The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 156, No. 14, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 18, 2009 Page: 4 of 12
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Page 4A * Bastrop 3Ldoertiser
Saturday, April 18,2009
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Editorial
What's the rush?
That's the real question at hand.
The question is not whether the city
should spend a half million dollars
to renovate city hall into a museum
and visitor's center. There are valid
points on both sides of the issue, but
why make this important decision
now? Why Monday?
Mayor Terry Orr on Tuesday
announced a special meeting for
Monday, April 20 at the request of
Councilman Joe Beal, who said he
wanted the council to make their
decision so they could focus on
other pressing issues. Beal indicated
the council would decide at that
meeting whether to provide funding
to the Bastrop County Historical
Society from Hotel Occupancy Tax
funds.
With such a weighty matter to
decide - and one that involves a
large amount of money - shouldn't
Orr have scheduled a meeting that
does not conflict with another regu-
larly scheduled city meeting, the
BEDC board? One that the entire
council can attend?
Councilmen Beal, Terry Sanders
and Willie Delarosa made the argu-
ment that the museum project is not
being rushed because there have
been numerous public meetings con-
cerning the project and the historical
society expressed their interest in the
building back in February of 2007.
However, Council woman Julie
Hart pointed out that the financial
detail s and commitments required for
the project weren't on the table until
this past February, when the results
of the feasibility study were pre-
sented to the council. The $500,000
was not specifically requested until
March.
Regardless of Hart's perception
of an increased risk to the city with
this one-time expenditure, her con-
cerns about a rushed meeting may
be valid.
More time should be taken to study
the effect of a one-time $500,000
withdrawal to the city's HOT fund
balance. A hurried Monday vote will
not make the project's unanswered
questions go away.
The normal pattern for this city
council involves attempting to
schedule special meetings - par-
ticularly when weighty items will
be decided - at a time when every-
one can attend. That was not the
case for Tuesday's meeting where
Councilman Dock Jackson stated
he had a previous commitment and
could not attend on Monday night.
Delarosa told him the equivalent of:
If you really want to be there, you'll
come.
Could the reason for the rush be
that council members approaching
the end of their term limits want to
be sure history records them as part
of this venture? If so, shouldn't they
all have that chance?
This project has far-reaching
implications. It seems that the pru-
dent route would be to wait until a
regular meeting when everyone who
needs to be there can be there, there
are no other scheduled meetings and
more information is available so the
council can make the best possible
decision.
Letters To The Editor
Please bring benches back
Dear Editor:
I have been asked
to speak next month
at the Eagle Scout
ceremony for Aidan
Branch, a young man
who brought a special
community service
project to Bastrop by
building a trail at the
Lost Pines Nature
Trail as his Eagle
Project. He has asked
me to tell those in
attendance about how
the Bastrop commu-
nity has received the
gift of a trail that he
and his fellow scouts, leaders, parents, and
friends built in September of 2008.
Sadly, I will also have to tell the group
of the theft of the two lovely cypress wood
benches that Aidan, his father and a friend
built and installed.
I doubt people who vandalize and steal
think much about the implications to those
they seek to hurt and desecrate, but I do know
that oftentimes they take great pride in claim-
ing bragging rights for their mischievous
deeds.
Somewhere there are two artfully crafted
pieces of wood that have shown up from an
anonymous source to serve as someone's
benches or perhaps
they have been
adapted to some
other purpose.
Of our com-
munity I ask this:
Help us return those
symbols of honor
and respect to their
rightful place. We
don't care to pun-
sh and lay blame,
but we would like
to restore the good
work of Aidan to our
community.
If you know where
these benches are, or
who s responsible,
we request that you simply and anonymously
have the benches returned ... no questions
asked. Or if the person who is responsible is
of such character as to own up to the deeds
and wishes to help us reinstall the benches,
there will be no offense taken, no charges or
retribution. In fact, we will embrace his/her
courage. I would like to tell them that our
community rises above such acts by cherish-
ing and, when necessary, restoring the integ-
rity of the gifts given us.
Steve Box
Project Coordinator
Lost Pines Nature Trails
Pictured is one of the cypress benches
a local boy scout built and installed as
his Eagle Scout project. The benches
have gone missing.
avors osser or counci
Dear Editor:
This letter is in support of Christy Kosser
for Bastrop City Council Place 5. Christy has
served on many committees and currently
serves on the Planning & Zoning Commission
to which she was appointed by the mayor in
2004.
She is a member of the Bastrop's Main
Street Program Advisory Board as appointed
by the mayor, Bastrop's Main Street Program
Organization Committee and Newsletter
Committee, Bastrop County MLK Holiday
Commission and chairs the vendor commit-
tee for NatureFest. She has also served on the
Tahitian Village Property Owner's Assn. &
Architectural Control Committee, as well as
Bastrop Pink Santa. She has been involved
with National Night Out, Clean Sweep and
Environmental Stewardship.
Christy is very dedicated to improving our
community as evidenced by her varied activi-
ties throughout Bastrop. She has always served
without a personal agenda. She will provide a
voice for all of the citizens of Bastrop. Bastrop
is a rapidly growing city and it is time to
elect people who will represent more than
just the historic district and who will serve
with a vision for our future. Riverside Grove,
Hunters Crossing, Tahitian Village as well as
other areas all need a fair and impartial voice.
As a previous city council member for
eight years, I know the commitment and dedi-
cation required to serve on our city council.
Please consider giving your vote to Christy for
Bastrop City Council Place 5.
