Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 28, No. 35, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 11, 1993 Page: 1 of 16
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Response to
survey varied
Half-cent sales tax for
capital items popular
Climbing the Wall
Last Sunday, close to 50 rock climbers joined together For Mt. Huguley
Climbing Classic, the area's first climbing contest, which took place at
Huguley's New Image Health and Racquetball Club. Both climbers
pictured here competed in the expert division. Ty Foose (left) took first
in the category and Jack Miieski (above) finshed the event third.
They're climbing the walls (literally)
By GLENN COCHRAN
It seems that more and more
Americans are taking at least a por-
tion of their weekly dose of recrea-
tion outdoors these days. It's not
uncommon to see joggers or cyclists
out on the roads clipping away at the
miles on just about any given day. It's
a sure bet that there is at least a
handful of players down at Warren
Park indulging in a game of basket-
ball or multiple pairs of tennis play-.
ers going head-to-head on the courts
during the evening or weekend
hours.
Another avenue of outdoor rec-
reation enjoyed by many, but not as
visible to those who do not partake is
rock climbing. Rock climbing, as
you can imagine, is taxing to several
different muscle groups and always
poses a challenge. The only draw-
back in this sport (not counting the
danger factor) is, since rockclimbing
takes place outside, when it rains or
dips down in the extreme cold tem-
peratures, it's not advisable to par-
take. '
Well, Huguley's New Image
Health and Racquetball Club offers a
solution. On the flip side of the rac-
quetball courts back wall there is
what is called, "ML Huguley." Ml
Huguley is an artificial climbing wall
that was installed in mid April of
1992.
Since that time, climbers, rang-
ing from beginners to experts, use the
wall in all types of weather to main-
tain fitness. And up until Sunday,
Feb. 7, that's all it was used for.
However, on Sunday Mt. Huguley
became the site for New Image's first
ever climbing contest—the Mt.
Huguley Climbing Classic.
Certainly, the competition was
on hand for what may well become
an annual event at New Image.
In the competition, participants
were broken down into three divi-
sions—recreational (beginners), in-
termediate, and expert. Men and
the first Of its kind in the area, and ^ women competed separately in each
mavhe even in the state. There have Gffthe divisions.
maybe even in the state. There have
been climbing contests outdoors in
Texas, but Lavope Weighall, plant
operations coordinator at Huguley
Hospital, believes it may have been
the first indoor climbing contest in
the state.
Classic officials were hoping for
as many as 50 climbing competitors
and almost got their wish. Forty-five
showed up for the event. Local
climbers, as well as climbers from
Oklahoma and even Alabama were
Pastor awaiting heart transplant
by NANCY HUCKABY
For Ron Davis, who has de-
voted the past 20 years to helping
others, lying in a hospital CCU unit at
Baylor University Medical Center,
waiting is the hardest thing of all.
Davis is waiting on a life-saving heart
transplant. The 58-year-old pastor of
Burleson’s Trinity Church needs the
transplant because doctors have told
him only 10 percent of his heart
muscle is still working after suffering
three heart attacks—one while he was
undergoing a quadruple coronary
bypass.
Davis has pastored the Burle-
son church for the past 11 years.
Before that he had been with the
Bethel Temple congregation in Fort
Worth and pastored an independent
church even earlier in his ministry.
Even though he and his family never
lived in Burleson, Davis has been
very active in community projects
through the Burieson Ministerial
Alliance. First Baptist pastor Mike
Milbum had high praises for Davis
and his work in the Burleson commu-
nity. Davis had also served as princi-
pal of Burleson Christian Academy
for eight years before its closure, and
had come up with the idea for the
“rounding up” whereby shoppers
could round their bills up to the next
dollar and donate the change to area
charities. He was also an advisor to
the Arlington Women’s Aglow chap-
ter for eight years.
The pastor’s insurance cover-
age does not apply at all to the cost of
transplant surgery. Because of the
devoted help from his family, church
members, and friends, Davis has been
able to raise the $90,000 needed in
order to even be considered for the
surgery—$10,000 in an initial de-
posit. Since last summer, through the
efforts of his four children and church
members, the remaining $80,000has
been raised, a feat most including
Davis felt would be impossible. Even
hospital personnel told the family
that unless he were a small child with
sad blue eyes, it is nearly impossible
to raise the kind of funds the family
would need. His wife Kathleen said
this week, “Ron is such a responsible
person and when he heard how much
it was going to cost (total of approxi-
mately $125,000) he knew even if we
sold everything we had, we’d never
come up with this kind of money. He
said there was no way and that we
shouldn’t even try, but our four kids
said ‘Oh, yes! We are going to try’ ”
With friends and church mem
bers, a Heart to Heart fund was es-
tablished at an Arlington Bank. One
daughter and a son-in-law work for
American Airlines, and began ap-
pealing to fellow employees. Ac-
cording to Kathleen Davis, numer-
ous employees began donating
"achievement points” to the fund.
