WEDNESDAY JULY 9, 2014
VOLUME 104 ISSUE 4
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CAMPUS
CITY
Stapp named San Marcos police chief
COURTESY OF SAN MARCOS POLICE DEPARTMENT
By Carlie Porterfield SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
DENISE CATHEY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Joann Cole Mitte building to undergo renovations By Camden Scarborough NEWS REPORTER
T
he Joann Cole Mitte building, home to the School of Art and Design, is undergoing a large-scale facelift to help increase space and decrease crowded classrooms. The $6.2 million project will address the inefficiencies of the current facilities, creating
more classroom, studio and faculty office space. The comprehensive “capital project” is scheduled to begin in summer 2015 and will be completed the next fall, said Juan Guerra, associate vice president of Facilities. Six smaller projects included in the overall renovation plan will begin this year. Construction has not yet begun on the project, but plans are complete for the six smaller projects, Guerra said.
“We have done about everything we can creatively to use space more efficiently,” said Michael Niblett, director of the School of Art and Design. Since the Mitte building was built in 1991, the art program has seen big changes in the technology it uses and its curriculum, as well as increases in the number of students enrolled, Niblett said.
See JCM, Page 3
COUNTY
Interstate Highway 35 frontage road between Kyle, San Marcos now one-way By Nicole Barrios ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Three miles of Interstate Highway 35 frontage road between Kyle and San Marcos were converted from two-way traffic to one-way this past weekend to improve safety. The frontage roads from Center Street in Kyle and Yarrington Road in San Marcos were temporarily
shut down when work began June 28 at 8 p.m., according to a TxDOT press release. Workers removed the old yellow two-lane stripes on the roadway and repainted with the white one-way stripe, said Kelli Reyna, TxDOT public information officer. Signs were then installed designating the lanes as one-way only, she said. Reyna said this change will not
only help improve mobility throughout the area but also make the roadway safer for drivers. “As the area continues to grow and projects continue to get built, it’s important that we ensure that the system is as safe as possible,” Reyna said. “And one of the ways that we can do that is by turning the two-way frontage road into a one-way roadway.”
The small project of converting the two-way frontage road into a one-way is a part of a larger project that will replace the existing Yarrington Road overpass with turnaround bridges in both northbound and southbound directions, Reyna said. Once turnaround bridges are in place, it will be easier to get from one side of the
See IH-35, Page 3
CITY
Apartment pool party results in police intervention, $1,400 fine By Camden Scarborough NEWS REPORTER Almost 2,000 people attended the pool party heard ‘round the world last Saturday at The Retreat last. Promoted by the Texas State Trendsetter hashtag #TXSTSummerBash, hundreds of people were at the party, which ended in a $1,400 fine for the complex. The “Second Annual Summer Bash” was planned by the apartment complex, which hired Endless Entertainment to run an ad campaign using the Texas State Trendsetter hashtag, said exercise and sports
science junior Shawn “Big Neechi” Onyechi, representative for Endless Entertainment. The party totaled well over twice the pool’s capacity of 750, said Police Chief Chase Stapp. Promotions began four days before the event but were halted after two days due to an estimated 15,000-to-20,000-person turnout, Onyechi said. “People were saying they flew in from all over the country,” Neechi said. “Some were even coming from out of the country.” Police arrived just before 4 p.m., when the party was scheduled to
end, because of numerous noise complaints from neighbors and cars parked illegally, Stapp said. “You never know what could go wrong with a crowd that big,” Stapp said. “It was bigger than (The Retreat) could control or handle. Almost all on-duty officers were called in to help.” While the party was in the midst of shutdown, police monitored exits and made sure they only flowed one-way, Stapp said. Security was present at the party from the beginning, and attendees were courteous and stayed to help clean and pick up trash, Onyechi
said. “It was a good time, and no one misbehaved,” Onyechi said. “When the cops came, everyone left. The party was a success.” The San Marcos Fire Marshal issued a citation to The Retreat’s manager, Clark Matthews, but no other citations were issued to any of the party’s attendees, Stapp said. Enforcing underage drinking laws was not a focus as much as getting attendees out safely was, Stapp said. “I just thank God that everyone made it out safe and had a good
See RETREAT, Page 3
Chase Stapp, a San Marcos law enforcement veteran, has been appointed chief of police to follow retiring Chief Howard Williams, City Manager Jared Miller announced June 25. “Chief Stapp possesses a wealth of experience, leadership skills and a deep knowledge and connection with the San Marcos community,” said Miller in a city press release. City Council approved the confirmation of the appointment at its July 1 meeting. Chief Williams will retire August 1. “I’m honored and humbled by the fact that I was considered, and there’s no doubt in my mind that the reason I was considered above the other candidates is because of the strong support that was shown for me by the members of the police department and those outside the department,” Stapp said. According to a city press release, Stapp has worked in every division of the department and has risen through the ranks during his time at SMPD. He has served as a patrol officer, detective, narcotics investigator, night patrol supervisor and training officer. As a police sergeant, he supervised a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force from 2000 to 2008. “I’ve worked here in the police field for almost 23 years and advanced through the ranks and made the decision that I want to make my home here and retire from here,” Stapp said. “I really saw the chief’s position as somewhere where I could make a difference and make the department an even better place to work.” Stapp said his strong communication skills are a strength he will bring to the position. “I think my communication skills and the ability to build strong relationships both inside and outside the organization is going to be the strength I will rely upon the most,” Stapp said. While policing in a college town can be challenging, Stapp said Texas State students help make the town what it is, and the relationship between the city and the university is an important one to maintain. “The relationship between Texas State and the police department has improved dramatically in the past 5 years,” Stapp said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of that through my involvement in the ACT Committee.” Stapp currently serves as a co-chair of the “Achieving Community Together” (ACT) Committee. The ACT Committee is collaboration between the university and the city of San Marcos to address issues. According to a city press release, ACT has been awarded state, national and international awards. Stapp, a San Marcos Native, graduated from San Marcos High School in 1988 and from Texas State in 1999 with magna cum laude honors. He is expected to complete the Certified Public Manager Program in December 2014 at Texas State. Stapp’s father, the late Ed Stapp, served SMPD in the 1970s for ten years and later retired from the Texas Department of Public Safety as a captain. His wife, Teri, teaches second grade at Hays CISD. His two sons, Cole and Kyle, also graduated from San Marcos High School and are both students at Texas State.