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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 28, 1977)
>e Ping thefi <)r ^'fldposiy eb V s punu K kick-o: f M defense,, dvaneed L * line ’ ter. proved In l.J Jected. r Bellardd, s ar e equal)] n to what ha. Battalion Inside today This is the season for county fairs, where even bales of hay can win blue ribbons. For more on fairs, rodeos, festivals and October events, see page 7. Vol. 71 No. 20 16 Pages Wednesday, September 28, 1977 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 Tax office consolidation plan to be presented to Council i four week es during 4 Texas Lont 3 by Pat O'Mik * •J ... j, mmm -M V*" * s \ t ... ■»', ~ *rt - 's-m, * k **~ .. i< *■ ■ y , \\ \ .♦T ' ■ 'Wheeling 7 away the time Battalion photo by Ouina Cochran Mary Anna Davis demonstrated the art of spin ning yarn in front of Rudder Tower Tuesday. Her demonstration was part of the Brown Bag Seminar conducted by the craftsmen of the MSC Crafts Shop to draw student interest to the Arts and Crafts Center. By KAREN ROGERS The possible merger of the College Sta tion and A&M Consolidated tax offices will be presented to the City Council today for an informal vote. This decision came last night after a meeting of a school board committee and a city council committee to discuss the pos sibility of the merger. Discussion was limited to the general aspects of the merger. The details will be worked out before the merger is ap proved, said Bill Fitch, chairman of the school board committee. Fitch pointed out advantages of the merger. “There is a great deal of room for im provement in our (school tax office) sys tem,” Fitch said. A large number of people seem to be dissatisfied. ” “The city’s evaluation of many of the properties are frequently quite different from the evaluation the school has for them,” he said. “This is a source of confu sion and discontent.” “We need a standard evaluation of all the property. This would eliminate the discussion of why a certain piece of prop erty is evaluated differently by two sepa rate agencies,” he said. Fitch said the budgets for the two tax offices are $25,000 a year for College Sta tion and $91,000 a year for the school. “It seems to me it all could be done at a lower figure, and would save the taxpayers a lot of money,” Fitch said. Rodney Hill, a school board member, said that “some people may be squeamish about pending suits” when they consider the merger. Hill referred to the pending suit by some members of the Property Owners Association. North Bardell, city manager, said the city had requested the use of the school tax office files for use in a city re-evaluation of property. The school offered the files at a cost of $35,000, which College Station turned down, he said. The merger would provide for common files as will well as a common standard of evaluations. Anne Hazen, a member of the council, said “I think we’re all basically for the merger consolidating the two tax offices.” The two committees will go back to gov erning bodies to consult on the specifics of the merger. Bardell said that the name of the school district: A&M Consolidated did not give a feeling of unity between the district and the city of College Station. Fred Hopson, superintendent of the school district, agreed with Bardell. He said he has “thought the same thing as long as he has been in the school district.” Hopson gave his full support in chang ing the name of the school district, and suggested the name of College Station Public Schools. Bryan official outlines proposal for merger Bryan’s proposal for merging with College Station will be outlined in a letter to College Station City Man ager North Bardell, said Bryan’s City Manager Lou Odle yesterday. The letter is a counter proposal to two letters sent by Bardell to Odle Thursday. Bardell, speaking for the College Station City Council offered two plans for settling the Northgate sewage problem. One letter proposed joint financ ing to overhaul the Northgate sew age system and to improve Bryan’s Number One plant to relieve the overload in the Northgate area. The second letter discussed the possibility of the Brazos River Au thority establishing a sewer district that would control all sewage pro cessing for Bryan, College Station and Texas A&M University. Odle disagreed with the two pro posals. “It is not a workable plan, Odle said of the College Station letters. “The real answer is the possibility of merging the two ciLes.” Odle claimed that College Station would finance their proposals through federal funds provided on a 3 to 1 basis, the federal government providing 75 per cent of the funds. Bardell said he had not received the letter as of last night. “These letters are usually hand carried,” Bardell said. “I can’t say when I will receive it.” Councilman Lane Stephenson was not suprised when informed of Bryan’s intent to send a letter. “They are always sending us let ters,” said Stephenson. “We ll just have to wait and read this one. yle Field, medical college topics for Regents gram essories By LEE ROY LESCHPER, Jr. Battalion Staff j-time football and big-time medicine, osewere the key words at yesterday’s ting of the Texas A&M University Sys- Board of Regents. The regents ap ed initial planning work for a 14,600- jil addition to Kyle Field and for con- :tion of the first building of Texas Is new College of Medicine, lose projects headed a board agenda inated by construction. The board ai led a total of $347,000 for construction ll { t projects within the University System. The Kyle Field expansion project was set into motion by a $175,000 board ap propriation for preliminary planning work on the addition. The project, which will add a third deck of seats on each side of the football stadium, will also include con struction of a new press box, new athletic- dressing and treatment rooms for both men and women, and additional physical education facilities. The project will cost approximately $14.6 million with the facilities the regents have requested. Bill Plots, president of firm handling the project, told the regents Monday. Funding will