The message about Davis’ plight and
the fund was included on die com-
pany’s computersystem. Mrs. Davis
said donations had come in from as
far away as Puerto Rico, England,
and all over the world. Another son ’ s
Please see SUPER, Page 6
In the male expert division, Ty
Foose of Waco won the top honor.
Michael Klein took second place and
JackMileski of Dallas finished third.
Karen Rand was the only female
expert division competitor, but if she
had competed with the men she
would have finished fourth, said a
classic official.
In men's intermediate, Todd
Nelson took first place. Second place
went to Raymond Brintle. Marvin
Orio of Huntsville, Ala., took third.
Monica Snow took first in
women's intermediate and Nora
Eoogs finished second.
Chas Hill took first place in
men's recreation. Bryan Higgin-
botham finished the competition
second and Roger Bertrand took
third.
Kim Duren was first in women's
recreation and behind her was Stacey
Wilder. M. Mayfield took third in the
division.
When Burleson asked; you an-
swered.
Over 1,000 of you responded to
the call for your opinions when the
city of Burleson mailed out question-
naires during December.
The initial reaction to such an
excellent response from citizens
might be that the survey provided a
perfect vent for an underlying current
of pentup or hostile feelings against
the city, but that wasn't the case at all.
Almost without exception (the ex-
ceptions being streets and drainage),
Burleson residents rate their city
average or better in every category.
Written comments accompany-
ing the surveys were even predomi-
nantly neutral or favorable. In fact,
less than 15 percent of the surveys
contained negative comments about
any spectrum of city services or fa-
cilities.
The same could be said for the
number of favorable comments, for
that matter, but city officials were
pleased that, when given the perfect
opportunity and vehicle for critical
comments about the city, a majority
of the respondents made no com-
ment, made comments that could be
construed as neither negative or fa-
vorable, or actually made positive
remarks about the city.
While the survey originated with
the library and the parks department,
it was expanded to include ^variety
of other subject matter, including the
feelings of local residents on paying
an additional half-ccnt city sales tax
to help finance capital improvements
projects.
The answer to that last question
was a definite yes. Not a resounding
yes, by any means, but enough of a
yes that city officials are encouraged
that an election to increase the city
sales tax would stand a good chance
of passing.
Just over 800 surveys had been
returned at the time that Dan Bout-
well of Planning Resources Group
(acting as the city's planner) tabu-
lated results. He reported that 54
percent of that sampling answered
that they would support an extra half-
cent city sales tax to fund libraries,
parks and recreation facilities, and
city buildings.
That doesn't mean that 46 per-
cent expressed an unwillingness to
pay the additional tax. Ten percent of
those responding to the survey had
no opinion on this matter. That left 36
percent who said "thanks, but no
thanks," to that funding concept for
capital improvements.
Last fall, that method of helping
finance city capital improvements
was editorially endorsed by the Star
in preference to 100 percent funding
of such projects by the property tax.
Boutwell not only compiled the
raw data, but cross-referenced it
according to a variety of criteria, such
as age, number and ages of children,
and results by residence in one of
four sections of the city.
In addition to providing a ba-
rometer of citizen satisfaction—or
dissatisfaction—the survey will be
used as an aid in developing a new
comprehensive plan for the city as
well as establishing priorities for an
upcoming capital improvements bond
election.
Using the mailing list of the
sanitation department, approximately
5,500 households received copies of
the survey during December. The
analysis made by Boutwell included
841 surveys, a return rate of about 15
percent—a ratio Boutwell considered
to be excellent and more than enough
for a statistically valid survey.
The typical respondenL accord-
ing to Boutwell "has lived in Burle-
son over 10 years. He (or she) owns
his own home and is generally in the
age group of over 50 years. He is a
voter. He is also concerned about the
lode of the community. He is in favor
of improving and expanding the parks
system and even more in favor of
improvements to the library.
"He is pleased with the police
and fire departments. He is espe-
cially pleased with the job the sanita-
tion department does. However, he is
very unhappy with the street mainte-
nance and storm water drainage ef-
forts of the city.
"He is very much in favorof new
growth as it relates to industrial de-
velopment. He would, like to see
Historical Old Town Burleson de-
velop; however, he does not have
strong feelings about that. He is not
as excited about attracting new shop-
ping areas or office development.
