The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 60, No. 34, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 21, 1975 Page: 1 of 10
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No. 34
Price 10£
Vol. 60
Mercedes, Texas 78570 Thursday, August 21, 1975
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Flood in 1922 brought
water to floor of house
[EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is the last of a series written for readers of
the Enterprise by Julie Fernandez, former staff member and now a reporter for
the Austin American Statesman. The series told of historically significant and
interesting buildings in and around Mercedes.]
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Final approval of the 1974-75 school
budget, adoption of a budget for 1975-76
and the setting of a tax rate were items
facing members of the Mercedes School
Board when they met in special session
Tuesday at the high school cafeteria.
Expect 3,200
students for
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begin
switching funds, using accumulated
interest, and changing work schedules,
the program is now possible, said Mr.
Brown. There is some $370,000 available
on deposit for use in this project and for
use in the city share of the new sewer
plant.
The schedule of new water lines is as
follows:
• <" 1 ton will preach at the Morning Worship
> Hour at the First Baptist Church of
I Mercedes, August 24.
I He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. T. L.
Young of Mercedes. Rev. Young was
TWO A DAY WORKOUTS FOR MHS Tigers are directed by these vanity coaches. Above, left to right, are George Cardenas,
Athletic Director and Head Football Coach David Robledo, Armando Cuellar, Jr., John Struthers, Buddy Heald, Joe Gonzales
and Alfredo Lugo. First public appearance for the 1975 team will be Friday at 7:30 p.m. when the Tigers take on Los Fresnos in
a controlled scrimmage at Tiger Stadium. [Mercedes Enterprise Photo.]
First look will
“Our attitude is coming along, but
we still need to know our goals and work
towards them,” says MHS Coach David
Robledo.
Coach Robledo and his staff are now
busy with some 45 potential varsity
Tigers in two-a-day workouts. The stress
is on “Conditioning, execution and
offensive and defensive recognition,” he
says.
“We’re trying to bring the squad
along slowly...with an emphasis not only
on those three listed areas, but also on
attitude. With the development of a
proper winning attitude...this bunch can
be really tough in district play,” says the
coach.
First test for the Tigers will be this
Friday night at 7:30 p.m. when they
meet the Los Fresnos team in a
controlled scrimmage at Tiger Stadium.
“We’ll be working on our execution,
mostly on the running game. In fact,
we’ll do very little, if any throwing,”
Robledo says.
Tigers will lineup for the scrimmage
as follows:
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Little did Walter Collier know that only less than three months after building
his new home in Mercedes, it would be threatened by one of the worst disasters
in the community’s history, the flood of 1922.
But unlike some of Mercedes’ residences that were lost in that flood, the
Collier “weatherboard” frame house survived. In fact, it still remains today as
the residence of Mrs. Walter Collier on S. Indiana St.
Once surrounded by four city blocks of farmland owned by Mrs. Collier’s
father, E. H. Diehl, the Collier residence now neighbors a community housing
project on one side and a wasteland of brush on the other. Beautiful ebony trees
one time along with a nearby grape field where
were sold by the pound or the ton, Mrs. Collier
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Taxpayers will pay at rate of
$1.20 on new assessed values
On hand to watch the proceedings
were some two dozen members of the
Mercedes Taxpayers League.
After discussion, and listening to
ideas from league members, trustees
voted to put the tax rate at $1.20 per
$100 of valuations, based on two-thirds
of actual value. The tax roll, as certified
by the Board of Equalization, is
$48,614,510 in actual market value. The
newly set tax rate, based on a 90 percent
collection ratio and on the two-thirds of
actual value, will yield a paper thin
surplus of about $9,000 if there are no
unanticipated expenses to the school
district.
Proposed spending for the district for
the coming school fiscal year will amount
to $2,935,444, up by more than $900,000
from the actual budget of 1974-75. Most
of the increase is caused by state
directed raises in salaries for profession-
al personnel. Salary increases will
account for more than $700,000 of the
increase in the budget. Professional
payroll for the Mercedes district now
tops the $2 million figure.
Other items showing an anticipated
increase are utility bills, up $22,700 from
figures one year ago.
