The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 104, No. 16, Ed. 1 Friday, April 20, 1979 Page: 1 of 6
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MICROFILM CENTER INC.
P.O. BOX 45435 ^ ‘
DALLAS', TX. 75235
COMP.
®lje 11 apki tta dAttttfjj ScJja
VOL. 104—NO. 16.
(ABSORBED IMF. GAZETTE ( IK( UI.ATION BY PURCHASE MAY 12^ 1928)
. v , ■ \ _ _, _ ' __._«
SULPHUR SPRINGS, TEXAS, FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 1979
6 PAGES - 10 CENTS PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
City watches clock in
wake of water crisis
By JOHN GORE
News-Telegram Staff
Sulphur Springs firefighters and ci,ty
officials were nervously watching the
clock at press time Wednesday as city
crews struggled to refill elevated water
tanks in the southeastern side of the city.
City officials still were attempting to
determine why the tanks emptied, leaving
water pressure precariously low in a wide
section of the city and increasing
firefighters’ problems in the event of a
major blaze.
City residents were asked to curtail
water use and water-utilizing businesses
were asked to close .in.response"to the
, temporary emergency Wednesday.
The first inkling of trouble began early
in the day when residents living1" on the
southeast edge of the city began com-
plaining of muddyVater and low pressure,
sending city employees on a wide-ranging
search for a break in the water mains.
Water department employees, police
officers and firefighters searched for a
possible major break for about an hour.
While the search proved fruitless, the
water level in the elevated tanks on
College and Carter streets continued to
drop.
Water treatment personnel began
manually filling the tanks about 10 a.m.,
and issued a request to residents to curtail
water usage during the day.
The city also asked car wash facilities
and laundromats in the southeast portion
of town be closed until thewater could be
replaced and the trouble located and
corrected.
Water pressure was so low during most
of tbe day that if a fire had broken out in an
area from Morris "Drive to the Lake
Highlands addition south of the interstate,
firefighters would have been hard pressed
to. fight the blaze, according to a
spokesman for the city.
At press time, the trouble continued to
elude those attempting to find an answer
to the problem.
“It appears,” said Richard Lee, water
quality control superintendent, “that the
problem is either in the phone lines (over
which system flow control comma ills are
transmitted) or with our equipment’at the
water treatment plan£"
' Lee said the automated system used by
'the water plant to keep the elevated tanks
filled relies on telephone line trans-
missions.
“Our gauges at the plant indicate the
tanks are full, but in reality the tanks are
empty or nearly empty,” Lee said at mid-
day.
“At this time we don’t know for sure
where the malfunction is. The telephone
company is checking their lines and we
are checking ours. It just takes time and
trial and error," he said. "We hope to find
the problem and correct it as soon as
possible.” "
By noon the water had cleared up from
Morris Drive to the interstate, but was still
muddy and cloudy in the Lake Highlands
addition. • . ~
According to sources at the city
manager’s office, about 24 hours will be
needed befop® the elevated tanks are
completely filled again.
Dike community goes
after district title
Dike community had a county
championship prize assured Wed-
nesday as it entertained judges in the
district round of the annual Texas
Community Progress Program
competition.
Gerald Prim, president of the
Hopkins County Rural Progress Club,
announced that Dike would be
awarded the trophy and $125 in prize
money offered each year bv the
organization for first place ,ii»6he
county contest.
Dike, a former state and regional
champion, was the only community in
the county to complete qualification
requirements for the contest this
year.
Prim said that under the cir-
cumstances his organization will not
conduct its annual county awards
dinner program but will make the
presentation at Dike later this spring.
It is the first time in many years
that Hopkins County has not had
several entries in the contest. County
Agent Ron Woolley said other rural
groups already are starting
preparations for competing in the 1980
judging. ,
Checking the gauges
Sulphur Springs water quality control superintendent Richard
Lee checked the gauges and the equipment at the water treat-
ment plant several times Wednesday morning in an effort to find
a malfunction that caused the water level to drop dangerously
low in the southeast section of the city. The gauges would read
full one minute and e'mpfy the next, while in reality-4he level in
the College Street tower was near zero.
