News Bulletin Castroville • La Coste
Playoffs bound! Page 8
Volume 55
Thursday, May 2, 2013 Castroville, Texas
Alsatians stop in for a quick game of baseball Page 3
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Medina County’s Relay for Life raises over $100K James Armstrong Staff Writer Over 200 cancer survivors attended the 2013 Relay for Life to remember lost friends, recall their own stories and offer hope to those fighting the disease. As of Monday, the April 26-27 Relay had raised over $107,000 for the American Cancer society, drawing 40 teams and 400 participants. Judy Nichols of Castroville was attending her fifth Relay. After being diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer in 1991, Nichols had to fight doctors and insurance companies who believed she stood no chance of surviving. One night the grief became anger as Nichols broke every glass and dish in her home. It was then in the aftermath that the grief
“Time goes by and it gets better, but you never forget.” Bonnie Mangold, cancer survivor turned into resolve. “I’m sitting there in the broken glass and I just felt a great peace, and so I got up and I called my doctor and said, ‘I don’t care what you have to do, find me some program to get in because I’m going to live,’” Nichols said. Nichols was then part of an experimental chemotherapy program in San Antonio. Of the 14 people who participated in the treatment, Nichols is the only one still living. Veeda Smith, a friend of Nichols since the seventh grade, said the stand
Nichols made ensured that she lived to be a grandmother. “If she hadn’t fought, she would not have lived to see her grandchildren,” Smith said. There was also a strong sense of solidarity expressed at the Relay. Walking her first Relay, Bonnie Mangold of LaCoste remembers July 18, 2011 as the exact date she was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. She had intended to make it to the 2012 Relay but had to undergo surgery. See ‘Relay’ on Page 2
Former Castroville City Councilmember Linda Guerra (right), who was diagnosed with breast cancer last summer, attended the Relay for Life with her 91-year-old mother Lillian Higbee (left), who survived her own struggle with breast cancer after being diagnosed in 1991. (Photo by James Armstrong)
Airport manager appeals firing the integrity of the appeals Natalie Spencer process. Staff Writer Eissler filed an official Former airport manager Clif Eissler estimated it was a appeal of his termination five-minute conversation that April 25. Hofmann’s answer ended his three-year tenure is required by May 9. The with the city. He does not feel city administrator makes the final decision; the process the firing was fair. does not extend to “I’m in bewilthe city council. derment,” Eissler Inside “I will say, said. “I’d sign •What do airport however, that I anything for the tenants think? think [Director city – throw open •Meet the interim of Public Services my records, pubmanager Kim Davis] has lish them. Where handled this all is the black eye?” very professionC i t y Administrator Paul Hofmann ally,” Hofmann said. The reorganization, declined to discuss the reasons for Eissler’s firing at a roughly 18 months ago, public meeting Wednesday, which placed Eissler under April 24, although he did the supervision of Director of say it was not due to perfor- Public Services Kim Davis, mance issues. On April 25, required him to assume addihe declined again, citing con- tional duties, to include concerns that his public com- tract negotiation and superment might interfere with vision for the city’s fleet of
vehicles and heavy equipment, janitorial services and mowing services. He was also named the city safety manager. “That airport is my passion,” he said. “I wasn’t crazy about doing those other things, but it was worth it to keep my airport duties.” Relations between the two were cordial, Eissler said, until shortly before the February 12 city council meeting. Eissler balked at a proposal to move the city’s public works yard to a spot on the airport property in front of the main terminal building, saying it would be unsightly and detrimental to future recruitment of airport tenants. Eissler said he was instructed to keep the plan confidential until after the meeting, although he dis-
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agreed with the proposal being brought to the city council without input from the airport advisory board or airport tenants. Eissler proposed several alternate airport locations for the public works yard, which he said would better preserve the appearance of the airport and save money by being more accessible to utility connections. Those plans were presented to the council at an April meeting. The council postponed a final decision until members received input from the airport advisory board and tenants. After the meeting, Eissler said Davis called to express her anger at the delay. From that point, Eissler said he was given a greater See ‘Airport’ on Page 2
