Whenever someone mentions a from Fiddlin’ Frenchie Burke and
Bryan council to vote on
annexing utility district
itor’s note: This is the first of a two-
rt series about a proposed ordinance
[ore the Bryan City Council annexing
e Municipal Utility District (MUD).
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3
<D
By SYLVIA FELLOWS
Battalion Reporter
For the past few months, heated de
les have occurred over annexation of the
nicipal Utilities District (MUD) and its
H) residents.
he Bryan City Council will meet
nday night to vote on the final reading
he annexation ordinance.
Ithough the council will be considering
L areas for annexation, the MUD has
n the most controversial area,
he issue concerns whether or not the
DO people will become the city’s re-
(D
0)
-
sponsibility or remain in the district’s
power. .
The MUD is a 695-acre residential area
with about 570 families on the west side of
town, bordered by Finfeather Road, Villa
Maria and the West By-Pass.
The MUD is the first and only utility
district in Brazos County. It pays for the
installation of utilities through the sale of
bonds.
The council held a public hearing on the
issue and at the first reading. Councilman
Henry Seale moved for approval of the
complete ordinance.
Since Councilman Joe Hanover was ill
and could not attend the meeting, Seale
said they should not discuss or approve the
amendment. Once an area is rejected for
annexation on the first reading, it cannot
be picked up on the second reading.
Differing opinions concerning annexa
tion of the MUD are related to personal
and professional interests of the people in
volved:
—the council is concerned that annexa
tion will cost the city too much, —the de
veloper wants a chance to finish the
project with the current development con
tract,
—the majority of residents wish to be
annexed now so they can receive city serv
ices and be more assured of limited taxa
tion,
—and other residents would like to re
main outside the city so they can keep con
trol of the district’s development and
maintenance.
The council asked Hubert Nelson, di
rector of planning and traffic, to find out
what the approximate cost to the city
would be if the MUD were annexed now.
In a memo to City Manager Ernest
Clark, Nelson outlined the economics of
annexing the MUD:
— The $2.3 million bond debt would
cost the city approximately $200,000 an
nually for 25 years. Nelson said this pay
ment would be offset by not having to
build an already approved sewer system
designed for west-side Bryan residents at a
cost of $620,000. The MUD sewer plant is
large enough to service residents outside
the district. The city should pay for the
MUD’s bond debt from utility revenue -
not property tax, Nelson said.
— Bryan would lose approximately
$27,000 annually from services the MUD
would stop buying. They buy bulk water
and electricity for their sewer plant.
— The city will have to add three
police officers and expand existing patrol
districts at a cost of approximately
$36,000 annually. However, because of
normal growth of the community. Nelson
added, the city will demand additional
protection whether the city annexes more
land or not.
— The city will not be charged for
other services. Other services such as gar
bage^ water and sewer pay for thenselves
through service charges.
— Bryan will gain approximately
$263,000 annually in total revenue. Prop
erty, sales, sanitation, water and sewer
revenue were included in this estimate.
— Bryan’s total expense will be approx
imately $159,000 annually. This total in
cludes expenses for sanitation, water and
sewer service, street maintenance, and
police protection.
— Bryan will receive $20,000 in certifi
cates of deposit and escrow accounts. The
MUD would have to turn these over to the
city. Nelson said they should be used to
help pay off the bond debt for the first
year. Nelson said.
Nelson also wrote in the memo that
there are many variables in trying to
project the economics of annexation. Such
variables as rainfall affecting water reve
nue, construction activity affecting tax
base, weather affecting maintenance cost
and inflation affecting materials and labor
costs could cause the best estimates to be
off substantially either way.
The Battalion
Vol. 73 No. 25 Friday, October 5, 1979 USPS 045 360
10 Pages College Station, Texas Phone 845-2611
CS, county debate
over firefighting
By RICHARD OLIVER
Battalion Staff
Although negotiations between Bryan-
College Station and Brazos County over
firefighting services have not begun yet,
several officials agree a solution should be
found quickly.
“There’s definitely going to lie a prob
lem if someone doesn’t come up with a
solution,” said Jack Philbin, Bryan fire
chief. “There are several problems which
need answers fast.”
College Station is involved in a contract
dispute with Brazos County over fire serv
ices. Under the present contract, which
expires Dec. 1, the county pays College
Station whenever the city fights a fire out
side city limits.
According to city council members. Col
lege Station has not been paid for several
calls over the past few years.
Much of the pressure is on College Sta
tion Fire Chief Doug Landua, Philbin
said.
“College Station is definitely feeling the
heat,” he said. “Doug doesn’t know from
one day to another what’s going to happen.
We (Bryan) haven’t had that much of a
problem with the county.”
Landua said he’s ready for a solution.
“As far as I’m concerned, we will con
tinue to help Brazos County residents
until told otherwise,” he said. “We’ll help
anyone in need, anytime we can.
“I haven’t been involved in the talks,
but I kind of wish they would get it over
with so I can know what’s going on.”
