Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 36, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 9, 1999 Page: 1 of 42
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Volume 113, Number 36
Thursday, September 9,1999
Our 113tb ’
Published in Hondo, Texas
Medina County’s Leading
. t'ages
,o Cents
Anvil Herald wetther observer Gerry Bridges re-
pons the following information for the past week:
Date High Low Rain
Wed., Sept. 1 95
Thurs., Sept. 2 %
Fri.. Sept. 3 %
Sat.. Sept. 4 96
Sun.. Sept. 5 97
Mon., Sept. 6 95
Hies., Sept. 7 92
72 .00
73 .00
75 00
76 .00
77 .00
70 .00
69 .00
Total rain for the past week: 0.00 in.
Total rain for September: 0.00 in.
Total rain for 1999: 16.80 in.
Avg. high temp, for the week: 95.3°
Avg. low temp, for the week: 73.1 °
High temp, for 1999:102°onAug. 13 & 14
Low temp, for 1999: 23°, on Jan. 4
Rain in 1998, thru Sept. 7: 27.85 in.
Rain in 1997, thru Sept. 7: 33.45 in.
PHOTO BY MIKE LANGFORD
GREAT CROWD, GREAT GAME... The packed house at Barry Field watches as Hondo quarterback Chad
Crowell fights for first-half yardage in the Owls’ 17-7 win over La Vernia to open the 1999 season last
Friday. Crowell rushed for 49 yards, passed for 79 and had three interceptions on defense in the win. This
Fiiday, Hondo travels to Uvalde, to take on the Coyotes at the Honey Bowl. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
Assisted living complex on hold, pending rezoning
Neighbors not happy with developers’ idea, lack of complete plan
By William Hoover
Anvil Hekald Correspondent
Planning and Zoning Chairman
Jerry Dominguez told Hondo City
Council the P&Z Commission lacked
adequate information to make a rec-
ommendation on a request for a spe-
cial use permit to operate ah assisted
living residence made by Tom Jordan.
Jordan was seeking approval of the
permit to operate a residence for the
elderly in the 2900 block of Avenue
G. The land is currently zoned as a
Residential-2 District.
“Essentially, the intention by Mr.
Jordan is to obtain a special use per-
mit so he can sell the property to Roy
Snow to put up a 60 unit apartment as
a residence for the elderly,”
Dominguez told council. “There has
been a lot of concern from property
owners regarding traffic, paving of the
alley, and the number of residents.
While Hondo needs a facility like this,
we don't know if this is the best place."
A special use permit requires annual
renewal and Dominguez also ques-
tioned whether obtaining a special use
permit was the appropriate course of
action, considering Snow intended to
invest $1.5 million in the project.
"We tabled the issue until we can
gel more information,” said
Dominguez. “We also wanted to con-
sider if rez.oning would be more ap-
propriate than a special use permit.”
In the public hearing, Jordan told
council he and Snow believed there
was a need for an assisted living resi-
dence for senior citizens in Hondo.
“We would employ around 15 people
and would offer seniors I -bedroom,
2-bedroom, or studio apartments. We
would serve three meals a day,” said
Jordan. "It would be affordable."
Jordan said he and Snow had looked
at a 56-unit assisted living apartment
in Seguin. “They put it in a year ago
and already have a waiting list," he
said. “I understand people are con-
cerned about traffic, but most senior
citizens don’t get up and go to work
so traffic shouldn't be a problem."
Mayor Jim Barden warned Jordan
the special use permit requires an-
nual renewal and a less reasonable
council may not re-approve the per
mit. “Did you explore a zone
change7’ asked Barden.
“Until today, we didn’t know we
could.” responded Jordan, who de-
veloped the funeral home business
adjacent to the proposed complex.
Snow spoke next, informing coun-
cil he wanted to build a facility simi-
lar to the Harvest Care Center in Cas-
troville. “I’m concerned about fire
safety, so I intend to build with metal
framing, bricks, and as few combus-
tibles as possible and we would have
sprinklers installed. We would have
a center section for pick up and de
livery and a gabled root, white vinyl
siding and red brick. It will be attrac-
tive." said Snow.
Know told council the residence
wtlbht employ medical attendants on
a 24-hour basis, each room would
have a panic button, and a registered
nurse would be on duty. “The RN
would operate and act as administra-
tor of the facility," said Snow.
Since Ave. G is too narrow for en-
trance traffic. Snow said the current
alley between avenues F and G
would be paved and the entrance to
the complex would face the alley.
Residents pointed out that would
mean they would then have concern
See COMPLEX. Page 2
City implements
new salary schedule
Across-the-board raises a thing of the past
By William Hoover
Anvii Herald Correspondent
Hondo City Manager David Chavez
has implemented a new salary sched-
ule for city employees which deter-
mines an individual's wages based on
qualifications and experience.
