maloney, another Place 6 can- didate, said the city should provide incentives for employees to discover cost - saving methods in day - today oper- ations. Maloney said the city should imple- ment a program many private compa- nies use to find better methods of opera- tions and equipment. City employees would be rewarded with a percentage of the yearly savings, he said. 41 Public safety fears spark concern amid lisp to with bus manufact rer By MARIA KRINSKY Eagle staff writ Concerns over safety pulle the familiar white- and -green buses from the streets of Bryan- College S tion Tuesday in the midst of a d spute between the manufacturer and the bus line operator. About 2,800 people a day use the 23 natural gas - powered buses in the twin cities, said John M Beth, administrator for Brazos Transit System, which pulled them from all routes. An independent engineerin firm hired to inspect the buses fo they posed significant safety hazards, including two defects that could threaten public safety, said obert Orozco, lawyer for Brazos Transit. The action comes as representa- tives of Brazos Transit and Bryan- based North American Transit Inc., which made the buses, prepare to meet to resolve a dispute over pay- ment for them. Brazos Transit, North Am rican's sole client, has refused to pay, saying the buses are faulty. North American has rejected the complaints and has sued Brazos Transit for $1.4 million payment for the buses. McBeth said the engineerbig firm found major defects in the buses, buses �� .j -- t r � s?E Eagle photo /Dave McDermand A Brazos Transit shuttle a ces its rounds on Villa Maria Road. Brazos Transit has pulled its buses over safet oncerns and is leasing 13 substitute vans. The compa- ny is in a dispute with the anufacturer overpayment for the vehicles. including wandering at s s above 45 Cook said every bus is inspected thor into operation. He mph and carbon monoxide ir the passen- oughly before going said the inspection would have revealed ger cabin. Consequently, as of Tu s ay evening, the any problems. Orozco said the agency has so far leased Brazos Transit decided to buses until the design cawn pa rk all of e modified, 13 vans that can seat 15 passengers to take tested and certified for u lic service, over the routes formerly travelled by North American Transit. Orozco said. Wayne Cook, presideat of North But he said Brazos Transit is still scour - ing the state looking for buses to lease. Of American Transit, denies Uie problems concern to the agency is finding exist. primary " It is ludicrous," he said. "The problems Please see BUS, page A8 are just not there." t r . . Cemeter runn out of room C ege Station By SAM LAWRENCE Eagle staff writer Visitors at the College Station Cemetery first notice flowers for their lost loved ones, but when Sarah Adams looks at the K 1 8-acre site she sees diminishing space. Adams, chairwoman of the city's ceme- tery co mmittee, said the num of burial plots i d and the cemetery COULd fill up by 2004. "We feel there's probably eight to 10 years left, if the sale of space continues as ° M "" it has been," she said. "This is barring any disaster in the area. We are strongly sug- gesting to the council to start looking or A " a , thinking about starting to look at new space." Adams said the relatively -low cost of �t burial plots and the age of the cemetery , , MAN N I - > , are helping fill it. The cemetery was estab- lished in the 1950s, but some of the older sections date back to the 1800s, she said. Eagle photo/Dm McDermand The cemetery committee is recommend- ing that the council double the costs of College Station's cemetery committee worries the 18 acre College Station Cemetery could run out of room by 2004. burial plots to help fund an endowment fund. the land would not be connected to the jest, which includes adding student park said. "It would add a great deal of traffic The price of burial plots could rise from existing cemetery, Adams said. ing and renovating existing classrooms, and a lot of confusion and noise." $200 to $400 for adult spaces and from $50 "There's no adjacent space," she said. gymnasium, library, auditorium and Crittenden said the addition of the park - to $loo for infant spaces. The endowment —fie cemetery is fillingu$� would lik to voce tional wing ing lot will discoura students from park - fund will be used to pay for the mainte- }rave feedback from the public on if they "It lost by a tie vote, so there really was- ut along street nance and upkeep of the cemetery. want additional space or want private n't an out -and -out vote to deny it " said "Students park already around Nueces "What we hope to do is to create this cemeteries. I think the city could continue Sabine Kuenzel, city senior planner. and Welsh streets," Crittenden said. fund to take the cemetery out of the gener- to provide space at a cheaper rate (than The school district is appealing the deci- "That's our intention, to get them off the al fund," Adams said. "The proceeds of private cemeteries)." Sion to the city council in hopes that the street." (the burial plots) would go into the endow- Burial plots in private cemeteries range expansion plans will be approved. Residents have also complained about ment fund. from $500 to $1,200 per space, Adams said. "They had to appeal or resubmit to the drainage problems. "The reason for the increase is to help At Thursday's meeting, council mem- planning and zoning," said Peggy "As years have gone by, when you have fund the endowment and, number two, bers will also consider an appeal from the Crittenden, school district spokeswoman. a rainy time, you do have more water on because prices have not been increased in College Station school district to approve "They've held two public meetings since the street than when we first moved here a number of years. We felt that increasing its request to expand A &M Consolidated that planning and zoning meeting where N rrm an th ho d has l lived on Nueces Street our prices will not be unreasonable." High School. the citizens could come." The city council will consider establish - The city's planning and zoning commis- Nelda Norman, who lives across the since 1972. ing the endowment fund and increasing sion voted 3-3 in March to approve the street from a proposed student parking lot, Crittenden said the school district plans the cost of burial plots during its 7 p.m. plans, but the expansion was not granted said she's worried about the traffic, to build four water detention ponds on the meeting Thursday at College Station City because of the tie vote. "One of my complaints is they are tak- high school property. roved Many neighboring residents have com PC best part of the school yard and ... 'The drainage, 1 think, will be imp city plans to expand the cemetery, plained about the 40 -acre expansion prt re going to put a parking lot," she considerably," she said. OGLE DAILY NIZVVO ■ CS asks for inM about E • Nortl�gate am dment �1 ,The City of College I tation is hold - ing a Northgate Zon' g . Community Meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tu 3sday in Room 306 of the College Statix,i Conference Center. The city staff will o5ar a presenta- .!ton for the proposed zoning amend - I'ment which affects the entire r Northgate area (University Drive north to the city lirrits and from ;; Wellborn Road east to S uth College Avenue). Public input and p icipation is • encouraged from the sidents and "I tenants and Northgate a churches and merchants. As recommended by the Northgate Redevelopment Plan and Revitalization Strategy, adopted by ;q the city council last December, the existing Northgate zoning districts will be consolidated into three "sub- ' high- dens't y residential, historic commercial an commercial redevelopment. C may oral candidates diffe r 1 / 1 on solutions to power dispu By COURTNEY WALKER of Women Voters and t Brazos Eag sta ff wri Valley Jaycees, was held at e College Station Chamber of Comme de. College Station mayoral candidates Lynn McIlhaney, Nancy Crouch and differed on the electric power dispute Jim Irving are seeking t e! mayoral between the cities at a Sunday candi- post in the May 4 election. McIlhaney date forum but agreed on the merit of and Crouch are College Stat on council neighborhood associations and members, and Irving is a rmer city stricter code enforcement. The forum, sponsored by the League Please see CANDIDitU, Page A5 Candido From A4 employee. Regarding the power dispute, Crouch proposed a long term solution under � gains -shar- ing plan allowing each city to benefit financially — regardless of location. "This issue is a symptom of competition between the two cities rather than cooperation," Crouch said. "It wouldn't matter where the facilities are located because the two cities would share." McIlhaney disagreed with Crouch's plan and sa d the cities should ensure that they work effectively with their resources. "The cities will never have enough money for everything, so we need to find a coo rative way to share resourcec, and cut expenses," McIlhaney said. Irving said the issue was a judi- cial matter and should be handled by the courts. All three candidat s said they support neighborho d associa- tions and community involve- ment. Crouch said the neighborhood associations are the most effi- cient and democratic way to determine citizens' needs. The candidates also agreed that the city must be tougher on code enfnrremP.nt_ "we need to entbrce the codes we already have in the books, and we need public education and mobile communication of what the citizens want for their com- munity," McIlhaney said. McIlhaney said the Northgate area is one district where codes must be enforced. The candidates also discussed parking, safety and deteriorating infrastructures in the Northgate area. "Any change in that area needs to originate from that community and not be dictated by city coun- cil," Irving said. Crouch and McIlhaney said the council has involved citizens who work, live and visit the Northgate area. "We want community input and direction on the Northgate area before any final decisions are made," McIlhaney said. The candidates also discussed minority involvement in city gov- ernment and switching to single - member districts. McIlhaney and Crouch are opposed to single- member dis- tricts. "Single- member districts cause problems because you can't get anything done as a whole because everyone is busy looking out for number one," Crouch said. Irving encouraged minority involvement and said the city must listen to the entire commu- nity. .�N ■711! DAB: Kn ( tCj ► i�, Your View Vote urged for Mcllhaney O n May 4 the citizens of College Station have the opportunity to make a differ- ence in their community. The elections for mayor and council seats and school board will be put in our hands. The city of College Station is very lucky to have these individuals that are willing to serve their community in taking the time and energy to devote to these offices. We urge everyone to vote and take the time to look at each one of the candidates that are running and their qualifications. In 1989 we moved to this] community and were very impressed at the pride and great environment in the neighborhoods and schools of both cities. This only becomes evident when the leadership is concerned in every aspect of the city. As a member of a homeowners associa- tion and an organization that serves the less fortunate of the community, I have seen how effective both cities are in their concern for the well -being of every citizen. For the past seven years I have attended many city council meetings and have met with city officials and city staff and have been very pleased to see the efforts of everyone to make this a great place to live. I am very proud to call myself a member of this community. My first city council meeting that I attended on behalf of my homeowners asso- ciation was to voice our concern about an oil well that was going to be drilled next to our subdivision. Most of the time the average person does not have contact with the mayor or the city officials unless there is a problem that directly affects them. n Mcllhaney was the first city coun- mber I had contact with and she was helpful. She offered positive and Prleeable answers to our many ques- Ze past few years through my position ielping the needy of the community I e had a first hand look at the two cities at what Lynn has done. ze listens and communicates with both councils and the community. Her hon- r and leadership skills are very evident 13 years experience shows in bringing communities together in order to make s a better place to live. am very proud to call Lynn McIlhaney friend and would like to thank her for vision and tireless work for the rancement of College Station and its Ong neighborhoods and economic devel- behalf of her friends and neighbors we you to vote for Lynn Mcllhaney for ;or on May 4 and make a difference in community. , od luck to all the candidates and thank for caring enough to serve your neigh- 3. A big thank you to Larry Ringer for a well done. JOSIE PEACHER College Station kr AWEMBY! DA E : may, 511 - � OYf �tw y,p Thanks,�� Mr. Ringer, f or a 1 w ell Eagle Editorial Board omehow it won't be the same without Larry Ringer to kick around. For a decade he has been Mayor of College Station and for dearly two decades a member of the city council. 'But on Saturday the voters elected a Aew mayor. Lynn McIlhaney, too, has served tie city well for a number of years, qnd we know she, too, will be a good mayor. But Larry Ringer is a tough act to follow. The public relations folks down at College Station City Ball put out an announcement the other day point - i)ag out that Ringer's last day in office will be Wednesday. (New Mayor McIlhaney will be sworn in that day also.) "The community owes Larry Ringer a debt of gratitude for his sensitive, intelligent and balanced approach to local government," said tie release, in phrases clearly calcu- lated to say nice things to please the boss in his final days. M 4� Ve couldn't say it better ourselves. Larry Ringer has, indeed, been a asitive, intelligent and balanced iyor of College Station. -le is a soft - spoken gentleman who the same time has always spoken on behalf of his city, its citizens d their best interests. Ringer's legacy to College Station n be measured in its quality of life, e only real yardstick of political ccess at a local level. among the achievements he helped ing about are a splendid park and creation system perhaps unparal- .ed elsewhere; the Wolf Pen Creek nphitheater and its promise of lure amenities nearby; and an derly path to allow for growth. )n May 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. e City of College Station, with sup - rt from interested citizens and ganizations, is paying tribute to e mayor with a picnic in Central irk. ood and drink will be on sale and L proceeds will be donated in nger's honor to a special fund set to buy books for the new College ation library — a cause dear to his part. Even in retirement, he will Lair the citizens' planning commit - e for the new library. What a wonderful way to wave iodbye to Mayor Ringer and say 'hanks" for a job well done. • Suniay May S, 1996 �'Ncllhaney wins CS mayor's ra e She'll be first woman to lea city By SAM LAWRENCE I Inside Eagle staff writer Lynn McIlhaney was elected he first ■ ■Area elections /A6 woman mayor of College Station Saturday with more than 67 percent of s support from the community. N No matter the vote in a three -way race. w what the vote was tonight, t that was McIlhaney received E L E T a apparent." sworn in vote with 2,428 votes W Wednesday. She said one o of her goals is out of 3,871 total votes t to work with other coun(il coup(' m members and cast. Nancy Crouch t the residents of College 3tation. " hope garnered 28.24 percent t to involve the public m e e in the deci- - or 1,021 votes. Jim s sion- making process," st e s said. Irving received 4.62 ' ". ,., T The city will hold a s special election ercent of the vote — A Aug. 10 to fill the f final year of 44, e McIlhaney's Place 3 council s seat. McIlhaney will M McIlhaney, 47, has se d d on the coun- replace Larry Ringer, who has held the c cil off and on for 13 yea s. S She was elect - mayor's post for 17 years. Rings did not e ed in 1982 and served t til 1986, when "I thought it might b close," McIlhaney said. "I have had tremendous • Please Page A6 Mayor Fro Al unsuccessfully ran for mayor. She was re- elected to the council in 1987 and has served as mayor pro tem for the last two years. During her campaign, McIlhaney iid she wants to ensure a good working relation- ship between homeowners and businesses. Traffic problems on neighborhood streets was also one of her concerns. Crouch, a former English instructor at Texas A &M and Blinn College, has served on the city council for six years. Crouch, 53, campaigned on the need for leadership in city government and balancing economic prosperity with neighborhood integrity. Irving, an electrical safety spe- cialist with Texas A &M, is a for- mer city employee. Irving, 46, said city officials must listen to the vot. ers and run the city according to their demands. Ayeimmly! DATE: I Bob Billingsly, director of pment for Sanderson Farms, discusses cot Sande; n arms Construction on schedule at $6 I By MARIA KRINSKY cap. Eagle staff writer T1 in I The Sanderson Farms hatchery will be alive with In0 the sounds of chirping come January. More than 1.3 million chicks a week are expected to ule, peck and claw out of them shells each week when the Bill hatchery opens. The hatchery is one of three parts that make up the Far state -of -the -art poultry complex that is expected to ._ employ about 1,400 people when operating at full ... } ft Eagle photo/Dave McDermand i at the new chicken plant set to open in early 1997. tching away illion chicken plant her two parts of the operation are a feed mill rly and a processing plant near the Bryan d Park. uction on the $68 million complex is on sched- openings expected at the feed mill in January the processing plant in March, said Bob .y, director of development for Sanderson see Farm, page . z' v4 o B h bra _.. funds h 94 pu ce nt of tool' , ;t e at < \ `�By KEELY CGGHLAN lion board. the project which also includes the George The library also raised another $7 mil- Eagle staff writer "I recently told the president (Bush) that Bush, School of Government and Public lion in corporate gifts; 20 percent of, the it -would take five years to raise the Service, according to figures provided by total funds raised; $9 million in foundation The; George Bush Presidential Library " money," Holt said. "We have raised it In a the George Bush Presrdenri� Library gifts, or 30.percent of the total $3.5 million has raised $34 million of its $36 million little over two years. It is a, testament to Foundation: a`° in international gifts, 20 percent of the goal , t him." Private Rind raising, the,presidential funds raised by the foundation and $1 mil- Mo4 donations have come from oil com- Fund raising for the library constr ic• foundatio' Has generated $34 million from . lion in individual gifts of less than $1,000. �anies, large corporations, prominent tion — and an endowment to fund educa- 300'. donors said Don ;Wilson ; executive The percentages and figures do not add foundations and Asian and Middle tion projects, scholarships and , new director of the presidential libraryr'" up precisely because some contributions );astern countries.' .. ' exhibits .s.. will continue through the dedi- Those funds include $13 million from are counted+ in more than one category, Fund raising for the'library is almost 2 cation, oMciais said. The dedication is foundation trustees and corporations and Wilson said.A.i - J '1/2 years ahead of schedule, said Midland expected m the fall of 1997 - : i foundations 'they ;apprtoached.. Trustee Foreign contributions include $2 million ?pitman Robert Holt, who chairs the . A&M University is contributing another gifts represelitabod!t 40.0roent of the total each from the nations of Kuwait and the ilnanro committee for the library founda- $43 million, mostly from state finds, for fiords; Wilspm said. Please see LIBRARY; Pa0e.A3 Holt, who headed Hand raising Eastman Kodak,'- poli "11otti rs agree tically with him," often when it dariiaOd' p for both of Bush's presidential campaigns, said the Rand Texas Utilities, $50,000: "' Wilson i "The y r�r said. "George and Barbara cally, he said. This included in on the 'budget, f001 At..,.;.,....._..., _ ..... raising has gone well because the product sells itself. It draws on the personal appeal comes Rro recognition and being a with ongoing Programs,' "ted Wilson Bush are very respected. He was compromise public service for so many years. taxes, Wilson said. They knew so many people, :A lot of "He knew on the budget deal United Arab Ern¢ 5bes and $i mil- res and friendship for Bush said. "Traditionally, th are the their fi lends want to be involved in it could be politically dfsash "- was , lion each from a governments of and interest in the project's educa• tion emphasis, - I companies that have sup other *the this project." but he thought ;it the a 'i; Wil$ort " It - Taiwan and Japan. ` , I presidential librari 9A well, History will show what dramatic thing to do," said. ��!! . The Korea Foundation also con- Walter Annenberg, whose Annenberg Foundation donated $2 "The companies see th s investment in the Ra I an tf events occurred during Bush's turned out to be political suici tetm president and his web of "He never did what was expo ; - -tributed. P $250;000. In - addition, Xorean companies also con• million to the Is rimaril Y Project P don't learn from the past you will' him ; friendship . alid relationships 'of He could hi* gone to each: Sangyong interested in education, so the repeat your mistakes," he,said. en im enabled him to play a strong role Street or into his father's R .$100,000 L.G. Corp., Lotte Corp., Bush Library Foundation was a on the international scene, Wilson he came out to West Texas of a ` 2. , ap Corp., Samsung Corp., perfect match, Holt said. 'He is sou committed ' to educe. Bryan banker Don'A First American.- Bank, - , with o- has... oam 'He was his own person. Ittwill.also show that Bush tried : --- ftrars.the story_wg_tryto t gyundai Corp. and Kolon Corp. Two other Far East companies Peres . on li " "Holt ,' said ;who met been a key contributor as ve sev- . to do what he thought was tight — the museum." 11160 made ]aMe contributions: C.P. Annenberg at Kennebunkport, • Maine. "Th�p a'i oJect- involves his eral prominent A&M and backerd This duates. ' A&M ' _- -- — tand Co. of Thailand, $500,000, and Oriental Press Group of Hong dear fiend, George Bush, and edu- Regent John Lin Kong, $1 million. cation. It was a wonderful and sat- Holt said "No , . 1 Wilson expects additional fund- isfying , project for Mr. Annenberg.'' wonder the presid ed A&M (as the site foF t ect- Prat mg from foreign companies since r dential libraty),',, Hol the foundation has recently started Other large donors include: the AggieS get opmmf 4o target corporations and govern- Farish Foundation, $1 million; the out fora project ti gents as potential donors. Fish Foundation of Houston, $1 � -11 "Me assumption early on was hat million; the Sid Richardson � Wilson expects to the Kuwait and Saudi Arabia Foundation, $1 million; the Brown Rind raising to t.%Vt, • er Would pay for the library," Wilson : Foundation, $500,000, the Houston 'donors in the next the said "That was not what we want - Endowment, $500,000; the Henry , campaign, . id, to achieve. It is important to Hillman Foundation, $500,000; the The foundation .has of bave a broad base. Besides, presi- iential: Starr Foundation of New York, gifts, from $10 to Holt libraries are uniquely -American institutions." $500,000; the Vivian Smith Foundation, X0,000; the Hearst said. "It's been real he tin g to Fund raising for the museum Eras initial Foundation, 000; 000; the Weingart Foundation, me;' said The additional will be exceeded time schedules 1 225 the Henry placed in an operating"endowment -because the project involves Luce Foundation, ==,000; SCI, for additional exhys, Wilson president Bush- even though he 5200,000; the Meadows Foundation, said. ;is not involved in the Hand raising, $100,000; the' Strake Foundation, , foundation trustees said. t $50,000; the Elkins Foundation, He said he learned the impor- tance of changing exhibits "in his , 'The president said he spent all . $50,000; and the Amon Carter Foundation, 000. work as the archivist tat: the Ford ;of his life raising money for Poll- tics, and he doesn't want to do that Pennzoil was , the largest corpo- Presidential Library: The Changes draw tourists back to;the:library. ymore, Wilson said. "He rate donar with a $600,000 contri- bution. Pennzoil bought "This can be a very alive and thanks the donors and acknowl- Zapata Oil active place," Wilsoru • said: "It's them. But he doesn't do the — the company Bush helped start important to stun 6 e' it>torma- asking." g , He credited the trustees for their in Midland in the 1950s. lion and ensure that great research on here. We wdduulld like to !bard work in raising funds. Other oil and ene*,companies also contributed heavily: Amoco, goes expose writers, histo politi- I "Most of the board is made of aorking trustees," Wilson said. $250,000; Arco. $250,000 Chevron, cal scientists and economists to the library." "They have made the calls, made n* tions been $250 Enron $250,0w; Shell Oil, $250,()00; Dresser Industries, Bush's own charisma, is net - , and actively the $100,000; and Panhandle Eastern of work of personal relatio estab- ;if n effort That's what ,ti it work so well ". ,, Houston, $100,000., fished in the oil business and long his , Other large corporate donors years of government service also contributed to the sti of Holt said he has "known him all include: Archer Daniels Midland, the fund- raising effort, he E aid. 1ny life (from Bush's days in the oil- . $500,000; GE, $500,000; the Conrad "I would suspect it woulc be eas- peld). I have never seen him so Hilton Foundation, $500,000; ter to raise Rmds for Geo r Ile Bush committed. This is something so Merrill Lynch, $500,000; Bristol (than other presidents)," IAN ikon •Bear,to his heart It has been great Meyers Squib, $250,000; the Coca. said. 'for motivating me. Barbara has Cola Foundation, $250,000; GTE, "He was very well 4' and "been:Very helpful too." - $100,000; Union Pacific, $100,000;' . admired even though not the ;, low' s- The Eagle Date: 5Iq19 CS council n ulls green li �\ By SAM LAWRENCE �) _� Eagle staff writer Traffic accidents and rush -hour grid- lock are prompting College Station offi- cials to install signal lights at three inter- sections. The College Station City Council plans to consider approving the construction of signal lights at FM 2818 at Wellborn Road, Texas Avenue at Brentwood Drive and Holleman Drive at Anderson Street. The council meets at 7 p.m. Thursday at College Station council chambers, 1101 S. Texas Ave. Heavy traffic on FM 2818 and Wellborn Road during the morning and evening peak periods warrants a signal, said Lee Robinson, city traffic system manager. "It's due to the high volume of traffic, especially during the peak periods of the day," he said. "(Cars) stack up to a mile." Flashing red lights and stop signs alr ady installed at the intersection will be replaced with a full four -way traffic sivw. Construction is expected to start in June, Robinson said. All three intersections will include a left turn arrow light that is triggered by the weight of a vehicle, Robinson said. There will be protected, permissible ttwtis," he said. "We like to flash them for 24 he they a ThE FM 2i throu said. "It'! were starte (and) (the c A si Drive for traffic signals t to let the motorists be aware there." ty's hopes of installing a signal at and Wellborn Road last year fell because of money problems, he -en due to funds," he said. "We ng to put it up last year. They ; onstruction on Wellborn Road the time we got everything back ) was too high." ai at Texas Avenue at Brentwood needed because of the number of s and the amount of traffic, i said. impossible to get across during the day," he said. "We have quite a few apartments on the west side (of Texas Avenue) and a neighborhood on the east side." Robinson said Brentwood Drive cross- es Texas Avenue at the Dairy Queen, 2323 S. Texas Ave. Traffic from the three schools and a park near Holleman Drive and Anderson Street warrants replacing the four -way stop signs at the intersection with a sig- nal, he said. The cost of the lights, about $323,500, is already included in the city's budget, Robinson said. J The Eagle Date: Rifiger quietly hangs up his mayoral hat By SAM LAWRENCE Eagle staff writer Larry Ringer sat quietly in the College Station mayor's office early Wednesday, holding a hard hat labeled, "We love Northgate." At noon he hung up the hat and turned ver his position to Lynn Mcllhaney, who was elected turday as the city's first female mayor. Ringer, who served for 10 years as yor and seven years on the city council, said he though it was time to go. "I thought 10 years was long enough," amid the 58 -year- old. "It was time to do other things, and I had started to e enthusiasm in meetings." a typical month, he said, he attended at least 15 meet- s. finger, a professor and assistant head of Texas A &M University's statistics department, said he will remain in the public eye by chairing the city's libr advisory com- mittee. "I'm going to take about a year and kind of catch my breath," he said. During his 17 years of serving the city, Ringer has met many people. That, he says, is what he will miss most. "I had an opportunity to work with people and be with people I wouldn't be with otherwise," he said. Steve Beachy, the city's parks and recreation director, said he has known Ringer for about 19 years. "In my impression and all the years of having dealings with the council, he always had the best interest of the community at heart," Beachy said. "He as always been very supportive of parks and our efforts. He's always been knowledgeable of city issues in general." Martin Tate, who served five terms as Bryan's mayor, said the two have had a good working rel itionship. "We worked very closely together for a years," Tate said. "I enjoyed our association. I enjoyed working togeth- er. He and I felt the cities needed to work together. lifiner I- 'J Iii 'O ral Outgoing College Station Mayor Larry Ringer, right, looks on as city council men ber Dick Birdwell is sworn in office Wednesday afternoon. Ringer stepped down from office and turned the reins over to Lynn Mcllhaney, who was elected Saturday as the city's first female mayor. Ringer, a professor and assi! tant head of Texas A &M University's statistics depart ment, said he will remain in the public eye by chairing th city's library advisory comm tee. '713U C Lamy and Ringer, Station a moved to living thil while stud Texas AM He had Mcllhaney, office Wed -.