The Bellaire & Southwestern Texan (Bellaire, Tex.), Vol. 24, No. 40, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 23, 1976 Page: 1 of 24
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■the bellaire a southwestern
VOLUME 24, NUMBER 40 WEDNESDAY,
A COMMUNITY WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Joint Public Hearing
Set By Council, P & L
Mulberry
Park Grant
Awarded
Senator Lloyd Bentsenand
Congressman Bill Archer
have been notified that the
Bureau of Outdoor Recrea-
tion has awarded a grant to
the City of Bellaire for the
development of Mulberry
Park.
The $65,760 grant will be
matched by an equal amount
in local funds.
Planned developments at
the park will include lighted
tennis courts, a softball field,
playground equipment, pic-
nic units, bicycle racks,
benches, sun and shade
shelters roads, walks and
landscaping.
Mulberry Park is located
on Mulberry Lane near
Lampton Circle.
HE MADE IT-But the
judge didn’t. Rick Roberts,
18, of 1103 Wardmont,
comes trudging through
flood water with his girl, Sue
Jackson, 18, 4000 W. 34th, to
answer speeding ticket
charges. But Judge Pete
Ruman and Prosecutor
Firmin Hickey were strand-
ed in downtown Houston. So
the couple went sloshing
back to their stranded car.
THE POURING OF CONCRETE by Lone Star
Industries last Friday, was one of the initial steps in the
construction of Bellaire’s new gazebo. Located next to
the Bellaire swimming pool, scheduled date of completion
for the gazebo is July 4.
Local Police Investigate
Numerous Burglaries
Numerous burglaries and
thefts occured in the Bellaire
area during the past week.
On Sunday, a pharmecuti-
cal business on Dashwood
was entered through an air
vent cover on the building
roof and approximately
2,000 doses of mixed drugs
valued at $300 taken.
The manager of a business
on Bellaire reported that
approximately $100 was
found missing from the cash
register after the assistant
manager did not return after
lunch.
On Friday, a resident on
Orleander reported that
someone entered his home
and took approximately $250
in cash, a checkbook, and
several credit cards.
Property valued at appro
ximately $1,100 was stolen
from a residence on Ever-
green while the owners
were out of town the
previous week.
Over the weekend, an
outdoor motor and table saw
were reported missing from
a Mimosa resident.
Bicycles were a prime
target for thieves this week
with four separate incidents
filed with the police.
Reports also showed that a
motorcycle was taken from a
home on Valerie on Friday.
During the past week,
three persons were arrested
for being drunk in a public
place and two charged for
driving without licenses.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE-Scene from Police
station east on Jessamine. Flooded streets were great
for canoeing but no help to motorists.
The City Council schedul-
ed a joint public hearing for
July 13 on definitions,
standards and dimensions
for side yards and front
yards as related to the
requirements of Article
12-103 (b) of Zoning Ordi-
nance 1842.
The council also consider
ed and passed action
amending part of Section
12-103 (b). The portion now
reads (In the indicated
districts,) no truck exceed-
ing three-fourths (3/4) ton
capacity, no bus in excess of
fifteen (15) feet in height, no
recreational vehicle (instead
of the word camper), trailer,
boat, or mobile home shall
be parked or stored on any
abutting street or within the
required front yard space of
any property in such
Districts, and shall not
anywhere within any of said
Districts, be used as a
dwelling, nor for business,
Area Floods Bring Variety Of
Problems, Solutions To City
Bellaire underwent a flood
bath of unprecedented pro-
portions last Tuesday even-
ing as 9.67 inches of rain
were recorded at the city’s
official rainfall gauge at the
sewer plant during the
five-hour deluge that ended
at 7:30 p.m.
The tremendous down-
pour and rapidly rising flood
waters stalled hundreds of
motorists on Bellaire streets
and sent residents and other
travelers wading for home,
for shelter or for telephones
for help.
Fortunately, no fires were
reported to the Fire
department, and the police
department-making its
rounds in commandeered
city trucks after seven
patrol cars were stranded or
flooded out-reported only
several major accidents.
There were uncounted
“Bumpings” as brakes failed
and motorists sloshed into
each other.
COUNCIL CHAMBER
FLOODED
Several instances of home
floodings were reported to
police, a few residents were
“evacuated” temporarily,
but little heavy damage to
homes was reported. There
was little if any damage to
the city’s new $6,000,000
sewer plant. The floor of the
City Council chamber was
flooded slightly, but a “Mop
and broom” crew of City
Hall employees went to
work to keep the water out.
The police department base-
ment on Jessamine flooded
over the driveway and into
the basement floor to a
depth of an inch or so, but a
pumper was sent over from
the Fire department across
the street and the water
pumped out.
