Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 32, No. 4, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 24, 1974 Page: 1 of 20

RIO GRANDE
Serving over 5000 readers over 55 years
Vol. XXXI
No. 4
TPA Award Winning Newspaper
Thursday, January 24, 1974
Ten Cents
Rio Grande City, Texas
Court set election
date for hospital district
by RAUL TREJO
Herald Managing Editor
The Starr County Commissioners Court meeting in their regular
session approved an offer to the City of Roma offering to place a
street base in preparation for pavement and approved the hospital
district election.
Th court opened it's agenda with a report from Assistant County
Auditor Heberto Barrera who told the court the county now has a
balance of $78,628.97 without any notes or loans deducted from that
figure. He also told the court that the county also has $382,459.81 in
revenue sharing money and was in receipt of another check for
$106,865.00 bringing the total to $489,324.81.
The County Road Superintendent and the Bridge Manager then
gave reports to the commissioners on their routine operation.
The court then discussed land owned by the county at the South
end of Britton Avenue. According to County Surveyor E. Aguilar,
who was ordered to do the survey, the county owns a portion of land
that runs to the river and the land that is now being occupied by a
garage and over-growth of vegetation. The court then ordered
County Road Superintendent Roberto Pena to study the maps and
clear out that land which belongs to the county. George Lund, a
local tavern owner, had asked that the land be studied and that if
the land did belong to the county that it be cleared for public use
either as a park or whatever.
The court then approved an $800. a year rent for four acres of
land to be used by the county for the radio tower which will be used
by the Sheriff's Department.
R. Ybarra of the South Texas Development Council appeared
before the commissioners and told them that the tower had been
installed and ready for operation.
"We need two wires to run out to the tower which is ap-
proximately four miles out on farm to market road 755", Ybarra
told the court.
"Has any estimates of cost been made by the telephones com-
panies involved or has any representative of the companies been
contacted?" Dr. Mario Ramirez asked.
"When we picked the site and installed the tower we were told
that this would be no problem," Ybarra said.
Judge Ramirez then asked Pete Ybarra of General Telephone
Company and Roscoe Harvey of Valley Telephone Coop about the
lines.
"We have never had contact with this matter but when we heard
about it we looked into the situation and found that it would take our
system into McCook then to Mission and McAllen and back to you
and have concluded that the initial cost to the county would run in
the neighborhood of $25 to 30 thousand dollars and a $300 per month
rental," Harvey told the county commissioners.
The General Telephone Company representative told the court
that the tower was located in Valley Telephone Coop territory and
that GTE could not enter the area.
"Well, this is rather ridiculous", Judge Ramirez told the South
Texas Development Council Representative. "Did you people not
think of contacting the telephone companies before you placed this
expensive tower out there?"
Ybarra, of the STDC, told Judge Ramirez that it was his un-
derstanding at the time of installation that "there would be no
problem".
"But there is," Ramirez countered.
Ramirez, who is on the Council of Governments which directs the
South Texas Development Council said that he would bring up the
situation during that entities meeting in Laredo. "I think it shows
poor, very poor planning on the part of those in charge of the
project," Ramirez said.
Also in the meantime both telephone companies %will study the
situations to see what can be done.
In other action the court heard an extensive argument on the
opening of what Commissioner Hector Lozano says is a county road
to land that surrounds I^a Casita Farms and the channel that
passes through that area.
The court heard several arguments on the whys and why-nots of
opening of the road. The court finally agreed that they would go out
and look at the road and talk to the owners that surround the
property and decide on the matter later.
Local firemen Pete Ybarra then approached the court with the
fire departments requests for equipment. The court approved a
$5,093.50 bid for different equipment needed and ordered by the
department. There was only one bid and it was approved on a
motion by Commissioner Hector Lozano.
The court also ordered that Ybarra and Assistant County Auditor
get together and draw up specifications for a new pumper-truck
that has been requested by the department for some time. The bid
will be published and bids will be opened as soon as possible so as
not to delay fire protection. Approximate cost of the truck will be
$27,000.
In related Fire Department action the court also ordered that
when ever fire trucks are down that they be repaired immediately
See COURT Page 3
&
I
t
SIGNS OF THE TIMES - Pretty Rio Grande City High School Rattler Cheerleader Josie
Garza, lends a hand to Texas Highway Department Sign Director Francisco Moreno of Rio
Grande City, replace a 70 mph speed limit sign with the new 55 mph speed limit signs that
you now see on the highways. The new speed limit is now being enforced by troopers of the
Texas Department of Public Safety. The new 55 mph limit is one ordered by President
Richard Nixon to conserve energy. The new signs went up last Friday evening in Starr
county witn area signs for the South Texas area costing some $24,000. The new speed limit
went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Sunday. Josie isa Junior student at Rio High and is the 16 year
old daughter of Mrs. Jesusa L. Garza of Santa Cruz. (Herald Photo)
| Sen.Traeger will (
seek new term I
AUSTIN - Today Senator
John A. Traeger announced
that he has filed for re-election
for State Senator of the 21st
Senatorial District, with the
Democratic Party.
Senator Traeger, who is
completing his 12th year of
service in the Texas Legislature
stated, "I have enjoyed the
privilege of representing the
great area of South Texas, and I
have only one campaign
promise; to continue to work
very hard toward the continued
growth and prosperity of all the
people that comprise the 21st
Senatorial District."
At the time of his an-
nouncement, Senator Traeger
filed Eddie A. Klein's name
with the Secretary of State,
naming him as his campaign
manager. Klein is a resident of
Seguin, Texas.
Senator Traeger stated, "I
plan to limit my campaigning at
the present time to weekends as
I am devoting full time to the
revision of the Constitution, and
serving on the Local Govern-
ment Committee within the
Constitutional Convention. I am
looking forward to working for
a sound, new, viable con-
stitution for our State. On ad-
journment of the convention, I
plan to campaign vigorously in
all seventeen counties of the 21st
Senatorial District".
DPS enforcing
55 mph law
AUSTIN - Colonel Wilson E.
Speir, director of the Texas
Department of Public Safety,
announced today that DPS
troopers begin enforcing tfie
State's new 55 mile speed limit
at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, January
20, on all highways where signs
showing the 55 mile maximum
limit are posted.
"Ever since Governor
Briscoe submitted his proposal
for a reduced speed limit to the
special session of the
Legislature, the DPS has been
involved in an extensive effort
to make the public aware that a
reduction in the limit was under
consideration. We have been
joined in these efforts by other
governmental agencies, by the
Texas Motor Transport
Association and the news
media.
"Due to these extensive
public education efforts, we
believe the motorists of Texas
will be well aware of the change
by the effective date.