-:'Keep y 4t� ger sail ner. Yc :Iii calls ar, u need t, :t hear bot :::.'You've • ppport fro mow how nunity will miss leadership." lives in College his wife Jean, city in 1965 after years in Bryan t for his Ph.D. at some advice for 'ho took the oath of 3day. sense of humor," You need to be a re going to get a lot a lot of concerns. isten, but you need tides of the story. t to have a lot of your family. I don't any piano recitals 111111 Eagle photo/Dave McDer and I I've missed. The city's growth toward the south has been the biggest change while Ringer has been in office. "The university went through growth," Ringer said. "I think a lot of former A &M students retire and move back here. I think we're seeing more of the Young retirees, the ones who will get active in the communi- ty Ed Feldman, College Station's Police chief, said Ringer provid- ed leadership to the council. "He's truly a very dedicated, very professional person with the highest integrity," Feldman said. "I just can't say enough of the man. I really hate to see him leave. That's not to say Lynn won't do a good job. He gave a lot of strength to the council." Y', � � r � �t •,-�- . y �F, ff � s�r�aea�'ex.i •� „ r �r:� 8 'N�c- z The Eat,,rie Date: O �+ CS I p l ans to install 3 new t raffic I hts \\" By SAM LAWRENCE Eagle st aff writer The College Station City Counc , on Tuesday authorized installation of traffic signal light at three intersections known for high traffic use and acc dents. The intersections include FM 818 at Wellborn Road, Texas Avenue at Brentwood Drive and Holleman Drive at Anderson Street. The city wants to install lights that will include a left -turn arrow triggered by a vehicle's weigillt. Installation is expect- ed to begin in June. The city had already budgeted $33,500 for the lights. The flashing red lights and stop signs already installed at FM 2818 and Wellborn Road will be replaced with a full f - way traffic signal. Robinson, city traffic system manager, said cars are Please see TRAFFIC, Page A9 • Traffic 4 From AT during rt the inter; About 2 section i Blaschke, Analysts designed t College edto13a section in McCollum The city attempt to the inters year ran s ume of tra warrants a Drive — Avenue at Texas Ave, travel throe daily, Bla; records sl occurred las tion, McColl in a mile -long wait L hour to get through Many drivers from the aala. cent neighborhoods have trouble getting onto Texas Avenue because of the traffic, Robinson said. Stop sig are already in Place on Brentwood Drive. A light at Holleman Drive and Anderson Street - is needed because of the traffic from the three nearby schools and a park he said. The intersection current- ly has a four -way stop si Blaschke said about 18, use the intersection cars accidents have been reported daily Six Ju cars use the inter - the intersection, McCollum sa at ry owner said Joe The c ouncil also of a amending a r! approved .on Engineering allow g a Ordinance to mmi if Bryan which Co the Pl anning and Zoning signal lights. ssion to consider only a majority of subdivision plats. tion police respond dents at that inter - The council was reviewing all 395, said Lt. Scott plats, but the new ordinance requires them to see only master making its second plans and plats for large subdivi. ce a traffic light at sions, said Jane R. Kee a ci .on. Funding last planner. t I of the projected "The state statute says the Sts, Robinson said. Planning commission s to be ha id the shear vol- involved icn the pla on Texas Avenue but municipal da government does Ml at Brentwood t," Kee said. "The big ones that tersecting Texas have big planning es like i rY Queen, 2323 S. where roads are goin bout 48,000 cars re will are g ssu u be or going to be the intersection be handled by the council , {e said. accidents - dents veeks time. ittem t said the change, an ar at the intersec in P to streamline the plat - said. g process , will eliminate three The Ea Date: j 1 0 ) 9 mpnaney iooKs to Coll Tourism, conventions top CS mayor's list of revenue generators 0 e station's future By SAM LAWRENCE helping others led to her poli M a _ Eagle staff writer V "I've always been one tt Lynn McIlhaney, College Station's gives to the community said. "I've always enjoyed doi it doesn't tax (the city)," new mayor, wants to promote tourism McIlhaney said. ing other people." and conventions to generate new rev. The Long Island, N.Y., nat here and the word gets out enue. ... the this is a go hub for that, I k Such aspirations mesh well with ing the Raintree Homeown be needed and m e could go out " McIlhaney's personal commitment to t' for 13 years. She was elected government service as a community 1982 and served until 1986 wl n she defea ed two candi- enhancement, she said. ates Saturday by receiving mayor. She was reelected to "The role of municipal government is council in 1987 and has servec tern for the last 1 She is the 10th nayor since the to provide service, and the council city was incorpo ated in 1938. McIlhaney to k the oath of ; needs to make sure the decisions they election Aug. 10 to fill the fi replaces Larry I 'nger, who was make ... allow the community to be sus- mayor for 10 yea s and served on council s e a who lives tainable," she said. pebble Creek, said she was Fortunately, the community has 4 to promote, she said. The College on Conference Center is one of the s finest assets, but future projects also look promising. "There are a lot of things happening a. - currently in College Station with the opening of the George Bush Presidential Library and the special events center," McIlhaney said. These projects are beneficial because they generate revenue by using existing assets. "I would like to see the community be a lot more progressive in the convention business. It brings more money in, but Eagle photo/Dave McDefmand Lynn McIlhaney, College Station's new mayor, hopes twt Investing in tourism will bring in revenue. "There are a lot of things happen - Please see MAYOR, Page A8 ing currently in College Station with the opening of the George Bush Presidential Libra and the special pedal events center," she said: - O helping others led to her poli M a _ cal career. V "I've always been one tt From A gives to the community said. "I've always enjoyed doi it doesn't tax (the city)," things for other people and he McIlhaney said. ing other people." "As we begin I o bring people The Long Island, N.Y., nat here and the word gets out said she first ran for city cour ... the this is a go hub for that, I after becoming involved in fot think additional facilities would ing the Raintree Homeown be needed and m e could go out " Association. McIlhaney, 47, 1 been a councilmember off and for larger groups she said. ," IM%cllhaney b me College for 13 years. She was elected tton's first Noman mayor 1982 and served until 1986 wl n she defea ed two candi- she unsuccessfully ran ates Saturday by receiving mayor. She was reelected to more than 67 per -ent of the vote. council in 1987 and has servec tern for the last 1 She is the 10th nayor since the mayor pro city was incorpo ated in 1938. McIlhaney to k the oath of years. The city will hold a spec office Wednesda afternoon. She election Aug. 10 to fill the fi replaces Larry I 'nger, who was year of McIlhaney's Place mayor for 10 yea s and served on council s e a who lives the city council r seven years. ,McIlhaney said her love of pebble Creek, said she was "I've always been one that gives to the commu- nity. I've always enjoyed doing things for other people and helping other people." LYNN WILHANEY Mayor of College Station nervous before presiding over her first city council meeting Thursday night. However, it may take a while for coun- cilmembers and city staff to get used to her way of working, she said. "Larry was mayor for 10 years," she said. "It's now find- ing out what kind of routine the staff (has). I do want to make the council chamber more user - friendly." Adding microphones to the walking isles is one possible change. It reduces some people's fear or intimidation of standing in front of a podium, she said. McIlhaney said she plans to spend as much time as possible on city issues. "I tend to be pretty orga- nized," she said. "Since I don't have a job outside the home, there's a lot I can do between 8 and 5." The Ea Date: 5/ ) I Cr (v for Olympic B f Eagle sta w T The Torch Bearers Larry Ringer says he could probably run six- tenths of a mile in his sleep. F First in a Series That is the length the former College "motion mayor will run May 21 as one of 11 S Shumem way, an A&M agricultural e heroes carrying the Olympic torch n nomics professor, said he nominated a it arrives in Bryan- College Station. R Ringer because of "everything that Lary .finger, a professor and assistant h has done for this community." ead of Texas A &M University's sta- B Basketball is Ringer's favorite tistics department, said the short dis- O Olympic sport because he used to tance should not be too strenuous. ' '' play the game in high school in "I jog one and a half to two miles j jLT Iowa. three to four times a week," said 3 3 "I've still continued to play bas - Ringer, who exercises with two oth- k ketball until a few years ago," he ers during lunch. "I'm going to try s said. to do it more regularly." The arrival of the Olympic torch Ringer, 58, stepped down as e en route from Greece to Atlanta, the mayor Wednesday after serving 17 l l site of the summer games, is a mile - years with the city. He was mayor for s stone for the area, Ringer said. to years and served seven years on the T Two things make the event special, city council. h he said. Ringer said he was "surprised to be " "One is the honor of being selected, and elected," but he was an obvious choice to t the other is Bryan and College Station is others. o on the route," he said. "He's been involved in many activities I In Texas, the torch is also traveling for the city and the university," said t through Ft. Worth, Dallas, Waco, Richard Shumway Jr., who nominated H Houston, Beaumont and Orange. Ringer to carry the torch. 7 Former may r readies run IQ - ff j Eagle photo/Sam Lawrence Larry Inlger, a professor and assistant head of Texas A &M University's statistics departrh�nt, will run May 21 as one of 11 local heroes carrying the Olympic torch when It arrives .in the twin cities. The former College Station mayor says the arrival of the Olympic torch Is a milestone for the area. E Tuesday, May 14, 1996 ling in ele' By SAM LAWRENCE Eagle stall writer A Brazos County district judge has ruled the City of Bryan must relinquish electric customers to College Station in the areas that College Station has annexed. Judge J.D. Langley, who presides over the 85th District Court, ruled Monday afternoon in favor of College Station in summary judgment. Mayors in both cities said they hop( the judgment will end years of court bat ties. L; The mayor (of Bryan) and I are com Initted to working through our difler- 50 cents Mayors hope decision halts lengthy fight ences," said Lynn McIlhaney, College Station's new mayor. "I think the two councils are committed to working for what is best for the citizens." Bryan Mayor Lonnie Stabler said offi- cials in both cities need to put forth "a lit- tle extra effort and discuss some issues." Langley ruled against Bryan's claim that a contract between both cities was valid only for a 10 -year period because of a conflict with Bryan's city charter. Bryan officials contend a 16 -year con- tract designed to allow College Station to serve utility customers in its newly Dispute From Al October, during a partial summa- ry judgment hearing. He ruled the contract ended after 10 years, because of the conflicting charter. Langley changed his ruling Monday to favor College Station after attorneys representing both cities presented more informa- tion. "'The cities continued to oper- ate under the contract as if it were in effect ... until the middle of 1994," said Bob Heath, an .Austin attorney representing College Stal 'Every ti bill, ever} increased renewing tl six years, t by a month John Bre ney repre! Langley ti renewed be never voted ment after "It is the that prohi from wins ment " Bre Stabler s ty- related cities, the < I areas was invalid because charter only allows for a 10 -year gley ruled Bryan renewed the con - or the remaining six years by Gon- g to provide electricity and receiv- 3yment from customers in areas ed by College Station. th these city councils almost 16 ago expressed a consent for a deal 'ould be 16 years," Langley said. contract was set to expire July 1, cedings with other city officials, said city council members will discuss the city's options during their next meeting. Since March 1980, the two cities operat- ed under a contract for Bryan to sell its utility lines and relinquish customers to College Station when it annexes land pre- viously served by Bryan Utilities. In 1994, Bryan city officials discovered the contract violated a section of the city charter stipulating only 10 -year agree- ments. The stipulation was amended in 1994 by Bryan voters, allowing for agree- ments up to 25 years. Langley ruled in favor of Bryan in who attended the court pre- Please See DISPUTr 1. College Station for the use of its Bryan has sent a electrical transmission lines, will :ime Bryan has be decided by the Federal Energy es ... they were Regulatory Commission. ontract, if not for A Travis County district judge i one or even last week issued an injunction against the Public Utility n, an Austin attor- Commission of Texas from set - ting Bryan, told ting the electric transmission contract was not rates. ise the city council continue the agree - The disagreement over trans - rears. mission rates arose when College .k of council action Station decided to begin buying s College Station electrical power from Texas summary judg- Utilities instead of the City of n said. Bryan. Bryan officials then took a remaining utili- action to begin charging College ue between both Station for the use of Bryan's elec- iunt Bryan charges trical lines. 0 hosts memorial By ASHLEY PETERSON Eagle staff writer to Brazos County law enforcement offi- cers and citizens paid tribute Wednesday to officers who had been slain while laying down their lives for the safety of their communities. More than 162 law enforcement offi- cers nationwide were killed in the line of duty in 1995, Bryan Police Chief Lee Freeman Wednesday said at the Ninth Annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service. None of those officers were from Brazos County. "You know some people in certain' situations have the chance to say, 'If I could do it all over again I would do this differently, "' Freeman said. "Maybe these officers would say 'I would have been more careful or waited a little longer for backup.' But, we can't ask them that, because they won't get that chance." The A &M .Consolidated High School ''"choir sang the national anthem as the College Station police officer College Station Police Honor Guard the law enforcement memorle raised their flag at noon. - notice Department "It is important for us to.remember those who have died protecting us, and. University Police Departmer 'to support these officers' farnilles in ed the crowd of some of the remembering their loved ones," said tine dangers officers face dai Brazos County , ` Attorney Jim "Yes, there were 162 offic Kuboviak, the featured guest speaker. but what is even more shocl Bob Wiatt, director of the Texas A &M 27,000 ofiicgrs who have been ____ Eagle photo/Wch Ireland 'hlllp Brown salutes during the relying of tha 0 service Wednesday afternoon at the College Station remind- the line of duty,', Wiatt said. "And nore rou "66,000 officers. were' assaulted last;year.' 7. while on the job. That's one out of every ' rs killed, eight of the 500,000 law enforcement ng is the ,z_. . nfured in Please see TRIBUTIE, page Al • r Sanderson Farms Fs Eagle photo/Dave McDermand A construction worker walks in the shadow of the Sanderson Farms feed mill still under construction in Easterly. The structure, which will store food for the chickens at Sanderson Farms, is 133 -feet tall. \� h By MARIA KRINSKY \ Eagle staff writer A massive feed mill under construction in Robertson County will tower over a tiny community of 61 people. The 133 -foot tall feed mill is part of the state-of-the- art Sanderson Farms poultry complex that is expect - ed to employ about 1,400 people when operating at ftffl capacity. The other two parts of the operation are a process- ing plant near the Bryan Industrial Park and a hatch- e ry in the Bryan Business Park. The feed mill will be ca pable of producing 12,000 tons of feed a week, said B ob Billingsly, director of development for Sanderson Farms. Before deciding on Easterly, located about seven miles east of Franklin, the company scouted several locations in the Brazos Valley, he said. "We picked the most centralized point that gave us the best economic access to our poultry producers," illingsly said. "And it has access to a rail line." The Robertson County community is hoping to ap the benefits 4f the mill, which is expected to mploy at least 40 people. "Any time jobs are created, it is always a positive," id Randy Rhodes, director of the Franklin hamber of Commerce. "We are hoping it will boost ousing construction and other things, also." Billingsly said Robertson County was awarded a Please see SANDERSON, page A10 X500,000 Capital of spur in A sp main li indu8 cubic used to on 50 a said. plete'th to store Thy erson tae° n comp; Missi Louis Indus South Robei grant from the Texas "It Fund of the Department Commerce to build a railroad the county. ur is a rail line off of the for Stati( ne used to service an try client. More than 4,300 Corp Th yards of concrete were build the mill, which sits prod and cres of land, Billingsly When construction is com- chic Gold So e structure will entire operation, a a68 proc be able 312,000 bushels of grain. The Eagle Date: � 0 recognizes Lai Ri `�l with city picnic By SAM LAWRENCE Eag sta wri Larry Ringer started making a name for himself in the political arena when he was in his early 40s. After 10 years as College Station's mayor and seven years as a city coun- cilman, Ringer hung up his public ser- vant badge last week. For his service, the city and many citizens and organizations will pay tribute to Ringer with a community Dicnic from 6:30 -9 P.M. Friday at , ntral Park. He's spent many years giving his e to the city and it's just a way to say thank you," said city spokes- woman Peggy Calliham. "That's a lot of years to work without pay. He's been such an even - handed mayor." Ringer, 58, lives in College Station with his wife, Jean. He is a professor and assistant head of Texas A &M University's statistics department. An informal reception is planned from 6:30 -7:30 p.m. with various "mar- velous memories" of Ringer's years in office on display, Calliham said. "A group of citizens have put together a nice scrapbook," Calliham Please see RINGER, page A14 inger F rom Al said. "Some of it is old memora- bilia and some , is new presenta- tions." Some organizations will display resolutions, proclamations and The proceeds wi Ringer's honor t established to and equipmen Station's future 1 The proceeds and other don, acknowledged on placed in the lib completed in ear 2818 across photographs honoring Ringer's life, she said. A ceremony hosted by Mike Wright of KBTX will start at 7:30 P.M. Participants include City of Bryan, Brazos County, Texas A &M University and the City of College Station. Food donated by the Brazos Valley Restaurant Association and Bryan Coca -Cola will be sold. be donated in Qonsolidated High School. I special fund rchase books During the picnic, a local jazz band will perform a special trib. for College - ary. ute to Ringer along with Troupe Singers. ►m the event ons will be The public is invited to the pic- plaque to be nic and Calliham suggests bring - ing lawn chairs. y when it is 1998 on FM For more information about the picnic or the library rom A &M fund, call Calliham at 764 -3768. Q., The Eagle Date: c Hundreds fo er CS By ASHLEY PETERSON �U Eagle staff writer �\ Hundreds of friends, family and co- workers of former College Station Mayor Larry Ringer', gathered Friday at Central Park to reminisce and honor his 17 years Of service. "He was a 3trong supporter of the city, but his vision was greater than that," said Judge R.J. `Dick" Holmgt een at the Marvelous Memories picnic. "His vision always included Brazos County. He contributed heavily to make things happen in College Station and throughout the county." Ringer served as mayor from 1986 -1996 and as a city council member from 1976- 1983. Holmgreen and Jimmie McCullough, chairman of the Brazos Valley Development Council, described him as and W"r Of radio was a "I t knew times us," I to honor Ringer ely dedicated." as a great guy personally and pro - lly. He always looked out for the trazos Valley — not just College McCullough said. honoring Ringer with plaques 1clamations included the Brazos Commissioners Court, the Bryan- Station Sister Cities Association, of Bryan, the Brazos Animal Humane Society, the Brazos ►evelopment Council and the City ;e Station Parks and Recreation XUke Hatcher of WTAW /KTSR Bryan- College Station said Ringer iys helpful to the media. 1 to do a talk show, and we always could call him any time — some - fore dawn — and he would help :her said. "He is a very dedicated The Ea le Date: MQU I b' I 9 fo Tourism speaker says B -CS has `opportunity of a lifetime' Firms urged to take full advantage of central location �\\ By MARIA KRINSKY Officials at the bureau, which is a divi. Eagle staff writ Ision of the Bryan- College Station !Chamber of Commerce, said they had Tourism sales in Brazos County were 'never considered selecting any other $105 million in 1994 but Bryan- College speaker. 4tation can do a lot better, Don Hansen, "He is so knowledgeable about °cutive vice president of the Texas tourism," Sears said. "He was the number el & Motel Association said FYiday. one person we wanted to s ansen spoke at the Tourism Unity Travel and tourism are among uncheon that capped America's best -kept economic secrets, off National Tourism Ransen said. Week. "People don't see tourism in the same Tourism week is rec- o ' :; t as they see the steel indus el ognized throughout the s nits or publishing," he said "I r don't country on May 5 -11, p t Disney to come to Bryan- College but the Brazos Valley lion next week, but you can take a seri- lunch was postponed ous look at your own region and launch a until Hansen returned program to take advantage of this nifty from a conference in HANSEN secret called tourism." Alaska, said Pattie I Hansen, who joined the Hotel & Motel Sears, manager of tourism sales and ser- Association in January 1964, said for a vice for the Bryan- College Station Convention and Visitor Bureau. Please see TOURISM, Page A8 Honoring Ringer NU Eagle Photo/Butch Ireland Former College Station mayor tarry Ringer, left, shakes hands with councilman Hub Kennady as Mary Hatcher of Bryan looks on at a community picnic in Central Park Friday. The event celebrated Ringer's 10 years of service as mayor. Story, Page A9. Library Services Task f orce holds public nm 1 � u forums to By SAM LAWRENCE Eagle staff writer •! 5 !-' College Station residents can tell city officials next week what types of programs and services they want for a proposed city library. The Library Services Task Force is holding public forums at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in Room 127 of the College Station Conference Center. College Station wants to build a $1.2 million library on six acres at the corner of FM 2818 and Welsh Avenue across from A &M Consolidated High School, Mounce tional issues, zoning require Bill Hidell of Hidell and Asso tural firm hired by the city ti "Multiple schemes will b translates the information three - dimensional models. form and evolve until a achieved. This is not the fit but instead a tool through emerge." For more information cont Charlie Shear at 764 -3538. questions The money comes from a portion of 1995 bond pe new library, scheduled to open in 1998 with DO-17,000 square feet, will replace the under 6,000 - re-foot branch library on South Texas Avenue, nce said. ara Mounce, community librarian, said the forum determine "what the community, the people who the library, want to see." �brary staff and architectural consultants will be ilable to answer questions and receive comments. we will begin with discussions about site and func- ats and parking," said :es, the Dallas architec- �sign the library. eveloped as the team sketches, plans and h scheme will trans - Ll conceptual idea is design for the library .ich your library will Mounce at 361 -3715 and The EaEle Date: ` CS mide requ est: st ory Mme a: lib w By SAM LAWREN1 h co unity librarian. The fund4 Eagle staff writer 13d co from a portion of a 1995 bond 1 iss College Station residents want Th new library, which will be story- telling time and computer 15,00) to 18,000 square feet, will accessibility in the new $1.2 mil- ref lace the smaller than 6,000 lion library. sqt are-feet branch library on Citizens told city leaders So Texas Avenue, Mounce Tuesday and Wednesday what ser- saii 1. vices and programs they want in I i rary staff and design archi the 4ew library, which is sched- tec s called the two -day public uled to open in 1998. for , which ended Wednesday, "This is a public building and to i e residents a say in what this is something we want people types of programs and services the to use and people to be proud of," library will include. said Larry Ringer, chairman of Residents attending the forum the city library committee. said they want children story - The city wants to build a new telling time, a group study room, library on six acres at the corner computers for word processing; of FM 2818 and Welsh Avenue met ng rooms, social areas and across from A &M Consolidated High School, said Clara Mounce, Please see FORUM, Page A$ Vb r- ` ' t ib 1haney said of the public par - � ipation. "You're designing a ary to meet the needs of the o nmunity expressed in these [ om Al r ie etings." private reading areas. Project architect Bill Hidell of One resident suggested the Ila las said he will transform the library also provide visitor r9cuested projects into a final a information because of the bu. lding design within six r brary's high visibility on FM we ks_ 2618, Mounce said. 