Food fair to help local families in need James Armstrong Staff Writer A food fair for families in need will be held in Houston Square the morning of May 10. The event begins at 8:30 a.m. and is being coordinated by the Castroville Ministerium with supplies coming from a San Antonio Food Bank truck. Theresa Standage of the Wesley Nurse Health Ministries in Hondo said volunteers are still needed to divide up food donations and make sure food vouch-
ers are properly filled out. Vouchers will be color coordinated to accommodate families as they arrive. Besides volunteers, organizers are requesting donations of plastic bags to load the food into. People picking up supplies for homebound residents should ensure they have enough space in their vehicle to transport two loads. Standage said many of the families who have been helped by area food fairs live off $600 a month with as many as six people per
household. Others have zero income due to unemployment or a disability. “Nearly every day I have families asking for food assistance,” Standage said. This year’s coordinating congregation from the ministerium is Zion Lutheran Church. “We live in tough times and it’s good to be looking out for our neighbors,” Zion Lutheran Pastor Joe Leavengood said. Standage and Leavengood said the need
to relieve hunger in Medina Country is great, with previous food fairs in Yancey and Hondo attracting 300 to 500 families. Standage said from Jan. 2011 to March 2012 food fairs partnering with the San Antonio Food Bank and Medina County Food Pantry delivered 174,989 pounds of food to Medina County residents. For more information on getting a voucher or volunteering contact your area church or the Zion Lutheran Office at 830-538-6335.
Junior Steven Champlin set a new region record in the 400 meter dash Saturday, with a time of 47.81. He will compete in both the 100 meter and 400 meter dashes at the state meet. See page 8 for complete coverage of the regional track meet. (Photo by Janine Modgling)
Council debates: are parks a civic duty or a moneymaker? James Armstrong Staff Writer Debate over whether the Regional Park RV Park should be managed like a business spilled over into the Castroville City Council’s pre-budget planning session last week. The topic came up after City Councilmember Victor Ortiz had requested a report on how money generated from park fees and park facilities compared to expenditures. Looking at the budget from the 2013 fiscal year, the parks system drew $38,900 in revenue compared to expenses totaling $210,815.
The Regional Park Pool was also in the red, with $81,300 in revenue matched against $97,566 in expenses. Of the three, only the RV Park produced more money than was put in, with the $79,500 in revenue exceeding expenses by $23,662. City Councilmember Eric Cherry had raised questions about how profitable the RV Park was in midApril. Direct expenses in the report were employee salaries and maintenance items such as mowing and cleanup costs. Indirect expenses included administrative duties and managing con-
tracted services. While acknowledging its costs, Ortiz defended the parks system as an essential city service that clearly benefited the whole community. “Overall, parks are money pits,” Otiz said. “But there are certain things that a city is required to do; a parks facility is one of them.” The ensuing debate focused on whether the RV Park should be treated like another essential service or managed and sustained like ta business to compete with private sector RV Parks. Equating the city council to a board of directors,
Cherry said it would be productive to route revenue generated from the RV Park into bettering the property. “Here’s what we’re making on the RV Park and we need to reinvest those profits into the RV Park,” Cherry said. “If we put in infrastructure improvements, how much more revenue could it generate?” City Administrator Paul Hofmann said the city currently doesn’t budget that way but could if directed to by the city council. Mayor Bob Lee said the city council should also consider the indirect benefit of having an RV Park, specifi-
cally in attracting visitors. “We promote ourselves as a tourist destination,” Lee said. “We encourage people to come to town and spend money so we need to make sure we include this in our discussion.” Hofmann noted that the report did not include estimates on how much it would cost to upgrade the RV Park. The RV Park’s recreation room and shower facility were two specific improvements cited in the meeting. “The RV Park does make a little bit of money, but the caveat that you need to keep in mind about all that is the RV Park also needs some
improvements and none of that is budgeted right now,” Hofmann said. Currently the revenues from park facilities flow into the city general fund, where any renovations would be budgeted. Hofmann called the RV Park an important “philosophical discussion” that was appropriate to think about while examining long-term facility planning. Ortiz said the RV Park is fulfilling its purpose as a place for people to make camp. “We’re not running a resort, we’re running a campground,” Ortiz said.