After twenty years the city of Brenham may try to relinquish ownership of the landfill site at today’s meeting of the city council.

    The city bought the site in 1985 and had it permitted for a landfill in 1990. The council has several options before it today. The can vote to sell it with the permit, without the permit, sell it as a whole, sell it subdivided, or simply hold on to the land.

    Discussions about selling the property brought on massive opposition from residents in the Chappell Hill area. That led to a report from the J. Fletcher Kelly Engineering Group in Sinton. That report said that it was not feasible for the city to use the site as city-only landfill but if a number of upgrades were made and the property turned into a regional landfill the land could be worth up to $20 million.

This is the back of the landfill property.

A power line on the landfill property.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Spectator

SPECTATOR: LISTENING 

    Just who are they listening to? That’s one of the questions I have for the Brenham City Council, who are poised to give away an asset that could be worth up to 20 million dollars.

    This afternoon the City Council is expected to vote on what to do with the city’s 200 acres of land near Chappell Hill, which includes a type one landfill permit. Who are the council members listening to? From their comments in the news media, it’s obvious they are not listening to their constituents, the citizens, voters and taxpayers of Brenham. Every Brenham businessman except one who I have spoken with about the landfill property has said they would hang onto the property and the landfill permit for the future. The one businessman who wants to sell it now without the permit happens to own property nearby. So who is the Brenham City Council listening to? Obviously it’s the landowners near Chappell Hill, and the real estate agents who wish to sell the property for them.

    The second question I have for council members is "Have you visited a modern day landfill operation?". I doubt that many, if any of them have taken the time to see what a modern landfill looks like. Landfills have come a long way since the City closed its old landfill off highway 105. Someone had to point out to me the Waste Management landfill off highway 290 this side of Austin, where the city currently hauls its garbage. I would never have known it was there.

    My final question for the council members before they vote on this issue today comes from former councilman Gary Gabriel, who was on the council when the landfill permit was granted. Gabriel asks, "What would you do with the property and the permit if it belonged to you, personally." That’s a good question, Gary. I wonder how many of the council members would pass up the chance to earn between 4 and 20 million dollars, in exchange for maybe 1 million dollars.

    This afternoon the Brenham City Council will almost certainly vote to tear up the landfill permit and sell the property. I ask them one final time to not rush into a decision. If they haven’t at least taken the time to visit a modern landfill, they owe the citizens of Brenham that much. If they haven’t asked city residents their opinions, they should do so. And if they haven’t looked at the landfill property as if it were their own….and sincerely thought about what they would do if it were their money….they should take the time to do that. After all, isn’t that what they are supposed to be doing….being caretakers of the public’s property, money and interests…as if it were their own?

    And that’s the way it looks to this Spectator.

    A man convicted of stealing everything from computers to saxophones, drums to playing cards and poker chips was in for a shock in this week’s session of the 21^st district court.

    Twenty-one year old Nathan Dwane Addison was convicted in the September 2002 incident and was put on probation. Since that time however he missed visits with his probation officer, didn’t get a job and didn’t pay his fine so retired Judge H.R. Towslee revoked the probation. Judge Towslee sentenced Addison to ten years in prison but can avoid that stretch by enduring 180 days of shock probation.

    Nineteen year old Craig Peldo of Houston had his probation revoked in this week’s session on a theft of a firearm charge. Judge Towslee sent Peldo to a state jail facility for 15 months, fined him a thousand dollars, $1200 court appointed fee and court costs. Peldo was placed on probation for the July 2004 offense but violated his probation with two new possession of a controlled substance convictions in Galveston. He also failed to report to his probation officer, failed to provide a current address, traveled out of the county without permission and failed to participate in a mental health authority program.

    Twenty-four year old Roberto Carlos Alvarez Benitez will have to spent the next six months in a state jail after his guilty plea on charges of possessing a small amount of cocaine. Benitez was arrested in February.

    Thirty-four year old Byron Keith Robertson of Houston was sentenced to ten years deferred adjudication and a two thousand dollar fine after his guilty plea on a charge of possessing a small amount of cocaine.. Judge Towslee also sentenced Robertson to 200 hours of community service and a drug and alcohol evaluation and treatment.