'If we can come up with a con - "They're taking ownership in s rtsus on the schemes we come it," College Station Mayor Lynn u with tonight, we will eo hank and put it in a finite form," for ibout a 15,000- square -foot Hidell said. building. The committee is con - The preliminary designs side i g a building of up to include access of FM 2818 and 18,00 �quare feet, Ringer said. Welsh Avenue. Parts of the "T idea would be to go out library will face a wooded area and s eek donors," he said. in front of George K. Fitch Park, Hidell said. A f nd- raising effort could Ringer said the library com- start ' 1 two months, Ringer said. mittee will need to raise between Comir 'ttee members may ask $250,000 and $500,000 in addition- busi sses and organizations to al funds for the project. Funds sponsor meeting rooms or pur- from the 1995 bond issue will pay Chas ricks that will be laid in the 1 brary entrance. ■ nsi e CS, co urc st udy of 1 pa 7?i� By SAM LAWRENCE the study a p.m. Thursday at College 5 Eagle staff writer Station Cit3 Hall, 1101 S. Texas Ave. Elrey Ash, director of economic and College Station city leaders may take community development for College the first steps Thursday in attracting Station, said e study is the first phase computer chip manufacturing compa- of determining if the city could provide nies that could bring numerous high- the services ce wafer fabrication, or FAB, paying jobs to the city. plant require;. City council members are considering "What we're trying to do is see if that site authorizing a feasibility study of the would be a site for a FAB plant," Ash said. Business Center at College Station to The business center is just south of the determine if the 78 -acre industrial park intersection of Texas 6 and Greens has the necessary resources to support a Prairie Rod in south College Station, semiconductor plant. Ash said. Council members will meet to discuss If approv by councilmembers, the study will be conducted by Integrated "It's a hig - sought -after economic Circuit Engineering Corporation, a locat- prize," Ash sad "It brings in a lot of jobs ing service in Arizona that matches semi- and they're i h- paying jobs. It's clean conductor plants with possible locations. industry." "If we meet all their criteria, we would Peggy Call' , College Station city be put in their database," Ash said. "We spokeswoman said a fabrication plant think we meet all of them." would fit in n' ly at the city -owned busi -, Many Texas cities are trying to attract ness park. more high - technology industries for "That is the kind of industry this busi' their large work base and -their extensive ness park was tablished for," Calliham, investment through new buildings and said. expensive equipment, said Robert Worley said his agency has not tried in Worley, executive director of the Bryan- the past to attr ct a semiconductor plant College Station Economic Development Corporation. Please see STUDY, page A16 Stu d for plant are present o attain- the purchase, Ash said. y able at the busin s park, The incubator would provide according to materi from discounted office and ware - roir Al a Integrated Circuit Engineering house space for small business - Corporation. es for a specified period of time. to the area, but he said many The study will also identify "We would provide space for cities, such as Austin, have what type and size of ant the someone who would come to become havens for manufactur- business park could upport, ing plants. and determine what e Texas town with a small business ... "They're a good, clean Indus- A &M University w u d play and do some prototype develop - try and they bring ' a lot of with the city to attract plant ment or sales, like catalog jobs," Worley said. "They bring Councilmembers are lso con- sales, Ash said. in a lot of high cap' al invest- sidering approving t te pur "More than likely it would be ment." chase of 2.45 acres n ar the industrial. It's not retail and it's Phase one of the feasibility intersection of FM 18 and not general commercial." study will take three ays, but a Raymond Stotzer Pai.1 way to A construction date for the starting date has not been set, build an industrial in u ator, incubator has not been set, Ash Ash said. City staff bought tl a fore- said, because the owner of the The study will determine if closed property May 7 for property has six months to buy the resources and infrastruc- $171,000 in a tax sal d the the property back from the city, ture required by a semiconduc- council must officiallN 6DDrove as in anv tax sale. The Eagle • • Date: Available data maY quell College Station study for By SAM LAWRENC I%.�f Eagle staff writer chip Bryan College Station may not to need to spend $15,000 for a feasibility study to determine if the industrial park can support a computer chip manufactur- ing plant, council members said Thursday. Councilman Dick Birdwell said the facts needed, �ncluding water quality, accessibility and educational opportu- nities, are already included in the Plani From Al i__ _ less since th attracted We Corp. and Te "This co attractive to sophisticated they're alrea City Mana city staff will information t at their nex t weeks. The city c resources to fabrication, p "I think we significant as a semiconduc other high -tec said. " If we c a their data b they will take "It h, tant) is The Thursd the sl Engine ing ser plants i Coun to rese, tion already exists. They were also directed to determine how Texas A &M University would benefit from a semi - cond c ctor plant moving to College Station. It j just seems like the information they a are going to d derive for us is already available," s said councilman Bill Fox. Elrey Ash, the city's director of eco- nomic and community development, said a plant would provide the commu- �.. mimornnc hiuh- nnvine iobs_ they're looking a their clients." Several Texas ci at attract more to advanced industr large work base, e city has already W Worley, executive ollege Station Economic nent Corp. fact book. 90 percent of what (the consul - lking about," Birdwell said. i y council postponed action y on approving the funds for i y by Integrated Circuit g Corp. — an Arizona locat- i e that matches semiconductor i h possible locations. members directed city staff h existing studies and source o determine if the informa- If the study is conducted and the Business Park meets the criteria for a semiconductor plant, the city would be added to the consulting firm's database, he said. "This would also put us on a database with this service company so when they were contacted by this type of company College Station would come up as a pos- sible location," Ash said. Fox said the study. may also be use- s place for s are trying mologically This community must > for their aid Robert be attractive to some 'ectr of i Econom high -tech, sophisticated emiconduc- firms because they're ide a sub investment already here." sings and idy is fund - BILL FOX take three College Station councilman determine infrastruc- amiconduc- of 2.45 acres near the intersec- or attain- tion of FM 2818 and Raymond ark. Stotzer Parkway to build an ,o identify industrial incubator. f plant the City staff bought the fore - upport and closed property May 7 for I play with $171,000 in a tax sale, Ash said. ant. The incubator would be used to 1e council attract new, small purchase College QL - u14ng1J4u03 puu ., _ _ - IQ. I. 7 rn T TTTT1YYl `1TJTd4Q D E In — To — w — n � CS council nam Kennady mayor Councilman Hub Kej named College Station's tem during Thursday's co ing. Kennady, 38, has served on the council in Place 2 looks forward to working Lynn McIlhaney. I'm honored that my chosen me for this position, said. He was elected in May t term on the council. This time to be nominated mayc The mayor pro tem serves as the mayor's second- in -co: o tem lady was ayor pro �cil meet - ur years said he th Mayor rs have K ennady is third his first Pro tem. ?vo years The Eagle Date: elva Z I I • • CS to hear ideo(to traffic in neighborhood Between 300 and q -3 By SAM LAWRE C Eagle staff writer I Nan Crouse Mefferd wants to see the cars zipping through the streets of the College Woodlands area rerouted to Texas Avenue or Texas 6. Hard said. "It's a cl Mefferd, who lives on Ashburn Av ue, said the neighbor- hood streets are constantly used for dri vers headed for Post Oak Mall or those escaping the constructio i on Texas Avenue. "It's a shortcut from University to rvey," she said. Transportation experts with the Ci y of College Station are holding a neighborhood meeting Tue day in the College Hills Elementary School Cafeteria to addrE SS traffic concerns. Information such as maps and traf i counts will be avail- able for viewing at 6 p.m., and the me Ed Hard, city transportation planner. Aing begins 7 p.m., said City staff will announce ideas to lessen the amount of traf- or slow down the cars on Munson and Ashburn avenues, -1c Lard said. "We're going to be presenting differe "It's to show them these are the idea3 t options," Hard said. e came up with and bounce the ideas off them." PI a e see MUNSON, Page A7 M 8 ,000 (cars) a day." Between 300 and daily on Ashburn, l F eom Al � "It's going to t remove the volum Some of the ideas include and not affect o adding speed humps, a flat -top Hard said. "It's a cl version of a speed bump, or erect- Hard hopes - ing additional stop signs on Woodlands homeov Munson, Hard said. city staff narrow di i "We're looking at ways to help possible solutions. the Munson situation out," he "By virtue of us i said. "It's carrying about 7,000 to f all these alternati narrow it down to three or four," D cars travel he said. said. The results may be included in difficult to the city's comprehensive plan off Munson which could be adopted by coun- �r streets," cil members in the fall, he said. Menge." Mefferd said the "formerly very [e College quiet streets" have become dan- �rs will help gerous for pedestrians. n the list of "It's a wonderful old neighbor- hood," she said. "(But) nobody ing through would dare walk on Munson any ,, we could more." l C� Jagielski said he starts each day by going through police reports pertaining to his area and organizing them according to case number, location and offense. "This helps me stay on top of criminal activity." In addition to handling crimi- nal situations, the officers work in several major community pro- jects. They have worked with the Community Development Department of College Station in a community garden project, have set up and administrated a Cub Scouts Troop and have assisted in the design process of a Little League field at one of the city parks. They have also designed and administrated a landlord- tenant training course for the complexes, worked with the management at Southgate Village Apartments to organize a residence council for the com- plex and worked closely with the staff at the Lincoln Center (the Center has become his "second home." "We do bicycle rod EC; at the center, play softball ais basket- ball — everything," he id. "If we don't reach these k by the time they are 14 -year Id, then they are pretty much s A in their ways and you can't chE n i, them. But if you teach their, early on that the police are theh the" friends and the dangers of drigs and crime, then they will Erow up to be good, law - abiding citizens." "I play games with them and hang out with them o show them that police are not bad peo- ple and that we sincerebr want to help them." Jagielski also refer esidents to local agencies surh as the Brazos County Rap( Crisis Center, Brazos Count5 Family Violence Unit and the c ty's util- ity companies. Simpson said the de0artment hopes to expand its program into the Wolf Pen Creek area which is bordered by Harvey Road, Texas The department, witn the sup- port of the city council, has applied for a $220,000 federal grant for the expansion. TEXAS A &M UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS PRESENTS THE 1996 41M, Mb CONCERTS �.l 1i o� t L fw (, By ASHLEY PETERSON v/ 1�► Eagle staff w riter Lt. Scott Simpson said the College Station)I Police Department's Community Policing program has proven its worthiness with a steadily decreasing crime rate in problem areas. Simpson served as the program's first community policing officer in 1990. "In the beginning we saw an Police in r ase in the crime rate, but that was m ' y due to the increase of report- in . Once the Southgate residents saw th it we were there to help them and th it we cared about the criminal activ- i n their neighborhood, they began re rting more," Simpson said. pson said the key to their success is t e pro- active approach. Please see POLICE, Page A7 From Al "We have tried to solve the problems before they get to the `police' stage," he said. "If a girl- friend and boyfriend are fighting all of the time, we try to step in and get them counseling before an aggravated assault occurs — or worse — a homicide." College Station implemented the experimental community policing project by assigning a foot patrol to the Southgate area — a high - crime, low- income area bordered by Geoifge Bush Drive, Wellborn Road, Dexter and Southwest Parkway. By 1991, the department had opened its first substation in an apartment provided by the Southgate Village Apartments — a low- income housing project. Simpson "got to know" the citi- zens and worked with them to find solutions for criminal and social problems. Some of the prob lems included dis bances, drug trafficking, excess' noise levels, some criminal ischief and decaying neighborhood struc- tures. Before the community polic- ing program began, it seemed like nothing we could do was right. Most of the time we would have to send in two cars on every call, and people Nould throw cans and rocks Et the cars," Simpson said. mmunication was a big problem." "But once they that we (the police) were there o help them and we got to know e of the key leaders in the com M unity, the resi- dents started ol ening up and telling us about their problems." After two years of successful problem solving, & mpson handed over the reins tD Officer Craig Anderson. Anderson, now one of A &M Consolidated High School's school resource officers, main- tained that success until January 1996. Master Officer om Jagielski, who took over tbe community policing position this January, said his philosophy is simple. "Community policing is all about changing people's lives," he said. "I do what I do and teach them to take advantage of all of the resources surrounding them so that they can lead better and healthier lives." "I want them to take what I've taught them, take advantage of the loans and grants available, get a degree and come back and help others in their community." He said community policing allows him to show his commu- nity another side of police offi- cers. "Most people fear police offi- cers and only encounter them when they get a ticket or are a victim or are being arrested," he said. "By getting in there and helping them, we have seen a decrease in crime and the com- munity has calmed down quite a bit since 1990." "I was in narcotics in 1991, and that community was having a terrible problem with drugs. But the neighbors got fed up with it CSs Community Poi ,ing program lets citizens get to kno u policeofficers r 1 • THE EAGLE DAILY NEWS Residents rate CS1 By ASHLEY PETERSON (DI619(0 Eagle staff writer Some College Station citizens who were surveyed think their police department rates above average in serving and protecting their community. More than 74 residents who participated in the 9th Annual College Station Police Department Citizen Satisfaction Survey ranked their satisfaction with the department in the areas of patrol officers — han- dling of situations, courtesy, appearance and prompt- ness — and administration, inrluding murtesy and handling of calls. The participants were selected randomly and mailed a questionnaire and pre- addressed, postage - paid envelope in April.. The respondents also gave information on what types of contact they had had CSPD From A9 ranged in age from 17 to 67 and ranged from nurses and profes- sors to disc jockeys and adminis- trative assistants, rated the offi- cers' handling of a specific situa- tions as satisfactory. 'D favombly in poll with police officers, how they ranked the importance of specific issues and what their perception is of the crime rate in College Station. "We use (the survey) to gather how the public per- ceives different parts of the department and the crime rate," said Lt. Scott McCollum. "It is a good tool in determining the effectiveness of the department." McCollum said the department is extremely pleased with the results of the survey. In all, 60.8 per- cent of participants ranked the department's overall performance as above average, 20.3 percent ranked it as cleardv outstanding and a mere 4 1 percent ranked it as .,. ,.. era . More than 76 percent of the participants, who Please see CSPD, Page All 0 .rte About 79.1 percent said they were satisfied with the courtesy of officers they had encountered. Appearance drew a 93 percent satisfaction rate, while prompt- ness pulled in a 70.8 percent sat- isfaction rate. More than 81.8 percent of the Participants said they were satis- fied with the courtesy of admin- istrative employees and 73.5 per- cent said they were satisfied with the handling of their calls. Participants ranked as the top three important issues the enforcement of Driving While Intoxicated laws, patrolling in marked police cars to provide visible deterrence to crime and response to citizen calls for ser- vice. cent of participants felt that crime had remained about the same in the last few months and 14.9 percent felt it had decreased slightly in the last few months. McCollum said participants were also urged to make sugges- tions to the police department and were allowed to comment on their personal experiences with Results showed that 60.8 per- officers. to fund systern By SAM LAWRENCE Eagle staff writer College Station officials are con- sidering adding a monthly fee to city utility bills to fund a drainage utility system aimed at reducing flooding throughout the city. City councilmembers will hold a public hearing during Thursday's 7 p.m. council meeting regarding the adoption of a draining ordinance. Councilmembers will meet at city hall, 1101 S. Texas Ave. "We've tried to make this a real open process and have gotten a lot of support on it," said City Manager Skip Noe. City staff is proposing charging the $3.50 monthly fee to residential households to fund the $16 million stormdrain improvements, Noe said. Multi- family utility customers could be charged $1.57 per month. A $1.65 fee per 1,000 square feet is proposed for business and commer- cial customers. CS may add utility bill fee "It's going to be used to build cap- ital projects," Noe said, The improvements will reduce the amount of flooding during storms and will also take some houses out of flood plains, he said. The city will improve drainage channels, build retention ponds and could also purchase property that will continue to be allowed to flood. Councilmembers on Thursday will hear comments only concern- ing the ordinance. The'council will consider the ordinance on June 27. The city must hold another public hearing before setting the fees sometime in July. Councilmembers will also dis- cuss granting all city staff a 2 per- cent cost-of-living raise, Noe said. The employee pay plan will be pre- sented during a 3 p.m. workshop Thursday. The raises will be considered as Part of the 1996 -97 city budget, which will not be approved until Please see DRAIN, Page Al2 A third pay hike Proposal includes creating a in -shar. ing program that gives amploy- ees a cash incentive to reduce operating costs. The fficentives Will be a percentage o he cost savings. The program would operate for one fiscal year before mone- tary rewards start, Noe said. The three propos4s would cost about $465,000 in the 1996- 97 budget. Also at the workshop, coun- Drain om Ag the fall. City staff is also proposing a 10 percent increase in the start- ing salary of eight entry -level fire department employees and a 4 percent hike for six entry - level police positions. Noe said the salary increase will help attract more qualified applicants for vacant positions. He said the base salary, with the increases, would be more competitive with other cities. City staff' members are also recommending a one -time bonus for "outstanding perfor- mance" by employees, Noe said. The program would recog- nize innovation and creativity "so we can award those folks who have been top perform - , _rs," he said. M.11- w cilmembers will discuss the five -year financial forecast, a rough outline of the city's rev- enues and finances through 2001. Noe would not comment on any part of the forecast, but he did say the city is not expected to cut any positions over the next five years. The financial forecast for the City of Bryan targets 38 posi- tions for elimination over the next two years. t CS rya face fo � r bud et deficit r 9 1 idents oppose new uti I i fee \� By SAM LAWRENCE save the funds for a Eagle staff writer y," Noe said. T he city of College Station could fac ; deficits totaling $1.6 million begimi our years of bud- g in 1997 -98. ouncilmembers were given the city' bo ecast at a Thursday workshop sessi live-year financial In a council meeting following the it tion residents said they opposed are workshop, College utility fee fund - n $16 million in drainage improvernE The financial forecast showed that n s. city may have a .13 million - surplus in 1996 -97, but the :o ald result in a $1.6 million budget sh owing four years DI tfall. Please see COUNCIL, Page A7 Council Erom Councilmembers did not say during the workshop session why the ty could have a budget defici , but financial forecast doc- umei state the reasons include increasing expenses and govern- mental mandates, contractual obligations and new capital improvement projects. Another reason is the council's requirement that an amount equal Ito 15 percent of expendi- tures be carried over each year to serve as a beginning balance, said Charles Cryan, director of the city budget and research depart- ment. "You either raise revenues or decrease expenditures," Cryan said. The forecast, a tentative outline of the city budget through 2001, Predicts the city accounts will have a $1.3 million surplus at the end of fiscal year 1997 followed by cast sates. "Growth that has alrea yy�f}}11 occurred and cost con- tain e t measures during the past year have provided resources to meet the anticipated needs and to provide some resources for additional projects and programs to meet local prior- ities." tanager Skip Noe said the has three options when what to do with the $1.3 ou umembers can decide to spend a excess on one -time pur- chases Use the money to decrease taxes save the funds for a "rainy d y," Noe said. "The good news is we have a one -time windfall and that's great," Noe said. The forecast is a rough projec- tion of xonomic trends, Noe said. The coi ir cil can use the estimated figures during budget negotia- tions. The recast also includes a yearly increase of 3 per- cent for ity employees. City $ is recommending a 2 Thne;Ea le Date: citizen all for v gte n drainage Pond election, utility f:. c' 9sidered to fund m1pairs � �\ \`, By SAM LAWRENCE Eagle staff writer city proposal to charge utility cu tomers a • m nthly fee to fund $16 million hi drainage improvements could be dropped for and elec- tion, College Station officials said Fri City councilmembers are considering creating a utility drainage system to make channe. improve- ments and enlarge storm drains to s ;1e ooding p oblems. College Station residents told cou embers Thursday they would rather the ci voters speak by holding a bond election. Please see DRAIN, Page A3 Drain to From Al Helen Pugh, who lives on Fairview Avenue, said she "absolutely" opposes the city charging a fee for the improve- ments. "We have a storm sewer so full of grass ... water can't go down it," Pugh said. "I'm a ainst any type of tax." City staff is recommending charging utility customers start- ing in October. Councilmembers are consider- ing an ordinance calling for a $3.50 -per- month fee for residen- tial households. Multifamily utili- ty customers could be charged $1.57 per month per unit, and business and commer i cus- tomers could pay $1.65 per 1,000 square feet. I Mayor Lynn McIlhan y said the council will vote onl flie ordi- nance June 27 but will not consid- er how to fund the imp ro ements until Aug. 8 after seve>� public hearings. Funding options in( 1 de the proposed fees or hold' g a bond election, McIlhaney said. "The council could t do a utility district but not barge a fee," she said. "I don't ink any decision has been decided on or ruled out." McIlhaney said a cou cil phi- losophy is to pay for capital improvements without issuing debt "so that we control the amount of money our future gen- erations would have to pay." "If we pay as we go, we're not incurring the debt," she said. McIlhaney said councilmem- bers are still in the information - gathering stage and will hear public comment in July on the proposed fee schedule. The fees are estimated to gener- ate $750,000 annually — excluding buildings and structures owned by the cities of Bryan and College Station, Texas A &M University, College Station school district and churches. A schedule of drainage projects includes several channel improvements, building reten- tion ponds, enlarging culverts and installing storm drains over a five- to seven -year period. The utility drainage system, if approved, would be effective for five years. The council could then renew the ordinance. Mcilhaney wants current surplus to ease shortfall / 1 1 �J By SAM LAWRENCE Eagle staff writer The expenditures are expected College Station Mayor Lynn X c Ihaney said Friday that she favors using a prof ted $1.3 mil- lion surplus from the 1996 -97 budge t offset most of a projected $1.6 million shortfall r m 1998 -2001. In addition, the city could use of ] ier cost - saving measures such as deferring capital improvements the budget in 1998. or projects until revenue catches u ith expens- es, she said. The shortfall projec ic The city also could decide not to f 11 vacant posi- tions or deny pay raises, she said The forecast includes a yearly salary increase of percent for city employees. construction of a new fire station, "We function as a team and if the e 's in trou- ble we find ways to make it work a 4 group," she Please see BUDGET, Page A3 or creation of new parks. Budget From Al said. "This necessarily doesn't have to be thi., way," McIlhianey said. "The figures we get ar� really the worse -case scenario." The forecast is simply a predic- tion of the city's finonces, and those figures are not definite, she said. Councilmembers will not decide how to cover the expected shortfalls until that year's budget is negotiated, she said. City officials said a tax increase also is possible. li1C LUl Cl;QSI UVCS 1 v 1c�.vur mend a tax hike, bu the city The expenditures are expected could raise taxes as of the to increase, Cryan said, because 1998 budget to cover th rojected the cost of operating new build - deficits, said Charles Cryan, ings and parks will be added to director of the city m inagement the budget in 1998. and budget departmen . City voters approved a $22 mil - The shortfall projec ic n comes lion bond election in 1995. A part from a five -year financ a1 forecast of the bond issue will fund the prepared by city budg t officials. construction of a new fire station, Councilmembers rec i ed the a city library and the expansion forecast on Thursday. or creation of new parks. The city's expecte are falling short of evenues projected The bond money will cover con - revenues for fiscal a rs 1998 struction costs, but the city must 2001, Cryan said. fund the operation after that. "We have more costs c ming on "For the most part (the raising line than growth," Cryan said. expenditures) relate to the bond "The city manager has directed issue," he said. "Those facilities staff to look at ways holding we are adding are adding costs.' I- L- 1 M lawver files fo cS council A& ssiona being [eve in pro fe I to make us all proud of our said. "The council can be a motivating force and ensure lave the right people doing the with adequate support." .s married and has four grown and five grandchildren. He a in Brazos County and gradu- m A &M in 1958 with a bache- ;ree in physical education. He 1 a law degree from the ity of Houston in 1968. has served as the Navasota city � and as a Navasota school dis- oard member. He has also as an insurance and real estate and an attorney in a private By SAM LAWRENCE m Eagle staf writer c motiv city," A Texas A &M University attorney v valua has filed to again s James W Bond, senior associate gen- eral counsel at A &M, filed Friday with the city secretar!y's office. Bond, 60, served on the council from 1985 ° - 87 and is now seeking the Place 3 seat vacat- ed when Lynn BOND Mcllhaney was elect- ed mayor. Filing continues through July 10. The election is Aug. 10. "I believe I can be an effective mem- ber, if elected, and contribute s and process of making good decisions," Bond said. "The current makeup of the council is, in my judg ment, excellent and I would be honored to serve with them." Bond said he favors the council set- ting goals and selecting talented city staff members. was r ated lor's recei Univ trict He Of a member of the Texas Bar tion, Brazos County Bar tion and National Association ge and University Attorneys. Is also worked with the Texas Children's Home, Humana 11, the Texas Industrial ssion and the Grimes County er of Commerce. CS city attorney • mw not reappoin `�„ By SAM LAWRENCE l� Eagle st aff writer College Station councilmembers have voted not to reappoint City Attorney Cathy Locke to another two - year term for unspecified reasons. Locke, 39, was the only one of three city employees considered for reap- pointment who was not retained. City Secretary Connie Hooks and Municipal Judge Randy Michel were reappointed last week. Locke did not return phone calls. Locke will remain city attorney until Augusts when the council will begin a search for a replacement, said Mayor Lynn McIlhaney. "The council's position is no com- ment," McIlhaney said. "She will con- tinue on until August." Locke as appointed to the city attorne position in September 1984, su c eding Lowell Denton. She was hir d in May 1983 as an assistant city att ey. McIlh tney said the council will not take act on until after Aug. 10, which is the el ection date to fill the vacant city coun it seat. "We WHI advertise statewide or nationw ," McIlhaney said. "That has not r.