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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 1986)
Wednesday, July 16, 1986rrhe Battalion/Page 3 ^1 State and Local : - Construction budget to hit $75 million I V By Tom Ownbey Reporter Construction spending at Texas A&M will be at its highest levels in fiscal 1987, Vice Chan cellor of Facilities Daniel Whitt says. Whitt estimates the 1987 build ing budget will reach $75 million. The record-breaking spending appears to contradict a Battalion story of July 1 1, which reported that a stabilizing Permanent Uni versity Fund may cause a slowing of construction on the A&M cam pus. Keith Chapman, manager of facilities construction in the Fa cilities Planning and Construction Department, says he expects a spending slowdown sometime in the future. “Next year (1988) construction is probably going to drop off about 25 percent, but 1 don’t think that has anything to do with the economic conditions,” he says. “It’s just a matter of what was needed and when.” Chapman predicts the con struction budget for 1989 will match the 1987 budget. Six projects have been or will be completed by the end of this year, Chapman says, but con struction starts are down for the same period. Three contracts are expected to be awarded by the Board of Regents and several dormitories are being renovated. Chapman says the new chemis try building is scheduled for com pletion in November but won’t be ready for occupation until later because the chemistry depart ment must move its research equipment. The Texas A&M Research Park, located between Highway 60 and Jersey, also is approaching completion. Contractors finished their work on the park last May, completing the road system and establishing plots for buildings. The Facilities Planning and Con struction Department is still working on park landscaping. The park’s first building, The Ocean Drilling Program facility, will be completed early in Sep tember, Chapman says. He says a new poultry center on F.M. 2818 south of Eas- terwood Airport was finished by contractors June and its inhabit ants have moved in although some minor work still needs to be completed. The department also works on campus renovation projects. The Halbouty Geosciences Building renovation should be finished Summer 1987. Chapman says although con struction starts are on the decline, three contracts will be awarded by year-end. In November a con tract will be awarded for the ren ovation of Duncan Dinning hall. “At the July Board of Regents meeting, we expect to award a contract for additional green houses at the Horticulture For estry Sciences Building,” Chap man says. In addition to these projects, he says, a small paving contract will be awarded this sum- Texas deficit forecast passes $3 billion mark AUSTIN (AP) — A lawmaker called for a state lottery Tuesday as the comptroller worked on a revised revenue forecast that will peg the deficit at more than $3 billion. The new forecast will be an nounced late this month, after July sales tax collections are reported to Comptroller Bob Bullock, said Tony Proffitt, a spokesman for the comp troller’s office. “All Bullock says is he is sure it’s over $3 billion, but he has not set a number to it,” Proffitt said. In February, as oil prices plum- metted, Bullock predicted a $1.3 bil lion shortfall in the current budget period, which ends Aug. 31, 1987. Last month, he raised it to $2.3 bil lion. “It’s going to be reflective of what’s happening in the Texas econ omy in unemployment, construction and manufacturing and the other sectors in the last six months,” Prof fitt said. “There’s not an ounce of good news in any of those economic indicators. I think it’s called a reces sion.” Rep. Ron Wilson, D-Houston, said Tuesday the state should look for ways to raise money, not cut pro grams. Wilson is a long-time backer of a state lottery. Wilson told a news conference a lottery could eventually mean as much as $600 million a year for state government. He wants the special session to at least place the lottery idea on the November ballot as a non-binding referendum. e Austin advised to stop making nuclear project payments AUSTIN (AP) — An advisory commission has recommended that Austin stop making weekly pay ments of $2.5 million to the South Texas Nuclear Project, put the money in escrow and take steps to cancel the plant. The Electric Utility Commission voted 6-1 Monday for a motion from commission member Albert Fairweather, who said the payment on the long-delayed project was “playing havoc with our rate base.” Fairweather said he doubted that bond companies would consider Austin a bad risk “for exhibiting fis cal responsibility” in withdrawing from the project, in which the city holds a 16 percent interest. Commission Chairman Merle Moden said Austin’s situation with the project “is a different world” from the days when most calls for cancellation came from anti-nuclear activists. Since then, auditors hired by the Public Utility Commission have said that between $1.1 billion and $1.3 billion was wasted on the project be cause of bad management by Hous ton Lighting & Power Co. Austin and three other partners have settled a lawsuit against the for mer builder, Brown & Root, for $750 million. nd!