Port Lavaca Wave (Port Lavaca, Tex.), Vol. 94, No. 119, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 21, 1985 Page: 1 of 10
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Calhoun County Area Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Calhoun County Public Library.
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February 21, 1985
10 Paget, 1 Section
I'he family newspaper of dynamic Calhoun County!
Established 1890
94TH YEAR NO. 119
USPS43B 780
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Area F orecasts
Winds becoming southeast 20
to 25 knots tonight and Friday
Seas 6 to 8 feet tonight Scat-
tered showers through Friday
Wednesday night to celebrate the Chinese New Year
with plant personnel and other citizens of Calhoun
County. <Staff photo hx Marts Pelterchakl
Preparation and negotiation of the
contract took many, many months
"We got the best of everything
because we were the first (GBRA>
customer and we negotiated tough
The Texas Water Development
Board's funding of the local plant
was negotiated using the city-GBRA
contract Repayment ol the money,
which was obtained at very low in-
terest rates, is staggered, lessening
the burden on the city. Fricke said
specific area," he said. "But when it
comes to life or freedom, if we didn't
have lawyers, there would not be
anyone in the world standing bet-
ween the accused and the govern-
ment
"For that reason, if we didn't have
lawyers, we d invent them," he said.
"i firmly believe that lawyers pre-
vent us from having a police state,"
he added
GAUkzUN CUUN1X UBRAB1
roar lavaga. tkxai
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Ians to
i in his
Prime
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have a
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They
ila teral
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Kihcies,
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invest-
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private
with
Baker
Board
was to
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sh Em-
Sunset at 6 21 p m today
Sunrise at 7 03 a m Thurs-
day.
Wa-e* H
Thursday
iatcher.
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Bs 1.01 ISE POPPI EW ELI
Wave Staff Writer
lebrate
'bound
■ of an
■esent
By BRENDA J BREAUX
*»*e Staff Writer
he cur-
which
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■"w
Weather
Calhoun County
The high Wednesday was 71
with an overnight low of 56
Temperature at 9 am today
was 59 A trace of rainfall has
been recorded at The Wave in
the last 24 hours
Port lavaca^VAV^E
gns to
for his
ITt 11 S
o could
t
an held
any fe-
ll en
i press
tai ses-
meeting. Munnerlyn cited two let
ters written by patients praising the
service given by nurses at the
hospital
A source who asked not to be iden-
tified recounted her difficulties with
the hospital's new admissions
policies. Her problem includes
frustrations others surveyed men-
tioned.
"When I got off work around 5
p.m.. I found out my son. who has a
physical problem, was in a great
deal of pain,” she said. “I called the
hospital to talk to my usual doctor
He was not in that day. So, they
tranferred me to the third floor to
talk to another doctor, who turnout
not to be available.
"The receptionist told me, she
would have the doctor call me before
6 p m., and if he did not call, a doctor
would be in the emergency room at 6
p m He did not call. My son was still
in pain, so I took him to EMS The
complications began when we
started filling out forms.”
The nurse apparently overheard
the person say the bill would be
covered by workmen's compensa-
tion and demanded a cash payment
that she said could later be filed by
ig ex
y on a
already
irmers
aid be
he tax-
armers
today
usmess
Tides
Thursday, a high of 0 9 ft at
6 46pm in Port O'Connor, 6:36
p in in Indianola and 6:51 p m.
tn Port Lavaca; a low of 0 4 ft.,
!,i 52 p.m , 11:22. 11:12
Friday, a high of 0 9 ft at 5.42
am. 32. 5 47; a low of 0.0 at
11 05 a m . 11 35. 11:25.
\
hospital of being understaffed and of
not giving patients adequate care
"I had a miscarriage and I had to
remind them about certain medica-
tion I needed,” Helen Rawlins, an
ex patient, said. "I told them three
times about it and they did not give it
to me When I went home, they call-
ed me and I had to go back and get
it.”
