El Campo Leader-News (El Campo, Tex.), Vol. 99B, No. 20, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 30, 1984 Page: 1 of 42
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Getting Tough
Run-OfJ Candidates Express dews
Medals Abound Q4
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Leader-N e ws
SVOBODA 1885 CITIZEN 1900
VOLUME 99-B NUMBER 20
77437
El Campo, Texas, Wednesday, May 30, 1984
25 ('ENTS
5 SECTIONS 52 PAGES
Remembering Fallen Comrades
As the solemn strains of taps sound from the bugle of El
Campo High School sophomore Ronnie Martinez, Camp
Leech and fellow members of El Campo American Legion
Post 251 salute Old Glory in honor of all American soldiers
who have died serving their country. Taking part in the an-
I N phiitu In Jim- (•urrrtnl
nual Memorial Day ceremonies Monday morning at
Oaklawn Memorial Park Cemetery, in addition to the
American Legion, were members of El Campo Veterans of
Foreign Wars Post 2786 and ladies auxiliaries of both
groups.
Sinkhole Receives Facelift
FM 442 Reconnected
At Former Landmark
By JOE (.CEBRIM
What was once a hole big enough to swallow two pickup trucks and
then some is no more
Only the memory and some “Road Work Ahead signs remain to re-
mind Boling residents of the natural phenomenon that drew national
attention to the small eastern Wharton County community of 720
I^ast Friday. FM 442. the major artery between Boling and Need
villewas officially reopened for traffic, ending a nine month severenee
of traffic between the two tow ns
The sinkhole made its appearance in a dramatic way on the night of
Aug 12. 1983 when two employees of Texasgulf Inc drove their pickup
trucks into the gaping water-filled hole
Wendel Construction Co Inc . an El Campo firm that was awarded
the bid to fill the hole by the Texas Highway Commission, was putting
the finishing touches on the restoration project that lx*gan approx
imately 60 days ago
The construction firm filled a portion of the hole with 3, >oo cubic-
yards of boulder-tvpe rock which was covered with 23.000cubic yards
of dirt The rock and dirt filled up the 250-foot in diameter by 25 loot
deep hole to serve as base for a new 800 foot section of FM 442 Pav ing
of the new stretch of road was completed by the Texas Department of
Highways and Public Transportation Thursday
Also involved in the project was construction of two Jo inch pipe
culverts and a t.too-foot ditch from the pqx- east to a creek to dram the
unfilled portion of the hole
Cause of the cave-in was attritHJted to collapsing of one of the
numerous casitir-s in the caprock in the area According to a
preliminary report delivered in Novemtier by Earl Wyatt a district ad
ministrative engineer with the Texas Highway Department th«
cavities were formed over long periods of time when minerals in Oh
ris k were dissolved by water seepage
To monitor any future ge« dog u activity in the area beneathth» filled
hole the Texas Highway llepertment tia* installed two slope indii .dot
wells The indicator wells are designed to defect anv lateral movement
Sr. s|\MHH t Page 1
Pro pert v De v a I nation
Haunts Land Owners
By JOE Gl F.KKINI
The area devastated by the Boling sinkhole may be replaceable but
some of the damage done to the lives of those living within spitting
distance of the cavernous cavity has the stamp of permanency
Of the four families whose property fell in or next to the hole, only
one remains.
As might be expected, value of the property nearest the former hole
has depreciated drastically Those that have left the immediate area
for hopefully safer ground include Mary Fojtick who moved into a
retirement home in Wharton Pete Vacek who sold his property and
the house located on it that his mother had been living in 'the house
was bought separately and moved to a different location and Johnny
Ferguson who sold his property and moved into a trailer next to his Ex
xon Gas Station in Boling
In each of the above cases where the property was sold the sellers
only received alxxjt lialf of the property's original worth
"It was better to get a little for it than nothing at all." Ferguson said
Ferguson, whose house was located 75 feet from the north lip of tlx-
hole said he thinks the rebuilding of the sunken section of FM 442 is a
waste of money < osl of tilling in the hole was $24> ooo
I don't think its finished vet.' he said of the shifting earth beneath
FM 442 He said he is still a bit wary of driving over the new stretch ot
road He said he is not the only one who thinks the Boling sinkhole s
final chapter has yet to tx- written
John Brod the only one in the v icinity not to sell reports he ha* n**ti«
ed another section of T M 442 tx-gimmig to sink He said a stretch on th»
Boling side of the former hole has dropjxxl nearly two in. Iw-s in the past
w eek s
From 12 noon to 5 |> rn the <las the sinkhole appeared 0* road
dropped more than that he said
Despite the alleged pr ability *»f more catastroflbe Ml"d a d h«
cannot afford to move out If I were a millionaire I wouldn t flunk
twice about moving he aid Hut not being a man of incredible we.-ilth
s.. I'M M I I'agr 2
Noise:
City Coun
%
Proposed(
By CHRIS BAR BEK
Mayor Cecil Davis appointed a
four-member committee Tuesday
night to come up with a recom-
mendation on a "modified" noise
ordinance after much discussion
on the matter.