—Stall Photo by JOHN GOR E
1
Twister relief goals set
Hopkins County residents have been
given a goal of $814 by the American Red
Cross to assist victims in the recent tor-
nadoes that battered Wichita Falls and
Vernon, Texas and Lawton, Okla.
Paul Herschler of Sulphur Springs, Red
Cross disaster' chairman for Hopkins
County, has appealed for immediate
responses for the cash contributions.
Donations may be mailed to the Red
Cross, P.O. Box 353, Sulphur Springs; to
Paul Herschler at 1707 Houston St.,
Sulphur Springs, or given to Gerald
Bowers at Peoples National Bank.
Herschler said that the chapter already
had received $120 in contributions.
The local Red Cross handled 65 inquiries
immediately after the tornadoes to help
local people contact relatives.
Bill Elam, a local ham radio operator,
made 29 contacts for the Red Cross as he
reached the MARS Army facilities at
Sheppard AFB near Wichita Falls.
Larry Blount of Sulphur Springs, who
with his wife Angie rushed to Wichita Falls
the morning after the tornado, Wednesday
described the destruction as unbelievable.
The Bibunts found Bob Heazeltine, her
father, uninjured from The tornado
although his home had been blown away.
He was standing guard at the site when the
Blounts arrived to offer assistance.
Heazeltine reported that he had gone to
a neighbor’s storm cellar when the civil
defense sirens sounded.
Blount said that the lack of drinking
water was one of the big early problems at
Wichita Falls. He said many people
drained water from hot water heaters to
quench their thirsts.
Herschler noted that the American Red
Cross is estimating that it will spend $1.5
million to give early assistance to the
victims.
“We should reach our quota quickly,”
Herschler predicted.
He added he hoped the quota would be
greatly exceeded by generous Hopkins
County people.
Lone Star asks gas rate increase
Good weather — hard work
Hopkins County Precinct 2 workers wef? hard at it Tuesday in
the good weather that was present as they worked to open a road
ysed as a Como-Pickton school bus rbute. John Ford was busy
knocking down brush so that the crews could obtain sand to be
used on'the road that has been "closed at least two months this
year," according to Commissioner Arnold Alsobrooks.
—Stall Photo by JIM MOORE
Jim Holland, local district manager,
Tuesday filed a request for a rate increase
for Lone Star Gas Company in Sulphur
Springs.
The application, filed with municipal
officials, would raise residential
customers’ bills in Sulphur Springs about
$1.28 per month during the summer and
$3.28 per month in the winter, Holland
projected. The requested increase is 12.27
percent.
Holland said the typical residential
usages run about 8,000 cubic feet. Under
the present rate, the average bill for that
amount would be $21.91.
The Sulphur Springs gas official said the
company needs $144,827 of addition
revenues to meet its costs of operation an
to earn an adequate-return on the firm’!
rate base in Sulphur Springs.
Summer rates for Lone Star customers
will be in effect for consumption between
meter reading dates in May and October.
They are designed to reduce the custmer’s
cost approximately 25 cents per thousand
cubic feet of gas used during that period.
Under Tuesday’s request, commercial
users would also have an increase in
service rates.
“Lone Star has long been dedicated t6
giving its customers the best possible
service at reasonable cost,” Holland said.
. “To maintain this commitment, Lone Star
must be, permitted to earn a reasonable
rate on its investment in Sulphur Springs.
“Lacking this, we and our customers
suffer twice. First, we could ultimately be
unable to maintain or expand our facilities
in this area' in response to customer needs.
Second, those who depend upon us for
natural gas service could experience year-
round curtailments were Lone Star no
longer able to compete successfully for
important new reserves of gas,” Holland
said.
• ' . - , " “ . ► . ' v ■; ... • .
