The Pharr Press (Pharr, Tex.), Vol. 50, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 10, 1982 Page: 1 of 12
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Phai^r Memorial Library
130 E. Caffery
Pharr, Tesas
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the Pharr Press
Su periodico biting ue
Vol 50 No. 19.
USPS429-660
June 10,1982
787-2291
Paul Rodriguez Jr.
This Week
Inside
Viewpoints, page 2
Sports- World Cup action, page 4
Agriculture, page 6
Bible and Practice, page 7
New Pharr rescue truck, page 8
Cooking with Michelle, page 9
10- 45 years ago, page 10
Press Horoscope, page 11
Early photographs
at Alamo Bank
Displayed in the lobby of the
Alamo Bank of Texas are
photographs of the City of Alamo
depicting life in the early 1900’s.
These photographs are on loan
to the Bank by different pioneer
residents of the Alamo area.
Please stop by the Bank and
view the scenes of early Alamo
and the surrounding area.
Veterans of World War One and
Ladies Auxiliary will hold
regular meeting Sunday June 13
at 2 p.m. in VFW quarters at 127
Highway 83 in McAllen.
See THIS WEEK, page 8
Pharr to enlarge water plant
t \
Rates could raise 18% over next 2 years
The city of Pharr faces the
need to expand its water treat-
ment capacity from 4.2 million
gallons per day to 8.2 MGD, City
Engineer Larry Smith told the
Pharr commission in a workshop
session Tuesday night.
John Hinton, financial advisor
for the city, then explained
several ways to fund the expan-
sion.
The expansion of the water
treatment to 8.2 MGD coupled
with the building of a 2 million
gallon ground level storage tank
for treated water, would carry
an estimated $2.7 million price
tag, Smith said.
Hinton told the commission
there were two alternatives to
financing the $2.7 million. One,
would be to raise water rates
immediately and sharply and the
other would be to raise the rates
over the next two years.
The immediate raise would be
in the neighborhood of about 9
percent, Hinton told the com-
mission.
With this plan, the commission
would raise the rates 9 percent,
wait 12 months and then sell
$3.2 million in bonds to generate
the $2.7 million needed for con-
struction.
Hinton said the second way to
fund the expansion would be to
raise the water rates about 4
percent this year over the per-
Need 4 million
gallon increase at
$2.7 million cost
centage raise for inflation, and
then raise the rates again 12
months later another four or five
percent over inflation.
City Manager Reyes Vela said
the city needs to raise the utility
rates about five percent a year
to keep up with cost increases
and inflation.
This five percent with the four
percent needed to service the
bonds on the water expansion
would give a rate increase of
about 9 percent per year in
water rates over the next two
years.
Hinton said the second way
would require several steps.
First would be to sell $2 million
in water revenue bonds to bring
in $1.7 million in usable con-
struction money.
The city could do this as soon
as the CPA certified surplus
revenues at the end of Pharr’s
budgeting year, in October.
The second step would be to
sell $1 million in “Certificate of
Obligation’’ to add to the $2
million in revenue bonds sold.
Hinton explained the Cer-
tificate of Obligation can be
passed by the city commission
without a vote of the general
public. Only notices and public
meetings need to be held, he
said.
The Certificate of Obligation,
obligates the city to use ad
valorum taxes to pay the holders
of the Certificates if water
revenues aren’t sufficent to pay
them.
Hinton also said because the
Certificates are a tax pledge,
they will use up a portion of the
city’s general obligation tax
bond potential, leaving the city
about $1 million in general
obligation tax bond potential if
the $1 million were sold.
Hinton told the commission it
could perhaps mitigate the rate
increase by selling services to
other cities, such as San Juan, to
utilize the extra capacity of the
, water plant that wouldn’t be
immediately needed for. Pharr.
“Make sure the water rates
are high enough to pay for the
bond service payments,’’ Hinton
told the commission in closing.