The new pay scale is meant to cor-
rect inequities of the past, save the
city money, and give employees in-
centives to increase their skills and
to stay in Hondo.
"At one time, the city had a cali-
brated salary scale, but dropped it in
favor of across the board wage in-
creases," explained Chavez. “The
problem with across the board in-
creases is two fold. It hits the city
coffers hard because all raises are
effective from October I to the next
October 1. In addition, everyone re-
ceives the same pay raise on Octo-
ber I regardless if they have one or
15 years of experience.”
Chavez’s new plan differs in that
it gives annual pay raises to people
based on their employment anniver-
sary date, thereby staggering the in-
creases and saving the city money.
“If their anniversary is in September,
they get one month’s salary at their
old rate and 11 months at their new
rate each fiscal year cycle. It’s easier
on the budget because the raises are
staggered,” he said.
Chavez, says his plan is based on
longevity. “We want to try to attract
the best employees and keep them
here. Across the board increases of-
fered good employees no incentive
to stay in Hondo.”
Chavez’s plan is intended to pro-
vide what he calls internal and ex-
ternal equity. “If you have been here
five years, as opposed to six months,
your pay should reflect that, instead
of just a couple of dollars difference.
The across the board method didn’t
consider seniority,” he added.
"Many people who work for a city
must have certificates and continuing
education (which the city pays for)
which means we have a big invest-
ment in those people. On the other
hand, they develop valuable skills and
have a commodity other cities want
too. After we make an investment in
training, it behooves us to pay more
to keep them here because they are a
valuable asset to Hondo.
“To provide external equity, we
will compare our salaries with other
cities’ salaries and try to match the
pay to keep our employees and our
investments here in Hondo We arc
trying to provide external and inter-
nal equity and this is the best way. It
makes people feel valued. If a long-
term employee has the same pay or
pay raise as a newly hired person,
there is no incentive to excel."
Chavez’s new city salary schedule
has 31 vertical steps and calculates
20 years of lateral experience. "A
person who receives a certificate or
degree can climb vertically in the pay
scale, say from step 6 to step 8. This
creates a built-in incentive for people
to enhance their education and in-
crease their value to us,” said
Chavez. "Once people have the nec-
essary skills, they have a marketable
commodity and we could lose them
This salary schedule has vertical in-
centive pay and lateral increases
based on seniority. There are many
ways to increase your pay now,
which we didn’t have before."
Another benefit for the city ntan-
ger is that he can look at the sched-
ule and accurately budget for in-
creases, knowing raises occur on an
employee’s anniversary date.
“It's a tremendous savings for the
city,” explains Chavez. “Employees
benefit because they can see where
they are going financially and how
long it will take to get to the next
step. They can plan for the future"
Weather modification program completes first year
EAA, WMI receive positive feedback from targeted counties
By Jamie Heyen
Anvil Herald Staff
After five months of cloud seeding,
the precipitation enhancement pro-
gram conducted by the Edwards
Aquifer Authority (EAA) and
Weather Modification Inc. comes to
an end next week.
The program, which began on April
IS, originated in 1997 when the Au-
thority board of directors voted to ob-
tain a permit to conduct cloud seed-
ing from the Texas Natural Resources
Conservation Commission
(TNRCC). The four-year permit was
granted in October 1998, and a year-
to-year contract with Weather Modi-
fication Inc. (WMI) out of North Da-
kota, was signed.
Target counties, including Bandera,
Bexar, Blanco. Caldwell, Comal,
Guadalupe, Hays, Kendall, Kerr, Me-
dina, Real and Uvalde, appointed a
representative to sit on an advisory
group to work with the Authority and
alert the contractor on conditions in-
cluding soil saturation, harvest and
crop seasons and flood control capaci-
ties of area reservoirs.
The purpose of the program was to
help increase the amount of rainfall
and to recharge the Edwards Aquifer.
The Authority committed $500,000
for the 1999 program with half the ex-
penses reimbursed by the TNRCC. The
target area covers over 6 million arercs
at a cost of about 4 cents per acre.
WMI, founded in 1961, has been
conducting weather modification pro-
grams in Ifexas since 1985. The com-
pany brought with them several em-
. plqyees including a meteorologist, pi-
lots and technicians to ensure a suc-
cessful program.
At the onset of the program, an
open house was held to educate the
public on how cloud seeding would
work and the effects it would have on
Medina and surrounding counties
The public’s main concern: flooding.
Project meteorologist Jason Straub
helped alleviate fears of flooding by
explaining how the TITAN radar sys-
tem worked and ensuring citizens that
flights would not be flown during se-
vere weather condi-
tions.
