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Vol. 68 No. 120
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, May 28, 1975
TAMU directors
OK fee increases
By KARLA MOURITSEN
Campus Editor
The TAMU Board of Directors
authorized increases for the room,
board and laundry fees for the fall
semester and the establishment of a
Center for Energy and Mineral Re
sources during its meeting Tuesday
morning.
President Jack Williams told the
Board that the increases were
“necessary to meet inflation and the
mandatory raises that we have to
give the personnel in the dormitory
operation. He explained that the
major cost increases would be in
utilities, since it was anticipated
that the cost of heat would rise 85
percent and the cost of electricity
would go up 76 percent. Hot water
for heating was expected to be 37
percent higher, and the cost of chil
led water for air-conditioning would
increase by 65 percent. Totalled,
the projected utility increase per
dormitory student was over 50 per
cent.
Labor costs bad also contributed
to the necessary fee increases. The
passage of a mandatory pay raise by
the state legislature February 1 of
this year caused a $325,000 hike in
the payroll of the Food Services
Department alone. The laundry
service also experienced increased
costs, as the pay raises amounted to
an additional $30,000 for the fiscal
year 1974-1975, and would increase
next year’s budget by at least
$50,000.
Howard Vestal, assistant vice-
president for business affairs, said,
“These increases will carry us
through next semester, but we may
have to raise fees again next year.”
Vestal was concerned that the op
eration of the laundry continue, say
ing, “We ll have a fairly unattractive
student body if we don t offer the
laundry service.” When laundry
was made optional last fall, 80 per
cent of the dormitory students con
tinued to use the service. That
number dropped to 65 percent dur
ing the spring semester, thus de
creasing revenue as costs soared.
The approved increases are
as follows:
Dormitories (with present rates
in parentheses)
Legett, Hotard, Milner ($117.00) $135.00
Hart, Law, Puryear, Walton ($137.00) $155.00
Dorms 1-12, Crocker, Davis-Gary, Moore, Moses
($220.00) $235.00
Fowler, Keathley, Mclnnis, Schumacher, Hughes
($235.00) $250.00
Krueger, Dunn, Aston, Mosher ($350.00) $375.00
P ar
liven
Board (with present rates in
irentheses)
!-day ($320.00) $347.00
seven-day ($358.00) $388. (K)
Laundry (with present rates in
parentheses)
men ($30) $35.00
women ($20) $25.00
I City Briefs |
BCS Councils to meet
The Bryan and College Station city councils will hold a
joint meeting tonight at the Ramada Inn.
The meeting is an annual affair but will be highlighted this
year with a discussion of the proposed utilities increase Bryan is
asking of College Station.
The meeting will begin at 7 with a dinner and continue at
7:30 with a discussion of matters of common interest to the two
cities.
Law prevents power pool
Legislation signed into law two weeks ago by Governor
Briscoe practically assures that College Station cannot enter the
Texas Municipal Power Pool. (TMMP)
The legislation says that to enter a municipal power author
ity, an area must be a public community which has authority to
and is engaged in generation of energy for public sale.
Lou Odle, TMMP chairman, said the TMMP is now in the
process of reorganizing under the new guidelines. Odle said that
after the reorganization College Station would not be eligible to
enter that particular power pool.
New supermarket congestion
The foundation for the new Safeway Supermarket located
just off Texas Avenue between Highway 30 and Dominik Drive
is now being prepared.
The supermarket is expected to increase already con
gested traffic in the area. Bill Koehler, College Station City
Planner, said the “buildingpermit requires easy access.” Deac
celeration lanes are to be installed to accomplish this. Koehler
also said a traffic light for Dominik Drive and Texas Avenue is
not planned at this time.
The Safeway supermarket is part of Phase I of Culpepper
Plaza, a shopping center which will cover 365, 491 square feet.
The supermarket will occupy 30,304 square feet of this space.
According to the agreement between the Culpepper Realty
Company and 3C Construction Co., the Safeway store must be
finished by the end of September.
