The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 47, Ed. 1 Friday, November 21, 1986 Page: 1 of 4
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®Jje Hopkins (Comtfg Ecljo
(ABSORBED THE GAZETTE CIRCULATION BY PURCHASE MAY 12, 1928)
M 111—NO. 47.
O')--
■
SULPHUR SPRINGS, TEXAS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1986
4 PAGES - 25 CENTS PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
Council split on plant expansion
t PELRINE
i elegram Staff
After three hours of questioning
experts and discussion Tuesday on
the direction the city should take
regarding Environmental Protection
Agency-mandated improvements at
the wastewater treatment plant, the
City Council still appear^ divided on
the issue.
Among the items discussed was the
possiblity of a $2.7 million plant ex-
pansion that may or may not keep the
city in permanent compliance with
Serious business
Mayor Pro Tern Robert Cook to
recommendations from engineering con-
sultants Robert Smith, Art Busch and Bill
Ratliff off possible sewer plant im-
provements that would satisfy the En-
vironmental Protection Agency and avoid
the possibility of excessive fines from the
federal government because of discharge
violations at the plant. In the background is
City Manager David Tooley.
—Stiff Photo by Richard Hul
Proposed dairy program could
mean no surplus, no subsidies
By MARY GRANT
News Telegram Staff
A program under consideration to
limit milk production could eliminate
a price support program that coats
taxpayers more than $2 billion an-
nually — if it is well organized and
billion projected for 1986, he said.
On the other hand, he noted,
Higher dairy prices will in turn lead
to increased consumption of soft
drinks, fruit juices and substitute
foods In the longer term, higher
dairy product prices could lead to the
development and wider adoption of
administered, *a Clernson University ^successful imitation products." he
marketing specialist said Tuesday-/--------stated-in the news release:
Hal Harris spoke to a group of
Hopkins County dairymen who
gathered at a dairy seminar spon-
sored by the Extension Service.
"There would be no surplus if it’s
designed properly," he said. He
noted, however, that consumer cost
of milk would rise.
Even though the producer
segment of the industry may believe
such costs are necessary to solve the
supply-demand imbalance problem,
opposition from consumer groups and
agribusiness is assured," he stated in
.a press release
The program, if approved by
Congress next year, would reduce
production by allotting producers a
quota. Milk produced over the quota
would sell at a reduced price that
would discourage over production
and reduce federal spending. —
Costs to maintain milk subsidies
Proponents of the plan say
producers would be given an op-
portunity in a referendum to approve
the program.
Harris said producers should
consider features of the quota
regulations before casting their vote,
including the quota allocation
method, prices for quota and over-
quota milk, rules that would be
established to transfer a quota from
one owner to another, hardship rules,
provisions for new producers and
adjusting quotas over time.
If a program were adopted, it could
eliminate artificial support that
stimulates over production, shift cost
of surplus to those that over produce,
eliminate excess production, may
help save the family farm, eliminate
taxpayer costs, level price and offset
decline in producers’ assets.
On the other hand, he noted, it could
producer, restrict decision making,
restrict new dairy business, produce
higher consumer prices, establish an
unendable program and cause
regional imbalances.
And, he noted, the program will be
a "hot potato." politically, with lobby
groups representing various
segments of the country’s agriculture
' industry. "There's going lo be some
problems w riting (his," he added.
In the news release distributed at
the seminar, he stated, "There has
not been a great deal of support for
mandatory supply control in
Congress to date, and the ad-
ministration is dead-set against such
a plan.
"If the industry was solidy behind
such a proposal, the odds of getting it
would improve considerably. But for
now, it would seem that it is time to
do just what we are doing here at the
short course — learning more about
this alternative, debating its merits
and exploring ways to design such a
possible alternative system to our
current dairy program."
federal regulations.
During the pre-meeting work
session on the wastewater plant,
Councilman Bill McCool said, "I’m
not convinced that we need a major
plant expansion.”
His opinion was unchanged after
the meeting when he told The News-
Telegram that despite the recom-
mendations provided by three
engineering consultants — two of
whom are specialists in wastewater
treatment — he would like another
opinion.
"Nobody has been?' able to
guarantee that if we spend this much
money we will still be in com-
pliance,” McCool said after the
meeting.
Councilman Stephen Bonner, on the
other hand, said during the meeting,
"I think the EPA would be very
skeptical of any plan that did not
involve a plant expansion.”
The EPA has already told the city it
is considering a $30,000 fine for past
violations, and consultants hired by
the city who have worked closely with
the EPA have all but assured council
members that the city will be sued if
the agency is not satisfied with the
steps taken toward achieving per-
manent compliance.
