The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 73, No. 42, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 16, 1985 Page: 1 of 18
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he Merce
enterprise
Mercedes, Texas 78570 Wednesday, October 16, 1985
Volume 73
Number 42
Price 25c
‘Fire protection fee’ passes
COYOTES ARE NEXT TEST
Defense ‘bright spot’ at Los Fresnos
Architect Tom Ashley, reporting December, if a certified roll is
“Why?
THEIR RECIPES MADE COOK BOOK -- Two Mercedes homemakers
had recipes selected by HEB Food Company for inclusion in the
“Texas Favorites” cookbook, a collection of family recipes. Mrs.
Velma A. Karle, right above, had entries on tomato aspic, quiche
Lorraine and salmon patties chosen, while Mrs. Ruby Dillon’s fresh
cornbread recipe was selected. The cookbook was compiled in
celebration of the grocery firm’s recent 80th anniversary observance,
and will be available at the local store. [Mercedes Enterprise Photo.]
The officials approved fees of $1
per residential utility customer and
$2.50 for business customers,
Mercedes football fans might
well want to paraphrase the old
saying and state that it’s not how
you play, but whether you win or
lose that’s important.
The Tigers did post a 21-0
victory over Los Fresnos Friday, but
in the words of Coach Pete Vela,
“We played poorly.”
Vela says the blocking was
No action was taken on the
matter.
Tax Collector Ismael Luna, Jr.,
offering his report, told trustees tax
statements could be mailed by early
Bond passage would establish
new taxes for road improvements
Mercedes citizens will vote
November 5 on the issue of a bond
. election to pay for area road
improvements.
The $3.5 million bond issue for
Road District 16, encompassing
Mercedes, La Villa and Edcouch,
would pay for improvements to
some 54.5 miles of roadway in
eastern Hidalgo County.
The bond issue would cost
taxpayers 24 cents per $100
valuation on their property for the
first 16 months after the bond sale.
Thereafter, the rate would become
21 cents per $100, with pay-off
coming in 20 years. Citizens are not
presently paying a road district tax, |
according to Anselmo Sanchez of |
the county tax assessor’s office.
Mercedes area roads would
receive some $2,235 million in
reconstruction and overlay improve-
ments. Slated for reconstruction are
34.68 miles of rural roads around
Mercedes, with 2.71 more marked
for overlay. Some 1.68, including
Mercedes’ Prosperity Drive and
Tangerine Street, will be paved
with curb and gutters installed.
to the board, announced that bids
on a six-room addition at West
Elementary and the physical
education facility expansion at high
school could be reviewed at a
meeting October 30.
The hiring of Wilkins Inter-
national as consultant on the high
school track project was approved
for a fee of $10,000. The firm will
help decide “the important ques-
tion” of which track surface is best,
reported the architect. The track
should be ready by March 1 and the
start of track season, it was told.
Trustees instructed the district’s
received by the end of October. In a
related matter, trustees, on a split
vote, named Gilbert Pena of
Weslaco, as their nominee for a
place on the board of the Hidalgo
County Tax Apraisal District. Mr.
Pena is presently an incumbent on
that body.
Low bids were, accepted from
two firms offering to sell vehicles to
[Continued to Page 10.]
LEARNING PATRIOTISM -- Each school day at West Elementary
begins with a flag-raising ceremony. Students there, including those
shown above with their principal, Mrs. Olivia G. Galvan, are learning
patriotism as part of a “Pride, Accountability and Responsibility”
program, designed to build character and citizenship in public school
students. Classes alternate in attending the flag ceremonies and, in
addition, devote classroom time to study of patriotic songs, read
stories about the flag and the country and learn explanations behind
the honor and respect of the flag. [Mercedes Enterprise Photo.]
Sanctioning ceremony set
Official sanctioning of Mercedes Independence Community certifi-
"I pledge
allegiance ...
Mercedes public school trus-
tees devoted more time to discus-
sion of paving and expanded dis-
trict facilities at a meeting last
week.