Married Student Apartments (with
present rates in parentheses)
Southside (3 bedroom) — ($1(X).()0) $114.(X)
Southside (furnished) — ($70.00) $80.00
Old College View (2 Bdnn. Fur.) — ($63.00)$72.00
Old College View (1 Bdnn. Unfur.) — ($52.00)$60.00
Hensel ($85.00) $97.00
College View (Brick) — ($125.00) $143.00
College Avenue (1 Bdrm. Fur.) — ($125.00)$ 143.00 Hji
College Avenue (2 Bdrm. Fur.) — ($135.00)$ 154.00
The Moody College of Marine
Sciences and Maritime Resources
was also authorized a room and
board increase. Prairie View A&M
received an increase in board fees.
Both of these colleges operate
under the TAMU system.
Dr. John C. Calhoun, vice-
president for academic affairs, pre
sented the proposal for the estab
lishment of a Center for Energy and
Mineral Resources which would
allow for research, analytical
studies, and educational programs
in the fields of energy and other re
sources. Calhoun stressed that the
Center “would be the focal point of
all of the university’s talent in this
one field.”
There are currently 20 energy-
related programs being conducted
by TAMU.
The Board of Directors awarded
$13,378,000 in contracts. Among
these was an $8,395,050 contract to
the George Fuller Company of
Chicago for the construction of the
Animal Industries and Poultry Sci
ences Center, to be located at the
West Campus.
The College Station firm of Jor
dan & Woods received $221,320 for
a new building at the TAMU Re
search Annex for the Texas En
gineering Extension Service Heavy
Equipment School. It also received
$194,175 to relocate four of the
university’s greenhouses.
An $84,780 contract was awarded
to the Richmond Road and En
gineering Company for the renova
tion of many of the main campus’
streets.
Wally Shield, Inc. of El Paso re
ceived an $712,800 contract to con
struct an Agricultural Research
Center at El Paso that would study
water conservation in the produc
tion of various commercial plants,
such as cotton and pecans.
Additional contracts were given
for the expansion of the main cam
pus’ utilities, the installation of the
West Campus’ utilities, and for the
modification of several rooms in the
Zaehry Engineering Center.
In other action by the board. Dr.
Charles H. Sampson was reap
pointed as chairman of the Athletic
Council. The Athletic Council ap
proves all athletic budgets and re
commends admission prices for ath
letic events.
TAMU officials were authorized
by the board to take a proposed
Master of Public Administration
Degree to the State Coordinating
Board for approval. Dr. Calhoun
said, "The purpose of the MPA is to
assist people in public administra
tion work and to add to their profes
sional competency.” He added,
“We will produce synthesizers.
They will have the administrative
knowhow to understand the prob
lem so they can work it out judici
ously.”
The TAMU Board of Directors
met Tuesday to discuss several
agenda items. Among the many
proposals passed by the board
was an eight per cent increase
in room, board and laundry fees
over last year’s figure.
Photo by Tom Kayser
CS utilities
Large savings possible
The following story is based on
proposals now before the Col
lege Station City Council. Fact
ual material, however, has
been supplemented by the
writer’s own interpretations.
By JERRY NEEDHAM
City Editor
Gulf States Utilities said Thurs
day that if College Station had been
purchasing power from Gulf Sates
during the past year, the city’s resi
dents could have saved one-third of
a million dollars.
Gulf States Utilities has power
transmission lines located on two
sides of College Station. Gulf States
said the company has adequate
power available within a reasonable
amount of time to serve College Sta
tion.
The problems College Station
would have in attempting to change
to Gulf States as a source of power
are complex.
The principal problem lies in es
tablishing substations in the city to
relay the power through the existing
lines. The substations now being
used by College Station are owned
by Bryan.
New substations would have to be
built by College Station or by Gulf
States.
