The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 155, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 17, 2008 Page: 1 of 16
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THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2008
500
■Che JBastrop aducrtiscr
Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper Since March 1, 1853 Semi-Weekly Since Sept. 5, 1977
Volume 155, Number 15
Bastrop, Texas
18 pages in two sections
Second BHS teacher put on leave
By Terry Hagerty
Assistant Editor
Another Bastrop High
School teacher suspected of
"inappropriate" contact with
a female student has been put
on administrative leave.
Joey Chapman, 36, who
taught 12 years at BHS, was
put on administrative leave
last week "pending the out-
come of an investigation,"
district officials said on
Monday.
It is the second and sepa-
rate instance of such alleged
conduct by a BHS teacher in
the past three months.
In a letter sent home to
parents of BHS students on
Monday, Interim Principal
James Richardson said the
district "has received a report
that a teacher on our campus
allegedly had inappropriate
contact with a student."
Although Richardson does
not use Chapman's name in
the letter, district spokes-
person Donald Williams
confirmed on Tuesday it is
Chapman who is the subject
of the letter. Williams then
emphasized police investiga-
tors have filed no charges.
Karen Dooley, Assistant
Superintendent for Human
Resources, said the alleged
incident occurred in mid-
March outside of Bastrop
County. She declined to
name the location and other
details because she said the
The Bastrop Advertiser photos/Jacqueline Davis
Landon Holcomb, Jordan Hoskins and Kade Helmcamp, pictured
above, keep a sharp eye on their music notes while practicing the
violin. Beck Helmcamp, right, plays cello Saturday morning at
Owens Music Store. He and 13 others are slated to perform for
the first time as a children's orchestra on June 14.
Children^ orchestra
prepares for spotlight
By Jacqueline Davis
Staff Writer
At Owens Music Store Saturday
morning, violins were tucked under
chins, bows were sliding over strings
and all eyes in the back right cor-
ner were carefully following music
notes in the open books in front of
them.
A sweet, yet pleasantly imperfect
melody traveled through the air as
10 musicians, ranging in age from
five to 17, played violins, string
bass and cello. But it was more than
just another music lesson for the
children.
Their director and music teacher,
Bastrop resident Jill Helmcamp,
was preparing them for their first
performance as what she believes
is Bastrop's only, and perhaps first,
child orchestra.
See ORCHESTRA, Page 3A
a
Smithville council denies Allied /aste rate increase
By Jacqueline Davis
Staff Writer
They've done it before, and Monday night they
did it again.
The Smith ville City Council once again denied
a rate increase to Allied Waste, the company con-
tracted to cart away the city's trash twice a week.
Citing increasing fuel and landfill prices, the
company's municipal services manager Steve
Shannon asked the council to consider an addi-
tional 12.3 percent rate increase on top of a
required 7.3 percent rate increase built into the
city's contract.
"We're not trying to increase our profit margin;
"We're not trying to increase
our profit margin; we're simply
trying to get to a profit margin.
-Steve Shannon,
Allied Waste, Municipal Services Manager
it
we're simply trying to get to a profit margin,'"
Shannon said. "It will cut down on your long-term
costs, and I hope you didn't want one of your ser-
vice providers bleeding."
Shannon bolstered his request by saying other
nearby cities had agreed to the rate increase, and
that Allied Waste was named by Forbes Magazine
two years in a row for their trustworthiness due to
their transparent accounting practices.
The council formed a united front against the
suggestion.
"Everybody's bleeding," said Council Member
Lenel Tamez.
Councilmember Mike Kahanek agreed.
"I was voted (in) by the citizens to protect
them," Kahanek said. "At the end of the day, we
have to do our job. We all feel the crunch right
now, but so do our citizens."
Mayor Mark Bunte sealed the issue by recom-
See RATES, Page 2A
investigation is continuing by
police who have jurisdiction.
She said the incident did not
occur during a school-spon-
sored event.
Dooley said she decided to
put Chapman on leave after
See LEAVE, Page 2A
County
extends
ruardian
contract
By Davis McAuley
Editor
Following months of
talks with Guardian EMS,
Bastrop County commission-
ers agreed Monday to a new
seven-year contract for the
firm to provide emergency
medical response across the
county, including Bastrop,
Elgin and Smithville.