John Creamer
Mary Jo Creamer
Bastrop
pending priorities doubted
Dear Editor:
I write this letter concern-
ing our President's Stimulus
Plan. Before being elected,
President Obama said this,
" We can no longer accept a
process that doles out ear-
marks based on a member of
Congress." He also said, "I
We can do better with students
Dear Editor:
Approximately three years
ago, my wife and I chose the
beautiful city of Bastrop in
which to retire. I spent 43
years as an educator, and my
wife, 35 years, and we felt
it was time to do something
else. We would certainly not
choose anywhere to live but
Bastrop and love most things
we see and do here. However,
educationally, we truly believe
we can do better.
After spending 40 years
teaching in one of the out-
standing school districts in
Texas, we believe many of the
tilings we did in that district
could be examples that might
be used in Bastrop. So many
of our programs at Midland
High School were extremely
successful and as I observe
similar programs in our
Bastrop system, I wonder why
our programs aren't equally as
successful.
Why does the school dis-
trict continue to prioritize the
purchases of a new expensive
scoreboard ($335,000), artifi-
cial turf, and other spending,
including paying a premium
price for the property for
CCHS? When I read about
these decisions, I believe the
instruction and the hiring of
quality people are taking a
back seat. To be absolutely
truthful, our athletic programs
are at best, mediocre. I want
the people making the deci-
sions to get their priorities in
order.
We have two school cam-
puses that are rated as academ-
ically unacceptable. I believe
our lack of achievement in ath-
letics and academics has little
to do with socio-economics or
the ethnicity of the parents. We
hire teachers and principals to
generate the excitement in a
classroom that will make kids
want to learn. But...what about
those test scores? What about
our drop-out rate? What about
not winning in athletics? Are
we to accept not winning in
athletics or academics because
we live in Bastrop?
I feel we need new direc-
tion. A school system is the
heart of the community. I
have met and discussed my
ideas with Jim Clark and truly
believe he should be our choice
to represent these ideas for us.
Please join me in supporting
Jim Clark as a member of the
Bastrop school board.
Jack Stephenson
Bastrop
Vote or esse us or city counci
Dear Editor:
As parents of young children, we
encourage everyone to join us in voting
Ken Kesselus for city council.
I have known Mr. Kesselus for more
than 25 years. He and his wife Toni
moved here in the early 1980s because
they knew Bastrop would be a wonder-
ful place to rear their girls, Elizabeth and
Anna.
I have such admiration for Mr. Kesselus
- for the love, passion, and commitment
he has for this great town of ours. He still
values Bastrop as a great place for young
families to build lives for themselves and
their children. I know as a council mem-
ber he will work to keep our community
a fabulous one in which to live and in
which children can grow up in a very lov-
ing and healthy environment.
As a longtime (bank) employee, I have
watched how effectively we have grown
yet maintained a small-town feeling. I
want the same things for Bastrop as a
whole and for my children, and I believe
that Ken Kesselus can help make this hap-
pen. Please join my husband Brad and me
and vote for Ken Kesselus May 9.
Sincerely,
Tracie and Brad Bartsch
Bastrop
Advertiser coverage questioned
Dear Editor:
Your front page story (April
11) by Jacqueline Davis, "Use
of City Hall a Hot Topic,"
turned The Historical Society
into "The His Story Society."
When I brought up the
idea that Bastrop has over
100 local artists performing
in all the different media in
The Bastrop Fine Arts Guild
and they could enhance, sup-
port, both financially and
with assistance in manning
the facility, it wasn't even
reported. When my pleas
were restated by a guest
architect from the Texas State
Historical Society, even he
was not quoted. The fact that
some communities respect
and help support arts went on
tone-deaf ears. I asked that 10
percent of the over all 8,000
square footage be offered as
a juried gallery to amplify the
nostalgia and local romance
that is Central Texas. No reac-
tion. I guess it's always going
to be "The His Story Society"
and not "Our Story." When
you hold a town meeting and
only report what you want to
hear, it's not a town meeting.
If this sounds arrogant, it is
a reflection of how we were
treated.
Yours truly,
J. L. Snyder
Bastrop Fine Arts Guild
Editor's Note: Because
there were a large number
of people who gave an opin-
ion at the public meeting, as
a practical matter and due
to space constraints, not all
comments given were quot-
ed. Our reporter highlighted
the comments that pertained
to the main issue: Should
the city and the Historical
Society enter into this agree-
ment? If and when the city
and the society enter into an
agreement, we will happily
explore the contributions
of your organization to the
project in a future article.
Submission requirements
Please include your name, address and tele-
phone number when submitting letters to the
editor. Your street address and phone number
will not be published. Letters should be 350
words or less. The Advertiser reserves the right
to edit letters for libel, clarity and length.
want to pass a budget next
year that ensures that each
dollar we spend reflects only
our most important national
priorities."
Now that he is elected,
President Obama's stimu-
lus plan contains 9,000
earmarks. The price totals
$7.7 billion dollars! And,
ing facility, $819,000 for
catfish genetics research and
$200,000 for tattoo remov-
al. Those are just a few of
our "most important nation-
al priorities." All of these
seem very unnecessary and
Americans are paying for
all of it. Adults today pay
attention to many things but
according to the president, don't seem to pay any atten-
these are our most important tion to this. And if they are,
national priorities: $1.7 mil- then why are they letting it
lion for pig odor research, happen?
$2.1 million for the center
of Grape Genetics research, Alicia Aguilar, 11
$870,000 for a wolf breed- Bastrop
Ulie Bastrop aducrtiscr
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Wright, Cyndi. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 156, No. 14, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 18, 2009, newspaper, April 18, 2009; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth252574/m1/4/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Bastrop Public Library.