Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 30, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 25, 1979 Page: 2 of 8
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PACE 2
SOUTH JETTY
JANUARY 25, 1979
EDITORIAL
Get On With The Job
A low level controversy is developing over who should pay
for moving the twenty-inch water supply line that lies beneath the
$82,500 piece of land bought by the City last year for contruction
of a new civic center, City offices, and library. The estimated cost
of moving the line that now bisects the nearly 5 acre tract is
about $25,000, and the building planned for the site will cost
about $800,000 if all goes well with an application for an EDA
grant that would add $300,000 to the $551,000 approved by voters
for the structure.
The flap arose recently when City Manager Dana Bennett
explored the possibility with the Water Board of the Water
District participating in the needed relocation of the line. The
Board recommended that the City make a formal proposal that
could then be taken up in its early February meeting. The Council
has now made a formal request for participation and this
luke-warm issue is gaining steam.
The problem centers around a number of past issues and some
of present significance. The past issues have to do with the fact
that there was some opposition to buying the land adjacent to the
present City Hall. At least one councilman, A1 Mora, thought that
the City should consider suitable state land for the structure that
could be had for little money, while not removing valuable land
from the tax rolls. The council was also made aware during its
consideration of the purchase of the land that there was a major
water line that would probably have to be moved if the property
were to be used. So, who knew and said what and when has
become a focal point of the argument.
Added to the question of responsibility for buying something
with some hidden future expenses is the Water District’s policy
that should a land owner wish to move a water or sewer line that
is in an easement, he may do so, at his own expense but only
with the consent of the Water District. Therefore, to
accommodate the request of the City, the Water District would be
acting contrary to a stated policy.
Now, let’s get down to the considerations that really matter
in getting a necessary job done. Since whichever agency pays, in
large part the ultimate payors will be the same people, the people
Local Legislators Do Well With
Committee Appointments
Area legislators, both state and
federal, have scored well in
committee appointments following
the opening of the state and
congressional sessions.
Newly elected area congress-
man Joe Wyatt was named by
House Speaker Thomas “Tip”
O’Neill to the powerful House
Armed Services Committee, a
position that will help keep a
focus on the Naval Air Station and
the Army Depot in Corpus Christi.
Wyatt was also named to the
Merchant Marine and Fisheries
Committee that views legislation
on oil spills, coastal zone manage-
ment, international shipping,
ocean mining. Coast Guard activi-
ties, oceanography and marine
research, and fish and wildlife
conservation.
In commenting on the appoint-
ments, which always cause a
great deal of anticipation at the
opening of the session, Wyatt
said, “I couldn’t be more pleased.
I got both of my first choices.”
He had made his choices known
to the Democratic Steering and
Policy Committee earlier, and
acknowledged the help of other
Texas legislators in gaining the
committee assignments.
In the Texas Legislature, Rep.
Bill Harrison, newly elected to
serve the district that includes
Port Aransas, was appointed by
House Speaker Bill Clayton to the
Rules Committee, the Ways and
Means Committee and the Crimi-
nal Jurisprudence Committee.
Serving with Harrison on Ways
and Means is Corpus Christi Rep.
Hugo Berlanga. Rep. Arnold
Gonzalez, of Corpus Christi will
serve on the Government Organi-
zation Committee, and Rep. Leroy
Wieting, of Portland, was named
to the Appropriations Committee.
In the Texas Senate, Sen.
Carlos Truan was appointed by Lt.
Gov. Bill Hobby to serve on the
Natural Resources Committee as
well as the committees on
education and human resources.
The Natural Resources Commit-
tee, now chaired by Sen. A. R.
“Babe” Schwartz, of Galveston,
among other things will deal with
any state beach legislation that
goes into the senate.
U. S. CONGRESSMAN JOE WYATT (c), newly elected from this district,
takes his oath of office from House Speaker Thomas “Tip” O’Neill on
January 15th. Accompanying Rep. Wyatt at the swearing-in was his
mother.
of Port Aransas, and the question is, what is the best business
deal for the people?
