The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 63, No. 230, Ed. 1 Sunday, July 28, 1985 Page: 1 of 36
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®&ePaptoton &
Volume 63, No. 230
Telephone Number: 422-8302
MORE THAN 70,000 READERS EVERY DAY
Sunday, July 28. 1985
Baytown, Texas 77520
50 Cents Per Copy
Reaction to downtown plan mixed
By LISA OCKER-:
Mayoi-*Bmw>ett Hutto’s an-
nounced “Texas Avenue
Restoration Project” has receiv-
ed mixed reactions from at least
One group involved in the effort
to rejuvenate Baytown’s
downtown.
“Surprised, ” was the reaction
described by Tracey Wheeler,
Chamber of Commerce ex-
ecutive vice president.
After conferring with chamber
President Sid Anderson, Ms.
Wheeler said, “We’re surprised,
because of the length of time
we’ve spent studying another
concept, that they were in fact
looking at something else ’ ’
Neither the Chamber of Com-
merce nor the Downtown Action
Committee, composed of proper-*
ty owners and merchants, were
notified or consulted about Hut-
to’s plans to work with a Houston
developer in conducting market
and demographic studies, with
the long-range goal being
development of a 10-square-
block area along Texas Avenue.
Representatives from neither
organization were among those
invited to a “press conference”
Thursday to disclose details of
the plans, which was attended by
City Council, city department
heads and The Sun.
Representatives of the
Downtown Action Committee
could not be reached for com-
ment since the Thursday an-
nouncement.
The idea to work with one
developer — Charles Arnold of
Arnold.,Development Corp., the
developer of the new El Mercado
del Sol shopping center in
Houston — is a departure from
ideas discussed by the chamber,
DAC and council. The most re-
cent meeting was just last month
when the chamber and DAC ha8
the project coordinator ^ for
Brenham come to Baytown to
explain her rple to council
members.
Prior to the municipal election
April, chamber and DAC
a project coordinator be hired.
The chamber also offered to
donate clerical staff and office
space for such a person.
Asked Thursday about the
possibility of hiring such a coor-
dinator, Councilman Gerald
Dickens responded, “This (work
with the Houston developer)
would supersede that.”
Actually, it was Dickens who
first contacted Arnold after be-
ing asked by Hutto to look into
any private-sector restoration
projects, Hutto ^aid.
In his prepared statement
Thursday, Hutto said, “I am pro-
ud to announce the city’s initial
members recommended and ‘ step in an arrangement leading,
discussed with City Council that toward the restoration of the
Texas Avenue area. The credit,
and certainly my gratitude, goes
to members of City Council for
their support and encourage-
ment in this venture.”
The area to be targeted for
potential development would be
bordered by Defee, Pearce,
Whiting and North Main streets.
A , meeting is tentatively
scheduled next week to finalize
some sort of agreement with Ar-
nold.
While Hutto praised Arnold’s
desire to secure private-sector
financing — “This speaks highly
of his way of doing business” —
he and Dickens said the
demographics and market study
would be financed with Com-
munity Development Block
Grants or Urban Development
Action Grants:
Estimated cost of the study is
$180,000, to be paid Arnold in
three installments as different
phases are started.
“If the project goes to finaliza-
tion,” the mayor £aid', “he will
reimburse us.”
The study should take from
four to eight months itself, with
“finalization” two to three years
away, city council members
estimated.
Regarding the proposed
demographics and market
study, Ms. Wheeler said, “if the
mayor’s office needs extensive
(See DOWNTOWN, Page 9-A)
Decision on injunction
request expected Aug. 1
m
_ *). m s iV
ByBRUCE GUYNN
A Houston state district judge
said Friday he will issue a deci-
sion at 9 a m. Aug. 1 on a request
for a tempo?ary injunction that
would block the Baytown School
District from implementing its
controversial pocket-zoning
plan.
Judge Michael O’Brien of the
125th District Court made this
announcement at the end of a
two-day hearing on the request
for the temporary injunction.
Citizens for Better Education,
a parents’ organization, is seek-
ing the injunction in a lawsuit
against the Baytown district and
its board of trustees.
