The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 57, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 13, 1972 Page: 1 of 8
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C i T Y
The Merce
Mercedes. Texas. 78570 Thursday. January 13, 1972
3-6 6
nterprise
Vol. 57
No. 2
Price 10c
Board Drops PE Dressing Rooms,
Lets MHS Construction Contract
: :
-
Three of four construction
items proposed for the Mer-
cedes high school campus
were approved by the School
Board and bids were let
at a Tuesday Board session.
When a December 14 bid-
opening found all bidders
quoting costs far in excess
of the $375,000 available fr-
om bond issue money, Board
members decided to cut the
construction proposal. De-
leted from final plans is a
building for physical educa-
tion dressing rooms.
Fitzgerald Construction
Company of Donna was low
bidder for construction of a
new classroom addition, a
cafeteria and a music build-
ing.
Low bid on the combined
classrooms and cafeteria
was $202,000. Low bid on the
music building was $132,000.
On the lowest of bids entered
for the dressing room area
the cost would have been $1
22^120.
‘This was a big decision
by the Board”, said Super-
intendent Lauro Guerra . It
was reached, he said, “Af-
ter much work and careful
consideration of the needs
of the majority of the stu-
dents”.
The decision to drop the
dressing rooms in favor of
the music facility was based
partly on the fact that the
two gymnasiums and a field-
house will continue to be a-
vailable for physical educa-
tion classes.
The classroom addition
will be located at the north-
east corner of the present
main classroom building.
Cafeteria and student ac-
tivity area is to be con-
structed east of the present
building.
The music building will be
built northeast of the pre-
sent vocational building.
Fitzgerald bid the job to
start 20 days after the let-
ting and be completed in 220
calendar days.
Board members plan to
inspect construction at the
new T aylor elementary
school cafetorium site next
Tuesday, accepting or re-
jecting the $85,000 project.
A resignation was accept-
ed from Mrs. Josefa C.Hin-
ojosa, MHS Spanish teacher
and Mrs. Carolyn C. Mc-
Clellan was employed as her
replacement.
Ross New Bank Director
ENTERPRISE photo
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LEADERS FOR 1972. .. left to right, E. V. Mitchell, president:
Preston Murphy, first vice president: Ruben Hinojosa, second vice president: Mrs Frances
Cooper, treasurer.
Chamber Elects, Starts Activities for 1972
More Telephones, More
Conversation, Says Lloyd
W. C. Ross III was elec-
ted to membership on the
board of directors of the
Hidalgo County Bank and
Trust Company at a board
meeting at the bank Tues-
day afternoon.
Other board members are
Robert McAllen, Floyd
Langford, Tom Weigel, Joe
B. Winston, Marvin Sch-
warz, Wendell Schwarz, S.
M. Hinojosa and Jesse R.
Russell.
Officers elected are Mr.
McAllen, president; Mr.
Langford, chairman of the
board; Mr. Weigel, execu-
tive vice president; Sidney
McClendon, vice president
and cashier; Mrs. Helen Ly-
ons and Mrs. Kathryn
Herold, assistant cashiers.
E. V. Mitchell was re-
elected president, Preston
Murphy was named first vice
president, Ruben Hinojosa
became second vice presi-
dent and Mrs. Frances Co-
oper was selected to serve
as treasurer at a meeting
of the Chamber of Commer-
ce board of directors Monday
noon at the Rodeway Inn.
Attending their first meet-
ing as Chamber directors
were Mr. Hinojosa, Jim Wil-
son, Jake Davis and Atana-
cio Hinojosa, Directors re-
elected and starting new two-
year terms are Mrs. Coop-
er, Bob Mauldin, Bob San-
ders and Mr. Murphy,
Directors with one year
remaining on their terms
are Mr. Mitchell, L. W.
Clifford, Eli Rios, Kenneth
Barth, Howard Sparrow, Ro-
bert McAllen, Harvey Broy-
les and Robert Eilers.
Mrs. Peggy Dalton was
re-employed for a sixth year
as executive secretary.
ber’s second annual beef
barbecue, set for Thursday,
February 10.
