THURSDAY JANAURY 22, 2015 VOLUME 104 ISSUE 47 www.UniversityStar.com
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CONSTRUCTION
Hunter Road project to benefit city By Nicholas Laughlin NEWS REPORTER @nick_laughling
Rubble stands at the sight of the 2014 Bikini’s fire. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
DENISE CATHEY ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
Investigation continues one year after Bikinis fire By Exsar Arguello NEWS REPORTER @Exsar_Misael The future of the self-proclaimed “Breastaurant,” once home to waitresses wearing bikini tops and daisy dukes, remains unknown after a fire nearly wiped the entire building out last spring. The San Marcos Fire Department (SMFD) was dispatched on April 25, 2014 to Bikinis Sports Bar and Grill to put out a fire. SMFD was able to prevent the fire from
spreading to nearby buildings and contained the situation before the establishment burned down completely. No one was injured, and patrons were evacuated safely. The cause of the fire is still unknown as the restaurant approaches the incident’s one-year anniversary. Officials have ruled out electrical complications as the cause, said Trey Hatt, San Marcos communications specialist. SMFD has confirmed the fire started in the attic and then spread to the roof of the restaurant, but
no sufficient leads with which to identify the cause are available. “We still don’t have a lot of information, but as time goes on we are starting to cross out certain variables,” Hatt said. “Despite ruling out electrical complications, we don’t have any other leads at this moment in time.” The San Marcos Police Department (SMPD) was originally in charge of the investigation. The investigation is now “in the hands of the San Marcos Fire Department,” Hatt said.
An empty Bikinis remains on Aquarena with a collapsed roof and burned insides. Doug Guller, CEO of ATX Brands and the Bikinis restaurant chain, said he does not plan to reopen the restaurant in San Marcos. “What’s done is done, and at this point we have to move on with business,” Guller said. No new information has been brought forward about the cause
See BIKINIS, Page 2
SECURITY
SMPD to equip all officers with body cameras By Alexa Tavarez SENIOR NEWS REPORTER @lexicanaa Eleven officers of the San Marcos Police Department (SMPD) have successfully integrated the use of body cameras in their daily work. Recent cases of police brutality have facilitated the growing discussion of law enforcement’s use of body cameras to provide an unbiased account of their interactions with civilians. SMPD is embracing the new tool, while many have expressed privacy concerns regarding the new technology. SMPD have adopted in-car videos to record police work since 2004, said Bob Klett, Assistant
Chief of Police. SMPD began testing body cameras on officers of the Downtown Foot and Bike Patrol about a year ago. Klett said the body cameras serve as an extension of the in-car video and capture what an officer is observing. “Officers are at the point today where they really don’t want to drive the car without the video,” Klett said. “I think our officers are certainly for the idea of (body cameras).” Citizens sometimes call to complain about an officer’s conduct. Video usually confirms the officer followed the correct proce-
See BODY CAMS, Page 2
JOHN CODY STALSBY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Officer Paul Stephens poses wearing a body cam Jan. 19 on campus.
Hunter Road has been undergoing construction since last spring and will close to a one-way street to divert traffic for a projected 65 days. The next phase of the Hunter Road (FM 2439) widening project is set to begin the first or second week of February and will be completed by summer 2015, said Richard Reynosa, senior engineer. “Once Hunter Road goes to one-way traffic, the contractor has a 65-day milestone to change the road back to two-way,” Reynosa said. Reynosa said detour routes will be set up during the construction. “Northbound, going into town, will continue on Hopkins Street,” Reynosa said. “Southbound, going out of town, will be (directed) to Bishop Street, to Craddock Avenue, to Wonder World Drive and back to Hunter Road.” San Marcos City Council has held question-and-answer forums for the neighborhoods surrounding the construction, said Lisa Prewitt, City Council Place 1. “The neighborhoods won’t have congestion,” Prewitt said. “City staff has reached out (to the neighborhoods) about the new route.” The goal of the project is to improve “the conveyance of storm water and Purgatory Creek flood waters,” according to the city’s website. “The storm sewer is necessary because we are widening the roadway, and there is not an existing storm sewer or curb and gutter on this project,” said Kelli Reyna, Texas Department of Transportation Austin District public spokesperson. “We have to ensure the water has a place to go.” The project will add a continuous left-turn lane, new curbs and gutters, a storm sewer system and sidewalks, Reyna said. San Marcos residents can expect to see a lane for bicycles and a left-turn lane at Bishop Street. A center turn lane from Bishop to San Antonio Street is expected to be added once the project is finished, according to the city’s website. Phase one and two of construction have been completed, including the work between Wonder World Drive and Dixon Street along with bridge and road improvements. The third phase is currently in progress. This phase will include water, wastewater and underground drainage installation, according to a Jan. 6 city council construction update. The Hunter Road improvements will benefit people who travel from I-35 to Wonder World Drive, Prewitt said. “Hunter Road is a major gateway to San Marcos,” she said.
STATE
University exceeds Texas energy conservation quota By Jake Goodman NEWS REPORTER @jake_thegoodman Texas State’s energy usage has dropped 6.25 percent from last year due to improved construction, replacement and sustainability of facilities on campus. Higher education institutions in Texas are required under State Bill 898 to lessen their energy usage and report the reduction to the state annually. Juan Guerra, vice president of Facilities, said the state mandate requires universities to reduce energy usage by 5 percent each year for ten years.. “The target for everyone is 5 percent, and we’ve exceeded that,” Guerra said. Bill Nance, vice president of Finance and Support Services, said the university administration has been
working toward energy reduction since before the state mandate was passed. “It’s just the right thing to do, and it’s beneficial financially for the campus and the environment,” Nance said. Guerra said the savings were the result of constructing new buildings and retrofitting older ones with new controls. University officials are making an effort to install more automated controls to continue to meet the state guidelines, he said. “The reason for the decrease in energy usage is facilities’ multifaceted approach to improve our operational processes,” said Sheri Lara, director of Utilities Operations. Energy conservation on campus has three distinct areas—the buildings and their age, the plants and their operations and the people and policies— in which to encourage conservation,
Lara said. Digital controls have been installed in 70 percent of the buildings on campus, Lara said. These controls save energy by allowing the lights to be turned off automatically or remotely when not in use. “It’s common sense, but the easiest way to save power is to turn the lights off,” Lara said. The construction of new buildings on campus, such as the Undergraduate Academic Center, saved energy because the buildings were constructed with an efficient design and “stateof-the-art” control systems, Lara said. “New buildings constructed are much more energy efficient, and as you remodel old buildings you gradually increase energy efficiency,” Nance said. The cogeneration plants, which produce heat and air across campus, have increased efficiency by adding
It’s just the right thing to do, and it’s beneficial financially for the campus and the environment.” —Bill Nance, Vice President of Finance and Support Services variable frequency drives. Lara said the drives are able to slow down a plant automatically when it is not in use, saving electricity. Replacing pipes drops energy usage, Guerra said. As the steel pipes used to transport steam have aged, the insulation inside has worn off. This wearing causing the pipes to lose heat into the ground. Less energy is lost with the newer pipes. Student and employee activity
influence the decreased usage, even though no specific policies are in place to encourage energy conservation, Nance said. “I would say the falling usage is 21st century normalization of sustainability,” said Janet Hale, member of the Energy Conservation Committee. Hale said the McCoy College of Business uses a computer and inter-
See ENERGY, Page 2