The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 7, 1985 Page: 1 of 12
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Basketball
Race
Tightens
age 6
THE RIO GRANDE HERALD
Serving Starr County For Five Decades
Triple L
. Giant
Markdowns
page 3
VOL XXXIX
Published In Rio Grande City, Texas, Every Thursday, By The Rio Grande Publishing Co.
No. 15 Thursday, February 7,1985
FIFTEEN CENTS
Man Arrested
On Indecency
Charge
A 38-year-old man is being held
under $10,000 surety bond in the
H Starr County Jail under charges of
® indecency with a child.
Juan Jose Aguilar, 38, is accused
of committing indecency with a
five-yaer-old girl in the Roma area
in December. He was arrested in
Los Saenz Thursday as the result of
an investigation by the District
Attorney's office and the Roma
Police Department
Assistant District Attorney John
Olson said that evidence will be
M presented to a grand jury as soon
as his office's investigation is
officially over. He said it appears
at this time that any charges filed
may be in the second-degree felony
category Such a charge carries a
possible sentence of two to 20 years
and a possible fine of $10,000
Fire Devastates
i La Casita
Home
A
!"
Pictured above is Rolando Salinas, one of the most
recent contributors to the industrial park campaign.
Salinas, the manager of LFD Furniture Store in Rio
Grande City, contributed $2500.
Bishop Contributes
To Park
A Saturday afternoon fire de
strayed most of the possessions of a
La Casita family
No one was injured in the blaze
that started at about 2:30 p.m. in
the home of Constancia Ozuna
Chief OF Guffey of the Rio
A Grande City Fire Department said
the fire apparently started in an
old chimney and spread to the
at tit-
Two units of the Rio Fire
department responded to the blaze,
but Guffey said they were ham
per.-d by a lack of water." He said
half-mile away. The house was a
total loss except for the brick walls
and tile floors. Guffey said that
a both of the department pumpers
™ went to fight this fire.
Gulfey said that the Ozuna
family is in dire need of food,
clothing, furniture and other
essentials, and urges the communi-
ty to help them in every possible
wav
Little League
Officers To
Be Elected
The Rio Grande City Little
League will elect its officers for
1985 at a meeting Wednesday, Feb
13 at 6 p m
The meeting will take place in
m the classroom of Ruben C Lopez in
™ the science building at Ringgold Jr
High The current president of
Little League. Dr Roberto S
Margo. encourages all parents and
other individuals interested in
Little League to participate in the
election of officers
The $1500 contribution of Bishop
John Fitzpatrick has been warmly
welcomed by those leading the
drive to acquire land for the
industrial park
Hernan Gonzalez, the Director of
the Diocese's Division for Christian
service, said, "One of our main
thrusts is to see how the cycle of
poverty can be broken," and added
that the local Campaign for Human
Development decided to contribute
"because of the promise of jobs
that the yarn concern brings for
Marr County
R.C. Salinas, Jr., a member of
the Industrial Foundation's board
of directors, wrote the letter on
behalf of the foundation He said he
mentioned the favorable Parade
article written about Starr County
in May 1983. Salinas said the
contribution showed "the com-
mitment and goodwill of the bishop
toward the economic development
of Starr County."
Salinas said he thanked
Fitzpatrick on behalf of the Foun-
dation and Chamber of Commerce
at a Jan 27 meeting of the
Diocesan and Pastoral Council He $2000.
Industrial Park
Contributors
The drive to acquire land for the
industrial park has raised $67,500,
excluding interest, as of Tuesday.
Feb 5.
Those contributing in the past
week were Pete Diaz, Jr., Diaz
Enterprises, $10,000; Rolando
Salinas, LFD, Rio Grande City.
$2500; Joel Guerrero, Jr., Rio
Abstract Co $2000
The list of contributors to the
industrial park by month reads as
follows: SEPTEMBER- City Glass
Shop, George Ramirez, $100;
Centra) Power and Light, $10,000
Joel F Salinas, $200
JANUARY- Sam Vale, Starr
Camargo Bridge Company, $10,000,
Roy Cantu, First National Bank,
$10,000; Amando Pena, Amando's
Gulf. $10,000; James V Mathis, Rio
(Srr I' iKK. I'<m>' l(>t
Port Facilities, Pa ving
Discussed By Court
By KENNETH ROBERTS
The Starr County Commissioners
spent the lion's share of their
special meeting Thursday discuss
ing the status of the Roma port
facilities and the third year of the
HUD paving project in Rio Grande
City.