For the service, Guardian
will earn a subsidy of
$383,000 in addition to insur-
ance payments and other
charges.
Pet. 2 Commissioner Clara
Beckett, who led the negotia-
tions for the county, praised
the new pact. "This contract
is rock solid," she said. "A
lot has been added to protect
Bastrop County."
District Attorney Bryan
Goertz also gave it his bless-
ing. "Legally, it's okay," he
said.
Complaints about ambu-
lance response times, espe-
cially in Smithville, prompt-
ed commissioners to begin a
search last year to see if they
could attract a more respon-
sive service provider. After
studying proposals from
Guardian and a competitor,
the county opened talks with
Guardian aimed at a new
agreement.
The new contract spells
out how quickly Guardian
must respond to life-threaten-
ing and less urgent calls with-
out facing possible financial
penalties. In Bastrop, Elgin
and Smithville, Guardian has
agreed to respond to the most
serious situations within less
See EMS, Page 2A
INSIDE
Fishing on the Colorado.
Bastrop... Downtown & Around.
Page 1B
Page 7A
WEATHER! INDEX
■ Thursday's forecast:
Partly Cloudy
High: 79°
Low: 63°
Rain: 40%
■ Last week:
High Low Prec.
Saturday 70 46 none
Sunday 72 41 none
Monday 68 35 none
Tuesday NA NA NA
Classified ads....
3B
Community
,...4A
Education
...8A
Religion
...9A
Sports..
....1B
65668
78602
This newspaper
is recyclable
Bastrop HS renovations cost increased
By Terry Hagerty
Assistant Editor
The costs for Bastrop High
School additions and renova-
tions have increased by approxi-
mately $754,000 since last sum-
mer, according to a recent report
by the main contractor on the
project.
The original estimated proj-
ect cost of $21,388,751 has
increased to $21,923,394 under
a "final construction budget,"
said Steve McCleskey with
Bartlett Cocke L P.
McCleskey told the Bastrop
trustees during a March 25
school board meeting that most
recent escalation in costs —
$317,912 — involved air con-
ditioning and plumbing work
on portable buildings, the sports
field house and transportation
facilities.
McCleskey said the costs of
the work "came up significantly
higher than we anticipated."
The first price increase of
$436,730 was approved by
the board in July 2007. Those
increases were due to extra
work required for site utilities
and drainage.
Henry Gideon, chief opera-
tions officer for the district, said
the price increases are not unusu-
al for a project with the scope of
work involved at BHS.
Jail inmates, revenue on the rise for county
By Jacqueline Davis
Staff Writer
If the Bastrop County Jail's
local inmate population remains
steady this year, the county just
might rake in more income
than it first expected from rent-
ing surplus jail space to the
U.S. Marshal Service, Sheriff
Rosanna Abreo said.
On Monday, Abreo reported
having 121 U.S. Marshal pris-
oners and one Bureau of Prisons
hold in the jail, which currently
bring in about $6,500 a day or
about $190,000 a month.
"If we're able to keep that
number (of U.S. Marshal pris-
oners) above 150, then it will
generate more than projected,"
Abreo said. "As long as our
own population remains stable,
or below 180, we will continue
to take Marshal prisoners up to
170."
That would generate $9,010
per day for the county and
$270,300 per month. Abreo said
she expects to rent that much
jail space by May 1, and that the
jail should be able to maintain
150 to 170 U.S. Marshal holds
after that date until the effects of
county growth begin showing
up in the jail.
However, County Auditor
Lisa Smith said the county
would not likely make the bud-
geted revenue expected this
year for jail rental because the
jail was scheduled to open in
January and ended up opening
in March.
The jail was budgeted to
bring in $2.3 million, but Smith
anticipates the jail only bringing
in $1.5 million by Sept. 30. The
loss is offset by the reduction in
budgeted expenditures for the
months the new jail addition
went unused, Smith added.
"You have to keep in mind
See JAIL, Page 3A
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McAuley, Davis. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 155, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 17, 2008, newspaper, April 17, 2008; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth252469/m1/1/?rotate=270: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.