Construction throughout the district
is budgeted this year, with $72,000 plus
being planned for office additions,
classrooms and a cafeteria kitchen.
The amended budget for last year
was finalized at $2,017,189, just $15,000
over the figures proposed last year.
This year the Mercedes district will
pay $63,000 to the retirement of school
bonds and pay another $61,228 on
interest on bonds.
Five off, five on
Chamber Board
Directors of the Mercedes Chamber
of Commerce accepted the resignations
of five of their members and made
replacement appointments to the board
at a meeting Monday of this week.
Resigning were directors Marvin
Schwarz, Rogelio Tijerina, Charles
Bertholf, Sergio Gonsalez and Ruben
Hinojosa.
Named to serve on the board were
Jody Evans, Robert Gracia, Mrs.
Frances Cooper, J. R. Hinojosa and Roy
Jackson.
Barth’s Garage was selected
‘Business of the Month’ for July.
Rio Rico Road — from Orange Street
to the south city limits.
Seventeenth Street - from Florida to
Rio Rico Road.
Florida - from Mercedes high school
to the Arroyo.
The entire Queen City Annex area.
Capisallo Street -- Third to Sixth
Street.
Baseline Road - from Expressway 83
to the north city limits.
Calderia Drive - from Washington to
Vermont and to Willacy Street.
Mile Two West - from Business
Highway 83 south to the trailer park.
Kansas Street -- from Fifth to Avenue
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The delay in the project was caused,
in part, by the federal government
discontinuing participation in water line
programs. It as originally thought that
federal money would be matched on a
fifty-fifty basis with local bond funds,
and when that money was no longer
available, new plans were needed to be
made by the city. Under a system of
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In other business the commission
changed the date of a public hearing on
the proposed site of a sewage treatment
plant to September 22 in order to comply
with legal requirements. Mr. Brown says
that date will also be set as a public
hearing on the 1975-76 city budget.
Currently there are more than a
dozen applicants for the post of city
manager. It is expected that the
commission will move with due
deliberation in selecting the successor to
Mr. Brown, who has accepted the
position of manager of Henderson,
Kentucky.
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come on Friday
Basically, the MHS team is in good
shape as far as injuries. “We’re going to
limit the play of Rangel and Vela
because of a knee problem and a pulled
muscle. The only other injuries we have
are muscle problems with Ernesto
Castaneda, Rafael Rodriguez and Mario
Garcia,” says the coach.
Robledo has cited leadership shown
so far by Eloy Garcia, Gibby Moreno and
Albert Rangel, plus the hard work and
good, steady performance of Gary
Miller. “But,” says the coach, “the first
real test will come Friday night. After
that we’ll all know a whole lot more
about the 1975 Tigers.”
OFFENSE
Juan Vallejo, center; Eloy Garcia,
right guard; David Vasquez, right tackle;
Elmo Martinez, tight end; Manuel
Estrada or Albert Ortiz, left guard; Gary
Miller, left tackle; Danny Pena, split
end; Lee Garza, flankerback; Gibby
Moreno, quarterback; Albert Rangel,
halfback; and Ricky Vela, fullback.
David Prado will see duty at halfback
and Roddie Garcia will get action at the
fullback slot, according to Robledo.
DEFENSE
Eloy Garcia, noseguard; Miller and
Ortiz, tackles; Martinez and David
Rodriguez, ends; Moreno, strong
linebacker; Ramiro Cano, quick lineback-
er; David Pena and George Pena,
cornerbacks; and Prado and Garza,
safeties.
Some 27,750 feet of line, together
with 30 hydrants and all necessary
connections, will be installed in a three
Ynonth program that should begin by the
middle of September, says Dick Brown,
city manager. Commissioners took
quotations’ from four firms to supply the
needed materials and accepted the low
quotation of McAllen Pipe and Supply
Company for $91,172.20. Estimated total
cost to the city for the entire project is
$130,000, said Brown. City labor will be
used to provide a savings.
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Project will
City commissioners met in special
session Monday and gave the go ahead
signal to begin a water line laying
program that was originally authorized
by voters in a 1972 bond election.
class Monday
Monday marks the beginning of the
school year for an expected 3,200
students of Mercedes, and Superinten-
dent of Schools Lauro Guerra says “we
are looking forward to another fine
year.”