If the City were to pick up the full tab, the money would
come out of the bonds sold for the project, thus the charge would
fall on the taxpayers of the City. If the Water District were to
pick up the full tab, the money would come from the customers of
the District, since the rates they pay include a small amount for
maintaining a repair fund for unexpected projects, too small to
justify the cost of a bond issue or loan and the associated interest
charges. The full amount of the water line relocation would
represent about one-third of the planned amount of maintenance
reserve of the District.
The question has now been refined to whether the City tax
payers or the Water District customers should pay the bill. They
still represent largely the same people. Because of interest
charges, the Water District money is cheaper money now, but
may represent more expensive money if the District needs to
borrow maintenance money because of a shortage of cash for a
necessary repair. There is also some sentiment that the City
project should be viewed as a total project, with all costs,
including land, accounted to its financial picture. The logic of this
position is a sound one if the idea that the auditorium facility of
the building should be at least self-supporting is sustained. In
this way, the users of the facility would ultimately pay the full
cost of the structure.
An additional idea has come forward that may, in fact be the
best deal for all who eventually will pay for the relocation of the
line. This would involve the City paying for the relocation job, but
the Water District retaining the 400-plus feet of 20 inch pipe and
paying the City the salvage value of the pipe, since it will be
reusable at some future time. (The same pipe cannot be used in
the relocation because of time factors and this line being a source
line for the City.) In this way, the District beats the known
increasing cost of pipe by having some in reserve, and the City
taxpayers realize the financial benefit at the same time.
This alternative may not be the one chosen by the agency
officials, but the important part is to have those responsible find
the best deal for the people who are really paying the bill. If this
involves a little losing of face on the part of those who are
responsible now bickering over whose fault the additional expense
really is, well, so be it. Let’s end the issue and get on with the
job.
on January 31 was Pearce
Johnson, chairman of the Texas
Parks and Wildlife Commission.
With an end to the program
comes the possibility of additional
federal regulation of the coastal
area, as well as the loss of money
to the state from the Coastal
Energy Impact Program, to help
communities meet the expense of
requirements facing them as a
result of the siting of energy
facilities in the coastal area. Port
Aransas is already in line to
receive about $250,000 of the
money, and additional area appli-
cations, now in the works amount
to nearly $900,000, some of which
will probably lose funding if the
program dies.
Armstrong, who was removed
from responsibility for the pro-
gram by Briscoe at the same time
he refused to submit it to the
federal office, said that with
submission for preliminary ap-
proval, there could be continuing
efforts in refining the plan.
Yantis, now as head of the NRC is
responsible for the program.
Yantis was the controversial direc-
tor of the Texas Water Quality
Board, and then was named by
Briscoe to the Texas Board of
Insurance, but the senate failed to
confirm him. And just this month,
after Briscoe appointed him to the
Texas Coastal and Marine Coun-
cil, the senate “busted” him
again. Senate approval is not
needed for his NRC position.
According to Armstrong, the
program proposed is not like the
zoning approach taken by other
states, but rather, looks at the
impacts of activities on a case-by-
case basis. The method of
**
Briscoe Didn’t
Submit Coastal
Mgmt. Program
Former Gov. Dolph Briscoe in
his final hours of office refused to
submit the state’s Coastal Mange-
ment Program to the federal
Office of Coastal Zone Manage-
ment to begin the steps toward
federal approval of the program.
Gov. Bill Clements still has until
the January 31 deadline to submit
the program, but it is not known
what his decision will be.
Briscoe said that the program
was still incomplete and that there
had not been adequate time for
public review of the major points,
which involve new proposed rule^>
for the General Land Office and
School Land Board. He also said
that there was “no consensus
supporting the program”. A
major opponent of the program, a
lobbying group, the Texas Mid-
Continent Oil and Gas Associa-
tion, viewed the program as
putting a “stranglehold on in-
dustry” according to the associa-
tion president H. B. Harkins, of
Alice. Not all of the association’s
membership was opposed to the
program, and some were repre-
sented on the program’s advisory
committee during the past three
years.