-ally been discussed. That will be t3dted about in August." City ager Skip Noe would not commen n the council action. "The ci y attorney is an employee of the c cil," he said. Please see ATTORNEY, Page A3 Afforney man, said he is against offering Locke a severance pack age. by the city. The city attorney also provides The city charter rcqiirE, the city attorney, city secretary and municipal judge to serve terms concurrently with the ir ayor. The city attorney represents the city in all litigation, accord- ing to a job descriptiop (provided legal services to the council, city manager and city staff. The city attorney directs all legal work and manages the legal department, which includes a senior city attorney,� . three assis- tarn city attorneys and two legal assistants. From Al Three councilmembers declined comment about the action. Hub Kennady, Place 2 council- • CS council t adding new uiiii fee (in, • By JENNY NELSON Eagle staff write The College Station City Council will meet Thursday to consider adding a monthly fee to residents' utility bills. The new fee will be used to fund a drainage utility system aimed at relieving flooding problems throughout the city. The City Council will meet at 7 p.m. at City Hall Council Chambers, 1101 S. Texas Ave. The proposed drainage fee is $3.50 a month for residential citi- zens a d $1.57 per apartment. COMME rcial properties will be charge $1.65 per 1,000 square feet of building area. The rate will generate $750,000 a year in new revenues for drainage improvements, said Mark Smith, CollegE Station public works directo . Smith said flooding has occurred in areas of College Station that were developed in flood planes that were not desig- nated at the time of building. The city has held public hear- ings an I focus groups and con- ducted citywide survey on pub- lic feelings on this issue, Smith said. On other topics Thursday, the council will consider name changes for two city properties. They will consider changing Southwood Pool to the Cindy Hallaran Swimming Pool and switcIfing Fairview Park to Luther Jones Park. The late Hallarin played a major role in developing the city's aquatics pro- gram, and Jones donated the land for Far iew Park. Two ublic hearings will be held d iring the meeting to consid- er the rezoning of property within the city. One hearing will address the rezoning of 34.1 acres located east of Texas 6 and south of Sebesta Road. niis area is currently zoned as agricultural open and single family residential, and the appli- cation is, to zone it as a research and development area. CSo&counc By JENNY NELSON Eagle staff writer \ J/ V Nllege Station residents are one step closer to getting a drainage utility dis- trict and a new fee on their utility bill. The College Station City Council on Thursday approved creation of the dis- trict by a 5 -1 vote. Councilman Dick Birdwell voted against it. 01 approi The fee will be used to fund a drainage utility system to relieve 04 estimated $16 million city flood problem. The fee is expected to generate $75 , 00 annually in new revenues for drax.age improve- ments. The council has sch ed a public hearing for August 8 aid will consider the fee amount at that t' e. The proposed draina fee is $3.50 a : Counci l From X11 "I don't want to exempt at this point because I want to be ale to negotiate the situ- : ation," said Councilman David Hickson. Mark Smith, College Station public works director, said the fee was prompted by eroding creek banks, flooding homes and the difficul- _ ty -in maintaining drainage areas. The problems developed over the years because there were no, drainage standards, he said. Smith also said' some of the problem areas were developed in floodplains that were not designed in the early years. Smith said the City Council began working on a plan to resolve the problems in 1992. The city has held public hearings, focus groups Hallaran, who died of cance ' December, lettered in swimming at Bryai i High School, swam for the Texas A &M University women's team and coached at A &M Con sc lidated High School. The other name change is F ' view Park to Luther Jones Park. Jones donated the land for Fairview Park. The council also approved the rezoning of and conducted a city -wide sur In other business, the C( change the names of two Southwood Pool, in the Sol development, is now the Swimming Pool. Hallaran was a 38- year -old Station Parks and Recread employee. She supervised a swimming classes, began a swim team and instructed lif( es utility month for residential citizens and $1.57 Per apartment. Commercial properties will be charged $1.65 per 1000 square feet of building area. The fee would be assessed beginning in October. Birdwell said the fee was "the wrong way to raise the money." "It's more equitable to base it on prop- erty values," he said. Councilman Hub Kennady said "none d istrict ' of this flooding effects me and many of the other citizens ... but when you come to live in a city, you have a responsibility to citizens and neighbors who need help." The ordinance removes an earlier exemption for city -, state- and county - owned property. Please see COUNCIL, Page A3 Smith said. it voted to properties. ood Valley r Hallaran y of College Department two properties. One property rezoned is the 34.1 acres locat- ed east of Highway 6 and south of Sebesta Road. The area was previously zoned as A -0 agricultural open and single - family residen- tial, but the Council changed the zoning to an R &D research and development area. The other rezoned area, 32.72 acres on the northeast corner of the Schaffer and Graham Road intersection, prompted protests from several residents. The land was zoned agricul- ture but has been changed to accommodate a duplex development. Many residents felt that the duplex develop- ment would lower their property values in neighboring areas. But the rezoning applicant ensured council members that he would maintain the proper- ties to avoid any problems with area neigh- borhoods. By SAM LAWRENCE � � �� Eagle staff writer A retired Texas A &M University employee decided to run for the College Station City Council because of the pro- posed monthly fee to fund drainage improvements. Jaime Roman Sr., a former community development specialist with the A &M Agriculture Extension Service, filed Tuesday ROMAN for the Place 3 seat vacated when Lynn Mcllhaney w s elect- ed mayor. Filing continues through 5 p.m. Wednesday. The election is Aug. 10. • nt CS council seat Roman, 60, said "the s w that broke the Central American Institute for the camel's was the roposed $3.50 Business Administration, a Harvard monthly fee for residential customers to University - founded school in Nicaragua. fund a utility drainage system. He remained at the school as a teacher "I believe there are o e ways to do for three years. things," Roman said. "I f 1 e must first He then received a master's degree in see what we can do to sz ve money and public and international affairs from the use our services more effi i�ently." University of Pennsylvania. Roman retired 8 years ag and lives in He completed the course work toward a the Carter's Grove subdi i ion with his Ph.D. in urban and regional planning at wife, Yelba. The couple has five grown A &M, but did not complete his disserta- children, all A &M graftates, and 12 tion. grandchildren. Roman was appointed to the Roman worked about years with Governor's Policy Advisory Committee ----.-'in Weslaco and Coll(ga Station. He from 1976 -78 and the Texas State was a consultant with the U.S. Agency Employment and Training Council from for International Dev 1 pment in 1979 -80. Ecuador and worked in agriculture He also served in the Navy during development with th e Uni a Nations in World War II and in the Army during the Nicaragua. Korean War. He also worked 10 years He received his master' degree from with Bank of America in San Francisco. Jai 'e Roman files for va Date: The Ea fhivey�files for C Secretary at Texas A &M seeks to By SAM LAWRENCE ed Eagle staff writer she P A new College Station resident is seeking to join the representatives she wanted taken off the College Station City Council last year. Nancy Lyons Harvey, 40, filed for the Place 3 seat vacated when Lynn McIlhaney was elected mayor. Six candidates filed fo the coun- cil. Filing ended Wedn sday. The election is Aug. 10. Last year Harvey bec me a city resident when city coun ilmembers voted to annex about 3,6 acres just south of the city limits. HARVEY for tary "I was one of the peopl that led the old. fight against annexation d then for the recall of city H councilmembers," Harve said. "I felt like there need- "thi counc s e a t III )vide com unity voice more of a community voice" on the council, ey has worked as an administrative secretary A &M Department of Multicultural Services for me year. Before that she was a personal secre- L the Center for Macromolecular Design for nd a half years. las also worked at Dillard's and Foley's depart - ;tores in Post Oak Mall, Olsten Temporary �s, Brazos Valley Council on Alcohol and ice Abuse and Commerce National Bank. Las an associate degree from Lollie Lowe Career in Houston and completed the A &M L /Secondary Education Program. ey lives in south College Station with her hus- tobert, and two sons who are 17 and 20 years said one of her goals, if elected, is to develop r kids under the age of 21 to do." The Eagle 0 Date: a. &� I I , .') C il to co ider a I ica pp rfed eral ion r g ra n �. By SAM LAWRENCE + r Eagle staff writer College Station police want to ;top business - es from selling alcohol to under ge drinkers. : City councilmembers will cor s der approv -; ing the police department's gra it application, to the U.S. Department of JUStiCE to fund over- time pay for two officers for the nogram. The city council meets at 71 p.rn. Thursday at, city hall, 1101 S. Texas Ave. "We it's : blem," think a very serious I r said; police Maj. Mason Newton. "Any time that you, have a large population that is youn like ours is, it's going to be a problem." College Station police issued 900 tickets to minors possessing alcohol from October 1995 to June 1996, Newton said. The location of Texas A &M University has: probably added to the problem, said City Manager Skip Noe. "There's no question that the problem is exac- erbated because we're a college ommunity," t Please see 04ANT, Page A3• Grant From Al Noe said. "We allocate as much time as we can to the problem given the resources available " The funds from the $28,043 grant will be available in October and will be used for a one-year undercover sting operation that will target businesses selling to minors. With a college student p ula- tion of over 40,000, night Clubs that target this market have flourished," Newton said the i grant proposal. "While clubs have attempted to minors from obtaining and suming alcohol on their pro es, many do very little. In a] every case, many employee: students themselves, which leads to problems." Newton said police may underage students and vide( audio recordings in their eff Addressing underage drii is a top priority of College St residents. Those responding 1 police department's random vey earlier this year ranked hol- related offenses as thei: concern after additional patr "The number one requesl to see the police more in the neighborhoods," Newton said. "Number two was to address DWI more, and number three was to address other alcohol - related offenses, such as minors in pos - f I session." Selling alcohol to a minor is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $500 and/or up to one year in jail. Furnishing alcohol to a minor is a Class C misdemeanor, pun- ishable by a fine up to $500. Minors in possession of alcohol is a Class C misdemeanor, pun- ishable by a $140 fine for the first offense and a $535 fine for the sec- ond offense. Date: The Ea I Iq CS officials -'I, eye library" Lund- raisers $2.6 million OK'd in '95 won't cover construction By SAM LAWRENCE Eagle staff writer C -7 J r College Station officials will start a fund - raising campaign this fall to raise at least $100,000 to cover additional costs for construction and furnishing of the new city library. City voters approved $2.6 million for the library in an 1995 bond election, but Larry Ringer, chair of the Library Services Task Force, said that is not enough. The bond money will fund a 15,000: square -foot building, but task force members want to build a 16,500 - square -foot building, Ringer said. "Our estimate is the cost of this build- ing is a little higher than what we have in the bond funds," Ringer said. City councilmembers authorized the task force to begin raising funds through donations and sponsorships. Ringer said the task force is consider- ing selling engraved bricks for the front. w Please see LIBRARY. Page AS Library - riliZ FFr Al entrance walkway, selling busi- ness and family sponsorships of computer and meeting looms and selling children's hand rints. "We've had some conversations with some people in th commu- nity, and we feel comfo ble with the response we're getting," Ringer said. "Our comihittee has set a goal of raising at least $300,000." Ringer said at least $100,000 is needed if the city uses a lesser grade of construction materials in the building, or t least $300,000 is needed to conipletely furnish the library w'th the equipment and materials wanted. The city plans to build a new library on six acres at corner of FM 2818 and Wels Avenue across from A &M Co lidated High School. The building design s for a 16,500- square -feet libr y, said Bill Hidell, project archi ect. The design allows for buildin expan- sion to 30,000 square -feet in the future. The library will include meet- ing rooms with after -ho access, a children's section th t could include an outside g den or reading area, space to story- telling time and rooms for indi- vidual study, literacy training or audio - visual learning, Hidell said. The task force will likely begin selling the walkway bricks and seeking room sponsors from "major donors" this fall, Ringer said. The selling of the children's hand prints, which will be set in ceramic tile and used to make a tree sculpture, could start in the spring of 1997, he said. The building's design includes access off FM 2818 and Welsh Avenue. Parts of the library will face a wooded area in front of George K. Fitch Park. The Ea le (W, c Date: A am � ? I CS council OKs 4 . to al telepho on I � By SAM LAWRENCE Eagle staff writer "Ever College Static pay more for c, services startin City council approved the cc on telecommu action is expec $75,000 and $1 city's general A College Static cities, includir Conroe, that c charges 1.5 cen Dick BirdwE said adding the be viewed as action is neces; "Every other does this, and [telephone users will L waiting and facsimile in October. Members on Thursday ection of local sales tax ication services. The �d to generate between ),000 annually for the ijoined about 350 Texas Bryan, Brenham and illect the tax. The city in sales tax. 1, Place 6 councilman, tax on phone bills could i tax increase, but the rn in the state of Texas should have done it a state this, done iles tx e �ervi ca other town in the if Texas has done nd we should have t a long time ago." DICK BIRDWELL CS councilman long tim go," Birdwell said. A 1988 state law allows local govern- ments tc collect sales tax on local phone service, said Charlie Shear, city commu- nication End information services man- ager. Please see TAX, Page A5 Tax He said the additional tax will xesult in only a few extra pennies On one bills because the taxis charged only on local service — not long distance. The tax applies to basic ser- vice installation and connection fees call waiting, call forward- ing, paging services, coin- operat- ed hones, mobile phones, fac- sim a services and equipment sold) or rented to a customer. C uncilmembers repealed the state sales tax exemption for {he city in order to collect the Wes tax. The 1988 law also autho- rize cities to repeal the exemp- [members also the police department's gpTrant plication for $28,043 in federal funds for a one -year, undercover sting operation tar- geting businesses that sell alco- hol to derage drinkers. The U.S. Department of Justice gran t will fund overtime pay for two icers for the program. money is available to the city ' it applies for the grant, said i Dlice Maj. Mason Newton. The rogram could start in C ll ge Station police issued 900 fickets to minors possessing alcohol from October 1995 to June 1996, Newton said. Ci residents ranked under- age inking in their top three con erns in a random police deparment survey earlier this year. Newton said police may use underage students and video and audio recordings in the project. The Eagle ouncil candidate + By SAM LAWRENCE Eagle staff writer Date: I wants to improve Q01lege Station traffic conditions College Station leaders should improve is pat- terns to ease congestion and reduce dangero intersec- tions, says Paul Williams, one of six candid tes for the College Station City Council. ere's a lot of wo rk to be done (on c' streets," uns said. "Some them to be one - way." tams met Tuesday with e Eagle editorial board. The board is interviewing candidates in the Aug. 10 election for Place 3. The council seat became vacant when former council- woman Lynn Mcllhaney won her race for mayor. Early voting starts Monday and continues through Aug. 5. Ballots can be cast 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays in the WILLIAMS College Station City Hall. Williams, 70, owns Aggieland Inspection Services in College Station. Before moving to Brazos County in 1990, he served two years on the Angleton City Council. Williams cited an S -curve on Munson Avenue as an example of the city's problem traffic areas. He said the city should take action to prevent accidents. "That's a dangerous situatio " he said. "It ought to be Straightened out." The railroad tracks paralle to Wellborn Road should be raised above streets iear the Texas A &M University campus to elimina a traffic congestion when trains travel through the Aty, he said. "Someone's going to have to it the bullet and do it to expedite the flow of tratTic, ' 'Williams said. Williams has served one year s chairman of the College Station community appearance committee and is a current ambassador fir the Bryan - College Station Chamber of Commerce. Williams said his experience wi h city government in Angleton will help him in the C A Station race. " I am familiar with the duties a councilmember," he said. "I have read the city chade and I have already worked within the framework A a council- manager form of government. This expert n will enable me to quickly become informed and hai a understanding of the business to be voted on and ' Is effect on the City of College Station." Williams also served more than four years as the Angleton city municipal judge ard a member of the city planning and zoning comrr, is ion. Williams said he decided to run 11 this election instead of the May regular election becatt e Of his health. "Three months ago I had ca ," he said. "Today I don't have cancer. Today the future looks brighter. I have more stamina now than I've had in years. I feel like I'm better able to participate now than three "Today the future looks brighter. have more stamina now than I've had in years." ( _ PAUL WILLIAMS 1 College Station City Council candidate months ago." The city needs to be "as liberal as possible" with Incentives to help businesses move to College Station, which will expand the tax base, he said. "I think this area is rapidly becoming a health center and high tech (companies) would be a clean, white-collar business," he said. However, he said he deems heavy industry inap- propriate for College Station because of the possibil- ity for pollution. Williams said Northgate businesses should provide much of the money for building renovations as part of the city's revitalization of the area north of A&M. "I believe it should be a combination of city and private ownership, with the private owners putting in the bulk of the money," he said. "Part of my taxes is going to Improve his business." I The Eagle Date: � I Q, A, 1- I CS council candid ate walls to substih�e tolls for taxes By SAM LAWRENCE— Eagle staff writer Commuters to College Statio charged a toll for using city not paying city taxes, said Oprisko, one of six candidates College Station City Council. A fee to raise city revenuf charged to those living in Brya communities but working at ' University or other College S nesses, Oprisko said. "That's a big step that we we do," she said. Oprisko met Thursday witl editorial board. The board is v candidates in the Aug. 10 elec Place 3 seat, which became v should be rvices but Marianne arming for could be and other ?xas A &M ition busi- ild have to The Eagle terviewing .on for the cant when Lynn McIlhaney was elected mayor. Early voting starts Monday and continues through Aug. 5. Ballot$ can be cast 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays in th College Station Cit Hall. Oprisko, 40, is a self employed genetics tut torate degree in plant a master's degree in a Oprisko became a dent last year when t 3,600 acres. Besides a commu also raise revenue )PRISKO pursuing a doc- , sioloay. She has e Station resi- annexed about the city can ling parking garages near the George Bush Presi tial Library and in the Northgate are , she said. The garages could charge a Jesse ate for College Station residents, she id. A rate slightly more expensive co be charged for Bryan residents. Those i ing outside the cities but within �Mzos County could face a higher cost, and t. outside the county could be charged the highest fee, she said. The parking revenue could fund city salaries and leave more taxpayer inoney for city services, Oprisko said. Oprisko is co- captain of t. Bald ie Neighborhood Watch and is a me r of the St. John's Byzantine Chur in Houston. She has also been involved in the P College Station Citizens Group and Graduate Student Council. City councilors should think of the city as Disneyland, Oprisko said. The only dif- ference between College Station and the vacation spot is that the city's visitors stay for four or five years instead of one to two weeks at Disneyland, she said. One way to accommodate citizens is to have city offices accessible after hours, she said. "It makes no sense to me why the city hall closes at 5 p.m. That's when people have a chance to call things in." The city could also do more to avoid drainage problems before they arise, she said. The city should require construction of buildings on bigger lots to allow more land for drainage, she maintained. Ef The Eagle C A • Date: &JJJA " )-,o I I Council ca odidat�,s expect 71Z, more CS annexations in future By SA LAWRENCE EagI staff writer Candidates for College Station City Council say the city could make another push for annexation in fie to 10 years. s City councilors could decide to begin annexation proceedings within a decade if the city continues to grow, the candidates said Frida y. The comments came dur- OPRISKO ing a candidate forum sponsored by the Brazos County League of Women Voters and the College Station Jaycees. Early voting stars Monday and continues through Aug. 6 at ci hall for the Place 3 seat. The seat was vacated by Lynn Mellhaney when she was elected mayor in May. The regular election is Aug. 10. Nancy Harvey, who fought the annexation of her proper- ty last year, said additional annexation is possible, but the city should first use avail- able land inside the ity. "I would like to se� College Station refrain fro annex- ing for at least fiv years," Harvey, 40, said. Marianne Opris o, who HARVEY also opposed last y¢ar's annexation, said the city faces problems In newly annexed areas of updating roads and Providing city services. "The major problem of this city is some develo e builds outside the city and (the city has) to clean ap after we annex," Oprisk , 40, said. Jai Roman Sr. said the growt will lead to more homes which could lead counci embers to annex in the fu "Th and tl ing to ing hE The the c drain Reside be ch fee to Uni the P den o the Statio "The also." Forum F rom Al Ai &M should not be.exempt, but the College Station schools s e iad gi ig the school district would be taxing city residents t+vice — once as residential cus- tomers and then again through vay we are growing WILLIAMS way the George Bush Library is com- wn, that means lots more people com- " Roman, 60, said. ndidates differed on 's proposed utility system fee. ial customers would ;ed a $3.50 monthly id drainage improve- ilors considered . Texas A &M ty and College DAVIS chool buildings from the fees, but that i was dropped before Lance was approved. Williams said the hould not be exempt. places the entire bur - he drainage fees on .izens of College Williams, 70, said. iiversity has runoff ROMAN Davis sa id Texas Please see FORUM, page si hool taxes, Davis said. Davis, 34, said he favors the drainage system, because resi- dents have told him that improvements are needed. 'They feel that it's an appro- priate increase as long as the money goes for drainage," Davis sod d. Brad Martin, 25, did not attend t�e forum. The Eagle Es Date:! I�b� � I I qI 1 =1 open house Featured events include`tours and a SWAT team demonstration By ASHLEY PETERSON Eagle staff writer The debut of a new radio communication system, tours of the police department and demonstrations of SWAT operations are just a few of the featured events at College Station Police Department's open house Tuesday through Thursday, said Lt. Scott McCollum. The open house, the department's first in nine years, is scheduled for 47 p.m. each night at the police department, 2611A Texas Avenue in College Station. "The department has seen a lot of changes in the past nine years," said McCollum. Those changes include organizational reshapings, building modificat}igns and new capabilities made possible by advanced tech- nology. The new 800 MHz trunking communi- cation system is one example, McCollum said. "The new radio system allows us to go to a higher frequency and allows us a lot more flexi- bility in com said McCollum. The ins rf a n ed the system to improve communica- tions among its departments. City departments include police, fire, public services, parks and recreation, utilities, administration, courts and more. The system will serve as the infrastructure for future advancements, McCollum said. Although it will not be fully operational in the 800 MHz frequency until late September or early October, it is operating the department's current radio system. McCollum said the change was prompted by increased radio traffic and limited communi- cation range. The department tour will lead citizens through all primary operations of the department includ- ing records, evidence, communications, jail, patrol and the criminal investigation division. There will also be displays of police equip- ment such as weaponry used by the Special Weapons and Tactical (SWAT) team, the new SWAT van and patrol cars. The SWAT team will also provide a demon- stration. The Eagle • Date: ENE Brains County to consider Bu issioners Library Lund )th Bryan and College Station considering giving money to the try through the hotel -motel tax. ie library item was put on the ida after discussions with local dents who are raising money for By KELLY BROWN Eagle staff writer The Brazos County Commissioner's Court will consider on esday whether to give up to half a million dollars over a five - year period — or anything at all — to help fund the George Bush Presidential Library. The commissioners meet at 9 a.m. in Suite 115 of the Brazos County Couithouse, 300 E. 26th St. Financial support of the library will be discussed the same morning that the commissioners delve deeper into the proposed budget for 1996 -97 — a package County Judge Al Jones describes as conservative. Les also received a letter from Adam, a Bryan entrepreneur started Adam Corp. /Group., g the county for financial par- (our endeavoring to respond to )romptly will be appreciated by as the time is nearing when we witness first -hand the magni- of this wonderful addition to Brazos Valley," Adam wrote in July 10 letter. Dgimmissio .0 Bush Libras Economic impact: By KELLY BROWN Eagle staff writer Carey Cauley says he has a hard time justifying giving the George Bush Presidential Library half a million dol- lars while some Brazos County employ- ees are living on food stamps. It was his questions, along with those posed by fellow county commissioners Sandie Walker and Gary Norton, that prompted County Judge Al Jones on Tuesday to postpone discussions over the library contribution until the court's reg- ular weekly meeting on July 30. "It's an honor that the library will be i*n this county and there's no doubt it will Ll* mers table y gift idea tatistics requested help out the economy tremendously, but how can we hand over $500,000 when we're asking employees in our county to sacrifice and for people to be patient with the road situation ?" asked Cawley, adding that his concerns have nothing to do with the fact he's the only Democrat on the Republican - dominated court. Norton, who asked Jones for more information on the economic impact the library will have on the county, suggest- ed the commissioners consider funneling into the library the $100,000 it sets aside annually for Easterwood Airport. Well over $35 million has been raised Please see LIBRARY, Page A14 Library A11 by the library b ary foundation, closing in on its $42 million capital goal to build and house the 41st presi- dent's legacy. But most of the monies collect- ed so far are through private The association has asked local government agencies to support the library. Bryan, using oil and gas royal- ties, is giving $250,000 over five years to the library. College Station, drawing from hotel -motel occupancy taxes, likely will make $50,000 pay- ments for three years. But Brazos County, which has been asked to provide $500,000 over five years, doesn't have a hotel -motel tax or oil revenues to dip into. "We're looking at several dif- ferent options now," Jones said. "One option might be the money used for Easterwood. We used to give them $100,000 and we've set aside that much from the general fund every year, but they haven't asked us in the past three years so we haven't made that dona- tion. In effect, that results in a $300,000 savings." Jones said his office