In testimony Friday, Joe
Price, director of the Texas
Under- cross-examination
from George Kirk Jr., who
represents the parents’ group,
Price acknowledged that Robert
E. Lee High School could not be
defined as a racially identifiable
school.
A school is defined as racially
identifiable when its minority
student population reaches 66
percent.
REL last year had a minority
student population of 45 percent.
But this figure was expected to
reach about 60 percent in five
years if the "attendance zones
were left unaltered.
Baytown School Board on Feb.
11 adopted a pocket-zoning plan
that re-assigned three
predominantly white areas to
KEEPING COOL while playing i^ a serious
business for 2-year-old John Patterson. The son of
David and Jackie Patterson-of Baytown, John
knows that it takes more than a shade tree to stay
oomfoitable on a really humid dog-day afternoon.
(Sun staff photo by Carrie Pryor)
- Education Assafcfa11 dn's"' the'’REL attendance zon? and
technical assistance division for
I desegregation, said his agency
1V yi had received a complaint from a
parent concerning the pocket-
zoning plan. “.....-—•
However, a TEA investigating
team concluded that th£
Baytown School Board was
“justified” in adopting the plan.
three predominantly minority
areas to the Ross S. Sterling
High School attendance zone .
The white student population
at RSS was expected to remain
at 75 percent if no changes had
been made,—-—— ^---------
Robert Howell, an attorney for
believe Article 21.074-75 of the
Texas .Education Code is ap-
plicable to the zoning plan:
Attorneys for the plaintiffs
have noted that this particular
article provides that “the board
of any school district shall have
the authority to transfer and
assign any pupil or pupils from
one school facility or classrooms
within its jurisdiction.”
However, the code stipulates
that the board “shall npt con-
sider a factor in its evaluation
any matter relating to the na-
tional origin of the pupil or the
pupil’s ancestral language.”
But Howell testified this arti-
cle in his opinion applies only to
student .transfers. “I don’t see
anything here that deals with
rezoning,” he said.
Marvin Guy, director of
transportation for the Baytown
School District, testified most of
the affected areas are only about
a 10- to 12-miriute drive from
their newly-assigned higlfN
school. ——--—-
Moreover, Guy noted that as
Pearce Street Journal-- — r
Heat Hints
Long-range forecasts indicate
Baytown is in for more, possibly
hotter, summer weather through
September.
Workers and others who battle
the sun should heed medical
warnings to watch for signs of
heat exhaustion,' which can
sometimes kill if ignored. •
.-PLPforFH
Policy adopted
Aids deed enforcement
AROUND
TOWN
CHRIS AND Teri Litras return,
Jo. Mars, Pa., after visiting her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bill
McBride_______Roger and Marilyn
Critzer of Arlington are in-
troduced to their new grandson,
Joshua Nance, in the home of
their son-in-law and daughter,
Matt , and Cheryl Nance, near
Dayton. Other visitors include
Joshua’s great-grandparents,
Algie and Nellie Padgett of
Elkins Lake, formerly of
Baytown.
Paul Smith takes some good-
natured teasing . . Kelli
Christman peeks in and waves hi
. . . Laurel Kind gets ready for a
week of fun and exercise.
By LISA OCKER ' -
Baytowm City Council has
adopted a policy that members
hope will aid and encourage
private property owners in the
enforcement of d£f3 ^relfric-
tions. —
The policy wbuld provide for
the notification of a civic
association when an application
forabuildingpermitinitssub-7
division has been filed with the
city.
In conjunction with the
notification policy, City Council
instructed the city attorney to
draft an ordinance requiring
building permit applicants to
present applicable copies of
deed 'restrictions and then to
sign an affidavit stating that he
has reviewed the restrictions
and that his plans do not violate
them.
A false statement in the af-
fidavit would be punishable by a
fine up to $2,000 and one year in
jail, City Attorney Randy Strong
said.
After receiving notification of
the building permit application,
a civic association represen-
tative will be able to review the
building plans to determine"
whether they violate his deed
restrictions.