    It was some methamphetimines that Washington County Sheriff’s deputies found on 23-year old Jefferson Larry Porter of Beaumont. Lt. Billy Ruemke arrested Porter during the early morning hours of April 5^th. For that Judge Towslee sentenced Porter to ten years deferred adjudication and a three thousand dollar fine. He must also performed 300 hours of community service, go to a substance abuse felony punishment facility, and have no contact with his co-defendants.

    She wrote a bad check in the amount of $650 to Tooties’ Buy and Bye in February of last year but the charges that 24-year old Tasha Chawnta Johnson pled guilty to in court Tuesday was engaging in organized crime. The check turned out to be an expensive one for her. Judge Towslee sentenced Johnson to eight years deferred adjudication, a $1500 fine, $675 in restitution, a $75 hot check fee and performed three hundred hours of community service. She cannot have a checking account and cannot have any contact with her four co-defendants.

    In a case that reminds us of pop star Brittany Spears, 19-year old Tametria Lashell Gray of Austin was convicted of endangering a child. On November 10^th of last year police officers spotted her driving with an infant child in her lap. For that she was sentenced to two years deferred adjudication and a five hundred dollar fine.

    The agreement by the American Beverage Association about removing soft drinks from school campuses caught officials with the Brenham School District by surprise yesteday.

    Assistant Superintendent for Operations Jim Bruce says that he, Superintendent David Yeager and Student Services Coordinator Jon Forsythe were trying to find out about the agreement today. Numerous vending machines are at Brenham High School. Supt. Yeager said he received further information at about noon yesterday. The only drinks available for children in pre-k through the sixth grade are water, up to eight ounces of milk and juice. The milk must be low fat and non-fat and flavored milk with up to 150 calories. The middle schools are the same as the elementary schools except that the juice and milk may be sold up to ten ounces. In the high schools can include zero or low calorie beverages up to ten calories and up to 12 ounces servings of milk, juice, light juice and sports drinks.

    The district has an exclusive agreement with Coca Cola Bottling for football and basketball games and the city has an exclusive agreement for Pepsi. That means customers can only get Coca Cola products at the football games in Cubs Stadium and only Pepsi products at the baseball games in Fireman’s Park. Sporting events, concerts and plays are exempt from the agreement.

    The American Beverage Association agreed with the American Heart Association and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation in providing new beverage guidelines for schools across America.

    Brenham police hope that word is getting out about a man going around to the homes of elderly people, asking to trim their trees, then taking their money when he comes into the house to get paid.

    Police reports say that two people reported such a man coming to their home with an offer to trim trees for only $12. They refused the service. One attempt was made in the 800 block of Chappell Hill and another attempt was made on Peabody Street.

    This man seemed to fit the description of an African-American man in his late 20s or early 30s, and slender who was able to steal money and other items from elderly residents in the past week.

    Some major new business projects made for a big boost in Brenham building permits in April.

    The city of Brenham issued $2.2 million in building permits in April, making the total number of permits issued for the year so far at over $10 million.

    Discount Tire received a permits of $800,000. Their permit will be in the 2800 block of Wood Ridge near the Home Depot.

    The McDonalds in the 500 block of Highway 290 is having $30,000 worth of work done and Tarlton Supply in the 3100 block of Blue Bell Road is having $17,800 worth of work being done. The new wall around the Lower Colorado River Authority’s substation at West Stone and South Austin is costing $18,800.

    There is a $200,000 residence going up in the 700 block of West Stone, a $140,000 residence is being built in the 1800 block of Westbrook and a $150,000 residence is being constructed in the 2300 block of Will Street.

    So far this month the city has issued $10.2 million in permits, some five million more than this time last year and last year was a record setting year for Brenham building.

    The walls are up and so is the sheet rock, and Assistant Superintendent Jim Bruce of the Brenham School District says they are just about ready to start painting the insides of the new Brenham Elementary now being constructed along FM 577.

    Construction began last June and there have been few interruptions for weather since then. That means that, according to Bruce, there should be no problem in opening the new school for the upcoming school year.

    The Brenham School board and administrators toured the construction site Monday to check on the progress. Voters approved the new school in a ten million bond issue in September of 2004.