will ask the Bryan - College Station Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Foundation for some economic impact figures before�next week's meeting. A conservative estimate of visi- tors in the first year of operation of the George Bush Library ranges between 350,000 and 500,000 people, according to research of five other presiden- tial libraries. From that number, researchers say 25 percent will likely be school children on field trips with little 'economic impact, while 5 percent to 10 percent will be university students. Because the figures are hard to differenti- ate, these numbers are eliminat- ed from the calculation, leaving 65 percent of the visitors as money contributors — about 260,000 people. The Texas Department of Transportation estimates that a safe and conservative figure to use for how much a visitor might spend each day is $37.50. So if 260,000 visitors spend an average of $37.50 in the communi- ty as a result of visiting the Bush library, that would result in direct spending impact of $9.7 million. A direct economic impact is arrived by applying a multiple of 2.5, which translates into an impact of about $24.3 mil- lion, according to statistics sup- plied from the office of Don W. Wilson, the executive director of the Bush Presidential Library Center. The Eagle Date: Student presence would ai council, CS candidate says ■s. Ear y voting continues through MARTIN Aug. 6. Ballots can be cast 8 a.m. to 5 p.ir. weekdays in the training room at College Station City Hall, 1101 S. Texas Ave. Martin, 25, said the ity should alter some of its policies to promote new businesses in College Station. "I think the city staff hould have a better working relationship with businesses," he said. "I feel very strongly it's important to have city ordinances. However, I think sometimes it's (restrictive) to busi- Please see MARTIN, Page Alt By SAN Eagle A Texas A&M student LAWRENCE staff writer 4 should be acted to the encourage renovations in older College Station City Coimcil to represent the univer- sity population, says B d Martin, one of six council should not be the funding candidates. source, he said. nesses." Martin said ordinances r gu- "I would like to see student representation on the needs to be improved," he said. "However, council," said Martin a part -time A&M horticulture could be amended. student. "I think studens should get more involved." doing it. I think we need to Mai tin, a landscape architect, clean industries to expand the met esday with The Eagle edito- The city could stress recycling rial . The board is interview- technical industries — ma Illy ing ndidates in the Aug. 10 elec- the trash, he said. tion r the Place 3 seat, which City leaders could lure usi- beta a vacant when Lynn the administrative board of the Mc ey was elected mayor in ■s. Ear y voting continues through MARTIN Aug. 6. Ballots can be cast 8 a.m. to 5 p.ir. weekdays in the training room at College Station City Hall, 1101 S. Texas Ave. Martin, 25, said the ity should alter some of its policies to promote new businesses in College Station. "I think the city staff hould have a better working relationship with businesses," he said. "I feel very strongly it's important to have city ordinances. However, I think sometimes it's (restrictive) to busi- Please see MARTIN, Page Alt College Station should also Martin encourage renovations in older business areas, such as Northgate, but city taxpayers FFOM All should not be the funding source, he said. nesses." Martin said ordinances r gu- "I feel strongly that Northgate lating the width of trees and the needs to be improved," he said. "However, height of signs, for example, I don't think it's could be amended. right using the taxpayer money doing it. I think we need to The city should also recruit encourage business owners to clean industries to expand the take pride in their community." tax base, he said. The city could stress recycling "I'd like to see us attract the and place garbage bins in the technical industries — ma Illy Northgate area to cut down on industries that don't emit p Ilu- the trash, he said. tion, " Martin said. Martin is a board member of City leaders could lure usi- Brazos Beautiful and he is on nesses to College Station by t Dut- the administrative board of the ing the expertise available at A &M Methodist Church. Before Texas A&M, he said. coming to College Station in 1993 "I think it's a resource khat to study at Texas A &M, Martin hasn't been tapped at is attended Marion Military point," Martin said. Institute in Marion, Ala. J 39 early ball cast in CS coun i election Almost 40 College tation residents have cast early ballots in the race for - College Station City Council. Twenty-nine people voted Monday and to voted on Tuesday. Six candidates are running for Place 3, which became vacant when Lynn McMianey was elected mayor in May. Early voting continues through Aug. 6 in the training room at College Station City Hall, llol S. Texas Ave. The regular election is Aug. 10. Residents can vote by mail by calling Connie Hooks, city secretary, at 764- 3541. The ballots must be returned to the secretary's of by 5 p.m. Aug. 2. Tenneco settle ent, construction 0 ans top regents' agenda By KEELY COGHLAN Eagle staff writer Cows, planes, sports and dollar sign will dominate discussion at the Texas A &M uni ersity System Board of Regents' meeting Thursday d Friday. Regents will meet at Tarleton Stat University in Stephenville, one of the Texas M University System's member universities. The board is expected to scrutin' budgets for all the member universities, includ Texas A &M University, and its member state a Gies. Regents also are expected to disc a proposed set- tlement with Tenneco Power Generation Co. in closed executive session over a pro sal to build a cogeneration power plant on Tea A &M's West Campus. The Legislature agreed to allow 'enneco to sue Please see RE 1ENTS, Page A10 Regents From 1110' Texas A &M for up to $37 million in damages after regents decided to halt plans for the second phase of a $120 million cogeneration construction project. Attorneys plan to present regents with a proposed financial settlement, which also must be approved by the Tenneco Board. The company's board is sched- uled to meet in August, a Tenneco spokesman said. Tenneco would not comment on the settlement proposal, spokesman Russell Johnson said. Regents also are scheduled to discuss a full slate of construction project proposals for Texas A&M, including an $8.5 million new building for the Texas Transportation Institute to be located in Research Park and a $3.7 million Dairy Products Teaching and Researti Lab in Research Park to rep the cur- rent creamery. The board will di a pro- posal to add 10,000 spa to Kyle Field, including premium and skybox seating, by rep icing the 12,000 seats in the north end zone. Regents will consider a propriat- ing about $25,000 fo chitects' fees for planning the improve- ments. Regents also wdI1 discuss increasing the project budget from $1.9 million to $3.65 million for a new tennis center modeled after Florida State University's center. Some of the increases in cost stem from the need to con- struct utility tie -ins and different soil and foundation require- ments, according to a memo from Gen. Wesley E. Peel, vice chancel- lor for facilities planning and con- struction. The universities also will dis- cuss physical improvements to the West CaMpvs, including streets and heafing and cooling system improvements, and improvement plans for Easterwood Airport. The airport improvements include runway lighting, runway surface improvements, a new taxiway and an airport fire sta- tion. Regents also are scheduled to change the names of the two East Texas State University campuses that are joining the Texas A&M system Sept. 1. y M?k ' ogram offe By JENNY NELSON Eagle staff w Shelle Chaney got college credit last year for classes she attended at a College Station elementary school. Chaney is a student at Texas A &M University who is involved in a national- ly recognized intern program at South Knoll Elementary. South Knoll is a partner with Texas C A &M students chance to teach A &M in the Professional Development School network used to better prepare America's future teachers by offering classroom experience and college-credit courses on -site. I can see as a student after PDS, as compared to what I was before, I'm a lot more likely to speak out in class, and I just eel more confident in myself in the edu tion field," said Chaney. TtFe PDS program lets university Teach interns take college courses on the ele- mentary school campus and gain valu- able experience assisting teachers in the classroom. Sou Knoll's program has been national recognized as one of the top seven grams in the country. The Natio ucation Agency has chosen the school's program to participate in research for even better ways to train teachers. Interns aren't the only ones who learn through this experi- ence. Teachers at the elementary schools also gain ideas. Cooner said classroom teach- ers at the schools participate in team teaching with college pro- fessors, and it makes them re- evaluate their classroom meth- ods. Katt said "simultaneous renewal" is a term used often by the program's administrators. "As educators we have to put ourselves in the position to con- stantly learn," Katt said. "It keeps us green and growing." Cooner was an assistant princi- pal at South Knoll when the pro- gram began at the school in 1992. the fast year of the pro- gram, Pe said they applied for a grant m the U.S. Department of Education. For their efforts, they received a $300,000 grant for three years. "Receiving the grant funding was a bonus and has helped us do a lot of things we weren't able to do befb Cooner said. The 's funding will end in one year, but Cooner said she is looking for ways to keep the program at South Knoll. In fact, Cooner said Texas A &M's College of Education is trying to find ways to give all future teachers the same experi- South Knoll, only 18 Texas A&M students .were able to participate. However, the number has risen. "We have about 70 pre -service teachers in program and at its branches, and about double that number apply for the program," Conner said. "It's pretty competi- tive for the slots." The Texas A&M program also has branches at Crockett Elementary School in Bryan and Somerville Junior High in Somerville. Cooner said the university stu- dents at South Knoll take "how to teach" classes after school in sci- ence, reading, social studies and math Their lab time is spent m the classroom teaching. Cooner said giving university students a semester of experience before their student teaching semester prepares them for the classroom. "It's not as intensive as when they're student teaching. They don't have full classroom respon- sibility," Cooner said. Terresa Katt, principal of South Knoll, said students who have interned in the program make good student teachers and future teachers. "When they get to their student teaching, they need minimal assistance," Katt said. "I hired someone that will start this fall who has been on the campus for three semesters now, as a volun- teer, an intern and a student teacher, and she is dynamite." ence. Katt said she hopes the pro- gram continues to grow because the elementary students have shown such growth. "I this is how we will educate the next generation of teach Katt said. "It's the way of th tore." "It's a win -win situation," said Donna Cooner, PDS grant director for Texas A &M. "Teachers are learning a lot by having to study their theories, the pre - service teachers are learning how to function in a real -life classroom setting, and the kids have extra sets of hands there to help them." When the intern program began at Please see TEACH, Page B4 Commissioners h redevelopment p for Northgate are Northgate, one of the o] in College Station, was he first City Hall and dev6 one of the most urbanize of the city. But officials said it without an overall plan at a sense of district — and n trying to change that. And they're counting on entities to support the cha Todd McDaniel, senior development analyst for made a preliminary prese the Brazos County Comr Court on Tuesday. He saic to come back within the months with a formal plan City officials are talking entities, including the Station school district, bec plan for the redevelol Northgate involves setting vestment zone to funnel taxes made from new dev back into improvem Northgate. Some of those impr include the water and w systems, storm drainage , ing because as Northgate It has needed revitalization velopment, according to M st areas e to the ied into portions veloped without they're e taxing e. ;onomic ie city, ation to ,sioners ie plans ext few taxing College se their ent of i a rein - roperty pments is at ements tewater i park - aged, it d rede- DJ (to., N may: ben fak CS 199 l jylq� , Ian Kedevelopment tax s would go to improvi ay By KELLY BROWN Eagle staff writer rev- The City of College Station is ho ph g taxing enti- ties within its borders will favor a Aan allowing property tax revenue generated b development in Northgate to go toward improven ents there. Helping to explain these effo s at a Brazos County Commissioners Court meEting Tuesday will be Todd McDaniel, Northgate Project coordi- nator. No vote will be taken after the .m. presenta- tion. McDaniel said he's updating thE ommissioners on the city's plan, which includ returning the Please see NOT GATE. Page A9 kw Northgate From Al -� property tax money to the Northgate area to help fund devel- opments like parking areas and sidewalks, rather than sending the taxes back to the taxing ent ities — Brazos County, the College Station school district and the city. The Northgate area, which is bound by University Drive, Wellborn Road, College venue and the Bryan City limits, has an estimated $31 million tax base. "The taxes from that will cothtin- ue to go toward the county, city and school district," McDaniel said. "But let's say an apartment development goes ,up worth $10 million; the taxes from that $10 million will go toward r einvest- ment in the Northgate area while the taxes from the $31 million still go toward the different enti>�ie�s." Its technical term is TIF I— tax increment financing. And McDaniel said he'd like to see it well un e ay by the end of this year. "It doesn't take away from rev- enues already in place," said McDaniel, who also is a se ana- lyst for College Station's Emnomic Development Office. "From tev- er increase in property v tions there are due to the redevel pYnent that money will stay in the Northgate area to help out." The Northgate Redevelopment Plan was adopted by the College Station City Council in arivary 19% with short-term and long range projects put on the drawing board. The commissioners meet ir suite 115 of the Brazos County Co Ouse, 300 E. 26th St. Within the nect few months, McDaniel said, he ans to meet with the school board. "We just want to let each taxing entity know what's going on and why it's important that we do this," McDaniel said. "This is a prelimi- nary meeting and helps explain that if you do develop in Northgate, you stand to gain because the money stays within that area." One aspect of the plan that has- n't been finalized is the duration of the tax increment. "It could be as little as a year or as many as 20 years," McDaniel said. "The sooner we start develop- ing out there, the better." Some of the redevelopment efforts include a pedestrian- orient ed promenade and two commer- cial buildings in Northgate sched- uled for facade work this summer. Private - sector initiatives also are anticipated, including a hotel conference center and significant high- density residential housing. McDaniel said a satellite office opened earlier this month at 301 -D Patricia St. to provide a presence in the Northgate area and give mer- chants, property owners, residents and patrons a link to City Hall. • Fighting crime with he neighbors Tuesday's National `Night Out' q�n heighten awareness �7 By ASHLEY PETERSON aways throughout the evening, Department are sponsc Eagl staff writer U. "kick off' event from 2 clays bike and helmet. Monday at the Post Oak I The Brazos Valley will join Crime prevention d more than 8,000 communities will hold block parties with the and booths will be set i nationwide on Tuesda in cele- the information booty: brating "America's N ght Out enforcement officers will Against Crime." Program is designed to heighten available to answer crii The College Station Police vention questions. Department, Texas A &M McGruff the Crime E University Police Department, FREDDIE and PC the rot Bryan Police Department and also be on hand. the Brazos County 'Sheriff's There will be numeroi - -- - ig a aways throughout the evening, p.m. and a drawing will be held for a U. new 28 -inch, 10 -speed mountain clays bike and helmet. near On Tuesday, Bryan and Law College Station neighborhoods , o be will hold block parties with the pre - theme of "Give crime a going away party." and The National Night Out will Program is designed to heighten give Please see NEIGHBORS, Page A3 Neighbo Fram Al crime and drug prevention awareness, bring neighbors clos- er together and improve the bond between the police and the com- munity. Everyone is asked t urn on their porch lights to celebrate and to remind thems lyres and others that good ligobitiral is the single most effective crime-fight- ing tool available. All emergency service genies in Washington County will also join the Brenham Police Department in celebr ing the event. For information on Washington County Ilock. par- ties, call the Brenhain Police Department at 836 -2164 For information on events in College Station, c Officer Bubba Sayers or Office Janice Kemp at 764 -3611. In Bryan, call Off Lc r Billy Cooper at 822 -0075. 1�1 z�:,44;Z_c 21719 CS Council to get first look at budget By JENNY NELSON Eagle sta wri College Station's 1996 -97 proposed bud- get will mean good news for the city's res- idents, City Manager Skip Noe says. College Station City Council members will meet 7 p.m. Thursday in City Hall, 1101 S. Texas Ave., to get their first look at the proposed budget. "Most of what you'll see will be good news," Noe said. Noe wouldn't release a figure for the budget, but he did say $50,000 will be allotted for the George Bush Library Foundation. Noe said the tentative vot- ing date on th oe sal the council asked e cily staff to allot $150,000 over three years out of the city budget for the Bush Foundation. However, before approving the first payment the council asked Texas A &M University to get an attorney general's opinion as to the legalities of this contri- bution. The city wanted to assure that Hotel /Motel Tax revenues could be used to fund the project. The attorney general has now approved the use of the rev- enues. "There is a public benefit there," Noe said. "It will attract people to the com- munity." Noe said, if approved, the first install- ment could be made to the foundation as soon as two weeks. If the resolution remains in the pro- posed budget the foundation co receive tlie second installment soon after Oct. 1, which begins the next fiscal year. In addition to looking at the proposed budget, the council will also decide C ' From A9 of speed limits on the Texas 6 frontage roads in south College Station and amending the current traffic pattern of the Texas 6 east and west frontage roads to one - way. The cost to the city for new signs to reflect the speed changes would be about $750. In a 3 p.m. workshop, the coun- cil will consider whether to move forward or drop a project to pointed in June. Roxanne Nemzik is „ , serving as interim city attorney. Its sometimes difficult to find Cost for the proposed search will be $14,000. your way around with num- Council members will also consider three ordinances that would allow dri- bered roads and there has been vers on some College Station roads to go a little faster. some discussion on attaching If approved, Graham Road from the „ Texas 6 west frontage road to Wellborn names to these roads. Road will be changed to 45 miles per hour, instead of the 35 mph the county set several years ago. SKIP NOE The speed limit would also change Colleg Station tit from 40 mph to 50 mph on a section of 9 Y man 9 Rock Prairie Road between the Texas 6 `asst frontage road- and Groans Prairie a . execu- search service to fill the position of Also on the agenda is the establishing city attorney. The position became vacant when Cathy Locke was not reap- Please see CITY, Page Al2 which they have already allocat- ed $50,000. The 'Texas A &M Class of `94 asked the city in 1994 to help them purc a replica of the College Station 1883 Train Depot to pre- sent to the university as the class gift. The city agreed, but after other funding fell through the class dropped the project. If the council decides to pursue the project on its own, it could cost between $130,000 and $365,000. Noe said if the city chooses to continue with the pro- ject, it would serve as an informa- tion center with a possible loca- tion at Northgate. In the workshop, council mem- bers will also discuss renaming FM 2818 and Texas 6. "It's sometimes difficult to find your way ar ound with nu mbered road there has been some discussion on attaching names to these roads," Noe said. Noe said the entire community should be involved in selecting the names since it would affect the city of Bryan, the county and businesses along the roads. If the change did take place, estimated costs to College Station to replace the signs are $20,000 to $40,000. (' Y17 ft' � 'Board From A9 became exempt without trading anything for exchange, the school district would also be exempt. Tom Brymer, assistant city manager for College Station, said state law requires an exchange to take place when an entity is exempted. Texas A &M University and the City of Bryan will also be exempt if they agree to terms set in agree- ment, but each is under a different exchange agreement. Texas A &M's fees would be about $275,000 annually, while Bryan's fees would be minute since they have few buildings in College Station. The board, during a workshop session following Tuesday night's meeting, reviewed the 1996 -97 bud- get that will be voted on Aug. 19. The proposed budget is $29 mil- lion, compared to the 1995 -96 bud- get of $26.8 million. The proposed tax rate is $1.69, 8 cents over the current rate of $1.61. David Neal, assistant superin- tendent, presented changes to the proposed budget since the trustee last met to discuss the budget on June 24. "It's a budget that's very payroll intensive," Neal said. CS school district likely e from ,, ci 's drainage fee By JENNY NELSON Eagle staff writer The College Station school district is one step closer to being exempt from the city's drainage utility fee. Trustees voted T esday night to cooperate with rules establi hed by the city in the Interlocal Agreement that allow the district the exemption. "This certainly exempts our district from having to pay taxes based on square footage of our rooflines, and will certainly benefit us as we continue to increase our number of build - ings," said Superintendent Jim Scales. The city council will vote on the agreement during its regular meeting Thursday. The fee, which is planned to begin in October, will be used to fund a drainage utility system to relieve an estimated $16 million flooding problem th oughout the city. The fee is expected to genOrate $750,000 annually in new revenues for drainage improvements. The proposed fee is $3.50 a month for resi- dential citizens and $1.57 per apartment. Commercial properties will be charged $1.65 per 1,000 square feet of building area. In the agreement, the school district agreed to allow the city to construct its own drainage facilities on school district property or to oversize the school facilities to service the city in exchange for the exemption. The school district also agreed to dedicate drainage easements to the city at no cost when requested. The district also agreed to designate a location for a drainage facility when contact- ed by the city. If the district had to pay the fee it would cost them about $20,000 a year. If at any time the district chooses to terminate this agreement, they would incur the fee. One clause the trustees added to the original * greement was that if any other entity, such as exas A &M University or the City of Bryan. Please see BOARD, Page Al 'Board From A9 became exempt without trading anything for exchange, the school district would also be exempt. Tom Brymer, assistant city manager for College Station, said state law requires an exchange to take place when an entity is exempted. Texas A &M University and the City of Bryan will also be exempt if they agree to terms set in agree- ment, but each is under a different exchange agreement. Texas A &M's fees would be about $275,000 annually, while Bryan's fees would be minute since they have few buildings in College Station. The board, during a workshop session following Tuesday night's meeting, reviewed the 1996 -97 bud- get that will be voted on Aug. 19. The proposed budget is $29 mil- lion, compared to the 1995 -96 bud- get of $26.8 million. The proposed tax rate is $1.69, 8 cents over the current rate of $1.61. David Neal, assistant superin- tendent, presented changes to the proposed budget since the trustee last met to discuss the budget on June 24. "It's a budget that's very payroll intensive," Neal said. The Eagle kw, Breakf ast Date: 0 � -2A _qU Mayor hears cone at first CS breakfa By MARIA KRINSKY dents if they serve on a cit! Ea le staff writer and if they w Nine residents voiced more involved. concerns on various topics answered yes m including future plans for McIlh sa id Wolf Pen Creek, e lhaney encouraged by e College g at Friday's bre; Station When anew it takes Cemetery, miers, the public to a n d increas - said. ing enter- One resider discuss the c tainme$it the Wolf opportu MOLHANEY Amphitheater. nities for young professionals at a ed the council Friday breakfast with kee the a rea Mayor Lynn McIlhaney. ey council is look About 40 residents were clean the a invited to the breakfast, the look a at wha first in a series of monthly once we clean o meetings, based on a sur- that way." vey mailed during the sum other re,4 mer. The survey asked resi- Please see BREA From Al up „the limited amount of space at the;College Station Cemetery. `I do not know if people are avjre that there is only eight to 10 Years of space left, barring any l�saster,” she said. :`I wonder ,vlrat citizens think of the issue. po we want to create a new ceme- terv�" ants and city officials at t Mast 'suggested using the Fp?t-511iloh Grille property, adja- cetlt to the cemetery, bringing in p> ivate cemetery companies and creating a Texas A &M cemetery. However, a few residents objected to bringing in private ompanies. 