Bob Cernelic, the project
architect for Consolidated
Engineers, told the commissioners
that the General Services Ad-
ministration had basically
approved the plans for the $3.8
million construction of the new port
facilities. He said, "Basically,
plans and specifications are ready
for bids. '
Cernelic said, "We've designed a
completely new facility, we'll have
to build around the existing facility
until the new facilities are built,
and ther. demolition will take place
on the existing facilities." Cernelic
said that construction would take
eight months to a year, "depending
on the contractor "
Attorney Frank Randall Nye, Jr.,
said he thought it would take 18 to
20 days to clear up land acquisition
Board Okays Contract,
Telephone Bid
said Fitzpatrick indicated fervent
support for the campaign and gave
full permission to use his name
whenever needed. Salinas added,
"I hope that our bishop's position
will encourage those with doubts
about what the Foundation is
trying to do."
Salinas said three events have
spurred on the industrial park
campaign He praised eighth
graders at Ringgold Jr. High for
raising $200, saying, "It was an
accomplished fact by the time I
f-virv' out abn>? it " He said the
Mexico City firm's public
expression of willingness to build a
plant has provided a big boost.
Of the bishop's contribution,
Salinas said, "If our bishop can
believe in us. we must believe in
each other and trust each other,
and don't lose sight of the goal "
The Industrial Foundation re-
vealed that as of Tuesday, Feb 5,
$67,500 had been raised, excluding
interest The latest contributors
are: Pete Diaz, Jr , for Diaz
Enterprises, $10,000; Rolando
Salinas for LFD, $2500, and Joel
Guerrero, Jr., for Rio Abstract,
Bv KENNETH ROBERTS
The Rio Grande City CISD board
of trustees officially okayed the
contract for high school construc
tion, and approved a bid for
installation of a new telephone
system at their regular meeting
Tuesday night
Before approving the contract for
$1,244,000 with D Wilson Construc-
tion of McAllen, several board
members questioned the com
mitment of the firm to hire local
workers Abel N. Gonzalez, Jr.,
said, "He should arrange for
subcontractors to be at a certain
place where people can apply ."
Board President Rafael Carrera
said of Wilson, "He's well known,
he built the high school." Attorney
Glenn Ramey said that if Wilson
fails to hire enough local workers,
the district could keep that in mind
for future construction projects."
Gonzalez then moved, seconded
by "Bobby" Gutierrez, that the
contract be officially approved
Superintendent Dr A.E Garcia
said, "Every conversation I have
with him, I will insist on the hiring
of local people "
Business Manager Romeo Lopez
noted that the district had received
three bids concerning installation
of a new telephoiii- system, of
which he said "our need is
desperate." The ihree bids sub
mitted were by GTE for $68,939;
Tenecom, $78,660: and United
Communications, $68,345. Lopez
said of the latter two firms, "They
want their money up front, they
' ft/Ml/'* I Hi
Bridge Closed To
Southbound Freight
The International Bridge in
Roma has been ordered closed to
freight traveling south into Mexico,
much to the consternation of
Bridge Manager Ernesto Trevino
The decision was made by
Donald Kelly, the U.S. Commis-
sioner of Customers for the
Southwest, based in Houston
Trevino called his decision
"arbitrary and unfair," and said,
"incoming freight should have been
stopped also," if the safety hazard
was so great
But John Jackson of the Roma
Customs Office said, "There's been
14 accidents since this bridge
opened in 1979, and there have been
very close calls where people could
have been seriously hurt There
hasn't been a single accident
coming in, but the possibility is
always there "
Jackson said he has been told
that "a lot of trucks would not go
south because of the grade," of the
sharp curve and incline He added,
"I understand that when this
problem is eliminated, there will be
no problem with freight going
south."
Trevino said that workers
employed by Precinct Two Com-
missioner Amando Pena and the
city of Roma had begun trying
Monday to make the approach to
the bridge more level. He said it is
his understanding that the paving
and leveling work should take a
week to ten days
Trevino complained. "They
should have discussed this with
the commissioners) and given a
deadline They're shutting down
the county's revenues from reve-
nue going south, but not U.S
Customs revenue "
Trevino said he completely sup-
ports the paving work per se,
saying, "I've recommended repair
of that street," for several years.
matters He said, "As soon as we
put the money in the registry of the
court, we'll take possession."