Munnerlyn said such incidences
should not happen and are
documented to keep them from hap-
pening again.
"We have more hours of nursing
care per patient than is required in
comparison with any other
hospital." Munnerlyn said "We
write an incident report on every in-
cident of missed drug dosages and
very few have come to my desk
Hahn said, "The lay-off of (seven)
workers has not hurt the hospital "
The County Commissioners also
appoint members to the hospital
board of managers.
Munnerlyn admitted he has
received complaints about the
hospital
"But, 1 hear more good things
than bad,' he said
At the hospital executive board
Mike Fricke, in completing 20
years as Port Lavaca's city at-
torney. said he hopes to spend
another 20 years doing the same
thing
“I'm proud to be the city attorney
"But, if the next 20 years are as
exciting as the last, I don’t know if I
can stand it.
I kind of grew up with the city of
Port Lavaca." Fricke said "I had a
good legal education, but did not
know much about municipal law
"it s exceptionally hard and no
one knows it all that’s why I have
al) these books, " Fricke said,
gesturing at the books lining the
walls oi his homey Virginia Street
office
"Everything you can possibly
think of. every problem you can
possibly imagine, is going to even-
tually come across the city
attorney's desk "
In looking back. Fricke viewed his
role in negotiating a contract insur-
ing the city's water supply as pro-
bably his most important contribu-
tion to the city.
"1 was instrumental in securing a
guarantee in our water supply con-
tract with GBRA (Guadalupe
Blanco River Authority) of up to 4
million gallons of (treated) water a
day (The city is using less than two
million gallons a day )
"We have that much water reserv-
ed in Canyon Reservoir,” he said
"The importance of that is that last
summer when cities all around us
were rationing, we could have
poured water in the streets
"The water the most important
commodity in Texas is going to
there," he said "We are assured of
a water supply for domestic and in
dustrial purposes
“The Guadalupe is probably the
cleanest river in Texas, except for
the Pecos "
"We have been bless-
ed with strong willed
councils that were In-
terested in fair treat-
ment for all taxpayers
and willing to go to
court to see that all
were treated equally."
Mike Fricke
city attorney
The bad part is that the water is
not as palatable as when wells were
used, he said
"But we're a whole lot better off
than anybody else." he said
Rudy Rendon was mayor in 1965
when Willis Jetton stepped down as
city attorney and Fricke was named
to replace him Fricke was 25 years
old
"At the time, the city of Port
Lavaca was in the court house all the
time, being sued by taxpayers who
were settling for less than they ow
ed," Fricke said
"1 put a stop to that," Fricke said
"I have never settled a tax case for
less than face value
In those days, "the city had a
reputation for being easy and a lot of
people Jumped on the city." he said
"After I came, a lot of that stopped 1
know I didn't do it all. but I like to
think I'm part of the reason
“We no longer have a reputation
for being easy." he said "I think it is
Champ Traylor Memorial
Hospital has been striving to
establish effiency within the hospital
and a better working relationship
with the community, but public
criticism remains a problem
We have completely rearranged
all our admission policies, our
business office functions and other
accounting area functions. Mike
Munnerlyn. hospital administrator,
said
We have completely re-done the
second and third floors, where th.
patients are held, as well as
relocating and renovating the- Inten
sive Care Unit (ICU)."