And plans for an early
membership campaign were
discussed. Mr. Mitchell said
he will name leaders for
that drive and for direction
More than 3,825 tele-
phones were in service in
Mercedes as of December 1,
an increase of 5.4 per cent
during 1971, reports H. R.
Lloyd, manager for South-
western Bell.
“Telephone growth is con-
sidered a good indicator of
overall economic growth,”
Mr. Lloyd said. “The addi-
tion of 208 phones last year
shows that Mercedes is on
the grow.”
REGISTRATION IS PERMANENT
Also at the meeting, tick- of other activity committees
ets were distributed for sale at the board's February
to the public for the Cham- meeting.
bers was put into service.
Growth and expansion
are likely to continue for
the city's communications
system,” Lloyd said. “Tele-
phone engineers predict that
Mercedes will have more
than 5,200 telephones in ser-
vice by the end of 1975.”
He added that a record
$150 million construction
budget has been set for Sou-
thwestern Bell’s San Antonio
Area, of which Mercedes is
a part. The 1972 budget in-
cludes expenses for central
office equipment, buildings
and additional plant facili-
ties, such as telephone ca-
ble, in an area covering
approximately the western
AT MONDAY SESSION
Audit Accepted
By Commission
Five Voter Registrars Are Open Here
RpailfV H nvrvwin C -.U rT"' t-n _ _
Adame Beauty Shop, South Harman Studio, South Tex -
Indiana as
Pepper Producers
Need Organization
Pepper production in the
Valley has reached the point
where growers need to or-
ganize if they are going to
maintain their share of an
expanding national market,
said a research economist
specializing in agricultural
matters at Magic Valley
Electric Cooperative audi-
torium in Mercedes.
Dr. C. C. Connally, mar-
keting specialist at the Tex-
as A&M Extension and Re-
search Center, Weslaco, de-
clares the time is at hand
to consider applying for a
federal marketing order si-
milar to those already in ex-
tnership binding on the entire
industry of a producing area
when it has been approved
in a referendum ballot: Qua-
lity or quantity regulations,
container standardization,
control of culls, market re-
search, development and in-
formation and industry or-
ganization are all permitted
under a marketing order
which would be supported
financially by the entire in-
dustry.
“All of these advantages
or any combination of them
could be written into the or-
der. It would be tailored
to the needs of the Valley
green pepper industry,”
istence in the Valley to pro- ^nnolly^xpla ned"
tect and nrnmnfp what has ^ . •
tect and promote what’has
now become an $8,000,000
business statewide.
Texas ships about 1,900
carloads of peppers a year,
83 ^percent from the Valley.
“The pepper crop is suf-
ficiently concentrated in
south Texas and has enough
value to warrant a market-
ing order,” he emphasized.
“The potential is here and
it’s time we got on with
it.”
Connolly’s remarks were
made to about 75 growers,
handlers and interested in-
dividuals at the Pepper Pro-
duction Institute here last
week.
The research economist
reminded the growers that
they must apply for such an
order before one can be
granted by the secretary of
agriculture.
He ticked off some of the
advantages of a marketing
order which is, in essence,
a government industry par-
Marketing orders are not
new to the Valley, he re-
minded, with four currently
in effect and there were five
at one time until the carrot
order was rescinded in the
mid-1960*s.
Dr. Ben Villalon, resear-
ch virologist, told the group
he has over 200 hybrids
almost ready for seed har-
vest as he seeks to develop
a variety resistant to the
32 viruses reported as affec-
ting peppers. He’s not con-
fident of success in his in-
credibly complicated pro-
ject any time soon, he said.
Also appearing on the pro-
gram were Jose Amador,
Tom Longbrake, Billy Jones,
James A. Harding and Tho-
mas A. Hales of the Resea-
rch and Extension .Center;
Frank Schuster, San Juan
vegetable grower; Wayne
Showers, McAllen packer
and R. E. McDonald, USDA,
Weslaco.
Dominguez Law Office,
South Texas
White Star Finance, North
Texas
Alto Food Center, 10th
and Virginia
Those are the Mercedes
locations of special voter
registrars now signing up
voters under new permanent
registration rules.
Bob Lyon, Tax Collector
and Registrar of Voters for
Hidalgo County, and his new
Deputy Registrar, Frank
Champion report that 20,000
voters have already regis-
tered under the new per-
manent registration system.
