The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 145, No. 51, Ed. 1 Saturday, August 22, 1998 Page: 2 of 15
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THE BASTROP ADVERTISER
Saturday, August 22,1998
Making homes safe
from wild fire threat
Several local, state and fed-
eral agencies and two Bastrop
homeowners cooperated re-
cently in a project to make the
homeowner's home and property
more defensible against wild-
fire.
The homeowners, located in
Tahitian Village subdivision had
attended a homeowner's meeting
at which the concept of
“defensible space,” the cleared
area around a home that will in-
hibit the spread of wildfire to
the home, was presented. Five
homeowners volunteered their
property, as demonstration pro-
jects to serve as models for
other homeowners and to add a
degree of safety for themselves,
their homes and for firefighters
in the event a wildfire occurs in
their area.
“We want to maintain a rustic
environment while achieving a
more fire-wise surroundings,”
said Kari Gray, an urban-wild-
land interface specialist for
Travis County Department of
Emergency Management and
the Texas Forest Service. Peo-
ple move to wooded areas be-
cause they like the wildness, but
the very trees and shrubs that
are close to the house could act
as a wick to draw a wildfire to
the structure, she said. t
“We can make some changes
in die vegetation around the
house so that the house is more
defensible against wildfire and
still has the character of the
wildland,” said Gray.
During the assessment of
“defensible space,” the area
around the house was divided
into three zones. Within 40 feet
qf the house, interagency work
crews thinned juniper and pine
trees so that their tops were
spaced 10 feet apart, trimmed
the branches of remaining trees
up six feet above the ground,
removed woody material, un-
derbrush and any standing dead
or diseased trees and trimmed
branches that extended over the
roof and the chimney. Materials
resulting from these activities
were either stacked as firewood
40 feet from the house, or run
through a chipper.
Large firefighting vehicles
could easily drive up to the
house, reducing the need fix
clearing 10 feet on cither side to
the driveway. In the zones fur-
ther from the house, crews re-
moved underbrush and thinned
standing trees to keep die
crowns apart, right up to the
edge of a wooded gully.
Other fire protection mea-
sures included the installation of
window screen behind existing
lattice to enclose the deck. Gray
explained that this is an incon-
spicuous treatment that is criti-
cal in guarding against embers
starting a fire under the deck.
Jim Blott, State Wildland Ur-
ban Interface Coordinator of die
Texas Forest Service, and Les
Fleming, warden at the Federal
Correctional Institution, visited
the site during the day to view
the project and to encourage the
20 workers and supervisors
from the several agencies par-
ticipating.
The Texas Forest Service is
offering to assess individual
properties or subdivisions for
fire safety. The TFS and die
cooperating agencies are per-
forming die actual work for this
project only on the five demon-
stration homes. Gray suggested
that making die subdivision
more fire safe would be a good
community project
Agencies involved included
Texas Forest Service, Bastrop
Volunteer Fire Department
Bastrop County, Lower Col-
orado River Authority, Federal
Corrections «Facility/Bastrop
Unit, Bastrop City and Bastrop
County Sheriff's Department
Other sponsors were County
Judge and Bastrop Wildfire
Mitigation Task Force. The Na-
tional Interagency Fire Preven-
tion Team provided an informa-
tion officer and press kits.
For additional information,
call Kari Gray or Richard Gray
at 512-370-8816.
For parents
Center offers help programs
All parents and child care-
givers can feel frustrated at
times. Some parents notice that
they are constantly screaming or
always being irritated.
They may find themselves
handling, spanking or hitting a
child more roughly or harder
than intended. Some parents
may not know what to do next.
The Family Crisis Center and
Parents Anonymous can help.
When you or someone you
know needs support in caring
for a child, call the Parents
Anonymous of Texas, Inc.
HEART-line at 1-800-554-2323
or Family Crisis Center hotline
at 1-888-311-7755.
Parenting groups are avail-
able to all caregivers. Class
topics include nurturing per-
sonal strengths, discipline ver-
sus punishment, communica-
tion, feelings and stages,
choices and consequences, be-
havior management, praise and
encouragement, values and sex-
uality.
Children's groups are avail-
able for most classes and sup-
port groups.
The program is approved by
most government agencies and
there is never a fee. Volunteer
opportunities are available.
Victim volunteers needed!
The Bastrop County Victim
Service is recruiting volunteers
for its crisis intervention team
working with the law enforce-
ment departments helping vic-
tims of crime and disasters and
others in need of services or re-
ferrals to community resources.
We will have a six weeks in-
tensive training class beginning
Tuesday, September 8 and run-
p.m. through October 16.
Volunteers must be a min-
imum of 21 years of age and be
willing to commit to two eight-
hour shifts per month.
If interested, please come by
200 Jackson Street and pick up
an application. The deadline fix
submitting an application to be
considered will be August 31.