The division of opinion expressed
among the council has left the issue
essentially unresolved. But, ac-
cording to consultant Robert Smith,
the U.S. Justice Department and the
EPA are currently in the process of
taking steps toward preparing legal
action against the city that will
culminate in the next month or two
with a negotiation session that will
yield a "consent decree" in which the
city and the EPA agree on penalties
for past treatment plant discharge
violations and future penalties for
further violations.
In his opening statement on his
recommendation to the city, Smith
said, "We may not like the conclusion
we come to, but at least hopefully at
the end of this we'll be in agreement
on what we’ll need to do.”
The main sticking point stressed by
councilmen McCool, Norman Bed-
ford and Ronald Hummus were the
incidents of non-compliance cited by
the EPA since the city's last
wastewater plant expansion began in
1982.
Lummus said that at a meeting he,
McCool, Bedford, City Manager
David Tooley, City Attorney Joel
Sheffield and Smith attended with
EPA officials, the EPA attorney
"was very specific that since August
1981 this citv has been qut oLcom-^
pliance on four items. And it just
doesn't seem that there’s any reason
for it."
The four items were excessive
inflow and infiltration because of
heavy rainfall, an additional sand
filtration capacity to avoid the
necessity of bypassing filters when
passed the last bond issue, the plant
was out of compliance 95 percent of
the time, and now the only-time that
our plant is Out of compliance is
during major rainfall periods. We
realized when we passed that (bond
issue we weren’t going for the whole
package because of the financial
constraints; but we also realizecraT
the time we would be looking at a
major plant expansion.”
Solutions to the four points are what
the EPA and the city’s consultants
term short-term solutions. The long-
term solution, according to Smith, is
simply consistent compliance with
the plant’s operating permit con-
ditions.
The engineer whose firm designed
the last plant expansion is William
Ratliff, the city’s consulting
engineer. He had presented a plan for
further plant expansion at a previous
City Council meeting. The council
voted to hire the services of en-
vironmental engineer Art Busch, who
was at one time the administrator of
the Region VI EPA office in Dallas, to
review the plans as well as the EPA’s
findings and to deliver a recom-
mendation.
sch’s recommendation Tuesday
concurred with Smith’s that plans for
a pnujt expansion should be among
the itbm^the city brings to the table
when it negotiates a consent decree
with the EPA. His review of Ratliff’s
plan included only one modification,
but essentially left the plan un-
touched.
The proposed plant expansion has
an estimated price tag of $2.7 million.
In addition to satisfying the EPA,
Smith said, “we still have to deal with
the State of Texas. If the city shows;
anything less than a serious com-
mitment, you can be sure the state
will take note.”
Robert Smith
Art Busch
Corps opens bids
for lake embankment
An apparent low bid of $666,778 has
been received by the U.S. Corps of
Engineers for the initial embankment
for Cooper Lake, according to two
members of Congress.
something that will hold water.”
Gramm said, "I am especially
pleased that we have been able to
accelerate this important project
through the award of this contract to
Rep. Jim Chapman and Sen. Phil begin dam construction.’
Gramm issued information Wed-
nesday that the apparent low bidder
is Caliber Construction Co. of Conroe.
Government estimate. for the
embankment work was $998,782.
The contract will provide for
construction of 7,000 feet of the 28,000-
foot dam, beginning at the northern
they are overloaded, the inability of' end of the lake site, according to
the’ existing facility to store waste Gramm.
sludge during wet weather, and
inadequate operating procedures to
waste sludge on an optimum basis.
"The EPA continues to come back
to the four points." Lummus said.
"Some way we need to get these out
of their side and to do that takes a
nunimum amount of effort."
Bonner responded, "Before we
Final acceptance of the low bid is
expected to be finalized in December
after a review of the bidding is ac-
complished, according to a Corps
spokesman
Chapman said, "Up until now we bill to lessen environmental con-
have been chopping trees, tearing up eerns. The money will be used to buy-
dirt and putting up fences. This will and manage about 25,000 acres of
be the first effort at building land downstream from the lake
The contract awards for the final
embankment, spillway and outlet for
the $140 million Cooper Lake project
is expected to be in February of 1988
with completion of the project slated
for September of 1992.
To date, work on the south access
road and clearing in the dam area has
drawn to a close. The first part of the
area fencing and construction of a
north access road were awarded in
September.
In other related action involving
the lake project. President Reagan
signed a $14.8 million water resources
Lions hear talk on AMPI expansion
has risen from $1 billion in 1980 to $2.4 mean high production cost for the
Officials mum on
interstate slaying leads
By CLARKfcKEYS
Teleg'ram Stall
Hopkins County sheriff’s deputies
apparently have new information
about a shooting Nov. 12 that left a
California woman dead, but they’re
not talking. **
Sheriff Mark Bassham told The
News-Telegram Wednesday that
deputies have been able to talk with
the woman’s male companion, but
they cannot release any information
about what he told them.