'I think it needs to continue like is," one resident said. "It goes ith the city. People here like the mall-town feel. It keeps it quaint. private cemeteries come in, it ill take it away." McIlhaney said she marketed he breakfast idea after a similar rogram in Estes Park, Colo. "If you look at successful com- unities, they are the ones with active citizens," she said. "We need to look at how we can encourage more active participa- tion." City officials take minutes at mted to )mmittee ,d to be lose that selected, l she is turnout [St. gram pre - while for itice. she wanted to ;nliness of n Creek le suggest - id a way to 'd the city g at ways to "We want e can do, so it, it will stay t brought ,T, Page A5 ach breakfast meeting, so the roper officials can get back with itizens with further information, McIlhaney said. "There is nothing to do for my eneration — those 30 and under," aid another concerned College resident. "What is the city l�t t i ion ng to attract things here ?" y Manager Skip Noe said the aty is limited to what it can do )ecause the city does not control h e private sector. "If it makes sense from a zoning andpoint, we will definitely ork with them," he said. "The oblem we have is that there is n t that big of a population in that a e group. Everything gets over run by the students." Another resident sai Bryan - College Station i "will not support it. The in will not put things here unl market will," he said. McIlhaney suggested the dents write letters to core they would like to see locat( city. She suggested citizem companies to conduct research in the Brazos V, see if it would be feasible t here. Future breakfasts will residents chosen random] utility bills, McIlhaney sai "We want to have reps tion from across the cit said. "We want to begin to dialogue." The Eagle Date: � ma es or ba nkru p tc �� By MARIA KRINSKY After r ceiving the first 25 buses and placing a\ Eagle staff writer them in service in Bryan College Station, Brazos Transit told North American it would After seven months of legal wrangling with halt the $ 1.4 million payment on the buses yet its sole client, a Brya bus manufacturer has to be bu ilt until the manufacturer corrected filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a San what Brazos Transit said where significant Antonio court. defects. North American Transit Inc. made the deci- The a e$icy pulled the buses from the streets sion because it could not pay its vendors, com- in the s ring, claiming that they posed hazards pany President Wayne Cook said. that could threaten public safety, Robert "I did not want to, ut I had no choice," he Orozco, lawyer for Brazos Transit, said in said. April. North American' problems began in Cook has denied that there are problems February when Brazo Transit halted payment with the uses. on contracted buses. After s veral months of negotiations, the Brazos Transit, the state's largest rural pub two sid s reached an agreement. The details lic transit system, bought 25 of the 75 units Please see BUS, Page A4 originally contracted. ® Next week he hopes d re -hire Cook said the company got a few of the 55 workers at were "some money." Bus laid off at the Bryan plant in Under Chapter 11 bankruptcy February to start bu' d ng two a business maintains control of new buses. He said h lans to its assets while it reorganizes. L" use the natural ga - owered have not been disclosed. buses as demonstrate models Two Brazos Transit buses Cook said the company has for future clients. were recently modified and are dissolved its partnership with already covering routes in the the agency. Cook said the company was Bryan- College Station area, awarded a sum of money in its Orozco said. The others are "I can speculate all flay, but I settlement with Brazos Transit being modified and are expected really do not know what hap- System, the company's former to be in operation soon. pened," Cook said. client. The latest development with He said, however, that the Neither side is r leasing North American is not what off l- company has not completely fal- details of the settle nt, but cials expected when the compa- tered. rty set up shop in /Brazos County "Obviously we are 1sappoint- I two years ago. ed they were not as p osperous I did not want to, but The company received a as was hoped," said kip Noe, $500,000 loan guarantee from the College Station city manager. had no choice." City of College Station. The "The good news is there was no guarantee was part of a program cost to local taxpayers. designed to help the economic development of Bryan - College Although no lon r in the WAYNE COOK Station. hands of economic d velopers, Richard Smith, pres dont of the president, North American Transit In return for the co- signed let- board of directors fo a Bryan - ter, the bus company committed College Station conomic e-4N to relocate in College Station. Development Corpor t on said it The bus company paid off the is unfortunate the c pany did pointed that they Were not the loan over a year ago, but never not live up to expect itions. financial success they wanted," made the move. "Everyone involved is disap- Smith said. r • College Station D Ok McIlhaney will begin series of monthly Citiz on Sept. 20 in an effo better lines of coi between the City Coui dents. Special invitations i to about 50 randomly zens every month for forums to be held at Station Conference Cen 9 a.m. Discussion topics wi council members will b listen to issues brougb zens and to address any The mayor and coup will use the forums to of their strategic plans Residents of College are interested in receh tation to one of the brea should contact Peggy 764 -3768. Compiled from staff for Lynn first of a Breakfasts to develop iunication I and resi- be given )cted citi- breakfast e College from 7 to I vary, and available to up by citi- ail member's xplain some uid goals. Station who ing an invi- ;fast forums Caliham at wire reports CS mayor plaO series of monthly b kfasts Cs council � �7 I U 11 runoff vot ciI - set for tod Y Eagle staff report Voters will cast ballots on Satin-day in the Place 3 College Station City Council runoff election between Brad Martin and Paul Williams. There will be one polling p — College Station City Hall — at 1101 S. Texas Ave. Ballots may be cast f rOM 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Martin and Williams are in arunoff for the seat vacated when n McI haney was elected mayor in ja . Martin got the most votes in th g. 10 electio n, with Williams e behind. Neither candidate recei 4 percent of the vote needed to d a winner. There were six candida n the Aug. 10 election. Early voting for the race dre ', 225 voters. The election will cost the city about $8,000, officials said. Martin, 25, is a landscape con actor and part-time Texas A &M University student. He said he wants to clean up the city by implementing a national work program using prison inmatos to plant trees and shrubs on public prop- erty. Williams, 70, is the owner' of Aggieland Inspection Services, a real estate inspection service. He said the council should develop long-range plans, maximize needed services and spend conservatively. Brazos inaccura By KELLY BROWN Eagle Staff Writer An attorney for Brazos Transit said the reason the company broke a deadline and haven't paid a set- tlement or signed an agreement with a Bryan bus manufacturer is because the legal documents are wrong. Robert Orozco, who is represent- ing the largest rural public transit system in Texas, said Wednesday that North American Transit Inc. needs to correct its paperwork `)efore Brazos Transit will sign ything binding. "We have the money and we're more than willing to give it to North American, as well as sign the agreement," Orozco said. "It's actually a minor thing that no has turned into this major orde4 We cannot and will not sign any- thing until the necessary changers are made." Wayne Cooke, president of North American, did not return phone calls Wednesday. North American Transit filed in San Antonio on Tuesday a con= tempt of court motion against Brazos Transit, stating that Brazos Transit didn't pay an undisclosed settlement sum by July 31 or pay attorney fees to Buses ROBERT OROZ Attorney for Brazos North American by Aug. 12. A hearing on the motion scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday a state district courtroom in Bex County. North American filed a $1.4 m lion lawsuit to obtain mon promised by Brazos Transit. In settlement agreed upon one anon ago, Brazos Transit agreed to p; an undisclosed amount of mon to North American. Orozco said the settleme. Papers name Brazos Transit cc rectly, but also lists Brazos Valli Community Action Agency, whi4 is a non - profit corporation th deals with health and educatia Please see BUSES, Page Brazos Transit." The 30 -foot -long natural gas -po ered buses retail for $179,000, eac i. North American won an 11 million contract last year to bu c 100 buses and trolleys for Bra Transit System, which serves 9 communities in 13 southe s Texas counties. Twenty -three buses had be i delivered to Brazos Transit ea li er this year, but were pulled Of the streets in April after Bra o From Al issues. "I have no idea why that agen. would be linked with us, but y feed to get that name off the doc- uments before we sign anything," Orozco said. "It's perplexi g, really. They have zero ties to ay, August 22, 1996 Page A • : - Transit officials said the buse$' posed safety hazards that 'cou14 threaten the safety of its 'riders. Problems in the contract start- ed for North American i ,, February when Brazos Transi officials stopped payment on the buses yet to be manufactured, cit- ing the defect as the reason. North American responded with the lawsuit, saying the buses were safe and required no modifi- cations. reach Documents sealed by court; manufacturer says he's `satisfied' By KELLY BROWN Eagle sta writer AX A bus manufacturer and the state's largest rural public transit system took an ongoing fight to the courtroom Tuesday nd apparently reached another agree - ►ent. North American Transit took Brazos Transit to task for not signing an agree- ment made a month ago, but Brazos Transit argued that the documents con- tained incorrect wording so it refused to pay an undisclosed settlement until North American revised the phrasing. Wayne Cook, president of the financially strapped North American Transit, said Wednesday that the two sides hammered out an agreement in court Tuesday, but he declined to give the details. "I'm satisfied with the outcome," Cook said. "Now we hope to get going again with our business and move full steam ahead." Robert Orozco, attorney for Brazos Transit, did not return phone calls Tuesday or Wednesday. He said last week that Brazos Transit officials would not sign any- thing until North American fixed some incorrect wording in the documents. Brazos Transit refused to pay $1.3 million, Please see TRANSIT, Page A13 Transit__ F - claiming North American's buses were unsafe due t 'suspension problems. awarded North American was an $18 million cxitract with Brazos Transit last year to build 100 natural gas -p red buses, which are about 30 feet long and retail for $179,000. The two companies negotiated g e an agreement in July, fiv after the dispute began, but m North American says Brazos Transit did- n't meet a July 31 deadline to sign the agreement or pay the agreed amount. The two sides met in a San Antonio courtroom Tuesday where North American had filed a contempt of court motion against transit fight Brazos Transit for not maintain- ing their agreement "I'm comfortable with what the result was," Cook said of the documents, which are now sealed by the court He said he hope o start hir- ing back his em oyees who were laid off in F ruary. The company has two employees on its payroll: Cook And his part- ner. which are about 30 feet long and retail for $179,000. The two companies negotiated g e an agreement in July, fiv after the dispute began, but m North American says Brazos Transit did- n't meet a July 31 deadline to sign the agreement or pay the agreed amount. The two sides met in a San Antonio courtroom Tuesday where North American had filed a contempt of court motion against transit fight The Eagle Date: .S city tax decrea roDosed for '96-' rr By JENNY NELSON , t and the City Eagle staff writer 'ee through t The College Station City Council had its first look ntal AgreemenS� at the proposed $108 million 1996 -97 budget on oted Thursday to Thursday - -- complete with a slightly* decreased tax ve search service, rate. Associates, to fill The proposed rate is 44.27 cents per $100 valua- y attorney. The tion, compared to the current rate of 44.5 cents per to take about 90 $100 valuation. e Friday, August 9, The reduced rate is because of higher property appraisals. position became Mayor Lynn Mcllhaney said after the Thursday Locke was not ;workshop that she was "very pleased with it for a Roxanne Nemzik � r of reasons. The fact that the staff was able city attorney. the line on several issues really pleased me. " 'Texas A &M Univ toric train depot to reflect the origin of Station school dist Please see CITY, Page A8 Bryan from the - Interlocal Governn _ ff0M Al The council also class purchase the replica as a class hire a Dallas execu The $108 million proposed total bud- Ralph Anderson & get, up 4.7 percent from last year, the position of c includes $8,000 for the addition of search is schedule three traffic lights, $32,180 to complete days and cost the the Pebble Creek Park and $18,104 to $14,000. fill one librarian position for the new The city attornE library, scheduled to open in vacant when Cat] February 1998, said Charles Cryan, reappointed in Jun director of management and budget. is serving as interi He said the library position will han- The council also dle the purchasing of new books and $50,000 from the cif other duties to get the library ready to Fund to the Geo open. Foundation. The council will hold a public hear- Council membE ing Aug. 29 to get community input on approve three ord the proposed budget. The adoption of allow drivers on s( the budget and tax rate is set for Sept. roads to go a little 12. The speed limit In other business, the council set from Texas 6 Wes the drainage utility fee amounts on Wellborn Road wi Thursday night. The council set the per hour, instead rate at $3.50 for residential property, set by the county s $1.57 for multifamily housing and The speed limit $1.65 per 1,000 square foot of commer- from 40 -50 mph or cial property. Prairie Road betv The council adopted the resolution Frontage Road ai establishing a drainage fee June 27 to Road. provide funds to help alleviate the The council alsc city's $16 million flooding problem. limits of 45 -55 ml The city will receive about $750,000 a frontage roads year from the fee. Station. They also The council also voted to exempt pattern of the Tex From page one sity, the Colle .- *niage roads to one way. , t and the City Another change may take place on 'ee through t Ilege Station roads, but not just yet. ntal AgreemenS� ouhcil members discussed chang- oted Thursday to in the names of Texas 6 and FM 2818 ve search service, to reflect the names of prominent Associates, to fill Aggies. However, the council decided y attorney. The to turn the discussions over to the to take about 90 City Affairs Committee, which is a lty approximately joint committee between the the cities of 'Bryan and College Station, the position became *nty and the two school districts. Locke was not e council also voted to wait on Roxanne Nemzik building of the 1883 Depot replica, a city attorney. project that would give the city a his - Dted to contribute toric train depot to reflect the origin of s Hotel -Motel Tax the city's name. ,e Bush Library In 1994 the Texas A &M University Class of `94 asked the city to help the > also voted to class purchase the replica as a class ances that would gift to the university. The city agreed, ie College Station allocating $50,000 toward the project, ster. wha remains in the general fund. in Graham Road After additional grant funding fell Frontage Road to thNpugh, the class dropped the project. now be 45 miles Silage it would now be a city project, the 35 mph limit t cuncil decided not to pursue it. reral years ago. 1,8uncilman Hub Kennady was the will also change lone supporter of the project, hoping it a section of Rock would draw visitors to the city. en Texas 6 East "We have all of these people coming t Greens Prairie into town, and we need to create things that people will want to see," established speed Kennady said. "Do I think this will on the Texas 6 keep them here another night? No. In south College combination with everything else it nended the traffic might." > 6 east and west The Eagle Date: Budiet From A ity I staff presented 12 options forproved traffic pat- terns on Munson Drive. The council directed the staff to pro- ceed with 4 traffic destination study and other plans, including more neigh orhood meetings to find out where the traffic is origi- nating. "We understand that there's a real problern over there," said Councilman Bill Fox. "The desti- nation study vill give us a better feel for whe people are coming and going." Fox said the results of the study should be presented to the board in October. Council members also voted to allow parking in bike lanes in the city on a limited basis during cer- tain times as determined by city staff. The areas include those along public parks and near churches where parking prob- lems often occur. Under the earlier ordinance, police were required to issue tick- ets to those who parked in bike lanes. Signs will be installed, at a cost of $40 each, that will let drivers know when temporary parking is :rmitted. During the regular session, the uncil approved the payment of 5,558 in expert and legal fees. ie fees were accrued in a three - onth period from May 31 to July City staff presents options to reduce Munson traffic By JENNY NELSON Eagle staff writer College Station's proposed $108.3 mil- lion budget apparently meets with resi- dents' approval since no one spoke on the issued g a public hearing at the City C cil's regular meeting Thursd Th oposed 1997 budge will go befo e council for approval Sept. 12. It ' percent higher than the 1996 bud- In an afternoon workshop session, council members heard staff plans to alleviate traffic conditions on Munson rive, a busy street in the College Hills .eighborhood. Some of the fees were accrued firing litigation in connection ith the 9- month-old electricity ansmission cost dispute ,tween Bryan and College The case, which is still pending, deals with how much College ,Station should pay Bryan for use of its electric lines to receive power transmitted from Texas Utilities Inc. Please see BUDGET, Page Al2 CS budget ; unoppo9ed' i at hearing CS leaders unveil population �^�' growth plan L X College Station city leaders unveiled their plan Wednesday night for handling a population that could more than double by the year 2015. City hall chambers were overflowing with residents anxious to hear planning and zoning commissioners present the city's new comprehensive plan. 127,000 residents by 2015 Kuenzel, city planner. "This is an exercise that all cities go through if they want to have zoning. There are a lot of regulations that you can't just adopt. You have to have a study for ordinances." The proposed plan encompasses five areas of changes to accommodate addi- tional residents: the land use plan, the park and open space plan, the thorough- Studies project CS could have College Station's current estimated pop - ulation is 58,000, but the studies presented Wednesday projected that could increase to 127,000 by 2015. The revamped compre- hensive plan accounts for changes neces- sary to accommodate a larger population. "Basically this is a study of three things: what the city is now, what it is going to be and the city wants to be," said Sabine fare plan, the water and wastewater plan and the urban design plan. The consultant in charge of the project, Donal Simpson of Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum Inc. of Dallas, said the land - use plan determines what will happen with all of the other four plans. "That' why we call it a comprehensive Plan — �V� integrated," Simpson said. Please see PLAN, Page A13 • Obituaries /A10 • Opinions /A11 • Sports /C1 I 1 0 G In Town& Northgate loan p�gram accepting application The Northgate Facade I Loan Program has moved and annual funding cycle of College Station. The program provide; and commercial buildinj the Northgate district w assistance for the refurbi exterior of existing build: Applications for the I available Sept. 3 through can be picked up at Cit Texas Ave., in the De� Services Office, or the Development Office, 903 1 Completed applications p.m. Friday, November 1. Questions about the lc should be directed by e -n Gilles, at AGILLES @Cl STATION.TKUS, or Jo C Community Development 3778. )vement the sec - the city wners in financial ng of the igrain are ct. 31, and Hall, 1101 lopmental s Ave. due by 4 an program Lail to Andy .COLLEGE - irroll at the Office, 764- • 1�1 heariong Hv on�� 1 1997 budget Staff w i l l present counc with options for Munson t ffic By JENNY NELSON Eagle staff writer The College Station City Co c will hear citizens' commments Thursday about the proposed 1997 $108.3 million but t. The budget will go before the ouncil for approval Sept. 12. The proposed budget is 4.7 percent higher than the 1996 bu g t. Thursday's public hearing wil begin at 7 p.m. in City Hall council chain s, 1101 S. Texas Ave. At 3 p.m. the council w 11 meet in a workshop session to hear an u to on the Munson Drive traffic study and esults from a 1996 teen survey. The city staff will present the Co F cil with about 12 options for improved ffic pat- terns on Munson Drive. All the ons are designed to reduce traffic on the College Hills neighborhood street. "The message we're getting from the neighborhood is that they want to eliminate as much traffic as possible, but', they don't want to rerou the traffic to adjacent Please see COUNCIL, Page A15 Council From A11 ! streets," said Ed Hard, trans- portation planner. "That's quite a challenge." Hard said the city has kept close contact with the neighborhood, and has received some good ideas at the neighborhood meetings. "We're not at the point where any decisions will be made, though," Hard said. "We need to do traffic studies and probably have another neighborhood meet- ing, then go back to the council again." City Manager Skip Noe said more data collection is necessary before any decisions can be made. "We need more data, but we want the students to be here so it will be realistic," Noe said. "If we had done it this summer, we wouldn't have a feel for how the flow goes." Noe said the council could vote on the matter later this year. During the regular session Thursday, the council will con- sider approving payment of $15,558 in expert and legal fees that were accrued in a three - month period. Some of the fees accumulated during litigation in connection with the city of Bryan vs. the city of College Station, a nine -month- old dispute between the cities over electricity transmission costs. The case, which is still pend- ing, deals with how much College Station should pay Bryan for use of its electric lines to receive power transmitted from Texas Utilities Inc. CS to hold The Eagle Date n 0 911 q CS zoning commission votes to forward land use City council next to discuss expansion By DOUGLAS SGZYGEL�S�((� Eagle Staff Writer \ Rod Kelly, representing the J \_ firm Barton Aschman, which \ Approximately 70 people was hired to plan thorough- fares, said Texas Avenue is crowded into the College Station Conference congested and he recommend - Center ed widening it to six lanes. Monday night for a three - Kelly also said he wanted to hour meeting on the city's .avoid cut - through traffic in proposed comprehensive plan, which, if adopted, ;residential areas and accom- will guide decision making about modate bicycles. - He land use and development for warned that the access - needs "le next 20 years. of the George Bush - Presidential Library and the )oval Simpson, a represen- cive of Hellmuth, Obata university special events cen- and Kassabaum, Inc., a firm hired ter would also have to be con - sidered. by the city to develop the plan, said the plan is built Allen Woelke, representing on the assumption that the city the firm Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc., which was hired Will grow from its current Population of 58,000 to to study water distribution, between 86,000 and 125,000 in said few additions or changes the next 20 years, depending would be needed in that sys- tem. on enrollment at Texas A &M and the Members of the Planning city's ability to attract new business. and Zoning Commission and Simpson said the plan's the City Council asked no questions, but some attendees goal is to accommodate this growth with were vocal. a minimum of city spending. Student hous- Scott Shafer said "alterna- ing should be kept near cam- tive forms of transportation," Pus so students will not have such as bicycles and walking, "could not only be accommo- to drive, creating .congested dated, but encouraged." streets, he said. Other new housing should be kept near He called College Station, "the existing sewage facilities so least friendly city" toward bicycles "of any city new facilities will not have to be built. I've ever ridden a bicycle in." "We want to protect exist- Bill Stewart agreed with Shafer that the plan "doesn't ing residential neighbor- hoods, not change them," go far enough" to encourage Simpson said, so businesses walking and bicycling. "Pedestrians often find 'ely to be open evenings )uld be kept away from mes, and parks should be built near creeks and schools with trails to link "almost the entire city." themselves crossing vacant lots and taking chances in traffic," Stewart said. Stewart predicted that accommodating more cars would merely encourage more driving. "How many lanes will Texas Avenue have before we learn that lesson ?" he asked. Sherri Ellison, president of the Windwood Homeowners Association, presented a peti- tion she said represented 75 households that asked that Appomattox not be connected to Switch Station Road. She ,aid that would increase traf- 1c and endanger children in :he neighborhood, and she ;aid speed bumps would not )e sufficient protection. Ellison also presented a ietition she said represented means know what S-10 zon 0 households, asking that an means," she said. rboretum be created near It means 10 students in .er neighborhood to control house with cars parked on .00ding from Carter Creek lawn and garbage cans in nd to serve as an educational street." ?source. Norma Miller said a de Kathleen Naylor said the oiler was buying vacant ] iilroad in her neighborhood and old properties in I a safety hazard that she neighborhood, and she fea: ould like to see put in a tun- he would soon ask to chat )1 under the street., the zoning to higher -dens "I've seen three bike acci- housing. ants in the last week and a Kyle Hawthorne of 1 [If," she said. "You know Planning & Zoni ;gies. They don't slow down Commission said the comp r anybody." hensive plan would help p Mayor Lynn McIlhaney vent such changes. id state aid would be need- At one point, discussion o for a tunnel. zoning matter grew so int "We have to compete with cate that Hawthorne said the districts in the state of "Let's not get lost in detai xas for that money," she This is just a plan, not a zc d. "It won't happen in the ing change." Kt five years." There was a moment Ielen Pugh said she feared humor in the room as a m, plan would bring medi pointed out that the plan p - density housing to her a road through his hous ghborhood. Simpson said that was a mi take on the map. After hearing the con ments, the Planning & Zonir Commission voted to forwai the plan to the city counci The council voted to put tl- plan on the agenda for th Nov. 20 workshop meeting. c CS man takes discrimination Eagle staff report The city argues written t] A College Station man has was communication ation skills appealed his job discrimination lawsuit and his conversation: against the city of College Station to the U.S. leagues and supervL sometimes bizarre. Supreme Court. James P. Irving, 47, says he Federal Judge Ke: Hoyt was fired from his job with the granted summ ment in favor of the city's Traffic Safety Division in 1992 because of age discrimina- cif 11; 1995, writing that I: tion and because he complained sented no evidence ti his claim. about racism in the workplace. The U.S. 5th Circuit ouit to Supreme Cou , Irving Appeals affirmed that deci written on July 3 of this year. re poor ith col- Irving is -facting as his , s were attorney. Peggy Calliham city's public relations nth M. said city policy dictates, judg- city employees decline c , n Aug. ment on pending litigation. - ' rig pre- The U.S. Supreme Couri upport decide within the next. , months if it will hear Iry )urt of ; , appeal. (;S'Uity C to lose of Bent Tr ee D We part Qfficials hope, to divert subdivision traffic By JENNY NELSON Eagle staff writer The College Station City Council voted Thursday to spend $14,000 to partially close Bent Tree Drive in the Emerald Forest subdivision in the hopes of divert- ing traffic from surrounding neighbor- hoods. Traffic began cutting through the Emerald Forest thoroughfare about three years ago when the Texas 6 frontage roads were converted from two - way to one -way routes, said Ed Hard, transportation planner for College Station. "We've done everything we can except close the streets to help the problem, but the volume hasn't gone down," Hard said. Hard said traffic studies show that about 30 percent to 50 percent of the 1,200 vehicles that travel on Bent Tree Drive on a daily basis are from outside the Emerald Forest Subdivision. The plan that was adopted was the most expensive of t sented, but it is de, majority of the traf originate in the Sa subdivisions. "I sympathize Councilman Bill R Foxfire subdivision. but when it was bro I began taking the lc found that it only my drive time." Several residents consider their feelu tions before voting. "I get 1,000 cars c every day," said F bought this house 11 was a quiet neighb anymore." The other two opt: $9,000 and $5,000 res Hard said the secc like the approved ( )e options Pre- to remove the L studies show .e and Foxfire r them," said who lives in the have been guilty, it to my attention way around and I A one minute to ed the council to and living situa- by my home Martinez. "I ago because it t, but it's not would have cost ively. iption was much n, but it would Please see COUNCIL, Page Al Council From A9 other drivers The options range in cost from $5,000 to $14,000, with the 911 gate being the cheapest alternative, Brymer said. "From a traffic standpoint, we don't have a problem with any of the options," Brymer said. "We think the 911 gate might be more effective because the partial clos- ings would require enforcement." In other business, the council will consider putting a traffic light on Texas Avenue in the area between University Drive and Lincoln Avenue. = "We're bringing the item to the council based on development pressures that are developing on that section of Texas Avenue," Brymer said. "We're trying to be proactive before the situation gets worse." If approved, the light would be cdordinated with the current Texas Avenue widening project. ',The estimated cost of the pro- posed light is about $100,000, emergency response time to the Council neighborhood. In other business, the council From A9 approved the placement of an estimated $100,000 traffic light on not have been as permanent. Texas Avenue in the area Option three, a 911 'gate that between University Drive and would be opened only in emer- Lincoln Avenue. gencies, would have cast $5,000. City staff recommended the Hard said one of the negative light because of increased devel- aspects of the gate woluld have opment in that area of Texas been a 40- second increase in Avenue. police ig ch Program nuts trained volunteers oki streets as citizen lookouts r�4 By DEANA TORKE (� '1i Eagle sta wr The College Station Police Department has initiated a new anti -crime program, Knight Watch, that puts trained citizen volunteers out on the streets looking for suspicious behavior. "[Citizens] have two hours of classroom training where we teach them how to watch for suspicious behavior like police officers do," said College Station Crime Prevention Officer Janice Kemp. "After they are trained, they will be provided with a cellular phone and assigned to a certain area." Kemp said the people chosen for the program have already gone through the Citizen Polim Academy and have to go through a thorough background eheck. The first training session was 'held Saturday. After the two - k )ur classroom teaching, the citizens were taken out by police -wicers to patrol and look for suspicious activities. over you miss it," Thompson said. "Hopefully this will fill the gap. Knight From A3 Members of the program also get a chance to satisfy a curiosity they have about police work. "I was kind of curious about operations and how things work," said member Sharon Thompson. "Now I'm learning first - hand." Patricia Alvarado, who wants to be a police officer, said it is a good experience for her. "I find it interesting," she said. "With the Citizen Police Academy you can learn so much. This program is a step up. You're seeing the different things [police] do." Each member plans to donate one or two evenings a week to go out on patrol. "We're hoping to get --lob people involved w ve out wer} nigl Polasek said. We went through he Ci �t's Police Academy and there a cers wi ing spe times. She sion SE need is place e are rea " Kemp The first group of citizens are from varied ages and back - gro , though they all have one common interest — a desire to h Ap law enforcement. "We're going to be the eyes and ears of the neighborhood," said member and Knight Watch supervisor Shannon, Mc y. "There's a lot going on that we don't know about." Mai ber John Polasek said the reason he wanted to be a part_ of Kri.ght Watch was to help the police. "I i ient through the Citizen Police Academy and have been, activE ever since as an alumni," he said. "This came up and I; wan tE d to do it." C Baese of AT &T Wireless Services, which donated the cellul ir phones, agrees that Knight Watch is a good program. 