South Belt Leader (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 4, No. 35, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 3, 1979 Page: 1 of 12
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: South Belt Ellington Leader and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the San Jacinto College.
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SOUTH BELT LEADER
Disaster center at Ellington
Volume 4 Number 35
October 3,1979
Thompson student disarmed
A disturbance involving an eighth
grade student pulling a gun on his
classmates during a math class Tues-
School Principal E. J. Ritchey with
the aid of the school nurse was able to
get the other students out of the class-
room.
After talking at length with the
student, Ritchey got possession of the
gun. •
No one was injured in the incident.
School officials strongly empha-
sized that the incident would not be
treated lightly.
day morning has resulted in that stu-
dent being suspended from Thompson
Intermediate for the remainder of the
year.
The youth, described by Pasadena
school officials as "emotionally dis-
turbed over a home-related incident."
had carried the loaded gun into the
school in a paper bag.
He pulled the gun on fellow class-
mates and accused them of not liking
him. The youth allowed some of the
students to leave, then retained some
in the classroom.
Lariaettes set W. Virginia trip
Th®. P,saden» Independent School District Board of Trustees has
given official Permission for the J. Frank Dobie High School Lariaette Drill
Team to attend the 39th annual Strawberry Festival at Buckhannon. West
Virginia.
The festivity will take place May 26-31, 1980.
Expenses for the event will be paid by the students participating in the
festival and by authorized fund raising activities which will be announced
later. The drill team is under the direction of Peggy Moree.
Wood Meadow forms club
Residents in the subdivision of Wood Meadow are in the process of
forming a civic organization.
Resident Sid George has announced the obtaining of a non-profit
organization charter for the Wood Meadow Civic Association.
The first meeting for the organization will be held on Oct. 8 at Burnett
Elementary beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Business to be conducted at the meeting includes the election of a
board of directors and setting of goals.
Residents have previously tried to establish a civic club in that
subdivision, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
“We have a real need now, and the people are responding." said
George, who indicated he was confident the organization will be successful.
All Wood Meadow residents are urged to attend the meeting.
P.LS.D. conserves energy
The Pasadena school district is complying in every way with the
federally mandated energy conservation program at every school and
building in the district.
All of the facilities, except elementary schools which are exempt, are to
keep room temperature no lower than 78 degrees in the hotter months and
no more than 65 degrees in the winter.
The federal government, however, does not consider thermostat
readings accurate; therefore, temperatures within buildings are being
measuied witfi dew point thermometers.
The district is getting exceptions for its buildings that house data
processing equipment and audio-visual aides because manufacturers of
that equipment recommend their equipment be housed in a temperature
and humidity controlled environment.
According to federal guidlines, if a building is to be unoccupied for more
than eight hours then the heating/cooling system must be turned off. The
only exception to this is when temperatures are over 100 degrees or below
freezing.
All district employees, including teachers, are being encouraged to turn
off lights if they will be out of a room for more than five minutes.
Several other more technical methods of conserving energy are being
carried out in the school district, according to Jack Donnell, assistant
superintendent of service operations for the district.
At the elementary level, room temperatures are being kept at not less
than 74degrees during the hot months and not more than 70 degrees during
winter.
Donnell said the district has been conserving energy in the schools for six
years now. and in that time the district's energy consumption has not
increased even though new buildings have been added.
‘Visit Your School9 week
This week has been declared “Visit Your School Week" by officials of the
Pasadena Independent School District.
Parents are invited to come into their children’s schools at any of the
levels at any time during the week.
Pasadena will still hold its annual Texas Public School Week in March to
coincide with Texas history month.
A movement by the Masonic Lodge of Texas, which has actively
supported Texas public schools, to move Texas Public School Week to
October in order to get parental involvement earlier in the year failed at
the state level.
Sagemont Civic Club to meet
Two speakers are scheduled to speak at the Sagemont Civic Club
meeting Oct. 9.
A representative of the city tax assessor's office will talk on preparing
tax forms for flood losses.
The other speaker will be Dr. Jason Barron, a child and adolescent
psychologist who is medical director of Deer Park General Hospital.
Barron is involved with the Palmer Drug Abuse Program and the
Positive Attitude to Anxiety, Stress and Addiction program.
The club will meet at 7:30p.m. in the Sagemont Community Center on
Hughes Road.
Little League boosters to meet
The Sagemont Beverly Hills Little League Parents Booster Club will
meet on Monday. Oct. 8. at 7:30 p.m. at the Sagemont Community Center.
The meeting is described as a planning meeting for the upcoming
baseball season.
Anyone wishing to aid the board with the concession stand program is
strongly urged to attend the meeting.
For more information, call Susan Evans at 481-9682.
Sagemont center sets classes
The Sagemont Community Center is now taking registrations for three
new six-week courses to begin the week of Oct. 8.
Teen Beauty and Nutrition will be offered on Mondays from 5 to 6:30
p.m. for ages 12-17.