"We were advised at this point by
District Attorney Frank Ixmg not to
release any information concerning
our conversation with the survivor,"
Bassham said.
“We have sent the forensic lab in
Dallas additional samples of the floor
tile, celling tile and any other piece of
evidence which contained blood we
felt might help them in determining
what happened in the shooting in-
cident shortly before midnight Nov.
12," Bassham said "We haven’t
received any reports from ballistics
or the autopsy. At this point, we are
still following every lead.”
Bassham said investigators had
talked to James Tadlock, 60, of Orick,
Calif., who remains in stable con-
dition in Baylor University Medical
Center, Dallas, where he is being
treated for a gunshot wound.
Deputies went to the scene after
they received a call at 11:22 p.m.
from a trucker who was traveling
along Interstate 30 in Cumby.
Tadlock apparently contacted the
trucker by radio and sought help,
investigators said. .,
The wounded man was found in a
1972 Cadillac. His common law wife,
Geneva Elliott (Tadlock), 52, was
found shot once in the forehead in the
bedroom compahment of the Layton
travel trailer She was pronounced
dead on arrival at Hopkins County
Memorial Hospital
The Sulphur Springs plant of
Associated Milk Producers, Inc.,
already a ‘ unique” operation for its
product mix, will become even more
specialized in the second quarter of
1987, two AMPI managers noted
Tuesday.
Reef Allen, recently named
supervisor for a planned automated
processing addition at the AMPI
plant, told the Lions Club about
development of the new process at a
luncheon meeting.
A 22,000 square foot addition to the
AMPI plant is now being constructed
which will house an operation that
will produce a milkshake mix and
some ice cream mix products in a
joint operation with a marketing
firm, H.B. Hood. The customer base
for the products will include several
fast-food chains operating irt about a
400-mile radius from Sulphur
Springs.
--’Allen explained how the process is
based upon ultra-high temperature
treatment of raw ingredients in a
fully computerized operation, He said
that when a mix order is received.
tests will be run on raw ingredients
(milk, cream, etc.) available and the
computer will determine proportions
and additives needed to meet the
order.
The order will then be blended by
computer and rechecked for fat and
solids analysis. If the blend then
meets specifications, the computer
will allow the batch to be processed
through pasturization at 280 degrees
for four seconds — compared to 165
degrees for 25 seconds under previous
methods — and homoginization.
The mix will then be cooled to 40
degrees for aseptic bagging in 2.5-
gallon containers, and then rinsed,
packed two bags to a box and
palletized - again all by computer
directed automation.
“Ours will be only the third such
installation in the United States and
the sixth in North America," Allen
told the toons. "So you can see we are
dealing with a new production con-
cept here."
The operation will be geared to
operate at about 53 gallons per
minute. Because it is so highly
automated. Allen saul that only eight
employees will be needed initially
If the weather is not too bad during
the construction phase, Allen snidthe
automated line could be put into
production by next April.
Ken Burtch, manager of the AMPI
manufacturing unit here, said the
Sulphur Springs installation already
is quite unique for its specialization
among dairy product plants in the
United States.
"I don’t know of another plant
where such emphasis has been placed
upon specialty products like con-
densed milk, cream and specialty-
mixes such as is being done here,"
Burtch said.
He noted that the Sulphur Springs
plant originally was designed to
produce skimmed milk powder as an
outlet for the cooperative's milk that
was not sold on the Class 1 i fluid
milk) market.
"A little over a decade ago 90
percent of our product was powder,"
Burtch said. "For next year’s budget
we have not anticipated making any
powder."
Burtch said that the switch to
specialty products has made the
Sulphur Springs operation a viable
manufacturing unit in its own right
At times the local milk surplus is not
sufficient to meet the manufacturing
demand; and milk is brought in from
other AMPI concentrations such as
the Stephenville area, he noted.
"Our operation should help the
local dairy farmers if the government
does go through with a desire to
reduce the purchase of surplus dairy
items," Burtch added, "because we
are developing a supplementary
market of our own."
Police warning
involves con man
Crime Prevention Officer Rex
Morgan urged Sulphur Springs and
Hopkins County residents to be on the
lookout for a phony asphalt paving
operation believed to be traveling in
the area.
An elderly woman in Commerce
Wednesday was approached by a
man approxunately 30 years old, 5-
foot 5-inches tall, with brown hair and
a medium build — offering to pave
her driveway for $2,000 She gave him
a check for that amount, but when he
did not return to do the work she
called the bank to stop payment .on
the check
The man appeared at the bank to
cash the check, but ran away while
bank officials were trying to contact
the Commerce Police ■»
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Keys, Clarke & Hillsamer, Dave. The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 47, Ed. 1 Friday, November 21, 1986, newspaper, November 21, 1986; Sulphur Springs, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth776119/m1/1/: accessed June 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hopkins County Genealogical Society.