071614 azleThe Azle News

Page 1

Volume 63, Number 5

Azle News

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

THE

www.azlenews.net

Marital martial arts Page 1B

Azle boy U.S. QB champ Page 10A

56 page Health Care

The

Azle News and

special section

The Springtown Epigraph

A Special Supplement

Wednesday July 16, 2014

AHS construction projects come in under budget

7-On-7

by carla noah stutsman A special meeting of the Azle Independent School District Board of Trustees was called for July 10 at the district’s administrative offices. Although some other business was conducted, the main purpose of the meeting was to discover and agree to the final price tag for a new competition gymnasium, career and technology education center, and sprinkler system at Azle High School. The project – estimated to cost $20 million – was approved by voters last fall. Representatives of Buford Thompson Company, construction manager

for the project, presented the guaranteed maximum price of $18,402,035 for trustees to consider during the meeting. The board voted unanimously to accept that price. “That brings us to about $19,500,000 after you include architect fees and city permits – we’ll still be under budget,” said Dr. Ray Lea, AISD Superintendent. “Inflation is really affecting a lot of other districts negatively right now, so we’re really lucky to get this done under budget.” Construction is expected to begin any day on the project, with completion anticipated in late 2015.

Wigged man with gun robs Subway by carla noah stutsman Azle police have few leads in the armed robbery of the Subway store located at 913 Boyd Road early on the morning of Friday, July 11. According to police, an employee at the store heard the door chime around 7 a.m. When she turned toward the door, she said she saw a man pointing a gun at her. The man was described as white and about 5-feet, 11-inches tall with a medium build. He was wearing a tan work jacket, black gloves and had a black cloth over his face.

And he was wearing a black, curly wig. The man demanded money and the employee gave him an undisclosed amount of cash. Then he instructed her to give him five minutes to get away, telling her if he saw her looking out the windows he would come back and shoot her. According to police, the woman waited five minutes and called 9-1-1. Anyone who was in the area of the 900 block of Boyd Road around 7 a.m. Friday, July 11, and saw anything that might help police solve this crime, is requested to contact the Azle Police Department at 817-444-3221.

Hornet Johnny Crow (19) out-jumps defenders from Houston Lamar to score the game-winning touchdown in overtime in Azle’s first 7-on-7 tournament game at College Station July 11. See story, more photos on Pages 10-11A. Photo by Mark K. Campbell

TRWD busy with several projects New reservoirs on tap, EML levels a concern by mark k. campbell Tarrant Regional Water District Planning Director Wayne Owen has been doing plenty of planning. And some of it is long range. Speaking to the Azle Rotary Club July 10, Owen covered several nearfuture and distant topics. TRWD history The organization was created in 1924 and within eight years had built two lakes – Lake Bridgeport and Eagle Mountain Lake (EML) – in 1929 and 1932. Owen said EML filled in 1934. Early on, TRWD received a huge benefit because purchased land at that time came with all mineral rights. “We owned the property under both lakes; that became a boon with oil and gas,” he said. Lake Bridgeport and EML were originally paid for by taxpayers; the price tag was $16 million for both lakes. “That’s all paid off,” Owen said. TRWD consists of a five-member board with Vic Henderson, a member since 1985, the president and Azle Rotary Club member, Jack Stevens, the vice-president. The drought situation Owen said Bridgeport and EML are not considered large lakes.

Both suffered during the devastating drought of the 1950s. “In 1956-57, Eagle Mountain almost dried up,” Owen said. The lesson learned was that more water was needed. So, TRWD constructed lakes eastward, Cedar Creek Lake from 196064 and Richland Chambers Lake from 1982-87. “Those are large lakes,” Owen said. “Richland Chambers is the third biggest lake in Texas.” Today, he said, Fort Worth gets 80 percent of its water 90 miles to the southeast through pipelines. The Cedar Creek pipeline is 72-inches wide and Richland Chambers’ even bigger at 90 inches. Pump booster stations are located in Ennis and Waxahachie. Owen said, “We now have the ability to pump large quantities of water from southeast of Dallas to Fort Worth.” While many lake levels are down because of the drought, Cedar Creek is only three feet below normal and Richland Chambers six feet. In the late 1980s, the system connected to Lake Benbrook then, in the early 2000s, to EML. To battle the drought, Owen said TRWD has been pumping continuously – with minor maintenance stoppages – for a year-and-a-half.

“Eagle Mountain is about seven feet low and it would be far lower without that pipeline,” he said. All totaled, the TRWD lake system sits at 71 percent storage – “high cotton” compared to other areas of the state, Owen said. TRWD budget The organization’s annual budget is $120 million with half of it pipeline debt, Owen said. Another sizable portion goes to electricity to move the water, $25-30 million. The elevation differences between the lakes to the southeast and here cause that, Owen said. Cedar Creek and Richland Chambers are at 320 feet above sea level; EML sits at 694. Owen said that uphill pumping must “clear 830 feet; that’s an incredible amount of head to break.” TRWD covers 11 counties and provides water to 70 cities with a total population of 18 million. Fort Worth and Arlington are the biggest cities supplied. That population is expected to double by 2060, so, Owen said, TRWD is planning to meet that future demand. That means working with the City of Dallas for looming projects. “The costs are so big that others are need-

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This Week in Azle History

The serenity of this idyllic Lake Ridge Estates home was shattered by the sounds of gunfire July 8. Photo by Carla Noah Stutsman

Woman charged with shooting husband

by carla noah stutsman An Azle man is recovering from two gunshot wounds and his wife has been charged with shooting him after a disagreement between the two ended in gunfire. The shooting took place Tuesday, July 8, as The Azle News was going to press. As reported in the July 9 paper, the incident occurred in the 1100 block of Pine Ridge Drive about 12:35 p.m. PLEASE SEE TRWD, PAGE 4A. According to Azle Detective Sgt.

Kevin Rogers, it was Donna Morales, 51, who made the call to 9-1-1. Azle police officers arrived at the home to find Morales’ 53-year-old husband conscious and alert in the backyard but bleeding from wounds to his face and arm. He is believed to be recovering from those wounds in a Fort Worth hospital. Donna Morales was treated for minor injuries and released from Texas PLEASE SEE WIFE, PAGE 4A.

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25 Years Ago In July 1989, a group of parents complained to the AISD school board about the district’s dress code, that it was unfair that girls could wear mini-skirts but not shorts.

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$1 Azle, Texas 76020


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