Wednesday, June 15, 1983/The Battalion/Page 3
r ew place for Old Ags
Former students moving
by Robert McGlohon
Battalion Staff
Flans for the recently
approved office building for
the Texas A&M Association
of Former Students are still
uncertain, but association
President A.W. “Head” Davis
iys it’s a “strong maybe” that
the building will be completed
by the end of 1984.
H The association plans to
hire an architect in August
and “kick the plans around
until the first of the year,”
Davis said Tuesday. He added
that construction on the land
atjthe intersection between
Buston Street and Jersey
Street will start soon after that
and be completed by the end
■ 1984 or early 1985.
■While the idea to move to a
Bv building has been discus
sed seriously by the former
students for the past few
years, “casual words” ol such a
building go as far back as
1908, Davis said.
1 le said the words became
less casual about three years
ago when it became clear that,
because of the increasing size
of the association, the offices
in the Forsyth Alumni Center
in the Memorial Student Cen
ter were becoming too small.
Davis said it came down to
three choices: enlarge the
Forsyth Alumni Center, cur
tail the activities of the associa
tion, or move to a new build
ing. The association decided
that moving was the best
choice.
University officials and the
Texas A&M Board of Regents
approved the project with lav
ish praise.
“Without question, Texas
A&M is blessed with the sup
port of the finest alumni asso
ciation in the world,” Dr.
Frank E. Vandiver, president
of Texas A&M, said. “And we
are delighted to cooperate in
helping accomodate the Asso
ciation of Former Students in
the manner it deems most
appropriate.”
The Board of Regents also
praised the association with a
resolution citing its contribu
tions to Texas A&M. Howev
er, the board did not have the
last word on the project. The
'50-year ground lease it
approved was subject to legis
lative approval.
The board is legally prohi
bited from disposing of land
on the main University cam
pus, Davis said. He defined
the main campus as being
roughly the area bounded by
Texas Avenue, Wellborn
Road, Jersey Street and Uni
versity Drive.
He explained that because
the Texas attorney general
has ruled that a long-term
lease is tantamount to dispos
ing of the land, the association
needed the Legislature’s
approval as well as the
board’s.
Sen. Kent Caperton and
Rep. Bill Presnal sponsored
the legislation.
The legislation, which has
been signed into law by Gov.
Mark White, allows the Asso
ciation of Former Students to
lease three to five acres of land
for 50 years with an option for
renewal, Davis said. The asso
ciation will use its funds to
build the 20,000 to 30,000
square foot edifice, he said,
adding that no University
money will be used and that
the rent is for the land only.
Dioxin victims suing
chemical manufacturers
United Press International
NEWARK, N.J. — Fearful re
sidents, injured workers and
concerned merchants have
banded together in a class action
seeking damages from present
and past owners of a Newark
herbicide manufacturing site
contaminated by dioxin, pri
marily Diamond Shamrock of
Dallas.
The complaint was filed
Monday in Essex County Super
ior Court as federal Environ
mental Protection Agency offi
cials prepared to launch an ex
tensive sampling program to
pinpoint the extent of contami
nation within 2,500 feet of the
sight. EPA officials Tuesday will
begin to collect the first of at
least 300 samples from various
area locations.
Between 1958 and 1978, the
suit charged, various herbicide
manufacturers “knowingly, will
fully, wantonly, recklessly or
negligently released dioxin” into
the surrounding area.
Among the 11 plaintiffs are
two former employees of the de
funct Diamond Alkali Co.
Aldo Andreini, of Elizabeth,
N.J., and Ralph Lamoreaux, of
Hunlock Creek, Pa., both for
mer Diamond employees,
charged they suffered perma
nent physical injury from expo
sure to dioxin. The suit seeks
unspecified monetary damages
for the plaintiffs and members
of the various classes they repre
sent, lawyers said.
In addition to actual or poten
tial physical harm, the plaintiffs
contend they suffered “mental
and emotional dist ress” and eco
nomic hardship by the loss of
business and depreciation of
commercial and residential
property values.
On June 2, Gov. Thomas
Kean disclosed that dioxin in the
soil at the Diamond site was
found in amounts greater than
those at Times Beach, Mo.
The key defendant named
was Diamond Shamrock Corp.
of Dallas, which merged with
Diamond Alkali in 1967 when
the plant was producing the
Vietnam War defoliant Agent
Orange and the “ultrahazar-
dous” by-product dioxin.
iongressmen still behind MTA
I United Press International
HOUSTON — Several Hous-
. in-area members of Congress
Dwtd to continue pursuing fed-
II funds for the Metropolitan
Brsit Authority, even if the
itiztns of the area say they do
n ’ .“’ all |twant a heavy rail system.
drlinpon*Th e election was a pretty
iat T T eai message to Congress that
s Angelcvfle is not a consensus among
time; [atistonians about tbe plan tle-
i UniveuB by MTA,” Rep. Mike
rs ity 0 fSo'B revvs > D-Texas said Mon-
ay. “I will continue to work
nn % mB the delegation to gain
; Bs for the system that Hous-
^ropfms support.”
r. Henas»o ter s soundly defeated a re-
become jrendum Saturday which
would have used $2.35 billion to
build a heavy rail transit system
while upgrading the present bus
sytem. ^
Reps. Mickey Leland, a
Democrat and Bill Archer, a Re
publican, both from the Hous
ton area, said they will continue
to lobby for federal money for
Houson’s transportation prob
lems. Metro officials said they do
not know what is next.
“We have to find out first why
the bond referendum failed and
then come up with a new plan,”
said Metro spokeswoman Janet
Redeker. “The voters did not
want what we had. We will be
regrouping now and come up
with something else.” Federal
funds amounting to about $110
million tentatively earmarked
for the proposed Metro rail sys
tem now are in question.
But Rep. Jack Fields, R-
Texas, said he will recommend
dropping the federal funds re
el nest.
“As of now I am going to cease
my activity in trying to get tax
dollars back to Houston (for the
transit plan),” said Fields, who
has been one of the most active
members of the area’s congres
sional delegation in seeking
funding.
Although Fields has been
trying to secure the federal dol
lars, he has never endorsed the
plan.
Metro already spent about
$30 million in studies and en
gineering costs, but Redeker
said that money has not been
wasted.
But Houston city Councilman
John Coodner, chairman of the
city’s Traffic and Transporta
tion task force and the leading
opponent to the proposed rail
system, said the transit authority
must set up new guidelines for
improving bus service in the city
and increasing the maintenance
facilities.
“We can accelerate some of
these projects,” Coodner said,
listing increased bus lines, over
head bus lanes and possibly a
light rail or trolley system.
Grand Opening
the second location
Precision Hair Cutting
2402-D Texas Ave,
Parkway Square
693-0345
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the
lent. Mesa
president
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everyone it
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