College Station City Councilman
Homer Adams said a solution would have
been found sooner, but a death in County
Judge Dick Holmgreen’s family caused a
delay in negotiations.
Holmgreen is representing Brazos
County in the negotiations. Bryan and
College Station will each be represented
by their city managers.
Bryan will definitely be involved in the
negotiations, Adams said.
“When we gave Brazos County 30 days
to come up with a solution, it looked like
Bryan was going to follow our lead and do
it, too,” he said. “After we did it, though,
they decided they better hold off. They
wanted their new fire chief (Philbin) to be
involved in the negotiations.”
Philbin said Bryan is involved because it
is concerned with the fire protection serv
ices in the county.
“We don’t have a contract with the
(Continued on page 3)
Battalion photo by Sam Stroder
From days gone by
Pope says it’s God’s will
that only men be priests
For the Lee family of Houston, substitute forms of
transportation for their car include these an
tiquated vehicles — penny farthings, more com
monly known as high-wheelers. For a cruise around
the Texas A&M University campus, Larry Lee (left)
rides a 57-inch 1884 Ludge. Mrs. Lee rides a 42-
inch 1878 Columbian model, and son Lindsey, a
junior at A&M, rides a 55-inch 1889 Columbian.
SCourt orders resentencing
or policemen in Torres case
United Press International
PHILADELPHIA — Pope John Paul II
Thursday defended the Roman Catholic
Church’s refusal to accept women as
priests and said the policy will not change,
because the priesthood is a matter of God’s
will, not human rights.
The pope’s homily, delivered to a con
gregation of 20,000 priests, brothers and
nuns, was the first time he referred to the
touchy issue of priesthood for women dur
ing his U.S. trip.
John Paul’s words, which reflected his
traditional, conservative position on the
volatile controversy over priesthood, won
a rousing standing ovation. The cheering
and chants of “Long live the pope!” lasted
several minutes.
Despite the warm approval from the re
ligious audience — the Philadelphia Civic
Center was a sea of men and women
garbed in black and white vestments —
there were some islands of reserve in the
congregation, chiefly from groups of nuns
See related stories, page 4.
seated in the balcony who appeared to be
applauding only politely.
Wearing his traditional watered-silk
vestments and a gold cape, the pope spoke
from a red-carpeted, elevated altar. The
Civic Center was festooned with banners
welcoming bim in English and Polish.
Much of the pontifical mass was sung in
Latin, another symbol of the traditional
policies the pope was defending.
Cardinal John Krol introduced the pope
to the priests and nuns in the hall before
the mass began, and he inadvertently
raised the priesthood for women issue
even before the pope’s homily.
Krol told the pontiff his congregation in
cluded priests representing every diocese
in the United States, and “some sisters.”
A groan and then a burst of laughter
broke out in the giant hall, stopping only
when Krol motioned for quiet.
The pope’s speech to the religious, de
livered at the midpoint of his six-city,
week-long U.S. crusade for peace, also
was a vigorous defense of the requirement
for priestly celibacy. God himself, the
pontiff said, had decreed only men should
be chosen for the priesthood.
'
United Press International
NEW ORLEANS — The 5th U.S. Cir-
[lit Court of Appeals Thursday granted a
>rosecution appeal for resentencing of
.three former Houston policemen who
were given suspended sentences in a brut
ality case that resulted in the death of pris
oner Joe Campos Torres.
The 14 judges said the probation im-
losedby U.S. District Judge Ross Sterling
)f Houston was improper because federal
law did not allow suspended sentences in
ases where the maximum penalty was
death or life imprisonment. The officers
could rave been sentenced to life impris-
nment.
The remand to the district court was or
bed on a rehearing by an en banc court
lanel, meaning all or most of the 5th Cir-
uit judges took part in the case. A three-
udge panel of the same court previously
lad denied the appeal.
The officers also were sentenced to one
year in jail on a companion misdemeanor
assault charge. Those sentences were not
at issue in the government’s appeal and
remained valid.
The three defendants were Terry
Wayne Denson, Stephen Orlando and
Joseph James Janish. They were convicted
of civil rights violations for brutality result
ing in the death of Torres, a 23-year-old
Mexican-American who was beaten and
pushed into a bayou where he drowned
while in their custody May 5, 1977. His
body was found in the bayou three days
later.
“The clerk shall issue a writ of man
damus vacating the sentences imposed
and commanding the district court to re
sentence the defendants in accordance
with law on their convictions of the
charges in count one of the indictment,”
the court said.
Four members of the panel suggested a
different judge should be assigned to the
case for the resentencing, but the other
judges disagreed.
The 5th Circuit said it was aware that
the defendants could be sentenced to con
current one-year jail terms on both counts
and thereby serve no more time in custody
than under the suspended sentence. But
the judges said that possibility was beyond
their control.
“It is not the result we command but
proper process,” the 5th Circuit said. “The
district judge will, we are confident, per
form his duty. It is unseemly for us either
to assume that he will take a particular
course or to suggest what he should do so
long as he reaches his decision in accord
ance with the controlling statute.”
