The Bastrop County Times (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 87, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 11, 1978 Page: 1 of 22
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F. 0. Box 45436
Dallas, Texas 75235
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SERVING: SMITHVILLE, BASTROP, ELGIN and ALL BASTROP COUNTY
VOL.87, NO. 18
FOUR SFCTIONS. 2b PAGES
THURSDAY MAY 11. 1978
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Commissioners Face June 3 Run-Off
Griesenbeck Gets Nomination
Saturday was a rough day for
Bastrop County incumbents as one
was defeated, two were forced into
runoffs and another barely escaped
his challenger in the democratic
party primary.
Incumbent County Judge Jack
Griesenbeck withstood a strong
challenge by James T. Odiorne,
finally holding a 200-plus vote mar-
gin as the last box reported in to the
county courthouse at 3 a.m. Sun-
day.
The victory gives Griesenbeck the
Democratic nomination and an al-
most certain return to office as
there are no Republican candidates
for the position.
The final unofficial count was
2,678 for Griesenbeck and 2,475
for Odiorne.
In the county judge's race,
Odiorne won seven of the 17 boxes,
with his best support coming in
the Paige, McDade, and Cedar
Creek areas.
Griesenbeck, on the other hand,
was strongest in Smithville and
West Bastrop.
Both incumbent county commis-
sioners in precincts 2 and 4 will
face opponents in runoff elections
on June 3.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Howard
S. Burns barely outpolled his two
challengers and will face one of
them, Billy Davis, in a runoff.
Burns polled 584 votes to 572 for
Davis and 491 for Seidel.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Emil
Mogonye just barely missed
avoiding a runoff election, but failed
by two votes and must face chal-
lenger Marvin Markert on June 3.
Mogonye received 565 votes to
312 for Market. V. P. Murphy
was third with 257 votes.
In Precinct 2, challenger O. B.
Warnke soundly defeated incum-
bent Justice of the Peace A. W.
(Buck) Bonorden, 1042 to 476.
In fact, Warnke easily carried
all five voting boxes in the pre-
cinct.
Incumbent Howard McGee,
Sr., defeated Beth Hall in the
race for Justice of the Peace.
Precinct 4. Hall carried Box 6 by
almost 50 votes, but McGee won
handily in Boxes 2 and 8 to survive
the threat.
Bastrop County followed the rest
of Texas in favoring John Hill
over Dolph Briscoe for governor,
but went against a statewide trend
by supporting Joe Christie over
Bob Krueger for U.S. Senator.
Hill gathered approximately 800
more votes in. the county than
Briscoe, while Christie outpolled
Krueger by 640 votes.
The county's voters also went
against the rest of the state as every
voting precinct voted in favor of
pari-mutuel horse racing by local
option.
Council Rejects Board Nominee
SMITHVILLE SLUGGER—Concentration is the key to success as this
young lady brings the bat to the ball Saturday. The Smithville Little
League began its season last weekend despite threatening skies. For
results, see page five in today's TIMES. -Times Photo
SMITHVILLE — The Smithville
City Council turned down Mayor
Bill Davison's nomination to place
his wife, Thelma, on the Library
Board.
The council decision was only
part of a busy, four-hour session
Monday night.
Mayor Davison read a letter
outlining his wife's qualifications
to serve on the board position va-
cated by Marge Snyder.
Last month former Mayor Law-
rence Skelley submitted a letter
asking that the city consider him
for an appointment to the same pos-
ition.
"Everything she (Thelma) has
done has been in the interest of
the library," Davison told the
council.
Councilman Robert Smith noted
that the position is non-paying so
the question of nepotism appears
void, but other council members
questioned the possibilities of con-
flicts of interest.
Smith, in order to bring the mat-
ter to a vote, moved that the
nomination be approved, but the
motion died for lack of a second.
The mayor said he would con-
sider other applicants and make
suggestions at a future meeting.