1 " try to help out whenever we can," he said, adding that, his pany felt it was a worthy cause. Kemp said that until more volunteers, offi- ave citizens patrol dur- . events or high crime after the training ses- [ay, all the volunteers iagnetic sign they, will Heir vehicles and they go. ► oking forward to it," —. Please see KNIGHT, Page A6' Horthgate renovation By JENNY NELSON page book will help ever` Eagle st aff writer toward the same goals. "They are not rules, they Renovation guidelines for the lines — sort of a book of su Northgate neighborhood are available Dunn said. to developers who want to build or The College Station Cif renovate in the historic area. adopted the guidelines last College Station City Manager Skip to create a sense of ident: Noe said one of the city council's goals area, to encourage pedestri is to revitalize Northgate. and to provide a guide "We have a number of projects strutting Northgate. going on in the area," he said. "This is Noe said tke guidelines just one more piece in that puzzle." developers know what the c City Planner Joey Dunn said the 39- ing for in future developmi h g ate From Al said the changes and renova- tions need to be done. "I think this is great. They need to really keep the Northgate area cleaner and nicer," Galindo said. She said the exterior of the store is gaining awnings and fresh coats of paint, while the store's interior dark paneling has been taken down, exposing lighter walls. "I think the inside had brown paneling for so many years and it was so dark in here for so long this just picks up spirits," she said. Some of the service area guide- lines include minimizing the view of trash stora walkways and mi view of loading formers, air condi utility meters and c ical elements. The guidelines f also specify plan parking for bicycli; The guidelines bicycle parking in i ings to discouragf sidewalk areas. Streetlights, bent receptacles are als and the guidelines c ferred size, type am Northgate was designed in the e, provide commercia A &M College. At the time, the isolated from Bryai provisions for con residential services aides available e build e guide - !stions," Council iursday for the activity recon- to help is look- s in the shopping and social center that adjoins Texas A &M University on the north. Dunn said the document is not the final authority on Northgate projects. The guidelines state that "the Northgate Revitalization Board will review each case on a case -by -case basis" because each project has differ- ent circumstances. Juanita Galindo, manager of Campus Photo in the Northgate area, Please see NORTHGATE, Page A3 Eagle photo/Butch Ireland Leonel Baeca of Conroe covers a buried power cable on Northgate' Monday afternoon. The cable will carry power to the post office. council By JENNY NELSON Eagle staff writer The College Station City Council is scheduled to meet Thursday to find a way to decrease cut - through traffic in the Emerald Forest Subdivision on the south end of town. The council will meet at 7 p.m. in City Hall, 1101 S. Texas Ave. Traffic started trailing through Emerald Forest about three years ago, the Texas 6 frontage roads were Traffic trails through converted from two -way tp routes, according to city transportation one -way reports. Since then, the city' addressed the issue staff has with Forest Homeowners Ass i Emerald tion. The association's members wan e city to find a way to divert the tr i from the area's residential streets. "Generally it keeps the kids from play- ing on the streets," said resident Willie Allen. "It makes us not want to use the streets for cycling or walking the dog at certain times of the day." Tom Brymer, assistant city manager, said the traffic studies have shown the excess traffic is mainly coming from the Foxf"ire and Sandstone subdivisions. City staff reports show the daily traffic volume at about 1,200 vehicles per day. The staff estimates that traffic on resi- dential streets ideally should range from about 200 to 1,000 vehicles a day. The city has taken measures to reduce speeding on Driftwood Drive, one of the affected streets, by installing stop signs and speed limit signs and by enforcing the speed limit. Currently, the city is looking at long- term and short-term options to solve the Problem, including installation of a gate on Sebesta Road and partially closing Bent Tree Drive. The gate would be acces- sible to emergency vehicles but not to Please see COUNCIL, Page A14 c d Forest due to one -way frontage road traffic problem The Eagle Hate: q 12_� H ('r i CS water systeff,\ earns EPA award Hon based on fleXibility, cost efficiency By MARIA KRINSKY' Eagle staff writer The city of College Station will receive an Environmental Excellence Award Friday for restructuring a more efficient, flexible and cost - efficient public water supply. City officials say the award, which is given by the Environmental Protection Agency, reflects well on the city. It is a very big deal," said Bill Riley, College Station A public utilities division manager. It shows they have ., looked at our water quality and it is being recognized." The agency considered several criteria when choosing a g winner, including the quality of the water, the overall maintenance of the public water system, the program's management and customer relations. College Station submitted an application package to the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission in - Please see AWARD, Pa4e A7 in a five -state ing water e Award region. College in 1991, Riley received the awa From Al said. The awards w. Marc and the application was p.m. Friday in t Hall in Austin' eval ated against other cities in Complex. The ; the state before recommenda- excellence in wa tions were made to the EPA, Riley ment operation said. The EPA screens all applicants nance, wetlands storm water man for environmental violations Twenty award. before selecting a winner, said sented in Texa; EPA spokeswoman Jo Taylor. Chairman Barry The awards program, started in "The size and 1987, awards outstanding munici- state are reflectec pality and publicly owned drink- of Texas organi in a five -state honoring for environmental Station also excellence," McBee said. "But the in 1991, Riley big winner is the state of Texas, as our focus on blending environ- be given at 2 mental protection with a concern Bass Lecture for economic prosperity contin- LBJ Library ues to produce positive, long -last- ards include ing results." water treat- Jane Saginaw, regional admin- and mainte- istrator for EPA's Dallas office, rotection and said the winners should be lauded ement. for their efforts. re being pre- "It is an honor to be able to pre - said TNRCC sent these awards for excellence ;Bee. to people who have been so dedi- rersity of our cated and focused on preserving n the number the environment in Texas," she :ions EPA is said. .r In Town &Texas Kubiak to host seminar Thursday in Somerville State Rep. Dan Kubiak, D- Rockdale, will play host to his continuing series of legislative seminars Thursday at the monthly meeting of the Burleson County Industrial Foundation. The meeting is scheduled for noon at the Citizens State Bank in Somerville. The foundation consists of the may- ors of the three incorporated cities in the county, the presidents of the four banks, city administrators, the county judge, educators and the hospital administrator. "The past two seminars in Austin and Washington counties have really given me an insight into the needs of the coun- ties and cities," Kubiak said. "Economic development, property rights and prop- erty taxes are the biggies." But Kubiak concedes that they have many other ideas and projects to work on. "These seminars are benefiting not only the counties, but myself," he said. "I can call upon any of these individu- als when an issue in their area of exper- tise arises and get better answers." The 75th Legislative session begins on -Ian 1dand r•nntin ues - fb Bodies found near site of other double murder DALLAS — Two double homicides in two weeks both occurred in the same remote area of south Dallas County, authorities say. A passerby found the bodies of two 23- year-old Dallas men Tuesday on a dark stretch of road in southeast Oak Cliff. Both men had been shot several times. It's near where the bodies of two men were found in a burning car on Thanksgiving morning. Police say the killings appear unrelated. The victims had quite a bit of cash on them, so robbery is not a motive. Compiled from staff and wire reports The holiday rush has begun. a � MUSH! Expo center plans expected within year Students say multimillion - dollar facility would have $64 million economic impact on city By NELLY BROWN Eagle Staff Writer Brazos County Judge Al Jones said Wednesday that he hopes to have major planning under way within a year for a multimillion - dollar expo center that would feature concerts, livestock shows - and other events. Area leaders have talked about such a center for more than two decades, but county commissioners recently issued a homework assignment on the issue and received the results Wednesday. An eight - member group of students from Texas A &M University brought data to Brazos County commissioners during a workship session. The students estimated that such a center would have a $64 million economic impact in a simi- lar size town. Students with the Eisenhower v 1. Leadership Development Program have been talking to officials with exposition centers across the state during the last three months. They recommended what facilities would be necessary to build such a center in Brazos County. An exposition center was one of the priority projects that the dozens of par- ticipants in Brazos 2020 Vision identified last year. Officials have an idea of where they'd a�r k, 0 5 0 Eagle photo/Dave McDermand Sgt. Choya Walling, left, and Lt. Freddie Komar of the Bryan bookkeeper Bernando Claros how to use the fingerprinting Police Department combine forces with Brazos County kit •- ^hecks at the story on Old Hearne at Texas Avenue in Attorney Jim Koboviak, second from right, to teach H.E.B. B Stc�rp!� inin �'hc�►��vri.�,f . like to put the center, but they aren't revealing the site. Brazos County Judge Al Jones said taxes likely wouldn't have to be raised within the first few years in order to pay for the center. Instead, he said, the coun- ty would use certificates of obligation or issue bonds to fund the construction. The students told commissioners that Please see EXPO, Page A16 New law delights immigrants by new dual citizenship ruling By ANITA SNOW Associated Press MEXICO CITY — Immigrant rights advocates were elated Wednesday by a new law allowing Mexicans living abroad to retain inheritance and other rights in their homeland even if they become citizens of another country. About 5.5 million Mexican citizens liv- ing in the United States could be affected by the law, approved Tuesday night by the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies. It received Senate approval earlier. "This is the best solution that the Mexican government has ever offered for the problems of Mexican immigrants," said Primitivo Rodriguez, an immigrant rights advocate who advised the cham- ber. "This will help Mexicans living in the United States incorporate themselves into American society while still retain- ing their rights, their mIture as Mexicans." The law recognizes th 11 impor- tance of Mexicans livin .e United States. It is designed to arriers that hava kPnt rnillinrc of Mo ire f Toba From A9 `� using a product that is safer. But in reality, it is dangerous," he said. Colwell is involved with an effort to discourage Texas high school students from using tobac- co. But he also sees a problem at Texas A &M University. "You get a lot of rural kids here that are from areas where spit tobacco use is fairly well accept- ed," Colwell said. "You're going to see a fairly high rate here, as opposed to other parts of the country where you have less acceptance of spit tobacco use." Colwell and Dennis Smith, a University of Houston health education associate professor, are taking part in a planned three -year anti- tobacco project supported by a grant from the Texas Cancer Council. The goal is to help young people stop using tobacco. There's little doubt about the need, Colwell said. A national survey found that more than two - thirds of teenagers have tried smoking at least once, and almost one -third smoke at least once a month; About one male in five uses spit tobacco. Historically, most anti - tobacco efforts have focused on adults, though most adults say they were addicted by age 18, and began smoking when they were 13 or -14. Colwell and Smith are still in the formative stages of..develop- ing their anti - tobacco program. But a few elements are in place. One is that the effort will be tai- lored to the needs of individual, tobacco -using students, Smith said. That means more time will be spent with students who don't want to quit, he said. "We will try to match the kid$ who are smoking according to how likely they are to quit," he said. The two professors hope to begin testing their program next year in schools and community- based groups. Eventually, they hope to present the program to young people all over Texas. "If we can help them now, when it's easier to stop, they might be less likely to grow into adults [who are) addicted to tobacco," Colwell said. Expo From AS it could cost about $10.5 million to build an arena with seating for 4,000 for floor events and 6,000 fors concerts; a - `20,000- square -foot unobstructed exhibition and assembly hall; barns and stables with 200 permanent stalls; and two covered buildings capable of accommodating 200 temporaft stalls. Parking is not included in the students' cost estimate. The students spent hundreds of hours investigating the issues. They narrowed the scope of their inquiry from 40 facilities acioss to Texas to seven that have simi- lar county populations to Brazos County. They also looked at Somervell County near Fort Worth because area leaders expressed particular interest in it. 4R The center would be big enough to attract shows for arts and crafts lovers, autofnobile junkies and livestock shows, which would be the proposed cen- ter 's p function. .)ones said while vii estocc _. ... _. _ _...._.- � =..... :A.r_ �.. __. __._. r- s..3�sWr-S:f� •- ir•:•arx• ''.3� :.ac Aim be used for all kinds of events. Precinct 3 Commission Randy Sims said the county faces the, dilemma of juggling the•• wants; and needs of rural and agrica tu_ re use with urban use. T "It's hard to get people excited; about wanting to spend that kinds 'of money on a, complex (or anf'- mals .if they're not interested in animals," Sims said. The Eisenhower Leadership' Development Program enrolls 26 students from each college at Texas A &M University: - .Thw study topics are chosen by pro' gram organizers, then stUdentf sign up and interview for whiFh - _ topic they want to investigate.. '• Sims thanked the group for its professional briefing, and told: the students that their research- puts the county 'Svell .on its wa}t, in b inging an expo center here.': He said public mee t. ; ngs on th4 issue, are. likely to °fohbvv. ': Dec. 12 13 shopping days to Christmas Date Book Today Parade of Lights 1996 tours will be conducted by the Cities of Bryan and College Station. For more information, call 764 -3773 Family Planning Clinic, 1:30 a.m. to 5 p. m., 3400 S. Texas Ave., Suite 1. Appointments: 258 -5555, ext. 3. PEO Err Chapter meeting, 10 a.m .,414 E. Brookside. 846 -3970. Bryan - College Station Newcomers book group, 10 a.m. to noon. Call 779 -2631 for Inrallnn Officers' Wives' Club luncheon, 11.30 a.m., The Vintage House Trattoria. 4545 Old Reliance Rd Program: Brazos Barber Shoppers $17 774 -4910. City of Bryan Toastmasters, 11:30 a.m. sack lunch, noon to 1 an. meeting, Bryan Public Library auditorium, 201 E. 26th St. 361 -3668 American Guild of Organists present an Advent Recital, 12.30 p. m.. SI. Marys Church, 103 Nagle. 696 -1727. Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority of Brazos Valley Board of Trustees meeting, 1 p.m., 1504 S. Texas Ave. 822 -MHMR. Health For All, 3 p m., 214 N. Main SL Children and adults. 823 -1466 Brazos Valley Shrine Club meeting, 6:30 p.m., Briarcrest Country Club. Call 776 -7738 for further information Brazos County AGM Club Christmas party, 7 -9 p.m., 4660 Raymond Stotzer Parkway 845 -7514. AGM Consolidated choir, orchestra concert, 7 p.m., A &M Consolidated High School auditorium, 701 FM 2818.764 -5500. StageCerrter presents Born Yesterday, 8 p. m., 701 N. Main St. Tickets, $8 adults; $7 senior /students; and $4 children. Reservations: 823 -4297, Consolidated Choir and Orchestra concert, 7 p. A&M Consolidated High School auditorium. 701 W FM 2818. 764- 552 First Baptist Church of College Station presents A Time for Christmas, 730 pm., 2300 Welsh Ave Free. 696 -7000. The cities of Bryan and College Station will conduct tours of the Parade of Lights 19%. 764 -3773. Pediatric Clinic, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m -. 3400 S. Texas Ave., Suite 2.268- 5555, exl. 2. Habitat for Humanity annual home application period, Tuesday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p. m.: Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.. 119 Lake St. 823 -7200. A3M Garden Club meeting, 9:30 a.m., College Station Conference Center, 1300 George Bush Dr. 779 -9678. Bryan - College Station Newcomers Christmas coffee, 10 1130 a m., call 260 -1142 for location. Bryan-College Station Newcomers Diners Out, 6:30 p.m., at Cenares. Reservations, 690 -0209. 'maginatlon Station presents Fiddler on the Roof, 7 p.m., 302 N. Bryan St. Tickets: $5.268 -ARTS. Officers' Wives' Club Christmas Party, 7 p.m., 210 Lampwick Circle. 696 -4494. StageCenter presents Barn Yesterday 8 p.m., 701 N. Main St. Tickets, $8 adults, $7 senior /students: and $4 children. Reservations: 823-4291. Immunizations for 12 years old and up, also adult blood Pressure check and blood sugar check, 10 am to noon Brazos County Health Department, 201 N. Texas Ave. 361 -4440 Brazos Valley Heritage Society will hold Its Holiday High Toa. Location to be announced. 8 22 - 2097, ByDEANA TOTZKE Eagle Staff Writer Bryan police have launched the CheckPrint program to help combat the problem of worthless checks, which cost local stores hundreds of dollars a week. Nationally, statistics show, more than 1.2 million worthless checks are accepted for payment each day. The program requires a fingerprint — usually the thumb — on checks being cashed at local participating stores. The program is patterned after one some local banks started in recent months. Police hope to take a large chunk out of check fraud in the Bryan- College Station area. "This is the merchants taking a proactive step toward [stopping fraudu- lent checks]," said Bryan police Lt. Freddie Komar. Bryan Det. John McNair said the idea came from Houston stores that use a similar process. McNair said a counterfeit ring that came to Brazos County stores from Houston in September cost store own- ers thousands of dollars. Stores passed about 50 counterfeit checks, which averaged $350 to M. "It hurt smaller stores," McNair said, adding that one store cashed 12 to 15 phony checks. "It adds -up." Brazos County Attorney Jim Kuboviak said merchants have expressed fear that they will lose money from forged checks. "They don't know who's coming in from out of town," he said. HEB store manager Mike McKinney said during an average week the store receives $500 - $1,000 in returned checks. Of those, he said, at least one is fraudu- lent. The store started using the pro- gram Wednesday. McKinney said he is eager to start Please see CHECKPRINT, Page A13 Local eatery s new home_ Center demolition forces Burger Boy to relocate, but finding site proves difficult cially in U.S. border states. It has broad implications in the United States, where many Mexicans with legal residency have been reluctant to take that last step and become U.S. citizens. Rodriguez said the main factor dis- couraging Mexicans from becoming U.S. citizens has been the loss of inheritance and property rights in Mexico. Now Mexicans who become U.S. citizens won't have to relinquish the family ranch or be prevented from inheriting property. Once American citizens, they could vote and have a huge political influence in states like California and Texas where immigration issues are prominent. They Please see MEXICANS, Page All 6 By MARIA KRINSKY thing they can to find another] *` Eagle Staff Writer °I don't think ... [the city] spot for Burger Boy, said Todd There's no place quite like considers us as important McDaniel, Northgate Project A,. �a+�l Coordinator. Patricia Street. For Burger Boy that is. as the big chain. 99 The city agreed to set aside half of Burger Boy's rent to be The city of College Station's . used to cover the cost of reloca- plans to knock down the shop- GEORGE SOPASAKIS tion and contracted with a gro- ping center at 301 Patricia St. fessional real estate broker to i will force Burger Boy, the only R estaurant owner assist in the search for an remaining business there, to acceptable site, McDaniel said. relocate late next spring or Sopasakis' lease at 301C early next summer. the property after the building Patricia St. will end this month, George Sopasakis, the owner is demolished. but will continue on a monthly of Burger Boy in Northgate, said Sopasakis said he is willing to basis. Burger Boy will be given a location right across from relocate, but he wants a space written notice 30 days before it campus is essential to the suc- in Northgate that is the same Eagle photo /Maria Krinsky must vacate the property. Coss of the hamburger restau size mid pirice as hN current Sopasakil; s9d he ba co - George Sopasakis stands in front of his Burger Boy restaurant. He is rant location. king for a Northgate location to move into when the city demol- A parking lot will be built on City officials are doing every- Please see BURGER BOY, Page A16 Ishes the building next spring. Prof fights `spit tobacco' use A &M researcher joins UH teacher in 3 -year anti - tobacco project By JOHN KIRSCH make snuff and chewing tobacco more Eagle Staff Writer attractive to potential customers, Colwell said. Brian Colwell is skeptical of tobacco He and other researchers prefer the companies. term "spit tobacco" instead. That isn't surprising, since Colwell is . "It's spit tobacco, and just because a health education professor and they call it `smokeless' doesn't make it researcher at Texas A &M University.- any more pleasant or less harmful,'.' Colwell is particularly skeptical of Colwell said. the way tobacco companies market Use of "spit tobacco" can increase the their products. risk of oral cancer, Colwell said. Take the whole issue of chewing "When you take smoke away from tobacco. tobacco, people tend to believe they're The cigarette manufacturers invent- ed the term "smokeless tobacco". to Please see TOBACCO, Page A16 Ogburn to leave hospital post By MARIA K INSKY Eagle Staff Writer Wayne L. Ogburn plans to leave his post as chief executive officer of Columbia Medical Center in College Station at the end of the month, hospital officials confirmed Wednesday. Ogburp put in his resignation last week, said Bryan Homer, chief operating officer of Columbia. "Until then, he's still CEO," Homer said. Ogburn could not be reached for com- ment Wednesday. Homer provided no further details about Ogburn's future or his replacement. Before taking the post at the College Station hospital in October, 1995, Ogburn was CEO of Titus County Memorial Hospital in Mount Pleasant. While there, he implemented several new services and conducted a $17.6 million construc- tion project. From 1988 to 1991 he was senior vice president of the Dallas County Hospital District at Parkland Memorial Hospital. His other jobs have included senior management positions at hospitals in Abilene, Wharton and Fort Worth. The native Texan graduated from Texas A &M University and received his master's degree in health care adminis- tration from Trinity University in San Antonio. C® kw Associated Press AUSTIN — The Roman Catholic nun who wrote the award - winning book Dead Man Walking wasn't allowed to visit a former death row inmate at the Travis County Jail Wednesday. Sister Helen Prejean's book led to the acclaimed movie with the same title. She was in Austin to speak at a dinner sponsored by ..r the Texas Civil Rights Project. As part of her trip, Sister Prejean said she arranged two weeks ago to visit inmate David L. Powell at the Travis County Jail. Powell twice has been sen- tenced to death in the 1978 capital murder of Austin police officer Ralph Ablanedo. His first convic- tion was reversed, as was his sec- ond sentence. . . . . -. • . . IIPE�f/ffllGlsE �a� The Merchants of the Garden Distri`� s Invite You r Fri. & Sat., Dec. 13 & 14, 10am -6pm Sun., Dec. 15, 12 pm -5pm Holiday Store Specials & Refreshments *Contemporary Landscape Services & Nursery •Heartworks • Kaffe Klatsch • Plain Jane • Pygmalion • Young Hearts ... 7 Powell is awaiting resentenc- ing, which could put him back on death row. Woody Simmons, director of treatment and inmate services for the jail, said Sister Prejean's visit with Powell hadn't been pre- arranged and Sister Prejean had. n't been cleared for the visit. He said the whole thing seemed like a media event, even though local news outlets hadn't been notified about the jail visit. "We generally seek Catholic counseling from the local dio- cese," Simmons said. "There have been on rare occasions [cler- gy who have come] from out of county. I've never known of any- one coming in from out of state." Sister Prejean said the jail's refusal marked the first time she's been turned away from a inmate visit. "I don't know what the bee is in their bonnet," she said. "I don't take it personally. In general, I can see why people who want to see this happen don't want to see me corping," she said of death penalty executions. Prejean said the Travis County Jail would have been the fast cor- rections facility she visited in Texas. She said she wants to see more education about the death I L y I CK i ll penalty in Texas because the state leads the country in executions. "Texas just exemplifies all the prejudices in the death penalty," she said. "The pattern is real clear as who gets the death penal- ty and Texas follows the pattern." She said the pattern includes poor minorities getting the death penalty and wealthier, non - minorities getting lesser sen- tences. Burger Boy .♦ to find an acceptable spot, McDaniel said. "We're trying to facilitate a relocation," he 'a delivery time the same. If it takes 30 to 4o min - said. "My preference is for them to stay in From A9 utes for someone to get their food, they'll call Northgate — we don't want to drive them Mexicans living outside of the somewhere else." away." ed a la wyer and will continue to fight the city. "I The restaurant, which moved to Northgate from downtown Bryan in 1988, now boasts a Sopasakis did find one property he liked, but his bid for the for former Kinko's C® kw Associated Press AUSTIN — The Roman Catholic nun who wrote the award - winning book Dead Man Walking wasn't allowed to visit a former death row inmate at the Travis County Jail Wednesday. Sister Helen Prejean's book led to the acclaimed movie with the same title. She was in Austin to speak at a dinner sponsored by ..r the Texas Civil Rights Project. As part of her trip, Sister Prejean said she arranged two weeks ago to visit inmate David L. Powell at the Travis County Jail. Powell twice has been sen- tenced to death in the 1978 capital murder of Austin police officer Ralph Ablanedo. His first convic- tion was reversed, as was his sec- ond sentence. . . . . -. • . . IIPE�f/ffllGlsE �a� The Merchants of the Garden Distri`� s Invite You r Fri. & Sat., Dec. 13 & 14, 10am -6pm Sun., Dec. 15, 12 pm -5pm Holiday Store Specials & Refreshments *Contemporary Landscape Services & Nursery •Heartworks • Kaffe Klatsch • Plain Jane • Pygmalion • Young Hearts ... 