Tuesday night was Corpo-
ration Court night, but
Judge Pete Ruman and City
Attorney-Prosecutor Firmin
Hickey were stranded in
By JACK GURWELL
Houston. Clerk of Court
Thelma Marshall reported
only four persons showing
up of those scheduled to
appear. One, an 18-year-old
carrying his girl piggy back,
had waded more than half
a mile to appear on time. All
cases were rescheduled.
Chief Communications Of-
ficer Bobby Graves said the
police switchboard’s four
trunk lines were in continual
use for about seven hours.
Court Clerk Marshall dou
bled in brass as a switch
board operator, and she and
Graves were spelled contin-
on emergency stand-by
service, answered a call for
assistance from Hermann
Hospital through the Grea-
ter Houston Hospital Unit
and sent one pumper,
manned by Capt. James
Walker and three firemen-
all off-duty - to help pump
out the hospital basement.
They answered the call at
8:30 p.m., and returned to
Bellaire at 7:30 Wednesday
morning.
The department also
participated in a dramatic
rescue of a cardiac arrest
heart victim stranded in a
THUMBING A WAV HOME-Stranded by flood waters.
Mrs. Virginia Miller (left) and three members of her
Bellaire Public Library staff grin and bear it, and raise
hopeful thumbs for assistance. With Mrs. Miller are (1-r)
Helen McEnany, Eloise Ellerbrock and Barbara Schultz.
The time was 8:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, night of the
flood.
ually by other between their
various outside duties. Capt.
Jerry Loffin was the
in-station supervisor, while
Police Chief John Wheatley
and Asst. City Manager
Charlie Hinze patrolled the
city checking flooding, drain-
age problems, and supervis-
ing assistance to mortorist
problems.
RADIO RESCUE
The Fire Department,
with all members available
Pasadena city ambulance on
Almeda at Loop 610. When
the ambulance failed to raise
help on its regular police
band, the operator switched
to the County Mutual Aid
band and finally raised
Bellaire. Lt. Joe Preston
relayed the information to
the Greater Houston Hospi-
tal Unit, which got in touch
with the Coast Guard, then
St. Luke’s Hospital, which
reported it had no helicopter
(Continued on p.17)
commericial, or storage
purposes.”
In other business, the
council commented on the
findings of the Bellaire
Options Committee. High-
lights of the committee’s
findings were reported in
last week’s TEXAN.
The Council also passed
the second reading of the
franchise ordinance with
Extex, Inc. An ordinance
modifying the previous
Extex and Houston Natural
Gas contract in Bellaire and
providing for a natural gas
cost adjustment clause was
also passed.
An ordinance concerning
contracts in the total amount
of $164,038,00 to Holland
Construction Company was
considered and passed upon
by the council for the
Mulberry Park Develop-
ment.
The city attorney was also
insturcted by the council to
further study an ordinance
regulating automative alarm
services. Bellaire Police
Chief John Wheatley came
before council to speak
concerning the problem of
false alarms to the depart-
ment.
Approval was also passed
on a resolution endorsing a
staff application for an
Intergovernmental Person-
nel Act in the amount of
$4,680.00
Other items discussed and
acted upon included the
following:
•Mr. A1 Marks, 6218
Cheena, made a courtesy
appearance before the coun-
cil to tell of his business
intentions in Bellaire. He
plans to lease premises next
to Southwestern Savings
Association and open a
dance hall with an eleven-
piece orchestra.
•The following accounts
were considered and ap-
proved for payment. Hunter
Associates Engineering
services in connection with
Wendell Street Pump Sta-
tion: $398.31; Hunter Asso-
ciates - Engineering services
in connection with Newcas-
tle Trunk Sewer: $4,164.26;
Hunter Associates - Engi
neering services in connec-
tion with Wastewater Treat-
ment Plant: $5,802.93; Fir-
min A. Hickey, Jr. For
month of May, 1976:
$1,879.88 Chas. R. Haile
Associates In connection
with plans and specs for
paving of First SNeet:
$451.36 Chas. R. Haile
Associates In connection
with plans and specs for
ground storage tank: $547.62
Correction:
Due to a typographical
error, Mr. Charles Jacobus,
Chairman of the Bellaire
Options Steering Commit-
tee, was incorrectly quoted
in the article concerning the
Options Committee final
report in last week’s
TEXAN. Mr. Jacobus said
that, in his opinion, the final
report was one of most
extensive ones ever conduc-
ted, not one of the most
expensive.
The TEXAN appoligizes
for the error.
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Bullard, Iris. The Bellaire & Southwestern Texan (Bellaire, Tex.), Vol. 24, No. 40, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 23, 1976, newspaper, June 23, 1976; Bellaire, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth567331/m1/1/: accessed March 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bellaire Friends Library & Historical Society.