Smith had told the commission
that Pharr has known for
several years it was exceeding
its capacity to produce treated
water during the summer mon-
ths.
Smith said Pharr’s current
capacity of 4.2 MGD has been
See CITY OF PHARR, page 4
Don't wait until last minute to evacuate
Pharr hurricane information
When the hurricane hits Pharr,
most residents should have
already left their homes for
shelters in Pharr or for shelters
outside the Valley.
Pharr Fire Chief Burgess Cook
who heads the Civil Defense
program in Pharr, said the most
important thing is for people to
make their move early, not to
wait until the last minute.
Although no one can predict
if a hurricane will hit land near
the Valley this year, it is now
hurricane season. Many
hurricane watchers say the
conditions are right in the Gulf
for a hurricane to threaten the
Texas Gulf coast.
Cook said 15- 25 percent of
Pharr residents have probably
never been through a hurricane.
He said although Allen came
close, it didn’t actually arrive to
Pharr with the force it could
have, or with the force a
hurricane would carry if it hit
the Valley directly.
Allen played a cat and mouse
game with the Valley before
moving inland north of the
Valley in an unpopulated area.
But Cook said even though the
Valley was only on the edge of
Allen, they fought the fire at
Bolher Farms shed in winds in
excess of 100 mph.
The decision to evacuate
homes should be made early.
“Listen to the radio or
television and decide early,’’
Cook said. He said people in
wood frame houses should
evacuate. Those in brick or
block homes can make up their
mind if they want to weather the
storm at home.
People wishing to evacuate
who don’t have their own tran-
sportation or who need help get-
ting an invalid person to shelter,
chn call the fire department at
T87-2761 or 787-7541.
The earlier the better because
Cook said once the winds reach
a certain velocity, he has to call
his men off the street also.
For those staying in their
homes, Cook said the need is to
buy batteries, canned food and
medicine and to fill up the bath
tubs and all containers with
fresh water.
People going to the shelters
should make a light bedroll and
get any needed medication.
Cook said getting needed
medication is one of the most
important things to remember.
Once the hurricane hits, the
electricity usuallv is cut off, and
See HURRICANE, page 8
Corner obstruction to be cleared
Because of a recent .ruling by
the Texas Supreme Court, the
city of Pharr passed an amen-
dment dealing with obstruction
of traffic signs and corners in
the city.
March 17, 1982 in the case of
Lorig verses City of Mission, the
Texas Supreme Court ruled that
mainenance of a traffic control
sign is a governmental function
and that the Texas Tort Claims
Act permits a claim against the
city arising from the absence,
condition or malfunction of a
traffic or road sign.
The ruling said if the city has
prior notice of a condition and
fails to remedy it the city may be
liable un the Act.
The case arose out of a motor
vehicle accident when a stop
sign was concealed by trees and
branches.
During the last Pharr city
commission meeting , City At-
torney Katie Pearson Klein told
the commissioners, the courts
could probably rule that ob-
structions of view at corners,
not just obstruction of signs,
would be cause for a liable suit.
The Pharr commission passed
the ordinance last Tuesday
night which prohibits having
trees or foliage in the restricted
areas.
The restricted areas include
the land lying within a
triangular area at the intersec-
tion point of the curbs where
two streets meet and extending
20 feet along each curbline.
A sketch by city staff showed
that in areas where the city has
2'0-foot right-of-ways on streets,
all or most of the land included
in the triangle will be inside the
city’s ROW.
On some older lots in the
Original Townsite, where there
are only five-foot ROW, the or-
dinance could affect plants on
private property.
City Manager Reyes Vela said
that in the old townsite in North
Pharr, there are some bushes
that may have to be trimmed,
but there aren’t many palm
trees.
Vela said if problems will be
encountered, it will be palm
trees.
He said along Kelly and Sam
Houston Streets and other
streets in the area, there are
palms planted at corners in city
ROW.