After some discussion, Commis-
sioner Amando Pena moved, sec-
onded by "Chema" Alvarez, that
the county be authorized to
advertise for bids. Federal Pro-
gram Coordinator "Jake" Margo
and Eugene Vinyard suggested that
bids be opened on the morning of
April 12, and that plans was agreed
to
Vinyard suggested that the
commissioners wait no more than
45 days to award the contract after
the bids are opened Pena moved
that this plan be followed, and his
motion passed without dissent.
The matter of paying architect
Sernelic $33,363.12 came up for
discussion. Judge Bias Chapa
asked if he could be paid out of the
International Bridge's emergency
fund Nye was hesitant, saying he
thought payment would need to be
made from the general fund.
Vinyard said that"emergency
funds have to be used for the
bridge itself ."
Pena moved that Vinyard be
authorized to ask First National
Bank in Austin to advance this
money out of the bridge's
emergency fund. Nye suggested
that th e motion be expanded to
allow for negotiation of a loan from
First National Bank in Rio Grande
City if the Austin bank cioesn'l
allow payment from the emergency
fund. The commissioners agreed to
his suggestion
Bridge manager Ernesto Trevino
advised the court that the U.S
Customs office in Houston had
ordered a halt to all freight going
It. Mevico '''be rr- 'm (*'■ ■ v was
the sharp incline and curve on the
approach to the bridge Trevino
called it an "arbitrary order" and
added. "If freight is stopped going
to Mexico, freight should also be
stopped coming in " Pena prom-
ised Trevino, "We will start
w orking on the street ."
The issue of the paving work in
Rio Grande City stirred strong
reactions Alvarez said, "I'm not
satisfied at all with what Palm
Valley is doing " He complained
especially about the paving of a
street in Fort Ringgold Park He
said, "I recommend that they rip iC
out arid replace it." Alvarez
complained that the paving carried
out in 10-foot sections had caused
the asphalt to be too thin in the
middie of the street."
The dispute arose over two
claims submitted by Palm Valley;
one for $25,404 21 for paving in Fort
Ringgold Park, and $151,137.30 for
paving of streets throughout Rio
Grande City Margo told the
commissioners that the bond Palm
Valley obtained would protect the
county from any liability before
HUD Alvarez and Pena both
suggested that the claims be
delayed until an inspection is
(S,-r I'OKT. I'tiff I III
Winter Texans Vital To Starr County
IU KENNETH ROBERTS
Managing; Editor
Winter Texan retirees are
becoming an increasingly impor
tant social and economic factor in
Starr County, and a high priority in
the near future will be to make
^ more facilities available for them
According to Marge Johnson, the
Valley Chamber of Commerce's
administrative assistant, Winter
Texans pump about $300 million
into the Rio Grande Valley's
economy every year This is about
60 percent of the total tourist trade
in the Valley-
Johnson said that according to
the U S Travel Data Center, the
tourist trade in Starr County in 1983
^ totaled approximately $9,902,000
She said it is reasonable to suggest
that about 60 percent of that
revenue was due to Winter Texans
"Che" Guerra. manager of the
LaBorde House in Rio Grande City,
said that At least 50 percent of
this hotel's business is dependent
on Winter Texans He added that
in 1982 1983 "an average of 300
Winter Texans visited the hotel
every day " These tourists find the
restored hotel appealing. Guerra
said, because "it reminds them of
how thev used to live " He added.
"Their main interest is history;
they always ask for museums "
These visitors, Guerra said,
typically "visit the hotel several
times and bring more friends every
year Half of the people who come
in read about LaBorde House in
magazines or newspapers " He
said a feature article in Texas
Highways sparked the most inter-
est
A private enterprise that is very-
dependent on the retirees is the
Fort Ringgold Golf Course Manag
er Manny Garcia said. "The
impact of Winter Texans can be as
much as 500 percent per day with
ideal golfing conditions When they
are here, we get an average of 200
Winter Texan players per week,
sometimes more "
Garcia added, "The Winter Tex
ans talk about our course to others
in the lower Valley and even in
their home states This course is
made to order for their type of
game They drive 40 to 50 miles to
play up here "
Tom Lent is the manager of La
Loma Rio in La Rosita. the only
sizable trailer park in Starr
County, excluding Falcon State
Park He said Winter Texans are
attracted to this area because
"they enjoy the friendliness of the
people and the quiet country living.
that's what we try to promote
They like to set their ow n pace and
plan their own activities."