“We hope they can check for
things the city may not be able to
enforce,” Strong said, referring
to the. city’s limited powers
regarding types of deed restric-
tions it may legally enforce.
If a violation that the city>does
-liave~;authorlty,'^~effl(age is'
found, the city would then
withhold *or withdraw the per-
mit, depending on whether it has
already been granted. However,
any deed restriction violations
found that are not legally en-
forceable by the city wpuld have
to be pursued by the private pro-
perty owners. “Bat at least this
would give advance notice for
the civic association to pursue it
so that they can catch it before
the structure is built,” Strong
said.
The city currently requires
building permit applicants to
sign an affidavit swearing that
their plans do not violate ap-
plicable deed restrictions, but
there is no penalty for a false
statement and the applicant is
(See COUNCIL, Page 9-A)
¥
Tr
Business..............8-D
Classified.......... 3-7-D
Comics................6-A
Crossword Puzzle.*. ... 6-A
JPmeBSiQlLmm Eso«e3=f=9»&-
Editorial..............4-A
Fire News.. ..........2-A
History Highlights____10-A
Movie Theaters.
......6-B
Obituaries/......
..:-... 2-A _
People.........
...... 2-D
Police Beat.....
......2-A
Religion........
.... 8-10-C
Sports..........
.....1-3-C
Weather........
......9-A
WEATHER
BAYTONIANS CAN expect
mostly sunny skies and hot
temperatures throughout
the weekend. Saturday
evening becoming fair and
mild with the low in the low
70s. Sunday the skies will
' be clear and the high will
be in the mid-90s. The
recorded low in the 24-hour
period ending at 8 a.m.
Saturday was 75 degrees
while the high was 94
degrees. There was no
rainfall in- the 24-hour
period. __
theTEA- testified that he doesn’t _ ^ npriRTpiy pagBo.A4—.
A0% budget increase proposed
Mont Beivieu to
hold public hearing
By KRIS ISAACSON
MONT BELVIEU - City
Council Monday will hol(L~a.'
public'Bearing on its proposed
$2.5 million budget for 1986. That
proposed financial plan
represents a 40-percent increase
over last year’s budget of $1.8
The public hearing will begin
-at 6:30 p.m. Afterward, Mayor
outlay request for 1986 is
$1,150,743.
The proposed -$37&,299 earn.- ,. _
munity services budget" includes
a 52-percent increase, or
$129,458. Included in 'the com-
munity services request is the
addition of an animal controL
lepIRment at a cost of $26,789.'
A computer and training equip-
ment for the fire department
Fred Miller said, thfe 6ouncS““P*us ,a comPuter system for city
hopes to approve the budget.
The largest proposed in-
creases are in the capital outlay
and community services por-
tions of the budget.
The proposed $597,153 hike in
administration are also included
in the request.
Other proposed departmental
budgets are:
•Administration, $207,412, a
4.1-percent increase.
•Water and sewer, $220,749, a
capital outlay represents nearly 27.4-percent decrease,
a 108-percent increase over the ‘Parks department, $79,487, a
15.7-percent increase.
•Fixed charges (retirement
and insurance), $169,500, a 13.75-
percent increase.
•Debt services, $328,345, a .21-
percent increase.
Based Oh the current tax rate
of 5 cents per $100 valuation,
revenues for the 1985-86 year are
(See MONT BELVIEU, Page 9-A)
I
previous year’s budget. City Ad-
ministrator Jay Jorden explain-
ed that the increase is accounted
for by requests for additional
vehicles from the fire and
sanitation departments. Also in-
cluded in the request is $100,000
for buildings and land and
$100,000 for drainage im-
provements. The totpl capital
U-Tilltr/J
■Throughout I
Baytown I
Personal checking
55 and older
no service charge
fmc feesitCo.
HOME OWNEI t OPERATED
Wl RE COHVEHIENT
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Member EMC 422 8102
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Brown, Leon. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 63, No. 230, Ed. 1 Sunday, July 28, 1985, newspaper, July 28, 1985; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1075049/m1/1/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.