CLEARWELL WORK UNDERWAY •- Man and some $500,000, paid through a grant from the Texas
machine have cut a huge -- 1.2 million gallon - hole Department of Community Affairs. A six-month
into the ground on South Illinois Avenue at the site of completion is seen for the project. [Mercedes
a new clearwell for the city. To provide necessary Enterprise Photo.]
underground water storage facilities, the well will cost
Mercedes defense was once again a
bright spot. Tigers held Los Fresnos
to 154 yards total offense and
captured eight turnovers, including
five pass interceptions. Mercedes
has now allowed only six points
over the past four games.
Arnold Ramirez picked off two
errant LF passes while Larry
Morales, Armando Reyes and
Albert Cabrera each had one.
Cabrera was named defensive
player of the game for his efforts by
Mercedes coaches.
Mercedes netted just 160 yards
offensively, despite an impressive
start that saw them post a 14-0 lead
in a little more than half of the first
quarter. Quarterback Rene Gua-
jardo (named offensive player for
the game) tossed scoring passes to
Carlos Pimentel (14 yards) and
Manuel Guerra (10 yards) to put
points on the board.
Guajardo was four for seven in
the passing department for the
night, but suffered one interception.
Guerra, who also scored the
final Tiger TD for the night, carried
I 23 times for 63 yards, to bring his
season total to 679 yards in five
games.
Horacio Guzman, the third
member of the ‘Killer Gs,’ missed
the game with a hamstring pull
and, says Vela, “we may hold him
out of this game, too. We don’t
want to take a chance on playing
Horacio until we’re sure he’s 100
percent.”
A win Friday will bring the
Mercedes season mark to 5-1, and
put them atop the district with a 3-0
mark.
engineering firm, Sigler, Winston,
Greenwood and Associates, to
compose plans and bid specific-
ations for paving projects at two
schools. At Taylor Elementary,
alternate plans will be considered
for construction of a bus drive, one
to circle Tiger Stadium on the West
and intersect with Armory Lane,
and the other to be placed
immediately east of the east
bleachers within Tiger Stadium.
The first option would cost some
$43,073, while the second only
$11,664.
Additional staff parking will also
be provided at the school, on the
southeast corner of Tiger stadium.
Estimated cost for that work is
$11,513.
At high school, a bus lane will
be constructed to connect Rio Rico
Road with the existing campus
roads, at costs of between $102,390
and $123,800.
Similar work -- a bus drive and
expanded parking -- at West
Elementary has been delayed until
@ sewer and water line improvements
are made.
Trustees also gave consideration
to establishment of a vocational
agriculture project area on district-
owned land just east of Rio Rico
Road and North of Tenth Street.
The facilities being considered ,
would include pens for animal
projects, room’ for pasture or
— cropland and some building
•facilities. Cost is estimated at
between $50,000 and $100,000.
question.
“It’s painted to look like a
dirty cloud,” he explained.
That usually sufficed, says
Col. Lentz.
(On a more .serious note,
it’s reported that vandals
struck at the CAF show, too.
We’re told that in spite of the
best efforts of military person-
nel assigned to planes on dis-
play for the public, pencil-
written obscenities were found
on the aircraft. In another inci-
dent, some demented soul had
tossed a key into the air-intake
portion of one of the jet
engines on an air force
fighter.)
City commissioners voted Tues-
day to impose a new “fire
protection fee’’ to finance the
purchase of a new fire truck.
was the next
Among the streets to be
improved are North Washington,
south Baseline, far south Rio Rico,
Armory Road and a number of
roads to the northeast and
southwest of town.
Members of the District 16 Bond
Election committee met for the
third time Monday night, discussing
strategies for pre-election publicity
and fund raising. Mercedes
representatives present were Co-
Chairman Gilberto Dominguez,
Mercedes mayor, and City Commis-
sioner Oswaldo Castaneda. Other
local people on the board are
Co-Chairman Atanacio Hinojosa,
Jr., Roy Dominguez and Marvin
Schwarz.
Absentee voting on the issue is
concept, as Mayor Gilberto Do-
minguez said.