The new certificates become
effective on March 1, 1972.
To vote in the coming
May Primaries, or any ot-
her election to be held after
March 1, voters must be re-
gistered under the new plan
as developed by the past
Legislature. To keep the vo-
ter certificate in force, they
must vote in either a Pri-
mary or General Election.
“However”, Mr. Champion
said, “All the new voter re-
gistrations are good for
three years after March 1,
1972, and three more years
after you vote in a Primary
or General Election.”
His office will maintain
a ledger record on all re-
gistrants, with credit re-
cord for each time they vote.
Local elections, such as
school, city or water district
elections, will not be used
as voting credits. Only the
Primaries or General Elec-
tions count in this regard.
Mr. Champion announced
that Special Voter Regis-
trars are located in all towns
and communities and will re-
gister voters all during the
month of January. He cau-
tions all those who have al-
ready registered since Oc-
tober 1, not to do so again.
Some 50,000 applications
were mailed to all Hidalgo
County citizens on the prop-
erty tax roll in October, and
many have already regis-
tered on the new plan.
Mr. Champion reminded
also that his office will ac-
cept applications all during
the year from those who do
not get registered by Jan-
uary 31, but that the date
of the certificates issued
must be at least 30 days be-
fore any election in which
one desires to vote.
Lloyd said Mercedes res-
idents are using their phones
more, too. “In November,
41,557 calls were dialed here
on an average business day. .wiUAI1Ilarely [ne
That s a 56 percent increase two-thirds of Texas,
over November, 1970.
Looking to the future, ^11*1 ScOUtS
Lloyd said local telephone
projects scheduled here this
year include conversion to
One-Plus Dialing March 12.
In 1972, two major outside
plant projects will provide
underground cable relief in
the northern and western
sections of the city, and bur-
ied cable relief south of
Mercedes and in the vicin-
city of Progreso.
Last year, equipment for
One-plus Dialing was instal-
led and dial equipment to
provide 300 new phone num-
Count Cookies
Annual Girl Scout Sales
campaign will begin on Feb-
ruary 4 and continue through
February 19, reports Mrs.
Charles Meier, local sale
chairman.
Scouts will begin taking
orders in advance of the
sale dates, offering new
family size* boxes of cook-
ies for $1 each. Flavors
available are assorted sand-
wich, chocolate mint, peanut
butter, butter - flavored
shorties and pecanettes.
YOUTH TO MEET SATURDAY
Seek City Recreation Center
Plans to stage a local youth
conference Saturday at the
Civic Center to discuss es-
tablishing a youth recreation
center are announced by a
group of young people who
have named themselves
’Mercedes Community Hel-
pers’. Helping with arran-
gements are Helpers* advi-
sers Police Chief Claudio
Castaneda Jr. and attorney
Robert Salinas.
The meeting will begin at
2 p.m. Saturday, January
15, at the Civic Center. In-
dividuals and leaders of all
youth groups in the city are
invited. Also on the
invitation list are represen-
tatives of Knights of Colum-
bus, Jaycees, Chamber of
Commerce, Lions, Kiwanis
and Rotary organizations.
“Anyone interested will
be welcome ” said Chief Ca-
staneda, * The youth are
challenging adults of the
community to help them with
a major project and this is
a chance for all groups to
prove their interest”.
Basic item of business at
the conference is discussion
and adoption of a resolution
and petition to be presented
to City Commissioners re- one such petition and will
questing their help in ac- have other copies for other
quiring a youth recreation individuals and groups to
center. Helpers plan to sign sign, if they wish to do so.
City Commissioners ac-
cepted an annual audit re-
port Monday which showed
a net income of $24,837 in
the city’s General Fund and a
net of $21,000 in the Water
and Sewer Department. In
the General Fund, total re-
venue was $363,719 and ex-
penses totaled $338,882. Wa-
ter and sewer income was
$201,000 and expenses were
$180,000.
The report was presented
by Edward Romeros, McAl-
len Certified Public Ac-
countant.