At the last meeting of council
City Attorney Richard Collins was
asked to study a proposed or-
dinance He said he felt it had
some First Amendment problems
w ith it in several areas.
City fathers were told that
complaints stemming from noise
produced by three-wheelers and
dirt bikes being ridden in vacant
lots adjacent to residential sec-
tions of tow n prompted discussion
of a noise ordinance
Gail Machart, 1101 Chapel
Lane, whose children have three-
wheelers, told council the
machines' do not make excessive
noise, and that the activity keeps
her children and others out of
trouble hv giving them something
to do
"Why don't you come down to
the- creek and see what the kids
are doing down there; they're not
in trouble, they’re not tearing up
anybody’s property,” Machart
said
El Campo Police Chief Jim
Elliott said most disturbance calls
his department receives are in
regard to volume levels of radios,
stereos and television sets, and
motorcycles and thm- wheelers
which do not have the- muffler on
them.
He told council his department
could use some help in dealing
with these types of nuisances
which do disturb the peace of area
residents. He said when his of-
ficers make calls to homes or
apartments, the citizens usually
comply with the officer’s request
to turn the volume down. "If they
did refuse to comply, we couldn't
do anything about it the way it
stands now," he said.
Councilmen Walter Ely, the
mayor and Ruth Frnka voted fora
modified ordinance; Travis Kauri
and Philip Miller voted against it
and Buhba Parker was un
decided David Zalman was
absent
Appointed to the mayor's
committee to further study the
matter were Ely, Raun, Parker
and Elliott.
Fred Barbee, president of the
El Campo Museum Society, asked
council to close Evans Park all
day Thursday, June 14 tor a
downtown planter coin
memorative ceremony sponsored
by tVie Beautify El Campo
Extension of the Chamber of
t ommeree and Agriculture
Barbee said closing of the
parking area would allow the
BEE's to sel up and to allow for
traffic control on that day, which
will feature live entertainment in
the park Irorn 5-7 p.m., to he
follow ed by the dedicat ion.
In regard to another community
project, council "gave its
blessings" to Texas Sesquieen-
tcnnial activities planned by the
local Scsquiccntennial committee
chaired by Carol Sanders The
committee will lx- meeting soon to
discuss the L'»oth birthday of this
state.
Saturday Election
Captures Attention
If absentee voting totals
were any indication.
Saturday - run <>n ‘ ele< lion
has successfully captured
the attention of Wharton
County voters
Absentee voting officially
concluded at 5 p m T uesday
County Clerk Delfin Marek
reported at noon Tuesday
that 522 absentee ballots had
been cast in tin- entire
county This breaks down to
120 ballots in El Campo and
402 Da I lot s in Wharton
Democrats accounted lor 501
of the total votr-s while 2!
votes were cast in the
Republican races
The 522 total is 223 votes
less than the absentee total III
the May 5 primary
Marek said the absentee
results were very high and
could l»c attributed to several
factors tncreajwxl voter
interest the convenience of
soling absentee and the fact
of ssliorn were appointed to
then positions will he
decided Saturday. County
Judge Edward Wuthrieh is
lx-ing challenged by I .1
Irvin Jr of Wharton, County
Treasurer Gus W.-ssels Jr
faces opponent Harry Heck,
a Wharton realtor. and
District Attorney John
Itoadcs is pitted against Bay
City attorney Daniel Shin
dlcr
('hris Mealy ol < leorgetow n
and Mae Sweeney of
Wharton will he battling it
out for the (.< >P nomination
and the chance to run against
Patman in November
Democrats must also
choose Saturday Ixdween
Lloyd Doggett ol Austin and
Kent Hance ol Luhlxx-k lor
tin Deinoir.dK nomination
lot tin I S Senate a fxisition
which ssill tx vacated by
John I oss er
Fast Wharton County
tti.it many people will lx- >xjt
Democrat will base to
ot tow n
dei ide
Ix-t W .-Oil
ux urn bent
The runoff involves three
A V
1 noper
arid Carl
local government frosition*
Nm hob
s txith ol
Wharton in
and tlx- 1 s representative
the 1
*1 ee|n« t
1 county
seat foi the 14th dint net
« O III It
iis tone
is ra< e
currently tx-ld bs Bill Pat
\ no! In
i run off
tx-t w ceil
0 .ill of <.aiiado
irM uff !* ni i **f f1
. VA lute and
1 he fate of three
* 1 #hy 11
a Polak for
Dcumx fall* in. liinbent all
< Olist.l
til* I'fci It
'M • 7
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Barbee, Chris. El Campo Leader-News (El Campo, Tex.), Vol. 99B, No. 20, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 30, 1984, newspaper, May 30, 1984; El Campo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1017424/m1/1/: accessed July 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Wharton County Library.