However, he very strongly sees the
need to attract some restaurants, other
than fast-food restaurants, to Burle-
son.
"He doesn't use a lot of the city's
Please see TYPICAL, Page 10
A few good men (and women)
needed by volunteer fire dept.
Rate increase could be 'taxing'
Rate payers may find themselves
facing a serious case of double jeop-
ardy if a rate increase requested by
TU Electric goes into effect as pro-
posed by the company.
Suspending that rate increase in
Burleson for 90 days to give all sides
time to have their say before the Public
Utility Commission isoneof the items
that will come before the Burieson
City Council when it meets tonight
(Thursday) at 7 p.m. at city hall.
Property owners can likely ex-
pect higher electric bills in the range
of 10 to 15 percent for their busi-
nesses or residences. They can also
likely expect much higher increases
than that for local governmental build-
ings, including schools, whose elec-
tric bills are primarily paid by prop-
erty owners through die ad valorem
property tax.
"They've always had different
rates for different functions, but I
don't ever recall it being this out of
balance before," said Jean Phillips,
city secretary/acting co-city manager
for the city of Burleson.
As an example, she pointed to
figures indicating that at Burieson
Junior High School alone, the pro-
posed rates would have made a dif-
ference of $17,519 last year—an
increase of 313 percent.
City hall itself would have fu J
a similar percentage increase with
the dollar amount being just under
$3,000.
More that $7,000 in additional
electrical expenses would have been
found on the bill for electrict at the
city's pump station at 104 Industrial.
Cities desiring to suspend the
rate increase have until Feb. 26 to do
so. A resolution to that effect has
been prepared for council action
tonight. That would give the city a
new deadline far action of May 27.
About 370 cities in west, north
central, and east Texas will be af-
fected by a TU Electric rate hike.
A representative from TU
Elefctrie will be at tonight's meeting
to formally request the higher rates.
Another utility, this one South-
western Bell, may also be on the
agenda. The telephone company has
requested that Burieson and other
cities it services, otter into a new
franchise agreement (the amount a
utility or cable company pays for the
privilege of conducting business
within a community).
The city would receive more in
franchise payments from Bell; tele-
phone customers would pay •ore—
but not much more—on th c tele-
phone lulls to fund those additional
payments to the city; and the city
would give up any rights it might
have to seek disputed[franchise pay-
BY SALLY ELLERTSON
They don't need "a few good
men” like the recent movie says, they
are recruiting a few good men and
women.
The Burleson Fire Department
is extending an invitation to anyone
who is interested in becoming volun-
teer firefighters or volunteer commu-
nication specialists, according to Fire
Chief Kerry Kinney.
The department currently has 36
firefighters but is allotted 45 slots.
Since the people are volunteer and
not paid, the perks include havinj
your water bill paid by the city (watci
credit) as well as disability insurance
in case of an injury.
Firefighters are on call 24 hour!
a day. They carry pagers that send oui
a tone to alert them in case of a fire,
medical emergency, hazardous ma-
terials spill, or dangerous weather
The department will provide the team-
ing and testing for the applicants.
Gaining communications spe-
cialists (dispatchers) is a new move.
These people, once the tone has been
sent out from the police department,
will take over the dispatching from
the fire hall. In the past, firefighters
who didn't make it to the hall in time
to make it on a truck took over dis-
patching from the police department.
There are a few changes in the
qualifications. The age has beer
moved up to 21 and the applicant foi
both firefighter and communication!
specialist has to oc a high school
graduate or have the equivalent of a
diploma. A background check, in-
cluding criminal history, references,
and in the case of firefighters, the
driving record, will be conducted.
Applicants for both positions must
pass a physical exam as well as a back
fitness test. Firefighters will need a
Class B driver's license and be able to
pass the firefighter orientation train-
ing and further testing.
In addition to the requirements
for firefighters, those applying for
communications specialists will need
to be able to type (at least 25 words
per minute) with computer experi-
ence preferred, be able to remain
calm during stressful situations, and
speak in a clear voice. Communica-
tions specialists will also have tqpass
orientation and training.
Ginger Allen in the city's per-
sonnel office has the applications for
both positions. The deadline to apply
is Friday, Feb. 26. A tentative date of
Tuesday, March 9, has been set for an
orientation session for both positions.
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Ellertson, Sally. Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 28, No. 35, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 11, 1993, newspaper, February 11, 1993; Burleson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth763267/m1/1/?q=music: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Burleson Public Library.