The course, sponsored by Texas AAM University, will cover nutrition
and beauty, fad diets, nutrition and drugs, nutrition and pregnancy,
preparing a balanced menu and recipe*.
A macrame class for ages 10 and up will be held on Wednesday* from
4:30 to 6:30 p.m.. beginning Oct. 10.
A Christmas Workshop, taught by Claudine Huckabay. will be held
every Friday from 5:30to 7p.m., beginning Oct. 12. The fee is S3 per class
plus the coat of supplies. For information, call Huckabay at 481-6104 or the
Sagemont Community Center at 481-6170.
Mancuso
Frank Mancuso has filed for his
tenth term on the city council for
Houston.
Mancuso, 61, filed for the District E,
which includes all of the South Belt
area. Clear Lake City and is bordered
by the University of Houston area
"I am running on my record of
last 17 years. I think top priority
should be placed on drainage, not only
in the southeast area, but all the areas
of our city that were hurt by floods.
Most homeowners have their lifesa'
ings in their homes,” Mancuso said.
Mancuso told the South Belt Leader
that he would urge the creation of a
permanent body consisting of U.S.
Corp of Engineers, Harris County
engineers and city engineers. This
group would meet on a regular basis
so that they could work together on
drainage problems. Mancuso would
also have the group hold public meet-
ings, “and not just during a crisis. ..
that would help eliminate buck pass-
Although 598 homes in the South
Belt area were flooded during the
Sept. 19 flood, few residents have
turned to the Federal Emergency
Management Agency*(FEMA) center
located at Ellington Air Force Base
for assistance in their time of need.
Ellington became one of six federal-
state disaster application centers last
Friday.
It is scheduled to remain open
through Friday, Oct. 5, between 10
a.m. and 7 p.m. Some of the type* of
available assistance include: Small
Business Administration and/or
Farmers Home Administration for
low-interest loans; Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency for tem-
porary housing; Federal Emergency
Management Agency for flood in-
surance assistance; State Mental
Health-Mental Retardation Authority
for individuals needing counseling;
State individual Family Grants pro-
gram for home repair, medical ex-
penses and transportation expenses;
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for
income tax assistance and the Ameri-
can Red Cross and Salvation Army for
emergency food and clothing.
"I don't think most people know the
centers arc now open." Milford said.
“I don’t think the word has spread
throughout the affected communities.
When it docs. 1 feel activities at the
application centers will increase.”
Milford urged the public to help
spread information about the centers.
"If you know someone who suffered
losses as a result of the flood, tell them
that help is available to them at these
centers," he declared. "It's a good
way to be a good neighbor.”
“I strongly urge everyone who sus-
tained losses during the mid-Septem-
ber storm disasters to visit the appli-
cation center nearest them as soon as
possible," Milford stated. "The soon-
er they apply for assistance, the
sooner we can provide aid."
Milford also announced a special
telephone toll-free hotline, 1-800-392-
1711 has been installed and has been
staffed to answer questions from dis-
aster victims.
The hotline telephone will be man-
ned from 8 a .m. to 7 p.m. daily.
The centers make it possible for
victims to visit a single location to
apply for aid rather than having to
travel to several agency offices scat-
tered throughout the area.
Bob and Evelyn Bryce of Sagedowne are
shown here with their daughter Jennifer at the
Ellington one-stop aid center. The Bryces were
three days from moving Into their home after
the July flood when they were flooded on Sept.
16. Also shown Is T/Sgt. Craig Frazier of the
Texas Air National Guard and Red Crosa
personnel. Frazier was Instrumental In staff-
ing the Ellington Center with volunteers to help
area flood victim*. The center Is open through
Friday, Oct. 5.
Local youth beaten Saturday
The ditch, located on the north side
of the freeway, is 60 to 70 feet wide and
feeds into the residential subdivisions
of Wood Meadow, Sagemont and
Scarsdale by way of a 15-foot ditch.
ing," he said.
Mancuso's only opponent to date is
Ed Foote, a reported member of
ACORN. Foote was unavailable for
comment on his campaign.
A sixteen-year-old youth with long
hair was reportedly beaten up by
three teens in an incident which
occurred last Saturday.
The youth, from the Rainbow Valley
subdivision, reports he was riding his
bike near Fisher Auto Parts on Beam-
er Road at approximately 1:30 a.m.
Saturday when two youths hollered at
him, telling him he needed a hair cut.
Doherty has given notice to these
agencies that legal action is coming in
compliance with the Torque Claims
Act which requires that governmental
agencies be notified first, before they
are sued.
Residents blame the HL&P ditch for
much of the flooding which has recent-
ly occurred.
western Bell and Wood Brothers
Homes as a result of the three flood-
ings which have occurred in the South
Belt area since July.
Attorney Larry Doherty, who repre-
sents approximately 40 homeowners
V> t^e Wood Meadow subdivision, also
plans to bring suit against the Harris
County Flood Control and the Texas
State Highway Department.