Land Commissioner Bob Arm-
strong, who Briscoe named to de-
velop the program for the state
blames the decision to not submit
on advice from Hugh Yantis, Bris-
coe’s appointed director of the
Natural Resources Council who
was a close advisor of the former
governor. The NRC was estab-
iisnea by the iegisiature on a re-
commendation from the Coastal
Program. Armstrong said that
Yantis has “called the shots” for
Briscoe since being appointed to
the NRC.
Supporting Armstrong’s posi-
tion to Briscoe that the program
that has spent $4 million in three
years could be submitted for
preliminary approval and not end
analysing impacts has been op-
posed by thdiw? Seeking less Regu-
lation ot their activities on the
state’s coastal areas, though most
of the coastal area affected is in
state ownership.
Armstrong, and numerous
others are urging Gov. Clements
to submit the program for
preliminary approval before the
January 31 deadline when the
federal grant for program de-
velopment expires.
Texas Leads
In Oil and Gas
State Income
State Land Commissioner Bob
Armstrong reported that a survey
of states which receive income
from lease of state lands shows
Texas led the nation last year with
almost $400 million in oil and gas
royalties, bonuses and rentals.
Texas received $261 million in
oil and gas royalties from pro-
duction on state-owned lands last
year, $6 million in other mineral
royalties, $93 million in bonuses
paid by oil and gas companies to .
obtain leases on state lands, and
$8 million for oil and gas rentals
of state lands.
Other states with major reven-
ues from oil and gas production
on state lands were Alaska, with
$180 million in royalty, rental and
bonus income; California, with
$97 million; and Louisiana, $201
million.
Four Held
For Rape
And Robbery
Four young men in their late
teens, reportedly from Corpus
Christi, are being held in connec-
tion with the rape and robbery of
a 20 year-old Port Aransas woman
last Sunday. The woman was
walking home from work about
5:30 p.m. when she was forced
into a 1969 Chevrolet by two men,
with another two in the car. The
woman, reportedly was taken to a
section of the beach in the City
Limits and assaulted and robbed. •
The woman’s friends became
concerned when she did not
return home at the expected time
and began looking for her,
eventually finding her on the
beach. After filing police reports
at about 9:15 p.m., the young
woman was taken to Lyman-
Roberts Hospital for examination
and later released.
The four men were apprehend-
ed in the Flour Bluff area
according to Constable Ben Cash,
just minutes after the report was
filed with the police. Cash’s
deputies Roy Hart and Charles
Titus, who were in the area at the
time, made the arrest.
As of Tuesday morning, the
four were held in Nueces County
Jail having been arraigned before
a magistrate. The District Attor-
ney’s office was preparing char-
ges, that were expected to be
filed sometime Tuesday.
«£egganrr»
□
TEXAS PRESS
MfMeiR 1979 ASSOCIATION
Owner - Editor: Steve Frishman
SOUTH JETTY is published
every Thursday bv the South Jetty
Publishing Co., Port Aransas,
Texas. Subscription rate is $10.00
per year. 20 cents by the single
copy.
Subscription and Office Manag-
er: Sue Frishman
Address all correspondence to:
South Jetty Publishing Co.
P.O. Box i 116
Port Aransas, Texas 78373.
Office?5 "201 E. Cotter Avenue.
Port Aransas, Texas. Phone 749-
6377 and 749-5282.
Display advertising deadline,
Monday, 12 noon, the week of
publication.
The publisher will gladly correct
any erroneous statement regard-
ing corporations, firms, or individ-
uals. when called to his attention.
Second Class Postage is paid at
Port Aransas. Texas.
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Frishman, Steve. Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 30, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 25, 1979, newspaper, January 25, 1979; Port Aransas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth601431/m1/2/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Ellis Memorial Library.