The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 131, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 15, 1981 Page: 1 of 14
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MICROFILM CENTER, INC.
P.O. BOX 45436
DALLAS, TX 75235
15c
per Issue
The Cherokeean
Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper
Home of the
p Texas State Railroad
Vol.131 Mo. 48 14 Pages
Established as the Cherokee Sentinel, February 27,1850
Rusk, Texas 75785-- January 15,1981
New Waste Superintendent
Hired; Learns About Job
AM) A NKW MKMBKK IS AI>1>KI>-Rev. Wayne Waterhouse, pastor of the
Seventh Ila> Adventlst Church, left, signs up as a member of the Kusk
Chamber of Commerce. Houston White is heading the membership drive
underway this week. The new member is also president of the Kusk
Ministerial Alliance. --staff photo
Chamber Outlines
'81 Goals, Plans
Goals for 1981, the announcement of
committees and the adoption of an
operating budget were among the
items on the agenda of the Husk
Chamber's annual membership
meeting at noon Monday Joe Hozelle,
president, conducted the meeting
which followed a Dutch-treat lun
cheon in Kustic Kails Kestaurant
Among the stated goals are these
support the operation of the Texas
State Railroad for a longer season,
also the full run between Kusk and
Palestine, explore the possibility of
developing a civic center in the Ar
mory building, support the Tourism
Committee's sponsorship of the an-
nual Arts and Crafts fair advertise
the Kusk City Park, erect a sign for
the Chamber offices and develop an
audio-visual presentation to depict
local attractions of interest to visitors.
Committees named by Kozelle to
serve in 1981 are these
Retail Trade, Fred Gaines;
Tourism, Sandra Sanders; Civic
Pride, Glen Miller; Agriculture , Joe
Ray Ocker; Recreation, Charles
Hassell; Industrial, Joe Terrell;
Housing, Jim Perkins; Governmental
Affairs, Danny Berry; Newcomers,
Melba Ballard; Youth Chamber,
Rena McGaughey; Membership,
Houston White
A banquet committee will be an-
nounced later in the year.
•See CHAMBKK, p. 3
Cherokee County's new superinten-
dent of landfill operations received his
breaking in Tuesday when the county
commissioners court reviewed the
revised engineering plans for the
dump.
The superintendent, Bruce Brown
of Oakland, was chosen by the com-
missioners late Monday afternoon af-
ter interviewing seven of the 26 ap-
plicants for the position in four hours
of executive session.
Earlier attempts to hire former Pet.
1 commissioner William Kennedy by
the court Jan. 1 failed in a split
decision. Kennedy was voted out of of-
fice in the elections in 1980.
The commissioners announced
Brown's selection at 5:30 p.m. after a
meeting involving 24 items and
lasting all day.
Brown, 49, has worked with
bulldozers and front end loaders for a
total of three years and was employed
with the City of Orange 20 years ago in
the garbage and water departments.
County Judge Orvan B. Jones ex-
plained to some 15 persons still atten-
ding the meeting out of the ap-
proximately 30 persons who were
present for the opening of the session
that the commissioners selected
Brown by listing the five men each
commissioner considered his top
choices for the position in order of
preference on secret ballots.
Each candidate was given points
ranging from five to one for their
position on the ballot. The total num-
ber of points of each candidate was then
counted and the top three qualifiers
by points were again voted on by or-
der of preference by each com-
missioner on secret ballots.
The top point winner was selected
by the commissioners to be the
superintendent of landfill operations
and machine operator at the landfill
site
HUD Aids Economic Plan
An Economic Development Plan to
encourage commercial and industrial
development in Rusk was established
Tuesday night by the Rusk City Coun
cil The council authorized the appoin
tment of a planning committee to use
up to $16,050 of Housing and Urban
Development Community Block
Grant funding in working out the
details for the program The $16,050 is
part of a $1 5 million Community
Development Block Grant that the
city will receive over a three-year
period The first year's portion is
$346,000 fur the year ending Sept t,
1M1
Thomas Barber of the firm Barber
and Traylor of Tyler, consultants for
the city's grant applications, en
courage ! the council to appoint the
committee to work with his firm, the
city's planning and zoning com-
mission. the industrial commission,
and the Rusk Chamber of Commerce
in planning the assessments of the
needs of the people in the target area
in the southeast portion of Rusk
The committee should consist of
five to nine members and would in-
clude representative of the neigh
borhood. a member of the council, the
planning and zoning board and the in
dustrial commission, Barber
suggested
The project includes the city's in
dustrial park which is located in the
target area neighborhood The
greatest need is industrial develop-
ment in creating jobs for the low to
'Round-
Town
with
Mrs, HoumUhout
"A friend it • pr«a*ni you give
vounMií " TtaM «H the opinion of Ute
falle Robert Loun HU v<mnmni And one
«i Una* fey*, «ho know , friendship
utt) to rwutfiuaed tor what it M ami
we U add it U> the tut of unport*iil
tkese ihuugku. it's ulvt U reté
«tbe ' «awweaU like these el
«•«ewe* ted W dee*
Another caught iny eye ui a hunk
«tore recently Fur the child whu
dun* I read, the work) la « cUned
twok vM KIUM*1>. it UM t MMUtfh to
te*vk the huataa to r**d at mum
nt the kutn*ii mm i «Mature the
yowl
deatre toread
Wetk «mm** el thee*
I* Nut
••fee «an
KM UMM
"I k e Hot returned fomt a thr
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want ta t*U vm kww Ntuvh I «ftju§
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saamb, ewlfre
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Batanee ei MM* eed
n>e ewt ami
wat
moderate income persons in the
target area, Barber said.