School board boosts assessments, pledges to limit tax rate
By JOE WOOSLEY
News-Telegram Staff
Trustees of the Sulphur Springs In-
dependent School District voted Tuesday
night to raise the assessment ratio on
property from 50 to 100 percent of market
value.
At the same time, they pledged to en-
deavor to set the tax rate atno more than
$1.15 per $100 assessed value for this year
only.
The rate, which must be set by Aug. 20, j
will be established after the new
assessment figures are obtained and
budgeting requirements are determined.
The tax rate at present in the school
district is $2.1fK per $100 assessed
valuation. The rate was reduced from
$2.12 last August.
The state mandated $5,000 exemption
for residential homesteads, the additional
exemption for 65 year old property owners
and disabled veterans, as well as the
projected elimination of cars from the
rolls, could cause a loss of about $40,000 in
revenue, schoOl officials have estimated.
Other variables which will have an
impact on the district’s tax rate hinge on
decisions yet to be made by the current
session of the Texas legislature.
In another tax-related matter, Joe Dan
Kennedy, Glenn Irvin and Joe Whitworth
— three local real estate agency owners —
were appointed to serve as members of the
board of equalization.
At the opening of the meeting, the
trustees canvassed returns of the April 7
election, found no changes from the
unofficial results, and declared Tim Kelty
.and Gary Odom re-elected to three year
terms, and John Dobson to a one-year
^ unexpired term.
After oaths were administered to the
newly elected trustees, the board was re-
organized. Kelty was elected president,
Dr. Alfred Glaess vice president and Mrs.
Patsy Johnson secretary. Kelty succeeds
Odom as chairman, with Dr. Glaess
moving up from secretary.
The trustees took no action on a letter
and proposed contract from Ron Tiller of
Contract Surety Consultants in regard to
winding up agreements on the high school
building deficiences.
Kenneth Brem, assistant superintendent
- business, said that 30-odd leaks have
been detected in the building following
rains in March.
The trustees voiced a desire to have a
complete audit of the school district’s
\ various fund accounts for 1978-79 and
called for recommendations in obtaining a
firm to handle the work.
A proposed athletic budget calling for'
expenditures of $76,262 for the 1979-80
years was submitted by David Hennig,
who was present for the meeting. The
budget, which will be acted on later, calls
for a supplement of ,$43,442 from local
operating funds.
Hennig also gave the trustees copies of
his athletic policies and procedures.
Although the athletic and scholastic
student insurance for the new year was
listed on tbe agenda, the board passed
action until later.
TVia onnpnirarl
permit Texas Power & Light Co. to erect
two power poles one foot inside the high
school property. The poles will be used to
serve nearby AMPI facilities.
Trustees ruled they have no desire to
sell school property adjacent to the
Bonanza Community Center.
The board approved renewal of
membership in the Ark-Texas Council of
Governments. Annual dues are $100. The
trustees also rejected an offer for a metal
frame building on the high sctyool campus
which had been used by Earl Senn,
building inspector.
After receiving Jjwo offers from local
teachers for the old frame building to the
rear of the former Junior High gym-
nasium on Connally Street, the trustees
took the higher bid from David Hennig. He
offered to give the district $165 for the
building and remove it from the site by
July 1.
Superintendent Scott Ferguson read a
letter regarding the proposed location of a
machine shop in the former vo-ag building
at Middle <$chool. The state officials in-
dicated the shop for high school"students
should be on the high school campus.
In other actions, the board paid
operating and building fund vouchers,
voted to pick up th^schools costs for an
autistic child, employed maintenance,
custodial, cafeteria and bus personnel,
and accepted the resignations of Mike
Bullock and Jeannine Cartfway, two
teachers. ,
After the three-hour open mooting the
board went into executive session.
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Keys, Clarke & Woosley, Joe. The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 104, No. 16, Ed. 1 Friday, April 20, 1979, newspaper, April 20, 1979; Sulphur Springs, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth780874/m1/1/: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hopkins County Genealogical Society.