For more information call
Fall Classes
Ballet
ning consecutive Tuesday and
Thursday evenings from 6 to 9
Debra Francis at 303-1080
extension 255.
ynn OualUne Dance Studia
103 - C Childers, •Bastrop
For information Call 321 -4308
Member: Dance Educators of America
Wreck kills
»
Austin man.
on U.S. 290
Tuesday
A wreck just east of McDade
claimed the life of a 39-year-old
Austin man on Tuesday.
Erick Tucker was killed
when his 1997 Ford truck hy-
droplaned and slid into another
vehicle just after 5 p.m.
According to a Department
of Public Safety accident report,
Tucker was traveling west on
U.S. 290 when he lost control of
his vehicle and began sliding
toward an eastbound truck
driven by Gerardo Herrera of
Manchaca.
One man was Injured In this accident on Wednesday after two trucks collided on FM 889.
■»ii ' I,, .............. —■ ' i ■ I. *
ED board revisits loan vote
Herrera slowed and at-
tempted to avoid the skidding
vehicle before the collision, the
report said.
on Garments to Go plant
Monday the Bastrop Eco-
nomic Development Corp, will
revisit a controversial decision
earlier this week to add
$170,000 in grant money and
low-interest loans to the
$200,000 already pledged to
Bastrop-based Garments to Go
fbr a new home in the city's
business and industrial park.
On a 3-2 vote to approve the
added incentives, Mayor Tom
Scott and ED board member
Bill Taylor voted no.
The agenda for Monday's
board meeting includes recon-
sidering the vote. Neither the
mayor nor Eric Winter, execu-
tive director of economic devel-
opment, could be reached late
Friday for comment
Over the past three years the
board and Mike Zingleman,
owner of Garments to Go,
worked out an arrangement to
build the plant on a free indus-
trial park site with a combina-
tion of loans and direct grants
which totaled $700,000. Zin-
gfeman promised to create at
least 22 new jobs.
But this summer when con-
struction bids were opened for
the project the low bid was just
short of $1 million. After nego-
tiations with the low bidder the
cost was cut to about $870,000.
The development board
agreed to add $170,000 to its
commitment
. .The increase is also slated for
city council review on Tuesday
because the dty must approve
most board spending proposals.
At least one other council mem-
ber, Willie De La Rosa, has
voiced concern about boosting
the support amount.
*
When the board met August
17, two members who also sit
on die city council-Clara May-
nard and Neil Gurwitz-were
not present
Tucker and one pasdenger in
Herrera's truck, Tlofllo Gonza-
les, were taken to Brackenridge.
Gonzales is listed in stable con-
dition.
AU involved were wearing
seatbelts, the report stated.
Budget ——
Continued from Pago 1
pendent on support fix a pay
raise.
For the debt-funded projects,
commissioners discussed either
selling certificates of obligation
or short-term tax anticipation
notes fix up to seven years. A
final decision will come later
this year.
Viral horse disease
spotted in Texas,
first time
By Rachel A Bauer
Special to the Advertiser
Texas is home to one million
horses, but it has only taken one
of those horses getting sick to
shut down most of the interstate
equine business. A horse in
Reeves County was diagnosed
with vesicular stomatitis in mid-
June, a viral disease that can
reek havoc on a herd but is not
usually fatal.
Researchers do not know the
source of the highly-contagious
infection, but they do know that
the disease tends to break out in
high, dry and desert-like cli-
mates. Infected animals develop
painful blisters and lesions in
their mouths, excessive saliva-
tion, on their tongues, around
their hooves and on their teats.
Texas Agricultural Extension
veterinarian Dr. Mike Martin
said the problem starts when the
lesions prevent the animal from
eating.
The incubation period is two
to eight days and the disease
usually runs its course in two to
three weeks, but that's a long
time for an animal not to eat
The animal loses too much
in 3 years :
weight and that's where the dan- '
ger of the disease is.
It has been three years since
the last case of VS in Texas and
the outbreak took many owners •
by surprise. All livestock in
Reeves County were restricted
to the ranch for 30 days after all
the lesions healed. Many other
states and countries do not allow
any horse across their border if
the horse is from a state with
even one confirmed case of VS.
There is a tremendous
amount of livestock movement
in the summertime, in the horse
industry especially. States like >
Kentucky are concerned about
the fact that it might become a
proHem in their state.
Vesicular stomatitis affects
horses, goats, sheep and swine.
Anyone planning to carry these
animals across state lines should
check with the state's veterinar-
ian and animal health officials
to learn of possible restrictions.
The infected horse in Texas
has healed and the Texas Ani-
mal Health Commission lifted
tiie quarantine on July 31.
■ RACHEL A. BAUER is
Bastrop County Extension Agent
— Agriculture.
JELEEUQHEJiilMBEBSi EAxT *
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■ Outside Bastrop: (800) 303-2557 EJiAlk
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■ Street: 908 Water St., Bastrop, Texas 78602-3834
■ Mailing: P.O. Box 459, Bastrop, Texas 78602-0459
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McAuley, Davis. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 145, No. 51, Ed. 1 Saturday, August 22, 1998, newspaper, August 22, 1998; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1178331/m1/2/: accessed July 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Bastrop Public Library.