THE
Sealy Chamber celebrates in style PAGE 18
Serving Sealy and Austin County, Texas since 1887 • Home of Robert Mack Volume 129 Number 6
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016
22 pages, $1
Solid waste facility proposed locally County will hold meeting on Friday, officials oppose permit By JASON B. HOGAN reporter@sealynews.com
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality received an application on Jan. 28 from SouthWaste Disposal, LLC, in Houston for a proposed municipal solid waste facility, which would be placed at the inter-
sections of Bartlett Road and Brazos 10 Lane near Interstate 10. The permit would allow SouthWaste Disposal to construct a Sealy Composting Facility to compost grease trap waste, septic, sewage and sludge, dairy and food including meat and fish, and bulk material like chipped
and shredded wood and vegetation, according to the TCEQ proposed permit. Many county leaders whose municipalities would be directly affected by the facility’s erection have already voiced their opinions, namely the City of Sealy and the Town of San Felipe. Sealy Mayor Mark Stolarski issued a statement on Monday, Feb. 8. “Although the proposed location is not within the City of Sealy, I am deeply
concerned about the negative impacts this solid waste composting facility could have on Sealy, San Felipe, Brazos Country, and Austin County as a whole,” he said. The city has been searching for ways to enhance growth dating back a few years, most notably developing an Interstate 10 frontage road that has the potential to bring business to its doorstep. Also, Sealy leadership together with business lead-
ers throughout Austin County has pushed an idea for increasing tourism in the county. The county was awarded a tourism grant by the Houston First Corporation a few weeks ago, which would help it stimulate growth through marketing the area as a tourist destination behind the newly formed county’s tourism commission mottos, a “city escape” and “Austin County, ■ WASTE, page 10
Panel calls for new school, major upgrades District faces $43 million in needs By JASON B. HOGAN reporter@sealynews.com
A long range facilities planning committee composed of Sealy citizens and formed by the Sealy Independent School District board of trustees presented its findings on the state of the district at a special meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 3. According to committee reports, the school district needs to build a new elementary school as well as overhaul some of its buildings, mainly Selman Elementary and Selman Intermediate schools. The elementary and intermediate schools are less than 100 students away from capacity and Sealy Junior High School is already passed capacity, said Richard Saucedo, cochair for the specially formed committee. The average elementary and intermediate school in the state will meet capacity once they’ve passed 1,400 students. Sealy ISD is at capacity
at only 800 students. “The deficiencies, aging, the repairs needed, it really came into play… We have to come up with something now and we can’t wait anymore,” Saucedo said. The committee began the process interviewing six architectural firms and Huckabee, one of the firms, was the clear choice from the onset, Superintendent Sheryl Moore said. The firm’s previous work history with school designs, experience and reputation played key roles in the decision. “You don’t want to go into this blind. And this isn’t the kind of work that any of us do day in and day out,” Moore said. The committee met six times over four months and toured each campus. The committee was charged with investigating current conditions of the district, submitting its recommendations to the board ■ SCHOOLS, page 11
www.DenverBroncos.com
Sanders a Super Bowl champion Bellville native Emmanuel Sanders eludes Carolina Panthers defender Thomas Davis after catching a pass from Peyton Manning Sunday during Super Bowl 50. Sanders and the Denver Broncos beat the Panthers 24-10.
March polling locations set
Area ATMs hacked
By JASON B. HOGAN reporter@sealynews.com
Early voting for the March primaries is less than a week away. On Monday, Feb. 8, Marcus Peña, Austin County tax assessor-collector and election official, unveiled the 18 polling locations that will be used across the county this voting season.
Police say a Sealy bank was targeted by skimmers Investigators with the Sealy Police Department are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying possible suspect(s) in an ATM skimming operation that occurred at Citizen State Bank’s drive through ATM early Sunday morning. At this time it is believed that 25 banking transactions were compromised. Bank officials are working with account holders to prevent any losses to the ATM customers.
The Sealy News/COURTESY PHOTO
Sealy police are seeking this person as a suspect in the hacking of local ATMs through use of a skimming device.
Originally, precincts 102 and 208 were slated for the Bellville Fire Department Station No. 3 in Bellville and the Welcome Lutheran Church in Brenham. The fire station was changed because Peña’s office was able to seal a deal with American Legion Post 115 in Bellville at the fairgrounds at no cost to the
card scanning device,” Police Chief Chris Noble said. “Further, we encourage everyone to check their bank statements for unauthorized or suspicious transactions and report such transactions to the bank and police.”
county. The Welcome Church location saw a last-minute change because of hall renovations. That location has been changed to the ■ POLLING, page 10
Land dispute reaffirms need for county's subdivision policies By JASON B. HOGAN
Police say it is likely that other ATMs in the area might have been compromised. “We urge everyone to look closely at any card reader before inserting your credit or debit card into an ATM, gas pump, or any other
See candidate profiles inside on pages B1-B4.
reporter@sealynews.com
Two lots off Maler Road in Precinct 3 of Austin County labeled lots 11 and 12 used to be in possession of a single owner years ago. The properties lie one mile outside of Sealy’s extraterritorial jurisdiction and an estimated 600 feet from San Felipe. Later, before the two
lots were resold, a land developer decided to lay a fence line between his two tracts of land, but without county authorization. “He went out there and pushed the fence ROW (right-of-way) out, divided it into 10 acres and ran it all to the road,” Pct. 3 Commissioner Randy Reichardt said. “Didn’t give ■ LAND, page 17
The Sealy News • 193 Schmidt Road • P.O. Box 480 • Sealy, TX 77474 • phone: (979) 885-3562 • fax: (979) 885-3564 • www.sealynews.com
BIBLEQUOTE
INDEXINSIDE
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11
Church...............12 Classifieds...14-16 Community.......8-9 Elections.....B1-B4 News Bits.............3 Opinion................4 Sports..............5-7
This week's weather
Sealy's parting shots PAGE 6
Day/High/Low/Rain Thursday 78/52/0% Friday 77/50/10% Saturday 75/52/10% Sunday 68/52/40% Monday 75/49/20% Tuesday 76/52/10% Wednesday 77/53/20%
This week's weather art is by Baylei Swenson, a student at Selman Elementary School.