In another matter concerning the
library, Mayor Davison reported
that Gaeke Construction Company's
sub-contractor, Brenhain Roofing
Company, had estimated that
repairs to the library roof will total
about $5,300.
It was suggested that the mayor
look into estimates for putting slant
roof on the facility. No action was
taken pending his report.
The new mayor also made his
Bastrop Approves Traffic Amendment
BASTROP — Hoping to clear up
traffic congestion on Main Street,
the Bastrop City Council approved
new parking time limits and re-
stricted the use of heavy trucks in
that area.
During their Monday meeting,
the city fathers set a two-hour park-
I
ing limit on all spaces on Main
Street from Farm to Pine Streets,
and on Spring from Main to Water
Streets.
Also, the council voted to prohib-
it the use of trucks weighing more
than three-quarters of a ton on Main
between Spring and Pine Streets
on Main. Both changes will be ef-
fective between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.,
Monday through Saturday.
In other business, the council
approved a change in the contract
on a water well at Camp swift.
The alteration, which will result in
an increase from 600 to 1000 gal-
lons per minute from teh well,
increased the cost from $118,300 to
$132,682. Contractor for the well
project is Layne-Western, Inc.
The council also approved anoth-
er contract for $8, /54 with the same
company for re-working an old well
which had broken down. When
operatonal, hopefully in a couple of
weeks according to City Manager
Charles Patek, the old well will
produce 550 gallons per minute.
In other business, the council
approved making full application for
a $500,000 Urban Development
Action grant from the Department
of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment. If approved, the grant will
assist industrial development in
the Bastrop area.
Also during Monday night's
meeting the council:
•approved a resolution asking for
a traffic engineering study in con-
nection with the Office of Traffic
Safety, Texas Department of High-
ways and Public Transportation.
•approved an agreement with the
State Department of Highways and
Transportation for placement
of free warning signs at all paved
railroad crossings in the city.
•voted not to buy land offered to
the city by Mr. and Mrs. David
Gholson.
•approved, subject to review by
City Attorney Robert Jenkins and
a change in the wording, of an en-
gineering agreement with Bryant-
Curington for water, sewer, street
and drainage engineering.
•approved a lease-purchase
agreement for a used motor grader
from Anderson Machinery of San
Antonio. Total cost will be $18,000.
standing committee appointments
for the year. Chairmen of the var-
ious committees are as follows:
Robert Smith, finance, street and
alley, and law enforcement; Hal
Wallace, sanitation and animal
control; Rene Blaschke, cemetery
and library; Pat Vacek, fire depart-
ment and parks and recreation;
Charlie McKeown, aeronautics.
Smith was elected as the Mayor
Pro Tem.
In other matters, Harry Gravitt
appeared before the council re-
questing they amend the
zoning ordinance requiring a 30
foot spacing between mobile home
parks.
Gravitt said the trailer park he
operates near Marburger Street
and Fourth has seven homes
located in it with spacings of 20
feet.
He said that these homes were
accessible by fire trucks through
city streets. He also said the own-
ers of the park have spent about
$4,400 on the park in the past three
years.
Mayor Davison questioned
whether the city ordinance would
stand up in court and it was sug-
gested that the matter be inves-
tigated. No action was taken.
The council also voted to grant
the firemen a pay increase. Firemen
will now be given $2 for each fire
call they answer.
Chief Jim Gifford told the council
that this was still costing the men
money.
"It'll help them compensate
for their clothes they damage when
they fight a fire," the chief said.
The donation to the firemen is
given each December.
"If we had to have a paid fire
department, we couldn't pay one
fireman for the entire budget,"
councilman and fireman Pat Vacek
said. The donation increase is
expected to be less than $2,000 for
(he year. It passed without oppos-
ition.
In othe matters, the council:
•appointed councilmen Wallace
and Smith to review the bids for
the brush chipper and make recom-
mendations at next week's session.
•approved participating in a
Texas Highway Department rail-
road crossing "signing and marking
improvement" program.