come partially from Per manent University Funds and partially from donations to the Aggie Club, the alumni organization which raises funds, through donations, for the athletic de partment. Permanent university funds have never been used at the University for non- academic construction and in this case those funds will be used only for the phys ical education portion of the stadium ex pansion, Chancellor Jack K. Williams told the board. The regents appropriated $15,000 for the first step in planning for the new Uni versity Medical Sciences Building. That building, to house the University’s fleg- ling medical school, is slated for construc tion across University Drive from the Uni versity’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The first class of students in the medical school began classes this semester. Those students are now using six University buildings to hold classes. The board awarded a $826,323 contract to a Bryan firm for renovation of the old agronomy building, which will be used by the College of Science after renovations. Several appropriations for im provements or additions to facilities on the University’s west campus were made by the board, along with a $83,310 appropria tion to begin the first phase of a four-phase project to renovate Hensel Park. The park renovation is expected to take four years to complete. Students will be paying an additional $1 per semester for University health center services. The regents voted to increase the health center fee to $15 per semester, the maximum allowed by state law. That in crease goes into effect next semester. The regents also agreed on the site for the soon-to-be-constructed women’s ath letic dormitory. That dorm will be located north of the All Faiths Chapel and west of Sbisa Dining Hall. Property owners to retain local lawyer in suit Members of the College Station roperty Owners Association de- ided yesterday not to retain Austin ttorney Adrian Overstreet for the ending suit against A&M Consoli- lated School District. Bill Fitch, a member of the prop- rty owners association and presi- lent of the school board, said the ssociation felt it would be better to etain a local attorney. He explained that an attorney rom out-of-town would not have ocal interests under consideration while working on the case. The other members of the associ- ition, Fitch said, felt an attorney rom the College Station area would I be working in their interests. Fitch said no one had been cho- en yet. Power needed Van Hightower stresses need for women’s political groups By CAROLYN BLOSSER If women want to participate effectively in the political process they must form a powerful political group. Dr. Nikki Van Hightower told a group of students and faculty Tuesday. In her speech sponsored by Political Forum, the women’s rights advocate from Houston blamed lack of political power as the reason why women’s issues have largely been neglected. “Women as a group have been weak politically and have failed to form a power base,” she said. “Issues we have focused upon, power we have not. As a result, women have not been taken seriously by politicians and their interests have been largely ignored.” A former assistant professor of political science at the University of Houston, Hightower was apppointed in May of 1976 as women’s rights advocate for the city of Houston by Mayor Fred Hofeinz. Controversy began when Hightower at tended a women’s political rally in Hous ton. The City Council felt the action inap propriate for a representative of the city. In an effort to discourage Hightower from keeping her job, the Houston City Council voted last Spring to reduce her salary to $1 per year. Hofheinz then rehired her to be on his staff to do the same job as before, only without the official title. Hightower said women have organized themselves to work outside the political process, leaving the real decision making to those inside the political system. As a result, women have failed to elect women to public office, and also have failed to be considered a voting bloc threat. She said women need to vote as a bloc in order to elect officials who will meet their concerns. Hightower blamed psychological forces for deterring women from seeking political power. “Power is considered a male trait. To be powerful is to be unfeminine. Society firmly encourages women to remain feminine. Moving out of this identity trap means working against very heavy odds.” She said women tend to fear their own power because of certain derogatory, obscene labels given to women with power. Another reason why women have avoided the power struggle, she said, is because our culture thinks of “power” as a dirty word. “The power of another person or group of people has generally been seen as dangerous,” she said. “But power does not have to be used to denigrate others or to create structures of dominance. “Women need power to advance their own development, but that need not limit the development of others. We can use TTI conducts survey on transit system the iVithits. jetionah »rful ;oiif ikno"' are kselle* By COLIN CROMBIE A public transit system could become a ality for Bryan and College Station resi- nts A survey is being conducted to de- fmine the local need for such a system, ihe first part of the $23,00(T survey is a lit, now in draft form, by the Texas ansportation Institute (TTI) which in- des recommendations for local public isportation and estimated costs. The urvey also includes a questionnaire t was mailed to Bryan-College Station iseholds and which is still being re- ned. X D. Williamson, planning engineer of State Department of Highways and plic Transportation, said the survey, peh started in 1975, was requested by city because, “We recognize a definite dfor some type of system locally.” ihe need, servicing, cost and funding of h a system are issues that must be re- i'ed by the city councils of Bryan and liege Station, Williamson said, the TTI report has answered some sstions with its recommendations and imates, but the Steering Committee is fully satisfied, he added. Voting mem- rs of the Steering Committee are the mayors