7 Powell is awaiting resentenc- ing, which could put him back on death row. Woody Simmons, director of treatment and inmate services for the jail, said Sister Prejean's visit with Powell hadn't been pre- arranged and Sister Prejean had. n't been cleared for the visit. He said the whole thing seemed like a media event, even though local news outlets hadn't been notified about the jail visit. "We generally seek Catholic counseling from the local dio- cese," Simmons said. "There have been on rare occasions [cler- gy who have come] from out of county. I've never known of any- one coming in from out of state." Sister Prejean said the jail's refusal marked the first time she's been turned away from a inmate visit. "I don't know what the bee is in their bonnet," she said. "I don't take it personally. In general, I can see why people who want to see this happen don't want to see me corping," she said of death penalty executions. Prejean said the Travis County Jail would have been the fast cor- rections facility she visited in Texas. She said she wants to see more education about the death I L y I CK i ll penalty in Texas because the state leads the country in executions. "Texas just exemplifies all the prejudices in the death penalty," she said. "The pattern is real clear as who gets the death penal- ty and Texas follows the pattern." She said the pattern includes poor minorities getting the death penalty and wealthier, non - minorities getting lesser sen- tences. Burger Boy We want to accommodate the same cus- tomers," Sopasakis said. "We want to keep the to find an acceptable spot, McDaniel said. "We're trying to facilitate a relocation," he delivery time the same. If it takes 30 to 4o min - said. "My preference is for them to stay in From A9 utes for someone to get their food, they'll call Northgate — we don't want to drive them Mexicans living outside of the somewhere else." away." ed a la wyer and will continue to fight the city. "I The restaurant, which moved to Northgate from downtown Bryan in 1988, now boasts a Sopasakis did find one property he liked, but his bid for the for former Kinko's don't think the consider us as important y po as a bigger chain," he said." delivery -- 15- minute delive time, he said. _ College Station City Manager Skip Noe said - and Chicken Basket building at 201 College - Mani Three alternate locations have been pro- posed to Sopasakis, but he turned them all the city is doing all it can to help relocate Burger Boy. was not competitive. Texadelphia Sandwiches and Sits c., a down. "We've sandwich shop, was the highest br her the Sopasakis said he was unhappy with the location found several locations suitable for his business and the market rate is reason- building. The city council will vot Thi day night to approve the contract. 1i and size of the former Little Caesar's Pizza in Northgate and the space currently able," Noe said. "We're trying to find feasible options." Sopasakis said the decision to sell the build- occupied by Baskin - Robbins Ice Cream, also There are two main obstacles facing Burger ing to Texadelphia wasn't fair to him as a small business owner. in Northgate. The most recent site proposed is outside of Boy, Noe said. "There's very little lease space in the area "The city had a responsibility to take care of us first," he said. "I'm a small business 'I the immediate Northgate area, on University Drive just east of The Kettle Restaurant. and [Sopasakis' current rental) rent is sub- and don't have all the resources, but I'm not inter - Sopasakis said the site would require too stantially below market value," he said. Sopaskis pays $650 a month for his current ested in moving somewhere to get out of the city's hair and then have to shut down my many renovations and the additional delivery time required from the site would hurt his spot. The rent at the proposed Baskin Robbins location was $1,530 for the first and business because I can't make it." McDaniel business. A location near Texas A &M University is year grad- ually increased over a five -year period to said Texadelphia and Burger Boy had an equal opportunity to bid on the prop - essential to the success of the restaurant because about 90 percent of Burger Boy's busi- $1,686 a month. College Station officials agreed to consider a erty. Noe said the city wants to work with the is payment of $3,960 to help during the fast year, restaurant. dPliyPrPd to campim by hike Sopasakis _ d s � Sopasakis -said. Despite the obstacles, the is tryin - - WP - WaT1f - 1rL - S uSmeSS O S y ve, ce up being a Men:_ , he said. city still said M v■■■ ■ ■ "W 1 %7 VVU1 Democratic Revolution Party. Mexic The law will not allow Mexicans living outside of the country to vote in Mexican elee- From A9 tions, but that could be changed by new legislation. Mexicans liv- also could help elect Hispanic ing north of the border also fear candidates. losing their culture — their "We are elated and we want to "Mexicanness" — if they become congratulate the Mexican U.S. citizens, because the citizen - Congress for taking a bold step in ship oath requires renouncing the right direction," said Lydia allegiance to other countries. Camarillo, executive director of Under the new law, Mexican - the Southwest Voter Registration born people would remain Mex- Project in San Antonio. icans in the eyes of the Mexican "Once Mexicans living in the government even if they become United States become citizens citizens of another country. and start voting, they will finally "When I lived in the AJnited get the respect and dignity they States, I never thought about deserve," she said. becoming a citizen because I The law is expected to be rati- thought I would be betraying my fled as early; as this week, by tv�o ,, thirds of Meidco's 31 state le culture, my family," said -, tures and signed by President who worked for immi- grant rights for 15 years. Ernesto Zedillo. - ,. ', IL nata_d °'. "I wanted to be f " pprtici- The only dissenting vote pant in Ameri iety. I Tuesday' came from . :Tenorio .. thought it would ieful to Adame of tfie 'lett~@elk -give up being a Men:_ , he said. M v■■■ ■ ■ "W 1 %7 VVU1 PUC says CS owes $5 million utility bill Rate payers should not see an increase By MARIA KRINSKY Eagle Staff Writer Y The City of College S ation as eenas een ordered to pay the City of Bryan $1.3 million and the Texas Municipal Power Agency $3.8 million for electric transmission rates. The ruling by the Public Utility ommission of Texas is the latest step in the 11 -month dispute. "It has been very costly and time - consuming, but we are happy with the rate," said Dan Wilkerson, Bryan's electric utilities director. The utility commission issued the order Tuesday. The City of College Station has 20 days to ask for a new hearing before it goes The College Statioi and city attorney plan council on the city's next meeting, which i; P.M. Wednesday. "The purpose of this to outline the city's they can make a dete how they wish to rest ing," said Assistant Tom Brymer. Officials from TMPA phone calls Friday. No increase is expe Station utility custom to effect. city manager brief the city tions at their ,heduled for 7 fing will be ins so that ation as to to this rul- r Manager not return in College rates as a irk Until Dec. 31, 1995, College Station bought electricity from the four cities. The disagreement centers on Bryan's and the agency's costs of providing service. Under fed- eral and state law, power line owners may charge only what it costs them to provide the ser- vice. "College Station wanted to pay lower rates than we thought were fair," Wilkerson said. Since November of 1995, the two cities and the agency have been unable to reach an agree- ment on the proposed agree- ments submitted by both sides. College Station filed a suit in federal court, and Bryan later filed counter claims. The dispute will cost the two cities and TMPA a total of about $1 million in court costs and legal fees, Wilkerson esti- mated. result of this uling, city offi- cials said. The ruling provides for a one - year rate, rEIroactive from January, 1996, to January, 1997. After the fi s of the year, the Public Utilit3 Commission can opt to set a erent statewide wheeling rate, officials said. A wheeling rate is the cost of flowing power over someone else's lines, 3imilar to a toll charged for using a bridge, Wilkerson said, College St ion has pur- chased electr city from Texas Utilities Ele t is Inc. since January. But it must use lines owned by the Texas Municipal Power Agency and Bryan, one of four mem r cities of the agency. CS Council annexes 4 p lots of land Opposition from landowners fails to block city action By DOUGLAS SCZYGELSKI � Eagle Staff Writer Despite the opposition of one of the landowners, the College Station City Co»ncil voted 4 to 3 Tuesday to annex f `eces of land totaling 1,567 acres. j Ellington Schuette complained th of the 200 acres of farm land on Wellborn Road would force her mother, Verna Ellington, to pay higher property taxes, but would give her no benefits. "They are offering us nothing," Schuette said. "We will still have Wellborn water and Bryan utilities. Nobody will put in a sewer line and nobody will pick up the garbage." Schuette said city officials had given her different estimates of how much her mother's taxes would ris6. Councilman Dick Birdwell agreed with Schuette, saying, "These people will pay city taxes for years and get nothing for it." He said development of the land is not imminent, so annexa- tion is "premature." Councilman Bill Fox argued in favor of annexing Ellington's property, because it is far from residential areas so it can be zoned for industry without provoking an outcry from neighbors. College Station needs more industrial zones, Fox said. Edsel Jones, a friend of Ellington, Please see COUNCIL, Page A10 Council From Al said other pieces of land farther north would be better for indus- trial zoning because they're flat- ter. "You can't sew r that piece of property without a lift station," he said. The measure passed with the support of Mayor Pro Tempore Hub Kennady and councilmen Fox, Larry Ma )T of and David Hickson. Birdwell also argued against annexing part, not all, of the Nantucket subdi v Ision on Texas 6, south of Greem Prairie Road. He said it would "cause confu- sion" to split a r idential devel- opment, and th t the developer merely wanted !Sewer service, "Electrical revenues will hold down property taxes. This will be a big issue in the future." HUB KENNADY Mayor pro tempore which the city could sell without annexation. Fox disagreed, saying city pol- icy is not to sell services without annexation, and that the city should take the opportunity to annex property whose residents want to be inside the city limits. Birdwell also opposed annex- ing 1,282 acres near the Texas World Speedway, saying city :y is to annex only areas utilities. x disagreed there also, say - the property might become iaven for beer joints and i joints" if the city doesn't ,x it soon. x said such businesses on edge of town would give •oaching tourists a bad ression. rdwell said he believes the already has the power to , ent such businesses from Ling near the speedway. mnady said annexations are )rtant to increase the city's nues from electrical service. lectrical revenues will hold n property taxes," he said. .s will be a big issue in the one argued against the ation of 12.8 acres of land Arlington Road. The Eagle Date: geCo Z, ) 9% is • fhe �( I C I Z�Z In o& exas Mayor, councilor tubers will be at CS ope house Whether you're conce about the city's roads or maybe o 've always wondered what long term Cans College Station has under way, sday is the chance to mull over the t p cs with city leaders. The public is invited to Christmas open house from 3 -5 p.m. TV Dsday at the College Station City H44 on Texas Avenue where the mayor d city coun- cilmembers will be available to talk over issues with citizens. Free punch and coffee will be served. For more information, call Gretchen Beasley or Celia Hernandez at 764 -3510. Future b Almanac predicts By JOHN KIRSCH Eagle Staff Writer Bryan- College Station is projected to have the third - highest rate of job growth in the country in the next 30 years, according to the 1997 -98 edition of The American Almanac of Jobs and Salaries. The number of jobs in Bryan-College Station is projected to grow from 78,000 in 1995 to 164,000 by 2025 — an increase of 110 percent. Nationwide, the almanac projects an additional 58 million jobs by 2025, with rlghti�for region will have tl most of the increase expected m the Southern and Westero 'parts of the nation. Th$ almanac doesn't shy what kinds of jobs would be created in Bryan- College Station. But Robert Worley, executive director of the Bryan- College Station Economic Development Corp., said he expects most of the new jobs to be created by private-sector employers, not govern- ment entities like Texas A &M University. James Latimer, area manager for the Texas Workforce Commission office in Growth ro From Al College Station will come with a price, said Worley. Local govern- ments will have to build new roads and sewers an developers will have to provide more resi dential housing to agcommodate the growing population, he said. While welcoming the opti- mistic job forecast, Worley cau- tioned that predicting the eco- nomic future is difficult. "Thirty years? Who knows," he said. The almanac bills itself as a guide to work and pay in the United States. Worley said it's a credible information source among economic development professionals. Sounding a cautiolus note, the almanac stated: "Charting regional and metropolitan area job growth is chancy at best and all the projections ... are based on population growth and the age of the area's work force. But this gives an incomplete picture of the job "Although mark et. "Although many large cities have high unemployment rates and little if any new job growth, they often have many more jobs available because of the large number of retirements, firings, job changes, deaths and other so- called separations." CS job gro ird- ,I)ighest gain c Bryan, sa d the Brazos Valley area is starting t develop a more diverse job base such as the Sanderson Farms I at hery locate in the area. "We ' i t ie Brazos Valley face an inter- esting c . lima of trying to maintain a viable woi k force and have enough qual- ified wc rl rs to meet the demand while mainta' g an extremely low unemploy- ment ra , 'he said. The ac isn't entirely complimen- tary to B an- College Station. With an average annual pay rate of $19,255, Bryan ege Station ranks ninth on the ✓er next m years list of the 25 metro areas with the lowest average annual pay in 1994, according to the almanac. Worley said low wages will help drive economic expansion. The flip side is that growth will eventu- ally force employers to raise wages, Worley said. "We will not be able to thrive on an industrial base that leans heavily on low - wage scale jobs," said Latimer. The rapid growth projected for Bryan- Please see GROWTH, Page A6 Here's the almanac's listing of the 10 metro are s with the fastest job growth from 1995 to 2025: 1. Punta Gorda Ila., 140.9 per- cent; 2. Orlando, Fla., 113.6 per- cent; 3. Bryan- ege Station, 110.3 percent; 4. Naples, Fla., 107.5 percent; 5. Fort Pierce -Port St. Lucie, Fla., 10&8 percent; 6. Austin -San Marc 103.9 per- cent; 7. Olympia ,Wash., 103.1 percent; 8. Las Ve Nev., 102.5 percent; 9. Laredo, 100 percent; 10. McAllen-Edinburg Mission, 99.4 percent. The almanac findings were discussed at Thur ay's meeting of the board ofd ctors of the Bryan- College Stain Economic Development Cor . In other matte the board voted to offer economic incen- tives in connection With projects planned by thE Coca Cola Bottling Co. and the Norton Chemical Process Products Corp. The board's reco mendations will be considered b the College Station and Bryar city councils and the Bra s County Commissioners Cc u rt. The incentive packages call for city and county tax abatements for four years for a planned $4 million Coca Cola distribution center in College Station, accord- ing to information provided by the Bryan- College Station Chamber of Commerce. City and county taxes would be abated for eight years in connection with a planned expansion of the Norton Corp. in Bryan. The incentive proposals don't call for abating school taxes. Forty jobs would be created by the Coca Cola project, said Gary Basinger, business development manager with the chamber. The Norton project would create 25 jobs, he said. ■ Opinions /Al2 Wednesday, December 25, 1996 i 4 ■ Obituaries /A11 ■ Sports /B1 �X l�C�'1V11 In Town &Texas Tickle e mo raises $1,200 for area charity - One of the hottest selling toys this season helped raise $1,200 for Scotty's House. A "Tickle Me Ehno" doll was given to Scotty's House by an anonymous retail- er in Bryan- College Station to raise funds for the children's shelter in Bryan. The item sells for $30 in stores, but the popular doll from the Sesame Street TV series went for much more in a radio auction sponsored by WTAW. Watch raffle brings in $1,400 for Cheer Fund Claudio Montiel of Bryan was the win- ner of the $4,525 Breitling watch raffled off by the John D. Huntley jewelry store in College Station. The w inning ticket was picked Tuesday by Mayor Lynn McIlhaney of College Station. The raffle was held to raise money for the Cheer Fund, the charity sponsored by The Bryan- College Station Eagle that gave two bags of groceries to each of 2,000 needy Brazos County families for the holidays. The Eagle paid all the overhead for the Cheer Fund but asked for donations of food and money to defray the Eagles expenses in buying food. The 1,466 tick- ets sold in the raffle raise the amount of money donated to $32,060. Probationers returning to prison, study shows AUSTIN — More often than not, .Texans placed on probation are moved to jail or prison when they violate terms of their community service, according to a new study. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice on Monday said 28 percent of 4,000 monitored probationers commit- ted , new misdeme and felony crimes within the o . years of receiving probation ;qs for prior crimes. of those. 95 percent had their proba. Some b19tt,'Some Businesses doubt economic benefits By DOUG SCZYGELSKI Eagle Staff Writer The city of College Station has big plans for the Northgate area, but some Northgate businessmen don't seem to like them. Patricia Street, between College Main and Boyett Street, is scheduled to disap- pear this year, College Station Assistant City Manager Thomas Brymer said. At a cost of $475,000, the city will create a promenade in its place, with trees and a water pond or fountain. Bernard Gessner, the owner of Aggie Cleaners on College Main, is not impressed. "Nobody in Northgate ever -asked for this promenade," Gessner said, - abut it seems to be non - negotiable. For years the motto around here was, `We need more parking, we need more parking.' But from parking being the number one pri- ority, we seem to have gone to having this promenade as the number one prior- ity." Tara Sopasakis, part-owner of the Burger Boy restaurant on Patricia Street, agreed with Gessner. "The promenade is going to make the area look more attractive," she said. "But the city is going to spend all that money and we're going to get only 10 extra park- ing spaces." City Councilman Brad Martin doubts that even 10 extra parking spaces will be created. "The plan will decrease parking," he said. "They're going to put a bicycle lane down each side of College Main and elim- inate the on- street parking there. That will hurt those businesses." Brymer said he doesn't know whether the number of parking spaces will back Northgate plan, Bernard Gessner, the owner of Aggie Cleaners on College Main, nade in place of Pat, says he is not impressed with the city's plan to create a prome- ness area. increase or decrease. say, 'Look at the study we did.' When we "The final parking lot design is not push them about things in that study, done," he said, but adding parking to the they say, 'Oh, it's only a plan.' They ask area is one of the plan's goals. for our input, then they turn around and "We cannot get a straight answer from ignore it." the city about the plans for Northgate," The city plans to build a large parking Gessner said. "When we push them, they lot on the corner of Church Avenue and State stops acce - tins 5= a: Associated Press k , „ Ac mllrh aC WP. P.I11f1V tAXIf10 eapie pnotordmn ueiana icia Street, In an effort to beautify the busl- Boyett Street, but Gessner is not happy with that plan, either. Most of the businesses here need short-term parking right in front of their stores," he said. "We don't profit at all Please see NORTHGATE, Page A13 drug t ■ ins tors "told the state comptroller's office g not to accept on any drug -tax payments," ■ ■ , mid- afternoon, sunset and night- fall. Although it is preferable to worship together in a mosque, a religion," Al- Adwani said. "I try my best to do the five daily Prayers on time, though the work- ing day does not quite fit into [the •,..� .n no„ec .am= any 'rode- Northgate." Take an Additional Fp oRiG_ R Ek gMPC PRIcE ,, cc E' o ff M N o R F - so° Entire Stock of F s�sov :Permanently Reduced Sportswear, Dresses, Suits, Intimate Afp arel, Accessories m ore For a total savings of 50 off original prices YOUR ANNUAL S NOW THW TUfS.; DF NOW THRU SAT., JAN, 4TH �� off n- _ a 2 5 o ff � AN CS:cra J1 s: hristmas Light Sets INCLUDES REPLACEMENT BULBS b OUTDOOR LIGHTED ITEMS 1/ O ff OUR EVERYDAY I nw vPIrva Christmas Picks, Bushes, Stems & Arrangements 1 /2 ' UR EV ERYDAY LOW PRICES All Christmas Ornaments 1/2 Off rzE�uLARa *aNIAn>REs All Christmas 1 Needlework Kits 1/2 _� 4 Christmas Stockings & Stocking Holders 1/2 - O OUR E VERYDAY Off Decorative Tree Northga INCLUDES ACCE550RIE5 1/2 v needed. Of CHOOSE FROM All MATTenuc n. A— T n .. RA WOOD, srAR K& a TINSEL "This is o This is one of the most valu- able business areas in Bryan- College Station," he said. "The from parking two blocks away" I Another problem, he says, is only vacancies are in buildings the city owns. The city is just that the new parking will be Paid, playing with economic and social while the current on street park- ing is bree. engineering here." Sopasakis said that the city is Gessner says no study has ever going to destroy her restaurant's building to create the paid been done to see whether ;the park_ inglot - " - -- Promenade, the bike lanes and the Parking changes will improve "The only places the city has the business climate. found to relocate our restaurant The architects draw lots of are smaller than our current loca- tion, at three times the rent, and pretty pictures," he said, "but they don't ask whether it outside the Northgate area," she will help business or marketing." Brymer disputes that. "It said. The students are her main cus- ,. depends on how you define 'mar- tomers, she noted, so she needs a location near them. keting study,'" he said. "We've studied the area and we're doing Brymer said the city has been what we think, will increase its trying to find a new location for Sopasakis' restaurant. "I hope we value. "There are lots of different can fmd a site," he said. Martin calls the Northgate kinds of businesses in Northgate: restaurants, dry cleaners, book- pro- ject an example of misguided eco- stores, all with different kinds of needs, so it's a challenge to create nomic planning. "College Station is developing a redevelopment effort that south," he said. "I don't think the public is ben everyone 1S going t0 be haD - Pfitino from �,.... A; -- •,..� .n no„ec .am= any 'rode- Northgate." 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In any e'. event, they said, residents aren't demand - h amove s competition said the two cities compete to offer st service to residents, thereby mg the overall quality of city gov- ing suc People are feeling pretty good about Whelther for political or for other rea- the direction of the communities," said sons, a merger has never been formally Bryan City Manager Michael Conduff. studied. Former College Station Mayor Larry Bryan Mayor Lonnie Stabler said he'd like to see that change. "I'm not opposed to looking at a merger to see if there are advantages or disad- vantages. We may find other ways to cooperate even if we don't merge," he said. Any discussion of merging has to take into account the pride Bryan and College Station residents take in the unique char- acters of their communities. Some local residents fear that merging ollege Station Eagle Thursday, December 36 1996 Nevi Mer ge From Al into some new entity would endanger that sense of special- ness. "It's probably not a good idea. Each of the cities wants its own identity. You'd be fighting an uphill battle to do it," said Melvin Lang, a College Stationl resident since 1970 and operator of the Personalized Story Books store at Post Oak Mall. At least a few local citizens see some merit in combining Bryan and College Station. Among them is longtime civic leader Sa m Sharp. "Newcomers say, 'Why in the world don't these two towns merge?' Nobody can give em a good reason," said Sharp "It's an invisible wall tween them. We could save money if we had them together." Sharp said he wasn't rised that city officials see liffle merit in merging. "A lot of folks are not I going to have the high - paying jobs they have now," he said. Sharp said merging into one city would make it easier to draw new companies to the area'. That argument didn't impress Ronnie Morrison, president of the Bryan- College Station Chamber of ergerunlikely Commerce. He said companies looking to locate in the area already see Bryan- College Station as a single city. (Bryan's population is 61,210; College Station's is 58,982). "There are other more impor- tant things we need to do, like get- ting four -lane highways," Morrison said. If, as Ringer said, Bryan and College Station compete in some ways, they also cooperate. In 1989, the cities established a solid waste agency to run a com- mon landfill. They also work together on economic develop- ment. "Things are working pretty well right now," Conduff said. The Eagle Date: Dec ZCo I )9�76 Houston firm desM indmT, City hopes proposed paths will make bicycle travel much safer, easier By DOUGLAS SCZYGELSKI Z Eagle Staff Writer A Houston design firm has started planning and design- ing a "bike loop" for College Station. The College Station City Council unanimously approved a contract with the firm on Dec. 12. The network of bike trails will comprise 4.1 miles of off - �h eet paths, 3.8 miles of on- street lanes, seven bridges and e tunnels that will make bicycle travel much easier. Ve want to connect Lemon Tree Park, the Arboretum, university, Anderson Park, Central Park, Wolf Pen Creek Park and other parks," said Edwin Hard, the city's transportation planner. "The designer can make some changes if they see a good reason to, but we want to keep that basic plan." The designer, Klotz Associates, Inc., of Houston, will be paid approximately $266,192. Eighty percent of that will be paid by the federal government through the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, known as ISTEA. Actually constructing the bike loop will cost an estimated $1.05 million more, with the bulk of that money to come from ISTEA too. "The availability of ISTEA funds has been beneficial to College Station because it has allowed us to promote a more pedestrian and bike - friendly community through the bike loop," said Mayor Lynn Mcllhaney. "It would have been difficult, if not impossible, to come up with these funds for this project without a matching grant." Hard said the plan includes three tunnels that will be built in box culverts: one where Wolf Pen Creek goes under Harvey Road, one where Bee Creek goes under Texas Avenue and one on the Southwest Parkway near Lemon Tree Park. Somehow, Hard said, the designers will figure out a way to run the bike paths down through the culverts and up again. Another part of the plan is to put one -way bike lanes on each side of George Bush Drive, replacing the current two- College Station's proposed bike trail would connect area parks. A Houston firm is tackling design problems through areas such as this culvert on Harvey Road. way bike lane. This will eliminate parking spaces on the street. "We'll have to bring the issue to the council of removing the parking spaces, but we've consulted the university, and there appears to be no problem," Hard said. "We all agree we need to improve the bike lane on George Bush. The cur- rent situation with the two -way bike lane is just not safe." Klotz Associates will need nine months to a year for the job, Hard said, and he defended the idea of hiring them instead of trying to use city employees to design the project. "Sometimes it's nice to get outside perspective," he said. "Sometimes you look at something so closely you get tunnel vision." Chris Arterburn, the president of the Brazos Valley Mountain Bike Association, easily found his perspective. "It's about time," he said about plans for the Bike Loop. "There are Tots of people in town who use bikes." Lay]c puUty /uuu.0 ucianu