•promised to investigate a hos-
pitalization insurance plan for
city employees. About half of the
city's 42 employees petitioned the
council for such an investigation.
See "Council," Page 1
Reapportions Insurance Costs
County To Remove Fence
Nancy Olsen
Olsen
Elected
Chairman
BASTROP — The Republican
Party of Bastrop County will hold
its county convention Saturday,
May 13, beginning at 1 p.m. in the
county courthouse.
Leading the convention will be
County Chairman Nancy Olsen,
who was elected during last Sat-
urday's primary. Olsen is a fresh-
man political science major at
Southwestern University in George-
town.
During the county convention,
members will elect delegates u>
attend the state Republican convert
lion Alv. tli> oiivcnliou will
decide whether to p«M along ieso
lurtoii* h . i mm) have b*#i adopt
«t §11He ftfn iiii 11 onvetilioMs,
BASTROP — Bastrop County ground cables for the Bell Tele-
phone Co.
Since the matter was not on the
meeting's agenda, no action could
be taken, but the commissioners
agreed to consider it again at their
next regular meeting in two weeks.
The commissioners also agreed
commissioners have authorized
County Attorney Neal Pfeiffer to
remove a fence which had been
placed on county property.
The action came at their regular
Monday meeting in which they also
heard a request by 3-K Digging
Services, Inc., to install an antenna
on the transmitting tower east of
Bastrop and reapportioned each
precinct's share of the county's
liability insurance on its vehicles.
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Sandifer, who
live in the Hasler River Shores
subdivision, requested that the
county remove a fence which had
been placed by a neighbor on a
county road in front of their
house.
The Sandifers live near the dead
end of the road and the fence
forces anyone who happens to come
down that way to have to turn
around in their drive.
A motion passed by the court
directed Pfeiffer to recover the
right of way, direct removal of the
fence from the right of way and
replace the gravel on the road.
Buddy Peterson, general manag-
er for .) K Digging Service* of
Bastrop requested thai the company
he all< wed to install an antenna on
1 In lower for use mi their business
Mm uMiipaiiy installs uudar
to reapportion payment of the
county's liability insurance on its
vehicles according to the percent-
age of total miles of road which
are now in each precinct. Previously
the cost of the insurance had been
divided equally among the pre-
cincts.
On Land and Money
Chamber Vote Slated
BASTROP — Members of the
Bastrop Chamber of Commerce
are scheduled to meet Friday, May
12, to decide whether land and mon-
ey in the chamber's possession
should be turned over to a proposed
industrial commission.
At the 7:30 p.m. meeting in the
old district courtroom of the countv
courthouse, the Chamber will vote
on whether to deed approximately
40 acres of land and approximately
SI 7,000 now in the Industrial Fund
to the new organization.
"To deed our land and our indus-
trial fund, without the Chamber of
Commerce name, is something that
should be thought out thoroughly
before umimMni*iii It made, 1
r«ad c l*H* s«m to ihamber
members. "The chamber has
worked long and hard for the past
40 years to be where it is
today, and although we have only
small industries, maybe our day has
finally arrived to realize our fondest
dreams."
The land in question is located
primarily north of Bastrop, across
Texas 95 from the Federal Youth
Center. It was obtained by the
chamber after World War II.
Businesses which have located
on chamber land include Swiften.
Cederholm Manufacturing, and
Pathfinder,
The chamber's meeting was orig
iriallv scheduled for May 4 but was
test hcduled bataus* President
Muby (jrtesenbrti was out "f
oil Huil day
< AWNIVAI 1 I OWNS Ihese two youngsters came prepared to the As
tension ' etholn ( hurih Spring Nstivtl Sunday in tiastiof. Heautiful
wtaiiier brought "Mi § good < rowd for flu festivities I line* Hkoin
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Sniffen, John. The Bastrop County Times (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 87, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 11, 1978, newspaper, May 11, 1978; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth335125/m1/1/: accessed July 10, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Bastrop Public Library.