A proposed plan presented by Bar-
ber to be considered by the committee
includes land use survey and analysis,
$1,000; housing survey and analysis,
$600; family survey and analysis,
$1,350; analysis of public facilities and
improvements, $500; goals and objec-
tives, $850; water distribution map,
$1,500; waste water collection map,
$1,500; development of an economic
development plan to stimulate com-
mercial and industrial development
in the city to promote prosperity and
provide additional employment op-
portunities for citizens of the com-
munity, $6,500, community develop-
ment needs assessment, $1,250 and
economic development plan. $1,000
In another related matter, the
council approved bids from Sun Belt
Homes. Inc of Jacksonville lor
114.1)50 and Harry's Building
Materials. Inc . Huak. $5.u?0i9 for the
relocation of one family in the target
are* and rehabilitation of the dwelling
of another family in the target area
Funding for the relocation and
rehabilitation work comes from the
1346.tMlo HI D Community Block
Grant funding for the ye*r This
>e*r's portion included 14*.sot lor
rehabilitation ui IT low to moderate
owner hornea, «itui for relocation
Ci.ie.iU lor hon.ee in the
MM tor acquisition an
ul real property
Dedication
Sel Sunday
A* up** bowse and dedication
vete«wtuee tw dte new Huak Ft§*
ttatte* w Kkedtded O* 1 la 4 pas
tamku J** uk aewwHeg ta iwfc
It***, atlq* ntaaa§*t
tit* h e etatto*. wbifc-a wa* 6*íw m
ivdy a* te«
d*p*Hm**l aMaaa 1
ia* new iletiw nweetlty
Tike gwbbv i* KMitaÉ te nam k*
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tMMMt* Ml ib*
Jones termed the selection of Brown
a non-controversial choice designed to
unify the court.
"This was the most democratic way
of selecting the person to fill the post
that I know of," Jones said.
Former Commissioner Kennedy
was reported to be one of the final five
candidates for the post but was "out-
polled" in the elimination process.
Judge Jones said he could not ex-
plain why Kennedy was not hired by
the commissioners because he was
not at the Jan. 1 meeting and because
each commissioner had his own
reason for voting the way he did.
Brown will begin employment Jan.
16 and will start by hiring three other
employees-one full time machine
operator and two part time gate
keepers.
Jones said later that many of the
applicants for the superintendent's
position who were not selected were
applying for the other positions at the
landfill.
Brown will be paid $16,000 a year for
his work as superintendent of the lan-
dfill site and machine operator.
The Jacksonville landfill superin-
tendent, who supervises two full time
and one part time employee, has a
salary of about $10,000 per year, ac-
cording to city manager James A.
Marshall.
The commissioners approved the
$1,333.33 per month salary during
their Jan. 1 meeting.
By way of informing Brown about
the operation of the landfill, com-
missioners showed him letters from
Temple Associates, the engineering
consultants for the project; East
Texas Testing Laboratories, the soils
specialists; and the Texas Depar-
tment of Health, the state agency
responsible for the overseeing of lan-
dfill operations.
The revised plans for the site call
for digging and working one main
trench area which is filled with gar-
bage and then covered with dirt being
dug to make the continuous trench.
CO's Will Fund
Fire Station
An ordinance authorizing the
issuance oí $80,000 In Certificates of
Obligation was approved Tuesday
evening by members of the Rusk City
Council. The money will finance ex-
penditures incurred in the construc-
tion of a new five-bay fire station.
Council members approved the tran-
sfer of $5,000 in Revenue Sharing
Funds from Water and Sewer Im-
provements and another $5,000 from
Street Improvements to complete
payment of the $90,000 fire station
project.