John Denison, president and
owner of the electrical consulting
firm College Station uses, said at the
May 15 city council meeting that his
cost estimate for the city changing
over to Gulf States if Gulf States
built the substations would be
$125,000 to $200,000. If Gulf States
required College Station to build its
own substations then the costs could
run to over $1 million.
This would leave Bryan with un
usable substations located in Col
lege Station. Bryan has spent a con
siderable amount of money in estab
lishing these substations but Col
lege Station may have indirectly
paid for the capital outlay for these
substations through the rates
charged to the city for power.
The cost of new substations would
also be a major problem to be consi
dered. A bond issue would be re
quired to build the substations.
Ill feelings that could be created if
College Station were to cancel the
power contract with Bryan are also a
consideration. Since College Sta
tion would still have to deal with
Bryan for water and sewer services,
these ill feelings may not be condu
cive to low rates for these services.
With the rising and fluctuating
costs of producing energy. College
Station could not be sure of getting
consistently lower rates from Gulf
States.
Bryan’s energy outlook is good
with the lignite holdings and the
construction of the Dansby Plant.
Bryan seems to be planning well for
the future and to be looking out for
College Station’s interests and fu
ture needs.
The recent request for a rate in
crease may seem unjustified but
nevertheless is being charged to the
residents of Bryan. This indicates
fairness by the City of Bryan as the
most College Station residents can
ask is to be treated equally with the
residents of Biyan.
Economics and diplomacy point
to the extension of the power con
tract with Bryan. On the other
hand, Bryan should have no qualms
if the City of College Station wishes
to shop around for water and there
fore wants to have a more flexible
water contract.
CS Council seeks weter well,
annexes land, adopts new code
By JERRY NEEDHAM
City Editor
The College Station City Council
was presented a proposal from the
Whalen Corporation to share the
costs of drilling for water in College
Station.
Under the proposed agreement,
the Whalen Corp. would drill a test
well to determine whether potable
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and producable water lies under
College Station.
It is believed there are levels of
subsurface sand under College Sta
tion in which water can be found.
If the city enters into the agree
ment, it would be obligated to pay
approximately half of the $42,000
cost if the test well fails. If successful
the Whalen Corp. would pay all of
the $200,000 cost to produce the
well.
The council will consider the
proposal and decide whether or not
to enter into an agreement at their
June 12 meeting.
In other Council business:
A motion was passed calling for a
public hearing at the June 12 meet
ing to get public input as to how
$105,000 of revenue sharing funds
should be used in the community.
A 351 acre tract of land was re
ceived into the city limits of College
Station. The land is owned by
Southwood Valley Incorporated and
adjoins the southeast city limits.
While the council was in the pro
cess of adopting the 1973 edition of
the Standard Building Code, Coun
cilman Homer Adams raised the
point that $34,190 of the city’s fire
fighting expense last year was used
in fighting fires on TAMU property.
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Gravesites of Reveille I and H,
the Texas Aggies’ first two mas
cots, were dressed up this
spring. The burial site of the
part-Spitz, part-collie and Shet
land Shepherd dogs are outside
the north end of Kyle Field.
Texas A&M grounds mainte
nance personnel refurbished
the plot.
Railroad group
to hear fuel story
A public hearing to be held before the Texas Railroad
Commission (TRC) on Tuesday could start proceedings to elimi
nate the use of natural gas as a boiler fuel in Texas.
The TRC has determined that production currently ex
ceeds reserve additions and that existing natural gas reserves in
Texas will last approximately ten years if natural gas remains the
major fuel for boilers with production continuing at 1973 rates.
If the TRC does follow through and eliminate natural gas as
a boiler fuel in Texas then alternative fuel sources must be used.
When asked what fuel alternatives could be resorted to, a
spokesman for the Gas Utilities Division of the TRC said Tues
day, “There has been no research in this area. Under this
program there would probably be a gradual conversion from
natural gas to other readily available alternates.”
The spokesman said his own opinion but not necessarily the
opinion of the Railroad Commissioners, is that coal and fuel oil
could satisfy these needs.