SPORTS
ORANGE COUNTY
Commentary
FISHING
Kaz’s Korner
Capt. Dickie Colburn Page 1 Section B
Joe Kazmar Page 1 Section B
Outdoors
RELIGION & LOCAL CHURCH GUIDE
HUNTING & FISHING Capt. Chuck Uzzle Page 3 Section B
Page 8B
The Record TheRecordLive.com
Vol. 58 No. 43
Distributed FREE To The Citizens of Bridge City and Orangefield
Week of Wednesday, February 22, 2017
BC’s Jones decries ‘fake’ water news Dave Rogers
For The Record
The good news is the water’s OK and soon to get better. The bad news is that Jerry Jones is tired of “fake news.” “There’s nothing wrong with the water,” Jones, city manager for Bridge City, said Tuesday morning when asked about recent social media reports to the contrary. “The water’s fine,” Jones said. “It’s getting real old. Get off of Facebook; that’s all I can tell them.” The issue of Bridge City’s water, which has been an issue of small to great concern for
residents the last couple of years, made a public appearance again Monday night. Marla Zoch, a member of Jones the Bridge City school board, quizzed superintendent Todd Lintzen about it during the monthly meeting of the board. “Is the water at school safe to drink?” Zoch asked as the meeting was wrapping up but before adjournment. Lintzen replied in the affir-
mative but assured Zoch that school administrators were keeping close watch on the situation. The “situation,” Jones said Tuesday, is that Bridge City’s water remains cloudy but safe to drink, bathe, cook and clean with.
“He’s talked to me two or three times,” Jones said of Lintzen, the BCISD leader. “We’ve talked about the TTHM levels being down. “The TTHM levels have been down since the day after that story started over a year ago.”
The city’s biggest scare came last July when the state required the city to send letters to its 3,800 water customers notifying them the city violated the maximum contaminant level for total trihalomethanes, a byproduct of the chlorine used to disinfect wa-
ter. The July 26 letter said TTHMs, if consumed in excess, could cause liver and kidney problems. It could also increase the risk for getting cancer. BRIDGE CITY Page 3A
BC gym is place for fitness anytime
Bridge City man eyes second century Dave Rogers
For The Record
Talk about having his dance card punched. Retired Bridge City plumber and pipefitter John Repasky just celebrated Valentine’s Day with his wife Sue and in April, the couple will celebrate 71 years of marriage. But first, there’s March 1, next Wednesday. It’s when John turns the big 1-oh-oh. As in 100. A century. “I never thought I’d get that far,” said the man born a month before the U.S. joined World War I. “But here I am.” John and his 92-year-old bride live in a sunny well-kept home and stay busy with trips to the store and two breakfasts a week with friends at the Bridge City McDonald’s. “I don’t know if you’d say there’s a secret,” John said, when asked his secret of longevity. “A whole lot depends on the man up there,” he said, nodding to the sky, “and you have to have a pretty good wife.” “Not pretty good,” Sue interjects. “You’d better say a good wife.”
The Repaskys will celebrate John’s 100th on Saturday, March 4, with a get-together for family, friends and neighbors, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 770 Avenue A, in Bridge City. John wasn’t always sure he’d make it to 2017. Eight years ago, when he had a tough bout of pneumonia, things looked bleak. “The doctor gave me two hours. That was it,” John said. “He had her [Sue] call all the family.” Said Sue: “The good Lord wasn’t ready for him. He told him he had to stay and take care of me.” Repasky, a native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, met Sue, a native of Converse, Louisiana when both worked at the Lake Charles Air Base during World War II. After turns at Bethlehem Steel and the Civilian Conservation Corps, Repasky joined the Army in 1941, only to decide marching wasn’t for him. So he transferred to the Army Air Corps, and wound up at the Lake Charles Air Base, where combat crews trained. Repasky was a supply sergeant and spent four years REPASKY Page 3A
Tony Fuselier, the new owner of Anytime Fitness in Bridge City believes getting to a healthier place is more than just going to the gym. RECORD PHOTO: Mark Dunn
With roots in Bridge City former tennis pro and coach becomes a leading franchise owner Debby Schamber For The Record
Getting to a healthier place is more than just going to the gym. “Fitness is less of a luxury now,” said Tony Fuselier, new owner of Anytime Fitness in Bridge City. “People want to live longer and feel better.” Fuselier was born and raised in Southeast Texas.
As a youth he spent lots of time in Bridge City and it was during this time he thought of someday becoming the owner of the gym. With the recent purchase, his dreams have become realized. However, the Bridge City location was not his first gym purchase. Initially, Fuselier was a tennis pro who taught at a local high school. But, while teaching and coaching he
considered what the blistering Texas heat was doing to him. So, he decided to find something which would give him a “great return” and “gratification” while still helping people. As a result, Fuselier bought his first gym in Wimberley and later in Dripping Springs. But, he did not stop there. He became one of Anytime Fitness’ top franchise owners. He is currently the owner of 26 gyms in six states which are Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Kansas. Fuselier purchases under performing gyms and revitalizes them giving them new life and energy. Some gyms he keeps while others he sells them.
“Thirty-eight gyms later I end up buying the gym that inspired me to be in this business,” Fuselier said. “It’s like coming home.” Fuselier tells of a recent incident where a gym member told him of his significant weight loss because of working out. This reminded him of his tennis coaching days when a student did well on the tennis court. For Fuselier this was a proud moment and confirmed why fitness is so important in his life and those around him. Fuslier says the equipment at Anytime Fitness is in tip top condition. The gym in Bridge City offers free classes such as yoga, TONY FUSELIER Page 3A
Orange drops, adds to candidate list Dave Rogers
For The Record
Born in 1917, retired Bridge City pipefitter John Repasky and wife Susie look forward to John’s 100th birthday on March 1 and a celebration set for March 4 at the Knights of Columbus Hall. RECORD PHOTO: Dave Rogers
While two local governing bodies are set to cancel their May 6 elections because of a lack of candidates, the City of Orange underwent a shakeup of city council wannabes in the run-up to the filing deadline. The period to register as a candidate for the May 6 elections for local school board and city council elections ended Friday, Feb. 17. Those who have filed have until Friday, Feb. 24, to take
their name off the ballot. Hair stylist Paul Burch, one of two to file early to oppose incumbent Essie Bellfield for Orange city council District 3, will not be on this spring’s ballot. Burch did not meet the residency requirement, City Secretary Trisha Anderson said. Meanwhile, business owner Michael Smith beat the filing deadline to join Bellfield and registered nurse Terrie Salter in the race for the District 3 seat that comes with a threeyear term. That gives the City of Or-
ange a pair of three-way contested races for May 6. Incumbent Larry Spears Jr. has drawn two opponents for his re-election bid for at-large Place 6. Veronica Monique Woodle is a former Orange police officer while Mary Ekene is a collections supervisor. Candidates were not so plentiful for the cities of Pinehurst and West Orange, which will be officially canceling their May 6 election at their next regularly scheduled council meetings. Only incumbents Dan Mo-
CMYK
hon, T.W. Permenter and Sarah McClendon filed to run in Pinehurst and are considered re-elected, Debbie Courmier, city secretary, said. In West Orange, incumbent mayor Roy McDonald and incumbent council members Frances Droddy-Lopez and Carl Thibodeaux were reelected by virtue of drawing no opponents. The City of Bridge City will have one contested race: Carl Harbert and Phillip Todora, Jr., for Place 1. Incumbents ELECTIONS Page 2A