Local residents, however, still
have their doubts about the hospital
in a random survey of 20 people. IK
said they would go to Victoria or
elsewhere, if they needed medical
attention
One of the main problems cited
was the hospital's new admission
policies The hospital now requires
patients to pay a certain amount ot
cash the percentage not covered
by insurance or an admittance fee
upfront before they are admitted
When you bring in an insurance
card we ask for a deposit up front,
Munnerlyn said "All hospitals do
that now. but the doctor determines
who is admitted "
In an extreme emergency. Mun
nerlyn said, he would not turned
anyone away
Several people cited the easy ir-
ritability of hospital employees as a
problem
"There are a couple of irritable
people there, Susan Smalley,
whose son was recently released
from the hospital, said "Once they
get straightened out. things will be a
lot better at the hospital
Munnerlyn said improvements in
have not heard any comphants from
residents "
Women said they tended to avoid
the hospital because they believed
child birth was not a number one
priority at the hospital, and the
hospital was not equipped to handle
abnormal pregnancies
1 would rather go to another
hospital, because I could get better
care from another hospital,” Betty
Husband said “I have a history of
having premature births and they
are not equipped to handle that ”
Munnerlyn explained, small
hospitals often cannot compete with
the facilities a larger hospital can
provide
"There is no way any rural
hospital can afford to purchase the
very expensive equipment
necessary for high risk mothers and
babies, Munnerlyn said
"We do not have the tunds nor the
room for equipment like what is pre
sent in the prenatal units in Houston
and Galveston," he added
Most high risk mothers are refer-
red by the hospital to either
Galveston or Houston. Munnerlyn
said
Another complaint accused the
a final decision in hand by May or
early June
Although Gramm, R-Texas, said
the Navy will announce the other
four finalists at a later date, the of-
fice of Rep Jack Fields. R-Humble,
said the other sites are Lake
Charles, La . Mobile, Ala
Pascagoula, Miss.; Pensacola, Fla .
and Key West, Fla
Those eliminated are Tampa,
Fla . Freeport, Texas; Port Arthur.
Texas. Brownsville. Texas; Port
Lavaca. Texas, New Orleans, La.;
Gulfport, Miss Bradenton. Fla ,
and Orange, Texas
On Wednesday. Texas Gov Mark
White, Lt Gov. Bill Hobby and
Texas House Speaker Gib Lewis,
Sen Lloyd Bentsen and Gramm met
w ith Navy Secretary John Lehman
After the meeting. Lehman said he
was "confident that Texans want the
Navy as part of their community "
“The decision will not be
political," Lehman said "Dollar
costs will determine the outcome of
the decision The lowest cost to the
public relations are tieing made
"When I first came to the hospital.
1 definitely felt there needed to tie
some changes made." Munnerlyn
said "We have made some substan-
tial improvements, but we have a
long way to go.”
Employee morale was one pro-
blem. Munnerlyn admitted "But. it
has improved 100 percent. The
dilemma we are facing here is the
same as every other rural hospital
People tend to think bigger is
better ”
County Commissioner Oscar
Hahn, one of three county commis-
miei - 11 ponsible for the county
facility, said he feels the hospital is
operating efficiently
"The hospital is being run very ef-
ficiently right now," Hahn said
"The complaints (from citizens) I
have received turned out not to be
the hospital's fault I have yet to find
the hospital was at fault
"A few little items need to be
changed, but we have a good ad-
ministrator and a gixxl board for the
first time "
"I think the hospital is running
much better," County Commis-
sioner Leroy Belk said "At least. I
Role as city attorney offers challenge
MIKE FRICKE
"They lay their lives, their
family's lives, their fortunes on the
line to protect the rights of in-
dividuals before the bars of justice.
"All lawyers don't do that, but
enough of them do
"In my opinion, my best skill is
my willingness to go trial, even
though it scares me.”
In courtroom action. Fricke's
(Please see Fricke, Page 2)
Fricke recounts 20 years of service
because I personally am willing to
go to trial I enjoy trying lawsuits
"Equally important, we have been
blessed with strong willed councils
that were interested in fair treat-
ment for all taxpayers and willing to
go to court to see that all were
treated equally.”
Fricke's first case for the city was
a tax case appealed to the U.S.
Supreme Court He and two Victoria
attorneys won the case and set a
precedent. Fricke was 28 years old.
"That was my day in the sun," he
said.
Fricke has not lost a case for the
city in his 20-year tenure.
The bayfront — a tract of land con-
taining about 75 acres has been the
city’s longest running legal battle.