« ugl; ■' e intj < iinu«- )U5t ll en T hoirl md :| hail iv dtJ t sonj [’et I aro\; lwe!| ueso hass iia i lich ft’| :meC ;ia sod| , welco /oukh hts- izesk s in Ai ; thert nan's: ), tto what; ft tinsitt 'g top ling ^ liters to 1 ird e Kre"' 1 S.Caf; lyCasf ihme •A $ fSt- - Mc ^ Si.0" 1 ' «,5 UM . v What’s up Thursday STUDENT GOVERNMENT: applications for External Com munications and Public Relations will be available through the summer months. Please come by 221 Pavilion from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to pick up applications. For more informa tion call 845-3051. CO-OP STUDENT ASSOCIATION: will meet at 7 p.m. in (507 Rudder. For more information call Vara, 693-5306. BRAZOS DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB: meets every Thurs day at 7 p.m. at the College Station Community Center. Beginners are welcome. Items for What’s Up should be submitted to The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, no less than three days prior to de sired publication date. Jury deliberation continues in kidnapping-slavery case KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Ju rors deliberated Tuesday for a sec ond day in the state’s case against three men accused of conspiring to kidnap and kill a drfter who pros ecutors say was enslaved on a Hill Country ranch. The state district court panel, which began discussion late Monday after nine weeks of testimony and a full day of final arguments, retired for the night about 7:25 p.m. Tues day after a total of 12 hours of delib erations. Attorneys said they did not expect a quick verdict in the case, which fea tured often-lurid testimony and tape recordings of purported torture ses sions. “I think we’ll be here a while,” said defense attorney Ray Bass, who rep resents Walter Wesley Ellebracht Jr., 33. Ellebracht, along with his 54-year- old father and ranch worker Carlton Robert Caldwell, 21, are accused of violating the state’s organized crime statute in the March 1984 death of Anthony Bates. Late Monday, the jury asked to hear portions of testimony by Darryl Hunsaker, a former ranch worker who faces a separate trial on a mur der charge. Hunsaker testified the three defendants helped torture Bates. Bush lauds oil industry in Beaumont BEAUMONT (AP) — Vice President George Bush, speaking in the birthplace of Texas’ eco nomically depressed oil industry, said Tuesday the way to cure the energy business’ ills was to get the government off its back. “That means repealing once and for all the windfall profits tax,” he said. “That means dereg ulating— immediately — natural gas.. . . And that means taking the steps today so that our stripper wells won’t be capped forever and lost forever.” Bush, in a campaign appear ance for 9th District Congressio nal candidate Lisa DuPerier, touted the Reagan Administra tion for lowering interest rates, bolstering the nation’s armed forces and restoring pride in America. inema/~ MAJOR MOTION PICTURE SNEAK PREVIEW BOUNDS July 17 Rudder Auditorium 7:30 p.m. Seating limited to passes only-Passes are available at the MSC Box Office 8:30-4:30 15th ANNUAL BRYAN BREAKFAST LION'S CLUB RODEO Thursday, Friday and Saturday July 17,18,19 COLUMBIA PICTURES PRESENTS A FRIES ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION A RICHARD TUGGLE FILM STARRING ANTHONY MICHAEL HALL "OUT OF BOUNDS" JENNY WRIGHT • JEFF K0BER • GLYNN TURMAN MUSIC bySTEWART COPELAND WRITTEN producerUOHN TARNOFF byTONY KAYDEN produc I d yCHARLES fries andRAY HARTWICK and MIKE R0SENFELD p.m. Rodeo Arena (near Tabor Road & Hwy 6 in Bryan) PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT: Lion's Handicapped Camp-Kerrville Lion's Eye Bank and Community Projects UNIVERSITY NIGHT Friday 7/18 All College Students 1 /2 price $2.00 TICKETS AVAILABLE IN ADVANCE AT: BOSSIER DODGE 4 adults 2 children LOCAL PIZZA HUTS J.J.'S PACKAGE STORES CATE LENA HATTERS BRYAN BANKS and from BRYAN BREAKFAST and NORTH OF BRYAN LION'S CLUB MEMBERS i 001 OOUYSIBYED |* N SELECTED THEATRES °" !ECT byRICHARD TUGGLE » it i. i> H Q • COLUMBIA PICTURES INDUSTRIES. INC. ALL RIGHTS RISSRVKO. PtctHras SPECIAL PERFORMANCES BY SI0UXSIE & THE BANSHEES and TOMMY KEENE This Ad sponsored by Pizza Hut of Brazos Valley, Inc. Battalion Classified 845-2611