With all of this in
mind, the “cloud-
seeding” project
was launched.
Throughout the
course of the pro-
gram, pilots flew
two Cessna 340,
twin engine air-
planes, flying at a
maximun of 29,000 feet, seeding the
tops and bottoms of potential clouds
with silver iodide ejectable flares.
Silver iodide is most often used be-
cause its crystalline structure closely
resembles natural ice in the atmo-
sphere.
The program was halted twice dur-
ing the contract period because of soil
saturation conditions during heavy
rains, and again for a short time dur-
ing harvest season.
Throughout the course of the pro-
gram. 56 flights were flown, totaling
161.2 hours of flight time and 1,705
ejectable flares were released into
prospective clouds.
Overall, estimated rainfall en-
hanced by weather modification has
increased by 10-15 percent
“All indications are that the pro-
gram has gone well,” said Hondo field
officer Bobby Bader.
Recently Bader spent some time
with researcher. Dr. Bill Woodley (of
“Several farmers and
ranchers 1 have spo-
ken with had favor-
able things to say
about the program. ”
-Kelly Carroll
Woodley Weather Consultants in
Colorado), who presented the latest
developments in satellite imagery in re-
lation to cloud seeding, rainfall assess-
ment and potential detrimental effects
of pollution on the weather in Texas.
Bader said Woodley spent a week
in Hondo evaluating the daily opera-
tions and efficiency of the cloud seed-
ing program. When
the program ceases
next week, Woodley
will acquire all of
the data and records
compiled by WMI
during the project.
Satellite images will
be obtained for each
day an aircraft
seeded and will be
compared to the
time, altitude, and precise location of
each flare ejected. Bader also said
new research indicates that the satel-
lite images will reflect a noticeable
change in the clouds seeded versus
non-seeded clouds. Bader explained
that this procedure is very encourag-
ing, as it will produce additional evi-
dence that cloud-seeding works.
“It takes a lot of time to review and
anylyze this data,” said Bader. “And
since this is only the first year, we
have nothing to compare our statis-
tics to, yet,” he added.
County Commissioner Kelly
Carroll, who serves on the advisory
board, said he believes the program
was good for the county and js look-
ing forward to next year's program.
"Several farmers and ranchers I have
spoken with had favorable comments
about the program,” said CarrolL
Seven project sponsors in Texas
alone, encompass more than 36 mil-
lion acres of cloud-seeding activities
RAIN ENHANCEMENT PROJECTS IN TEXAS, 1999
A
. .1;
V 1
Acres
PROJECT SPONSOR million,
1. COLORADO RIVER MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT 2.2
2. WEST TEXAS WEATHER MODIFICATION ASSOCIATION 6.2
3. SOUTH TEXAS WEATHER MODIFICATION ASSOCIATION 4.4
4. HIGH PLAINS UNDERGROUND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT 6.9
5. TEXAS BORDER WEATHER MODIFICATION ASSOCIATION 5.4
* t
6. EDWARDS AQUIFER AUTHORITY 6.3
7. SOUTHWEST TEXAS RAM-ENHANCEMENT ASSOCIATION 5J
TOTAL ACREAGE 36.4
every year. This includes regions from
the panhandle to the border.
There have been more than two
dozen efforts at weather modification
throughout the state in the past 25 years.
South Texas Weather Modification
Association (STWMA), headquar-
tered in Jourdanton, covers 4.4 mil-
lion acres. After only three years, the
association has purchased its own
weather radar system, hired a full-
time meteorologist and recently
bought a Piper Comanche airplane to
conduct its own weather modification
enhancement activities.
“We are improving the efficiency
of the clouds,” said STWMA mem-
ber Tommy Shearrer. “Our statistics
show a 15 to 25 percent increase in
average rainfall. This is not a fix for
all the water problems, but it will
help,” said Shearrer.
“Weather modification users
should view cloud seeding as a long-
term water management strategy for
augmenting fresh water supplies, not as
a technique for alleviating drought over
brief periods of time,” said TNRCC
senior meteorologist George Botnar.
“Some 50 years of research and ac-
tual cloud seeding in 43 countries
have demonstrated that properly de-
signed programs operated by compe-
tent persons can increase seasonal
rainfall,” said Botnar.
Straub said he felt the project went
well for the first year.
“We got a lot of good seeding in
for the time allotted,” said Straub.
When the program starts up again
in April 2000, all data from this year's
program will be calculated and pilots,
meteorologists and the EAA wiU have
a better idea of where to go and what
they want to accomplish in the fol-
lowing yean.
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Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 36, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 9, 1999, newspaper, September 9, 1999; Hondo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth818780/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hondo Public Library.