In 1983, after six decades of con-
troversy, the city purchased the land
from the state of Texas. An election
was held and voters approved sale of
half the land to the highest bidder.
The five blocks of bayfront proper-
ty was purchased by four dock com-
panies
Before development could begin —
development that many expected to
give the city new life, two local men
— Robert Mansfield and Sterling
Griffith — filed a law suit that
prevented development
Although Mansfield has died, the
property remains tied up in the
courts
"I miss Mansfield," Fricke said.
"He kept me on my toes
"Mansfield's implications that I
made a personal gain from the sale
of the property, is a sore spot with
me," Fricke said
"That really made me hot,” he
said "It really made me angry to
think that someone would think that
I had some personal monetary gain
to be made from selling the
bayfront."
Fricke quietly and thoughtfully
reflected on the legal profession
Everything that we do as attorneys
could be done by people trained in a
Navy releases first list
of home port finalists
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen Phil
Gramm said today Houston-
Galveston and Corpus Christi are
among the seven finalists vying for
location of a proposed new Navy
base
Michael Hynes, a member of the
group that designed the proposal to
the Navy, said today Port Lavaca
still could tie in line for a secondary
port, if the Navy decides to establish
one with the home port
“We are not out of the running for
a secondary port,” Hynes said.
Navy officials have said a secon-
dary port, if established, would be
located close to the home port
Navy Secretary John F Lehman
Jr narrowed a list of 16 Gulf Coast
cities competing for a new Navy port
to seven finalists and told his site
evaluation team to pick the best city
by early summer
The secretary’s decision is the
latest step in what has become the
most intensive competition ever
waged by cities for a Navy facility.
Navy officials said they hope to have
taxpayer that provides the capabili-
ty that is needed is going to be where
the battleship ends up “
Hobby said the state has pledged
up to 525 million for road construc-
tion and education facilities for the
base
The other Texas cities who bid on
the base were Port Arthur,
Freeport. Port Lavaca and
Brownsville
Orange is seeking part of the unit,
two frigates assigned to the Navy
reserve The rest of the "strategic
action group” includes the to-be-
restored battleship U S S Wiscon-
sin. a cruiser, a destroyer and
another frigate.
Navy officials will visit finalist
cities again. lx-hman said The final
selection is expected this spring, and
tfie base would begin operating in
1991.
All the cities have been wooing the
Navy to get the jobs and de\elop-
ment and prestige they hope the
base will bring
Wishing them well
"ELI WISHERS TOAST Mrs. Y.C Wang, wife of the
chairman of the hoard of the Formosa Plastics Group.
Mrs Wang and her husband were in Point Comfort
Perceptions on hospital care conflict
her son and refunded by the in-
surance company
“She said, we needed to call the
doctor, if all we wanted was pain
medication." the source said ' I had
already called and I did not just br-
ing my son to get medication. 1
wanted to find out what was causing
his pain.
“I had taken my son to the hospital
two times before and we did not have
any problems The insurance took
care of everything, including
medication We never had any pro-
blems
The doctor treated her son and
then repeated the nurse's statement
about the hospital new insurance
policy.
The next day, after talking to her
insurance agent, the source found
she was not required to pay
Some people who said they felt
they would not want to go to the
hospital based their decision on
hearsay
“I do not have any first-hand
knowledge of how the hospital
operates." Mayor Kenneth Lester
said. “But. it does bother me. about
the number of people I run into who
(Please see Hospital, Page 2)
Index
Classified ................8-9
Comics 7
Deaths............ 2
Editorials 4
Police beat 2
Sports 5
Wavelengths 2
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Surber, Chester C. & Hildebrand, Linda. Port Lavaca Wave (Port Lavaca, Tex.), Vol. 94, No. 119, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 21, 1985, newspaper, February 21, 1985; Port Lavaca, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1298099/m1/1/?q=War+of+the+Rebellion.: accessed July 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Calhoun County Public Library.