Home hidden by man’s laundry
United Press International
DENVER — Jerry Knoll found out the
hard way that a home buyer should inspect
his purchase at night as well as in the day
time before signing any papers.
Knoll said he moved into his $100,000-
plus home and found that headlights from
passing cars shone continually into his liv
ing room. Knoll said the lights made the
room “totally unusable.”
Knoll said he decided to spent $12,000
to build a small entry courtyard. The cour
tyard would include a 7-foot brick wall to
block the headlights.
When he applied for a zoning variance
to build the courtyard. Knoll discovered
he also needed a change in the neighbor
hood’s restrictive covenants. He submit
ted plans for the courtyard to the plans
committee of the Crestmoor Park
Homeowners Association, which turned
him down.
Knoll then collected 35 signatures from
neighbors who did not object to his plan.
But when he appeared before the Denver
Board of Zoning Adjustment, only one
person appeared in his favor, compared
with seven for the opposition.
The board vetoed Knoll’s courtyard on a
3-2 vote.
In protest. Knoll Wednesday stretched
a clothesline between two trees in his front
yard and hung out his laundry.
“The sheets will give me some privacy
and I’m sure they’ll help keep out the
headlights,” he said.
Construction to blame
for campus power failure
By KENT DUNLAP
Battalion Reporter
Construction and maintenance were to
lame for lights being out in two areas of
ihe campus last week.
Lights in front of the Chemistry Build-
ng were off Monday through Friday last
veek because of the improvements being
nade to the fountain in front of the build-
Lights along the sidewalks in front of the
Oceanography and Meteorology Building
is well as in front of the Systems Building
>vere out beginning early this week. Power
was restored to this area Thursday.
Jim Harless, area maintenance superin-
endent, said lights in front of the Chemis
try Building were cut off when maitenance
oegan on the fountain, and they were
Jtumed back on when the work was com
pleted.
The fountain was shut off during the
spring semester last year, because of an
internal water leak.
Circuit problems were blamed for the
lack of lights along the sidewalks in front of
the O&M and Systems buildings.
Harless said minor circuit problems can
occur at any given time. They can be re
quire repair work ranging from replacing a
blown fuse to reworking a complete cir
cuit.
“We found a bad breaker on one of the
main light circuits Thursday, and we re
hoping that solved the problem,” Harless
said. “We ll find out tonight.”
Fortunately, while the lights were off,
University Police Chief Russ McDonald,
who was not aware of the problem, said
there had been no incidents reported.
PR puts school in national limelight
Company hired to
By LAURA CORTEZ
Battalion Reporter
A public relations firm was hired
by Texas A&M University last fall to
promote the image of the school on
a national level, and Lane Stephen
son, director of public information
at Texas A&M, said he is pleased
with the results.
Stephenson said that Gehrung
Associates, a New Hampshire-based
firm that deals exclusively with col
leges and universities, was respon
sible for stories about Texas A&M
appearing in some general interest
publications over the past year. The
publications include Newsweek,
The New York Times and People
magazine.
“Gehrung Associates makes it
their business to know the needs
and interests of the national media,
and they are then able to alert us to
those needs,” he said.
Frank Dobisky, director of the
western region for Gehrung As
sociates, said an example is the case
of the Texas Gulf Coast oil spill. He
put Good Morning America and
People magazine, both of which
were interested in the subject, in
touch with Dr. Roy Hann of the
Texas A&M civil engineering de
partment, who has done extensive
research on oil spills.
Dobisky said that it is the goal of
Gehrung Associates to “tell the
A&M story” and to make people
recognize the academic reputation,
not just the athletic reputation, of
the University.
Stephenson said he feels it is ben
eficial to the University to have a
firm such as Gehrung Associates
working for it because the national
V:
image
publicity makes many people aware
of the research and other worth
while programs at Texas A&M.
The firm charges the University
$6,000 per year for its services. This
money is provided by the Associa
tion of Former Students, Stephen
son said.
He also said that Gehrung repre
sentatives, including Dobisky, visit
Texas A&M a few times a year to
familiarize themselves with the var
ious programs and professors.
During the rest of the year, they
are in continual telephone contact
with the office of information.
Among other national media-
stories Stephenson said could be at
tributed to contacts made by'
Gehrung was a story which ap
peared in US magazine concerning
Dr. Rod O’Connor, professor and
director of First Year Chemistry
Programs, whose unconventional
yet effective teaching methods (he
pops out of a lake phone booth wear
ing a “Super Aggie” T-shirt, enters
class in a puff of smoke and conducts
demonstrations with shaving cream,
gum drops and beach balls) have
earned him fame.
In addition, the New York Times
has made mention of the under
water archaeology program, and
Newsweek cited the business ad
ministration program at Texas A&M
as one of the largest in the country.
Stephenson said he feels Gehrung
Associates has been “very product
ive,” and this feeling is shared by
Dr. Haskell Monroe, assistant vice
president for academic affairs.
Stephenson said he plans to em
ploy the services of Gehrung As
sociates to an even greater degree in
the future.