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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 1985)
Tuesday, January 15, 1985/The Battalion/Page 3 > ATF A NF* I or* AI ilk I Xmi / ml xm-/ JL-»V-/V-i/mJL-i Council wants crossing closed at Luther Street By MICHAEL CRAWFORD Stall Writer The College Station City Council ast week moved closer to its goal of ubstituting a Holleman Street rail- oad crossing for the one on Luther Street where two Texas A&M stu- lents were killed in September. Council members unanimously ipproved a resolution Thursday au- horizing Mayor Gary Halter to exe- :ute an agreement with Southern Pacific Transportation (So. to con- truct a Holleman crossing. The agreement calls for the city to pay $14,810 to finance the roadoed hrough Southern Pacific’s right of way and $128,730 for installing elec- itronic signals and preparing the tossing site. Holleman Street presently does not cross the railroad, but is com plete except for the Southern Pacific easement west of Wellborn Road. The agreement was negotiated more than a year ago, but city offi- ials charge that Southern Pacific dragged its feet on final approval. necity tried to finance the cross ings with money raised from devel opers in the area, but city attorney Cathy Locke said the city did not re ceive a response. The $143,540 will be taken from bond money ap proved by voters in January 1984. The railroad company must pro vide the labor, equipment and materials for adjusting electrical and communication facilities, prepare the track, stabilize the crossing site and install the timber crossing. The City of College Station plans to close the Luther Street crossing because it is unable to handle in creased traffic from development in the area. Capital improvements di rector Elrey Ash said construction of the crossing would take at least a year. In other business, the City Coun cil also approved an application by Alan R. Sumner to rezone 7.99 acres of land on Southwest Parkway from low density to medium density apartments. The 4 to 1 vote allows the land between the Oakwood and Brownstone apartments to be devel oped for 192 luxury units. The dis senting vote was cast by Councilman Pat Boughton who said the current restrictions, established eight years ago, should not be changed. The Council postponed a decision on a recommendation from the Committee to Rename Roads on the West Side of Texas A&M that Uni versity Drive (FM 60) be designated “University Drive West” from the West Loop (FM 2818) to Texas Ave nue. Photo by ANTHONY S. CASPER Renewing an acquaintaince some new ground rules to Mag, an orange tabby. The two have known each other since the beginning of the fall semester. Humans aren’t the only ones seeing old friends at the start of the semester. Here, Chelsea, a white Spitz, attempts to lay down Class cancellation explained Hazardous roads cited Hightower supports farm gas regulation '6$ t the sale! United Press International AUSTIN — Supporters of legis lation to bring natural gas used to fuel irrigation pumps under state regulatory jurisaiction said Monday farmers are the only consumers of natural gas who have no control or recourse over its cost and quality. "Only farmers are left to fend for themselves against the gas compa- nies,” Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower said at a news confer ence. "... Of the 10 top agriculture-pro ducing states, only T exas does not regulate the price of irrigation gas. The result is that the price of gas to these farmers has increased by 300 to 400 percent over the last decade,” Hightower said, adding some farm ers paid as much as $40,000 a month for natural gas. By DAINAH BULLARD Staff Writer Texas A&M students have at tended school in spite of gale force winds, bitter cold and chilling rains, but the snow and sleet which has paralyzed areas south of College Sta tion was deemed reason enough to cancel Monday’s classes. Art Blair, assistant to President Frank Vandiver, said Monday Van diver decided to suspend classes af ter considering weather conditions and the number of A&M students who live in afflicted areas. “Dr. Vandiver surveyed the weather, and he knew that a lot of students come from areas in trouble with the weather,” Blair said. The decision was not made be cause of weather conditions in the College Station area, he said. Sus pending Monday’s classes was an at tempt to prevent students from driv ing under hazardous conditions, Blair said. “We can better afford to lose one day of classes than to lose one stu dent on the roads,” Blair said. Vandiver’s decision was released Saturday so it could reach news serv ices before students in afflicted areas took to the roads Sunday. Jeffrey Al ford, associate director of public in formation, said the wire services and radio and television stations were notified of the decision. “We depended on them to get the word out,” Alford said. “As far as we know, the word did get out.” The decision was a timely one for students still in Austin, San Antonio, Houston and their surrounding areas. Monday afternoon, a spokesperson from the State Troop ers said roads out of San Antonio and Austin were still snowy and icy, but passable. Roads in the Houston area were reported back to normal, v Though such changes due to weather conditions are rare, this is not the first time the University has submitted to foul weather. David Chapman, an assistant library pro fessor who works in the archives, said University employees have been dismissed early due to dust storms and hurricanes. Chapman said that once in the mid-1970s, when he was a student at A&M, students who could not return to campus follow ing a weekend ice storm were not re quired to make up missed classes. Election tab may prevent repayments United Press International HOUSTON — A costly election tab run up by freshman Rep. Mac Sweeney may prevent him from re paying two Texas banks unsecured personal loans of $66,000, a newspa per reported Monday. Sweeney, R-Texas, also acknowl edged to tne Houston Chronicle that the loans may violate a strict inter pretation of federal campaign law that requires candidates to be treated as any other loan applicant, and for loans to be made “on a basis which assures repayment.” The Federal Elections Commis sion will not look into the matter un less a complaint alleging a violation is filed. The two loans are part of $81,000 in personal notes Sweeney still owes from his campaign against Rep. Wil liam Patman, D-Ganado, one of the richest members of Congress. At the time of his last financial re port, Sweeney, a Republican, also owed $ 15,000 to a Houston bank for which he pledged stock, bonds and a car as collateral. The original loan was for $20,000, but Sweeney repaid $5,000 last fall. The remaining amount was due Jan. 2, but neitner the bank nor Sweeney would disclose if, or how, the loan agreement was amended to give him additional time to pay. A $40,000 loan from a Wharton bank is due Jan. 30, and a $26,000 loan Sweeney secured from a Victo ria bank is due Feb. 26. Both banks legally could extend the due dates. “We’re making a good-faith effort and talking to them now,” Sweeney said. _ Sweeney said he ran out of money to live on in September. 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