The item will not be added to
utility bills until it is approved by
ordinance. Depending on the
vehicle purchased, pay-off should
come in six to seven years, it was
told.
Staff members were also
authorized to advertise for bids for
the fire truck.
now underway at Hidalgo County having conducted two public
Courthouse. It runs through hearings on the matter previously
November 1. and finding “support” for the
Seen 9n Heard
In Mercedes...
THERE IS SOME
THOUGHT GIVEN to the fact
(?) that we’re celebrating too
many holidays around here.
It seems logical that it
wouldn’t hurt to combine some
so as to make a day more
significant and more worthy of
observance.
Case in point: Wednesday
is to be noted as “National
Boss’ Day.” Saturday is set
aside as “Sweetest Day.”
What better chance could
there be to make one holiday
of two?
“atrocious. We don’t teach tech- Pace has a lot of talent.”
niques like that.” Key to the game will be
Saying the team “must learn” stopping the sprint-outs and quick
from a game like this, Vela vows traps that power the LJ offense,
his Tigers “will do better against “The Coyotes have two quarter-
La Joya.” backs that alternate plays. They’re
“No question that La Joya is a both good. We need to be careful
good team. They may be playing a no matter who’s directing their
bunch of ‘no-names,’ but anybody attack,” says Vela.
that comes close (0-7) to beating If offensive blocking was a cause
for concern last Friday, the
as a Texas Independence Com- cate to Mayor Gilberto Dominguez
munity will come Friday during and the Official SQ Flag to
halftime of the high school football Mercedes SQ Committee Chairman
game. Dan Morrison.
Musical accompaniment will be
District Judge Homer Salinas of provided by the Mercedes High
Mercedes will represent the State School Band, while the MHS
Sesquicentennial Committee at the JROTC will provide an honor guard
ceremony. He will present the escort during the ceremony.
Classrooms, paving
occupy MISD board
* * *
BET YOU’RE WONDER-
ING JUST HOW MUCH
taxpayers are paying in energy
costs in order to ait-condition
Mercedes schools.
If you remember, the school
district completed air-condi-
tioning of all schools this
summer. No more hot class-
rooms. No more hot students.
No more hot teachers. The
result should be a better
learning environment, say
educators.
But what about the cost of
energy?
The answer is surprising.
Electric bills for the district
actually went DOWN for
September as compared to one
year ago.
Superintendent Monte
Churchill reported the district’s
bill for September was down
by $299.50. And this year’s
figures included an extra
$1,000 needed to keep the
MHS gym at an abnormally
low temperature in order to
properly “cure” the new
flooring.
Savings are due to an
energy management system
installed along with the
air-conditioning, says the
superintendent.
Computers monitor class-
room temperatures, water
heating and almost all other
thermostatically controlled de-
vices. When energy is needed,
it’s available. When it’s not,
there’s a shut down.
There haven’t been any
complaints by students or
faculty, that we’re aware of.
And taxpayers certainly
have no gripes. .
* * *
SOMETHING STRANGE IS
HAPPENING to some of the
granite poles that serve as
standards for downtown street
lights.
CPL’s Ruben Montemayor
is aware of the problem and is
trying to get things right
again.
CPL poles in front of both
banks and the former Western
Auto location are losing bits
and pieces. Could be the wind,
could be something unknown
or could even be some sort of
vandalism, says the CPL
manager.
In any event, there’s a work
order in to change the poles,
says Ruben. “We’ll replace
them with aluminum ones as
soon as possible.”
Next time you’re down-
town, take a look and see if
you can figure out the cause.
The rest of us only know
what the problem is.
* * *
THERE WAS LT. COL.
JUMPY standing by his
Lentz-mobile (known in official
government circles as an F-4
Phantom Jet) at the Confeder-
ate Airsho ‘85 ready to show
off the plane and answer
questions.
He reports a favorite of the
ground arm of the jet-set was
“Why don’t you wash your
planef”
“It’s supposed to look this
way,” was his answer.
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The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 73, No. 42, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 16, 1985, newspaper, October 16, 1985; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1614036/m1/1/: accessed July 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.