of Bryan and College Station, the county judge and the district engineer. TTI recommended a fixed-route system, with 17 passenger buses, coming within a quarter-mile of 90 percent of the house holds in Bryan-College Station. TTI estimated the initial capital invest ment to be $565,000 for the 17 buses and $250,000 for maintenance shops and equipment. TTI also forecast an initial $200,000 deficit in the operation of a pub lic transit system. Passenger fare would be 50 cents during peak hour periods and 25 cents at other times. Williamson said that federal funds are already earmarked to pay for 80 percent of the capital investment ($652,000) and 50 percent of the deficit ($100,000). State funds would cover 13 percent of the capital investment ($106,000). Local expenses would be seven percent of the capital in vestment ($57,000) and the remaining half of the deficit. “All transit systems operate at a deficit,” Williamson said. “The joint city councils face the problem of who pays the deficit — the two cities or the county,” he added. The Steering Committee has questions that are not answered by the TTI report, Williamson said. Could Bryan-College Station buses be serviced by the existing maintenance shops of the local school sys tem? Are there other means — such as efficient car pooling — that would satisfy the local need at a cheaper cost? What al ternatives are there for financing an un predictable future deficit? How would welfare rolls be reduced if people could be moved to and from work? Another question concerns the opera tion of a public transit system. The system could be run by one of the cities or by Brazos county. By drawing up a manage ment contract, the cities also could buy the equipment and lease it to an operator, with the cities guaranteeing to pay the def icit, Williamson explained. The results of the local household ques tionnaire will indicate the possible use and support of a public transit system in the Bryan-College Station area. Williamson said that about one-fourth of the questionnaires have been returned. He ^dded that one day’s sample indicated that 8 percent of the respondents would be active riders and 60 to 70 percent would support a system. He said that a local system would mainly service “the low income transit- dependent.” It would also cater to “those who, rather than buy a second car would opt for public transit,” as well as the el derly, invalids, schoolchildren and Texas A&M students. “I can see a lot of student needs not serviced by the shuttle bus system,” Williamson said. He said shopping trips by students without cars are examples of this need. According to a TTI survey of transit sys tems in Texas, riders are mainly people without personal transportation. Williamson said the subject will be on the agenda for the Steering Committee meeting on Oct. 7. It will probably be sent before the joint city councils, he added. The ultimate decision, he said, lies with the two city councils and the county com missioner’s court. “I think ultimately the Bryan-College Station area will have to have a public transit system,” Williamson said. Thursday s Battalion will include a look at existing public transportation services in Bryan-College Station. our power to make full development pos sible for everyone.” In order to gain political power, High tower urged women to get involved with women’s rights groups such as the Wo men’s Political Caucas, National Organiza tion For Women (NOW), League of Women Voters and the American Civil Liberties Union. She urged women to become more in volved in political elections. She said this is a prime time to bring up women’s issues because candidates are interested in mak ing a deal, she said. “We’ve got to learn to broaden our sphere of influence within groups and broaden the illusion of influence,” High tower said. “Let candidates know that you are involved with a lot of people in the community. They’re always thinking in terms of building coalitions, and putting the right number of votes together to get the vote.” One of the biggest controversies con cerning the women’s rights movement is the Equal Rights amendment. Federal ERA has until March 1979 to pass and three more states still need to ratify it. Hightower said she is not very optimistic that it will be passed. “Ultimately we will have an Equal Dr. Nikki Van Hightower Rights amendment in this country — there I think there is no doubt about it,” she said. “Ultimately we will have equality in this country, but I don’t think anybody today will live to see it. “I think we re in a long historical pro cess,” she continued. “Equality is going to get better. But the day when individuals just look at each other as individuals first and members of a gender group second is a long way off. Northgate businesses opposed to being annexed by Bryan By MARK POWER College Station and Bryan have yet to agree on a solution to the Northgate sewer controversy. But Northgate businessmen agree on one aspect of the complex issue. They do not want to be annexed as a part of Bryan. The city of Bryan has informally suggested that the sewer problem and other community problems can be re solved by a merger of the two cities. Northgate businessmen are opposed to that idea. “You’ll never make Northgate a part of Bryan,” said Hugh Holick. Holick is a member of the family which runs Holick Boot and Shoe repair in the Northgate area. “Bryan and College Station are bicker ing over utilities in general. Holick said that the Northgate area grew up from trade with the students and faculty of the University. Holick believes that Northgate is an integral part of the University community, not a part of Bryan. Another member of the Holick family, Johnnie Holick, thinks Northgate is a part of the tradition of Texas A&M. “Northgate was the first shopping cen ter A&M ever had, said Johnnie Holick. “We are traditionally a part of A&M." Holick went on in favor of a compromise between the two cities that would keep the sewer line operating as it is today. “I’m in favor of negotiations to keep this situation like it is, said Johnnie Holick. "I (See Controversy, page 8)