    The sale of the landfill is on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting of the Brenham City Council.

    The council will vote on ‘various options related to landfill property, (including but limited to sale, lease, disposition, conveyance, retention and or status of said landfill property) and whether or not the landfill site would be sold with a landfill permit.

    A report sent to the city council two weeks ago said that, with the permit and some modifications the land would be worth between four and twenty million dollars. Without the permit the land would be worth about a million dollars but $1.2 million if it were subdivided for a subdivision.

    The city bought the property in 1985 and was permitted for a landfill in 1990. It has never been used as a landfill. When the sale of the landfill site was proposed last summer a huge contingent of people in Chappell Hill came out to oppose the land ever being used as a landfill.

    Outgoing City Councilman Henry Pettie has said that the city probably ought to hang on to the property until they could get a better price on it. City Councilwoman Gloria Nix says the land ought to be sold without a permit. She said there are other considerations besides money when thinking about the landfill site.

    At the last city council meeting Councilman John Pledger said the landfill could not become a reality without popular support and there are probably too many things that need to be done to upgrade the landfill to make it feasible. Outgoing city councilwoman Gerrie Hord has been out of town this week. City Council members Danny Goss and Keith Herring have not commented about the property.

    Mayor Milton Tate says that the city ought to act like a ‘good neighbor’ when it comes to the landfill property, saying that the city has made promises to Chappell Hill not to make the landfill a regional landfill.

    The city council meets Thursday afternoon at one at City Hall.

    Brenham and Washington County was only lightly touched by yesterday’s ‘Day Without Immigrants’ protest and boycotts. Reports say there was a small contingent of protesters in front of the Washington County Courthouse.

    None of the area Mexican restaurants closed, nor were there any reports of closures. Elvia Martinez of Andrea’s Taco Shop on North Park said a few of her workers did not report to work. It had originally been reported that her eatery would be closed yesterday. Martinez said she strongly supported the immigrant protest.

    The situation was a great deal different in other places across the nation, including Houston. Businesses from downtown Houston closed to avoid operating with skeleton crews. The worker shortage also forced some restaurant owners to do the cooking and serving themselves. Reports from the Houston Chronicle say however, that Houston did not come to an economic standstill and many employers reported business as usual.

    Thousands gathered at several different parks in the city.

    There has been another incident involving an African-American man offering to do yard work then stealing from the usually elderly person who gave him the work.

    Brenham police say this happened again yesterday morning, the third such incident in the past week.

    This time a 91-year old woman living in the 200 block of Baber gave the tree-pruning job to a youthful African-American man. After he cut a few branches he asked for a glass of water. At that time he came into the house and took a container of money. Police say he had only asked for a small amount to cut the trees.

    Police are continuing their search for this man.

    Christianity is undergoing a change in its center of gravity. So says Rice University religion and philosophy professor Dr. Jill Carroll.

Dr. Jill Carroll about the center of gravity of  Christianity.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

SUSPECT INJURES SHERIFF'S DEPUTY

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

    The bad weather that had been expected overnight hit Washington County early Saturday morning, and it may have brought a tornado with it.

    A tornado may have touched down at about 4:30 this (Saturday) morning in the Bluebonnet Hills subdivision near Chappell Hill.

    Bluebonnet Hills resident Roger Metzger reports that the roof was ripped off his garage and a tool shed was destroyed. Another family reportedly had their front porch and a carport completely destroyed. Numerous trees were uprooted and large limbs ripped off of other trees.

A broken fence and downed trees after Saturday morning's storm.

    Washington County Emergency Management Coordinator Ricky Boeker says despite the devastation to several homes, residents in the area were very lucky, in that no one was killed or injured.

    KWHI Sports Director Ed Pothul, whose house was in the path of the tornado, was home at the time it hit, and describes it as sounding like "a jet engine…as if a 747 was landing in the back yard." Pothul's home received relatively minor damage with a broken window, some damaged shingles, and some fence damage.

    Boeker says that while there is no official confirmation of a tornado touching down, it has all the appearances of one.

    Meanwhile, in other areas of the county there were no reports of any property damage, but electricity was out in numerous areas.

    For the most part, electricity was reported back on in most of those areas by mid-morning.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________