The city will work through the
Traffic Safety Department un-
der Lt. Joe Morales to
designate areas affected by the
new ordinance.
See PRUNING, page 8
These palm trees hug the curb and
are now in violation of the newly
passed ordinance.
These shrubs cause a hazzard
because the driver has to pull onto
the intersecting road to see if traf-
fic is coming. This shrubbery is
now in violation of a new Pharr or-
dinance.
Paul Rodriguez, Jr to head Central National Bank
The organizers of the Central
National Bank, Pharr, Texas, (in
organization) have announced
their selection of Paul R.
Rodriguez to be president of the;
new Bank, subject to the ap-
proval of the Comptroller of the
Currency.
Rodriguez is a native of Pharr,„
where he graduated from PSJA
High School with honors.
He earned his BA degree in
economics from Princeton
University and joined the Office
of the Comptroller of the
Currency, U.S. Treasury Depar-
tment, as Assistant National
Bank Examiner.
Paul is the son of Mr. & Mrs.
Paul Rodriguez of Pharr, well
known-business and community
leaders. His four brothers and
sister have all graduated from
PSJA and are pursuing their
careers in law, engineering,
See RODRIGUEZ, page4
N. 281 development faces rains without paved road
A business-industrial develop-
ment off N. 281 between Souix
Road and Eldora Road is facing
another hurricane season
without paved roads or
drainage.
There isn’t any potable water
to the development either.
Mr. Wayne L. Seaman,
president of South Texas Parts
& Equipment, Inc., one of the
businesses located there, has
organized the businesses to find
out whom is ultimately respon-
sible for drainage, paving and
water extension.
Seaman doesn't believe the
businesses should have to pay
for the work.
The city of Pharr said it isn't
responsible for the utilities’ ex-
tension and the paving.
Mr. Jerry Box, the owner who
sold the land, and who presently
owns several lots there, said if
the work is done it will have to
be paid for by “pre-righted
shares’’ with all the property
owners sharing in their percen-
tage of the cost.
Other businesses located in the
development are Utility Trailer,
M&J Truck and Heavy Equip-
ment Service, Century Welding
and Fabricating, all who own
property, and Ryder Truck Ren-
tal and Gearhart Industries,
Inc., who lease property there.
The land was originally sold by
Box to the present
owners, when the area wasn’t
included in the Pharr city limits.
About one and one-half years
ago, the land was annexed by
the city of Pharr.
Pharr city planner Oscar
Cuellar said the land was taken
in as residential land at the
time, as that was the
proceedure.
Now, with the new zoning or-
dinance, Cuellar said the land is
classified Agricultural-Open
land (A-O).
In order to be zoned commer-
cial, the developer or property
owners would have to come to
planning and zoning and request
a change of zone.
Cuellar said when that hap-
pens the city will tell Box and
the property owners they need
to conform to city standards
before they will be accepted as
commercial.
These standards, Cuellar said,
would include drainage, water
and paving with curb and gut-
ter.
Seaman said the businesses
right now are primarily worried
about drainage and grading on
The question among the
developer, the business owners
Seaman said he doesn’t care if
the city or Box ends up doing the
work.
“We’ve been paying city taxes
for 18 months and haven’t
received anything in return.’’
and the city of Pharr, is “Who will
pay for the grading and paving"
Seaman said.
Seaman said he has contacted
the Pharr Chamber of Commer-
ce, the city staff and the city
commission by letter.
“Box said it is ud to the citv
See DEVELOPMENT, page 8
Water covers the entrance road to
this business-industrial develop-
ment on N. 281 after heavy rains.
the entrance road.
“The businesses here are
caught in the middle- If we get
one good heavy rain during
hurricane season we’ll be
flooded.”
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Nelson, Charles. The Pharr Press (Pharr, Tex.), Vol. 50, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 10, 1982, newspaper, June 10, 1982; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth867007/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Pharr Memorial Library.