Mrs Hortensia "Tangie" Lent
said of the retirees currently
staying at the park, "You've never
met a more congenial group of
people It's the will to be useful
and active that drives the Winter
Texans They love to be involved in
community affairs They have a lot
of spunk in them yet " She added,
"Winter Texans appreciate this
area more because they appreciate
history, geology, ecology, and are
interested in the many bird popula-
tions."
Evident among the retirees is a
strong sense of fellowship Mrs
Lent said that "they really take
care of each other " Retiree Byron
Graham, spending his first winter
at La Loma Rio, said. "These
people who are retired don't care
who you are, how much you have,
or how you got it; they're just very
friendly."
Mrs Roeiel Watson of Traverse
City, Michigan commented, "We
don't like a big park We like to
plan our own time and activi
ties People are very friendly in
Starr County " Vera Bielby said.
"Down here, you feel very much at
home " Fred Graves of Midwest
City, Oklahoma said. "Almost your
first day here, you feel like a part
of the community The first day at
the park, they treated us like old
friends and still do...Over here, it's
like they knew you all your lives "
Graves and his wife are spending
their second winter in Starr
County The area appeals to him
"because the climate is drier and
the humidity is much low er ''
This trailer park has a total of 40
trailer hookups, with 30 of them
being complete with water, sew
age, and electricity There is a
convenience store, coffee shop,
laundromat, TV lounge, and show-
er facilities inside the main build-
ing
Mrs Lent said, "We would love
to see more trailer parks " She
said that the county needs to
promote more to attract tourists
because "we have all the scenery
and the resources " She said that
restoration of historical buildings
in Rio Grande City and Roma, and
improvement and beautification of
the Rio Grande waterway and
riverbank would really impress the
tourists Her husband said that
Falcon Lake is the only real
competitor to La Loma Rio
County Judge Bias Chapa
strongly supports the development
of facilities for the Winter Texans
He said, "We're working on it, but
it's going kind of slow We're going
to try to encourage private in
vestors to build tourist facilities."
Chapa added, "We have a lot of
history for them to see" both here
and in Mexico, and said Starr
County is a haven for hunters,
fishermen, birdwatchers and those
searching for rare plants and
rocks " He added. "Probably
within the next five to 10 years
we'll have enough facilities for
them to be attracted here It would
be less crowded over here (than in
Hidalgo or Cameron counties), but
still convenient to the cities in the
Valley '
Chapa has noted in the past that
the county is considering raising
$100,000 through certificates of
obligation or bonds to construct
many trailer hookups at its 175
acre park near Falcon Lake He
added, "Other than Falcon, we
don't have any plans for con
structing trailer parks "
Precinct One Commissioner
"Chema" Alvarez, said "We need
trailer parks," but added that "we
should give the private sector an
opportunity I would vote against
the county building a trailer park 1
think voters would be against the
county building a trailer park "
Ah'Arez said, "One.thin|
really need is a countywide sr
system Another thing we need is
improvement of water supplies
from Los Morenos to Las Bar-
reras In that area, he said, "they
don't even have fire hydrants for
their lines I hope there will be a
grant where Roma can extend their
lines."
Mrs Lent said that "our biggest
expense was the sewage
system When it comes to the
water supply, they (the city of
Roma i have not learned that you
cannot pipe water up the hill unless
you have a system designed for hat
or a system to disperse it "
The commissioner added.
There's a lot of potential land
from Los Garcias to Los Morenos
that can be developed We should
have some restrictions on where
trailers can be parked The trailers
shouldn't be parked near houses "
Eloy Garza, the new Precinct
Three Commissioner, said, "I don't
think the county 's in a situation to
do it build trailer parks I think
the private sector should
participate in this "
Garza said the Fort Ringgold
park currently under construction
in Rio Grande City, which will
feature picnic facilities and a
tennis basketball court, should
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Roberts, Kenneth. The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 7, 1985, newspaper, February 7, 1985; Edinburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth194962/m1/1/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.