Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 115, No. 50, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 13, 2001 Page: 1 of 43
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Hondo Area Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Hondo Public Library.
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Filing underway
for March primaries
The filing period for the March 12,
2002, General Primary Election will
continue through Jan . 2.
Candidates must file with either
Republican Party County Chairman
Ann Peden or Democrat Party
County Chairman Grady Jolley.
Early voting by mail will run from
Jan. 26 through Mar. 5.
Early voting by personal appear-
ance will be Feb. 25 through Mar. 8.
Deadline for running a free an-
nouncement of candidacy in the An-
vil Herald is Jan. 11, to run in the
Jan. 17 issue. All political statements
published after that date are consid-
ered paid advertising. There is a $5
charge to run a photo with the an-
nouncement.
To be listed in the Political Forum
column, which runs each week prior
to the election, call 830-426-3346.
Anvil Herald weather information recorded by
Gerry Bridges; reported by Kate Wiemers
Date
High
Low
Rain
Wed., Dec 5
79
37
.00
Thurs., Dec. 6
77
32
.00
Fit, Dec. 7
72
34
.00
Sat , Dec. 8
53
43
1.00
Sun., Dec. 9
53
57
tr.
Mon., Dec. 10
61
60
.00
Tues.Dec 11
56
63
.30
Total rain for the past week; 1.30 in.
Total rain for December: 2.85 in.
Total rain for 2001: 33.65 in.
Avg. high temp for the week: 65.1°
Avg. lowTemp. for the week: 46.6s ”
High temp, for 2001:
102° on Aug. 6, 15, 17 & 18
Low temp, for 2001: 29° on Jan. 20
PHOTO BY FRANCES GUINN
CHRISTMAS MUSICAL... All Hondo ISD bands, 5th grade, 6th grade, junior high symphonic and concert
bands, and the high school band, performed a variety of Christmas music Monday evening at the Activities
Center to a packed house. Band Director Bob Howard announced that all former Hondo band students are
invited to participate in an Alumni Band which will perform in the spring in conjunction with current bands.
The performance will mark the 50th anniversary of the Hondo band program. The first director, Al Sturchio,
will direct. Call the band hall, 426-2154, for information or to sign up.
City awaiting
word from state
Disaster relief funds still possible
By William Hoover
Anvil Herald Correspondent
With Small Business Administra-
tion disaster relief teams in town un-
til early next week, the City of Hondo
is anxiously waiting to hear about
funding from the Texas Department
of Housing and Community Affairs.
The TDHCA offers a community de-
velopment block grant program which
pays for disaster relief cleanup and re-
pairs incurred by the city and a Home
Partnership Improvement Program
(HOME) which helps homeowners with
disaster relief assistance.
“We talked to the state agencies this
week about program assistance now
that we have been denied by FEMA,"
said City Manager John Vidaurri.
“SBA disaster relief teams are in
Hondo for eight days starting last Fri-
day. They are providing low interest
rate loans to people who had home
damage related to the Oct. 12 storm.
The SBA will be here until Tuesday.
The TDHCA has the HOME program
for individuals and the CBDG disas-
ter relief program to help pay for the
city's cleanup of debris. The HOME
program provides assistance to people
who have lost their mobile homes and
been displaced by the storm.”
"We are just waiting to hear some-
thing from the slate, so we can go
ahead with our application for CBDG
funds," explained Vidaurri. “We can’t
apply until the state sends us the ap-
plications to Hondo. But the TDHCA
can’t do that until the SBA leaves.
Hopefully, it will not be too much
longer and we will have state teams
helping us put the applications to-
gether. I believe the county is apply
ing forCDBG funds separately."
Hondo Mayor Jim Barden said do-
nations to the private relief funds
have increased, but the city is still
waiting to receive state aid in wake
of its denial by FEMA Any appeal
of the FEMA decision would have
to be made by Medina County Judge
David Montgomery.
“I think the FEMA appeal is still up
in the air," said Barden. "The last word
on the appeal is up to the county be-
cause they made the application. The
judge is leaning toward not appealing
the denial. The SBA is here talking to
people and we received a letter from
the TDHCA that says they are respond
ing to Governor Perry’s request to gel
involved so we expect to see them soon.
I have heard the voluntary donations
have picked up. It’s like they have a
new life. It’s not big news, but it is im-
portant because every little bit helps "
Last week, the balance of all pri
vate tornado relief funds was near-
ing $13,000. Broadway National
Bank, Community National Bank.
D’Hanis State Bank, and Hondo Na-
tional Bank each have funds set up
to take private donations. The new
balance of the relief funds stands at
a combined $14,689.