Mr. Guerra says that program and
teaching aide improvements are the
reasons for his optimistic outlook.
“We’ve had a chance to re-assess and
strengthen enrichment programs and
curriculum offerings begun last year and
funded with federal money.”
Meeting the students Monday will be
175 classroom teachers, 25 administra-
tors and 200 supporting personnel who
will serve in teacher aide, office,
cafeteria and maintenance positions.
All the administrative positions are
occupied but vacancies in high school
math, business and driver’s education
have yet to be filled.
All students will register Thursday,
August 21 at the schools they will enter
Monday. Registration for kindergarten
will be at West Elementary, first and
second grades at Kennedy Elementary,
third and fourth grades at Travis
Elementary, fifth grade at Taylor
Elementary, sixth grade at Graham,
seventh and eighth grades at junior high
and senior high school students at the
high school.
Mr. Guerra estimates peak enroll-
ment will near 4,100.
Rre-kindergarten through grade two
will attend school from 8:30 a.m. until
2:30 p.m., grades three through six from
8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., junior high
school students will go to classes from 8
a.m. until 3:15 p.m. and high school
students will be in school from 8 a.m.
until 3:45 p.m.
Bus runs will begin Monday with
routes and schedules the same as last
year.
Rev. Young to preach at Baptist Church
The Rev. Grady Young of Washing- born in Mercedes, and was graduated
> from Mercedes high school. He is a
graduate of the University of Corpus
Christi, and the Southwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary of Ft. Worth,
Texas.
School tax rate is set; budget is adopted
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Pool closing Sunday
Swimming at the Civic Center pool
will end this Sunday for the season, says
City Inspector Isidro Carr “and its been
another successful year.”
Mr. Carr reports that a total of
15,008 persons used the city facility this
year, up slightly from previous records.
He says that programs involving
Mercedes, La Villa and La Feria schools
brought 5,323 customers. General public
admission added another 9,685.
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graced the original grounds at
numberous kind of grapes
recalls.
A ballpark, located near the Collier home at the corner of what is now Tenth
and Washington Sts., was quite a center of excitement during those days.
“My daughter, Margie, used to watch the games from atop a tree in our
yard so she’d keep from paying (for a ticket),” Mrs. Collier said. “We had a lot
of excitement when one night a girl found a centipede in the ticket booth.”
The Collier home, built by well known city carpenter Jake Fossler, stands
approximately four feet off the ground, a precautionary measure against floods.
Mrs. Collier recalls that water had risen to the floor during the ‘22 flood, but
subsided when the levee broke elsewhere thus relieving any further rise.
Mrs. Collier has lived in the frame home for 53 years, and it remains
basically the same. Five spacious, comfortable rooms still house some of the
original “mission furniture”, as well as fond memories of one of the Valley’s
oldest communities.
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ONE THOUSAND POUNDS PLUS - It’s been a busy month so far for Mercedes
police with some 17 arrests made in narcotics connected cases. Above, Lt. R. M.
Register of the Mercedes force poses with some of the 1,000 pounds of marijuana
seized by local and federal officers in a raid north of Donna last Wednesday.
Thirteen officers took the illegal weed and charged four local men with ‘possession’.
Narcotic arrests in August include four felony marijuana cases, 10 misdemeanor
marijuana charges, five heroin charges and one case of possession of narcotic
paraphernalia. [Mercedes Enterprise Photo.]
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THE COLLIER H0ME...as it looked in early 1920’s.
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AND THEN THEY’LL REPAVE -- City workmen, above, are now busy installing
some 1,700 feet of six inch AC [clay] water pipe along 14th Street between Illinois
and Missouri Streets. The new pipe replaces ‘old and deteriorating cast iron pipe’
that has been in place for years, say city spokesmen. Completion of the pipe laying
is expected next week, and street repaving will be completed within 90 days.
[Mercedes Enterprise Photo.]
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The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 60, No. 34, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 21, 1975, newspaper, August 21, 1975; Mercedes, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1371513/m1/1/: accessed June 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.