Mayor James Fisher said Tuesday
evening that $20,000 was still left in
both the water and sewer im-
provement category and the street
improvemennt category in the
budget.
The certificates of obligation are to
be paid off in five years with $40,000
going to First State Bank and another
$40,000 to Citizens State Bank.
In another matter, the council ap-
proved the acceptance of an offer
made by Clifford Harris, who asked
that $1,200 owned him for painting the
fire station, be transferred to a fund to
finance the purchase of a Hurst "Jaws
of Life" machine. The machine will
cost somewhere between $4,000 and
$8,000 depending on the size to be pur-
chased, City Manager Cindy Evans
said. The Fellowship of Christian
Athletes has donated $1,300 to the
project and others will be asked to
make contributions, Mrs. Evana said.
A demonstration will b* set up Feb. 7
in the downtown area to show how the
machine is used, she said.
The council, in another matter ap-
proved a franchise with General
Telephone of the Southwest for 15
years. Mrs. Evans reported at the
meeting that she received a telephone
call from the telephone company
some two months ago saying they
could not locate a current franchise
agreement with the city. "We found
the company has been operating for
two years in Rusk without a franchise
agreement," Mrs. Evans said. A 25-
year franchise was requested by the
company, but after discussion, the
council members voted unanimously
to renew it for only 15 years.
In another matter Elmer Beckwor-
th was appointed to the City Planning
and Zoning Commission to replace
Scott Jared, whose term expired.
Members of the council voted to
renew an agreement with Cherokee
County to provide ambulance service
to Rusk and rural areas in the center
of the county. The $13,650 funding to
Rusk is a portion of $60,000 allocated
in the county budget to provide am-
bulance services. Other allocation are
$35,000 to Jacksonville; $7,250 to Alto;
$2,100 to Wells and $2,000 to Troup.
A 25-year agreement with Radio
Communications, Inc. to locate a 200-
foot radio transmission tower on city
property, at the southeast corner of
the Riders' Club arena property, was
approved. The tower construction will
not interfer with activities of the
riders' club and will be enclosed with
barbed wire fence. The city will use
the tower for Ite radio equipment It
should cost around $600 to change the
present city equipment to the new
system, Mr* Evans reported at the
meeting
Members of the court agree that the
revised plans mandated by TDH will
make the operation of the landfill
easier and less costly.
"In the long run, not having
seDarate trenches to worry about will
be easier to operate and lengthen the
capacity of the landfill," Jones said.
In order to "adequately protect"
the subsurface and surface water
sources in the landfill area, TDH of-
ficials have told the county that the
trenches for holding the garbage must
be lined with clay. Commissioners
explained to Brown Tuesday that he
should taper the sides of the trench to
a three-to-one ratio of sloping and
pack the liner of clay every nine in-
ches.
"if there's any question about Jflfe
liner being thick enough or packed
enough, pack it again," said com-
missioner Terry R. Perkins.
Gallatin Mayor Chester Odom, one¿
of the leaders of the opposition to the"*
landfill site's location near that ctty,
is still skeptical that the new planWll
accomplish anything.
He feels the plan "won't cut it" in
preventing contamination of Turnpike
Creek, the rain water catch basin for
the site.
In other action, the court voted to
ask the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Commission to make deer season in
Cherokee County open on a uniform
basis. Presently, the area north of
U.S. 84 has a hunting season which is
shorter that the area south of the
highway and the two seasons open on
different days, Judge Jones told the
court and those present for the
meeting. The court agreed to ask the
wildlife department to open hunting
season from Nov. 16 to Dec. 31 for the
entire county.
The court also discussed a joint
state and federal fire ant program
which uses aerial application of the
environmentally-safe, insecticide
Amdro. The program would be
available to the county if large blocks
of landowners agree to the spraying,
but the commissioners implied that
the feasibility of that achievement
was not realistic.
Commissioners also:
-reappointed Jo Frances Weimar of
Alto and Ovilla Summers of Jackson-
ville to the Cherokee County Child and
Family Service Board.
-approved the receipt of a $2,548
criminal justice grant for the juvenile
probation department for the study,
assessment and psychological testing
of juvenile offenders with behavioral
problems.
-agreed to send Commissioner Joe
Henderson to the East Texas Council
of Government's program on flood in-
surance.
■ selected Lynn Banks of Rusk,
Marion Wallace of Reklaw and Finis
Harris of Jacksonville for the county's
salary grievance committee
-set airport hangar fee* at a cents
per square foot per y*ar on 20-year
leasee
% *
■
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The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 131, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 15, 1981, newspaper, January 15, 1981; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth151471/m1/1/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.