In an executive session
Monday, Commissioners
Ohioan Named
Tourist Leader
Gerald Sonquist ofDayton,
Ohio, is the new president
of the Mercedes Tourist
Club. Joseph Hess ofButler,
Mo., is vice president, Mrs’
J. C. Picard of Red Lake,
Minn., is secretary and Ro-
bert Emmons of Decatur,
111., is program chairman!
Club meetings are conduc-
ted each Wednesday evening
at the Mercedes Civic Cen-
ter.
Club membership now
stands at 75, with the total
expected to reach 100 this
month. Members represent
a dozen Midwestern states.
continued their search for
a person to fill the new
position of City Manager.
Also Monday, the Com-
mission approved a recom-
mendation from Commis-
sioner Liborio Hinojosa for
paving a parking lot south
of the former Valley Royal
brewery building for use
when a Project Concern
health clinic is opened there
in February.
City insallation of six new
street lights was approved,
at the recommendation of
Commissioner Rigoberto
Salinas. They will be located
at Missouri and Cameron,
Missouri and First, Virginia
and Cameron, Georgia and
Cameron, Garza and Twel-
fth and Highway 83 and Chap-
man, the latter being the en-
trance to the Civic Center
area.
Gene Torres represented
Neighborhood Youth Corps
directors in requesting, and
being granted, the privilege
of reducing the number on
the board of directors from
15 to 9. He said difficulties
in having a quorum at most
meetings was a basic rea-
son for the request.
Commissioners approved
a resolution raising from
$1 to $2 the vital statis-
tics fee charged at City Hall
for producing copies of birth
and death certificates.
THE YOUTHS’ PETITION
WHEREAS the ’Mercedes Community Helpers’
is a newly-formed organization dedicated to the
purpose of helping those citizens of our Community
who are less fortunate than the members who com-
prise said organization: and whose further purpose
is the constructive participation in the building of
a better community: and
WHEREAS the said ‘Mercedes Community
Helpers feel that there is a need for a youth re-
creational center in the City of Mercedes, where
the youth of this community can meet for the pur-
pose of socializing and working together, and for
the purpose of discussing and implementing pro-
gressive endeavors, said Center to be maintained
and operated under whatever supervisory conditions
the Honorable City Commissioners may deem pro-
per; and;
WHEREAS, there is no such center presently
in existence in the City of Mercedes;
THEREFORE, WE, the undersigned, members of
the Mercedes Community Helpers’, hereby res-
pectfuHy petition the City Commission of the City
of Mercedes, to assist in the acquisition of a build-
ing or to make available such a facility for the
purpose of maintaining a recreational center where
the youth of this Community can gather and fra-
ternize for the constructive purposes hereinabove
mentioned.
Attack Continues
On Malnutrition
The Health Education and
Nutrition Subcommittee of
the Lower Rio Grande Val-
ley Development Council will
meet Thursday, January 13,
at 1:30 p.m. at the Magic Val-
ley Electric Cooperative in
Mercedes. The meeting is
open to anyone interested.
On the agenda is a report
of a task group of the Sub-
committee which has been
working on a plan to teach
the best use of food stamps.
The Subcommittee will also
discuss the possibility, of
establishing a health educa-
tion and nutrition institute
for the entire regional com-
munity. Lora Beth Larson
nutritionist and Subcommit-
tee member, will describe
the efforts of Mothercraft
Centers in other areas so
that the Subcommittee may
consider their usefulness
here.
Members will continue
brainstorming ideas for nu-
trition education as in pre-
vious meetings. Also to be
considered are ways and
means of evaluating the ef-
fects of projects and pro-
grams initiated by the Sub-
committee.
The Health Education and
Nutrition group, chaired by
Mrs. Tommie Glenn, is a
Subcommittee of the Health
Planning Advisory Commit-
tee, the group responsible
for the comprehensive health
planning function of the De-
velopment Council. While the
Advisory Committee has
been active for nearly two
years, the Education Sub-
committee is a more recent
development, having been
started by a small group con-
cerned about the health prob-
lems caused by poor nutri-
tion, which began meeting
last summer and affiliated
with the Health Planning Ad-
visory Committee inDecem-
ber, 1971.
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The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 57, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 13, 1972, newspaper, January 13, 1972; Mercedes, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1110849/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.