Tlic youth reports rthat he' did not
antagonize the pair, but began riding
off. The youths started chasing him on
foot and then were picked up by a
third youth in an automobile.
The trio caught up with the youth,
and then reportedly beat him up in the
yard of a Kirkwood resident.
The youth was taken to the hospital
and had four stitches over his eye.
the case "will not be easy,"
Doherty said. He expects it to take
between three and four years to settle.
Doherty is also considering a tem-
porary injunction to "dam the ditch,"
which has locally become known at
the HL&P ditefy -j
Wood Meadow residents file suits
Legal suits have been filed against
Houston Lighting and Power, South-
Civic clubs skeptical on cable TV
The feeling that you can't get some-
thing for nothing has prevented the
unincorporated areas surrounding
Sagemont from signing contracts to
bring cablevision into their areas.
Within the next few months, Storer
Cablevision will be installing cables in
the South Belt area which is in the City
of Houston. Storer has agreed to give
Houston three per cent of its gross
profits for allowing Storer the fran-
chise.
Storer is also approaching the area
civic clubs in the unincorporated
areas to enter into contracts allowing
Storer to lay cables in their areas and
make cablevision available to their
communities.
Storer has made presentations to
the Kirkwood South Civic Club and to
the Sagemeadow Civic Club.
Each of the civic clubs will be eligi-
ble to reap three percent of the com-
pany’s gross profits also.
But those involved in the civic clubs
say they can't see how they can get
the three percent for doing virtually
nothing.
Kirkwood South has not yet taken
action, asking their attorney to give
an opinion first on Storer's contract.
The Sagemeadow Civic Club was
ready to take action last week, but the
move was stopped when a member
objected to taking the vote without the
presence of a quorum.
Prior to calling the special meeting
to vote on cablevision, the Sagemead-
ow club had gotten approval of its
attorney, its maintenance committee
and its water board.
The attorney read the contract and
said no harm could come to the club
by signing it and some benefits could
occur.
The water district had said it had no
effect on them, but they were favor-
able to having the opportunity to offer
cablevision to the community.
The subdivision's maintenance
committee had no comment, pro or
con.
Club President Paul Welch said he
feel* that the majority of the mem-
ber* would approve the measure. He
said the question was “not whether we
want cablevision.''
Storer ha* projected 40 percent of
the home* will subscribe to cablevi-
sion when it I* offered.
Welch, the attorney and representa-
tives of Storer had made minor
changes in the contract. Another
change Welch is considering is doing
away with the 25-year clause. He
thinks the community should be able
to void the contract at any time.
Another consideration is if the club
would lose its non-profit status by
accepting the three percent.
Welch does not know what Sage-
meadow is going to do about accepting
the measure. He is meeting with his
board this week.
Welch said he doesn't think the club
will ever be able to get a quorum
together at one meeting.
The President has the authority to
declare a quorum, unless he is chal-
lenged. He was challenged last week.
According to the bylaws, one-fourth
of the membership of the Sagemont
Civic Club constitutes a quorum.
There are 160 member families of the
organization.
Welch said there is still a lot of
information needed. He has talked
with civic organizations in the Clear
Lake area which is serviced by Storer,
and those residents are satisfied with
the service.
Welch still wants to talk with county
officials.
He said many of the civic club
officers do not want their entering into
contract with Storer to serve a* an
endorsement.
"We're not endorsing anyone. We
are only allowing them to operate,"
Welch said.
He hopes to know more this week
after a special meeting of the Sage-
meadow Board of Director*.
No annexing
this year
by Houston
The topic of annexation for unin-
corporated sections of the South Belt
are* appears to be a dead issue.
The City of Houston is just in the
final stages of making adjustments
which the Justice Department deem-
ed necessary due to recent annexa-
tion*.
Consequently, Mayor Jim McConn
has indicated that the city is not
planning annexations this year.
Intentions to annex an area usually
are made known at this time of year
so that all the necessary legal pro-
cedure* can be completed by the end
of the year, which is the time that the
annexations are made final.
Annexation* usually occur on the
last day of a year so that the property
can be put on the tax rolls for the
following year.
The subdivisions of Sagemeadow
and Kirkwood South were scheduled
for annexation last year, but the city
council changed plans during hear-
ing* late in the annexation procedure.
City Councilman Frank Mancuso
report* that one area resident. Nell
West ha* requested that section* in
the Kirkwood South/Kirkmont area
be annexed.
Civic leader* for Sagemeadow and
the Kirkwood South area Indicate that
they would prefer to remain out of the
city limit* for the time being.
Going western
Obeerving Kicker Day at Deble High School last wook waa Aaooetate
Principal James Barber.
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South Belt Leader (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 4, No. 35, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 3, 1979, newspaper, October 3, 1979; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1199395/m1/1/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting San Jacinto College.