The city did receive a check from
its insurer, the Texas Municipal
League, for approximately $1.75
million, according to the mayor, “Tlv
money from TML is for city build
ing repair and replacement. We can
go higher, depending on what it costs
for replacement, if we rebuild differ-
ently. But we have the money for an
exact rebuild "
D’Hanis ISD may call bond election
$2.25 million needed for new gym
By William Hoover
Anvil Herald Correspondent
Approximately 75 taxpayers from
the D’Hanis Independent School Dis-
trict turned out for the Dec. 5 public
hearing regarding improvements to
DISD athletic facilities. The school
board called the meeting to gauge com-
munity interest in selling bonds to
build a new and bigger $2.25 million
gymnasium facility complete with ex-
tra parking. The board is also trying to
determine the best way to replace the
recently demolished football stadium
Public reaction to the idea of in-
creasing taxes to fund the bonds which
would pay for the proposed gym was
split fairly evenly, according to Supt.
Bruce Davis. The board will consider
the public input and the school’s needs
when they meet Dec. 17 to vote for or
against calling bond election.
The proposed bond for the new gym
would be for $1.6 million, with the
remaining $650,000 taken out of the
school 's $ I 8 fund balance. Davis de-
scribed the 16,000 square foot gym-
nasium as a modern, full-sized facil-
ity with a weight room, retractable
bleachers, and public restrooms which
meet the Americans with Disabilities
Act’s accessibility requirements.
"It is on the agenda for Dec. 17 to
consider a resolution to go forward
with the bond sales," said Davis. "What
action the board will take is unknown.
If we move towards selling the bonds,
we will hold a series of public hear-
ings. Right now, we are in a holding
pattern while we gather more informa-
tion to help us make a decision.”
Davis said the earliest date the
$2.25 million dollar bond proposal
could be voted on would be Satur-
day, Feb. 2, 2002.
“Some people spoke in favor of the
bond and some spoke against,” said
the superintendent. "The hoard is in
the process of weighing the informa-
tion they did receive to determine il
they think there is enough interest to
call an election."
The construction of a new football
stadium is also being considered by
the school board. Cowboy Stadium,
which was to have been renamed al-
ter longtime head coach Butch Woolls,
was demolished al ter the Oct. 12 tor-
nado caused damage to the facility's
superstructure. The stadium was val-
ued at $146,(KM), but the school dis-
trict only had $50,000 worth of insur-
ance coverage, leaving a $96,000
shortfall for the district and its taxpay-
ers to absorb. The board, however, is
challenging the insurance company’s
decision not to fully reimburse the
school for the value of the stadium.
"There will be no decision on the
football stadium until the insurance is-
sues are addressed,” explained Davis.
The DISD has a student body of
289 with 91 m high school, and an-
other 90 in grades 6-8. The remain-
ing students are in elementary school,
but they will soon be playing sports.
D’Hanis has junior high school boys
and girls athletic teams, junior var-
sity boys and girls teams, and var-
sity girls and boys teams. Davis said
that, with six teams sharing one floor.
the current gym is often cramped.
Not having a football stadium is also
an inconvenience for student athletes.
Taxpayers in the DISD will know
more about the school’s plans to sell
bonds to fund the construction of new
athletic facilities after the next school
board meeting scheduled for Dec. 17.
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS SEED MONEY... SBC Southwestern Bell representatives presented a
check Tuesday to the City of Hondo. The $20,000 is earmarked to fund an Emergency Operations Cen-
ter in Hondo. Pictured are City Manager John Vidaurri, Mayor Jim Barden, Gene Moreno and Yvette
Mouton, directors of External Affairs,
Hondo receives funding for
emergency response center
Representatives of SBC South-
western Bell, Gene Moreno and
Yvette Mouton, directors of external
affairs, presented a check to the City
of Hondo Tuesday in the amount of
$20,000. The money is earmarked to
help fund an Emergency Operations
Center for the city.
A comprehensive emergency plan
is being developed by members of
the city council.
According to Mayor Jim Barden,
who accepted the check, two coun-
cil members are studying first re-
sponse procedures and two others are
studying the secondary responses
after an emergency is declared.
“Some times good things come
from bad things,” said Moreno, who
got the wheels turning for the grant.
“I read newspapers from all over
and, when I read the article where
the city council was discussing emer-
gency response in the Hondo Anvil
Herald, I thought SBC could help."
“Originally we told the mayor to ask
for $ 10,000 but it turned out SBC gave
$20,000 to develop a comprehensive
emergency response plan," he said.
The funds will help the city buy a
new generator and install non-digi-
tal phone lines so. when electricity
to City Hall is out, calls can be an-
swered and help can be dispatched
to those in need.
Total cost for the Emergency Re-
sponse Center that will be housed in
the City Hall building could run as
high as $150,000.
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Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 115, No. 50, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 13, 2001, newspaper, December 13, 2001; Hondo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth819572/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hondo Public Library.