1975: Another Fayette Power Plant Condemnation Case Settled

Henry W. and Mrs. S. Anderson were awarded $1,460 per acre for 200.5 acres in a Fayette Power Project condemnation suit in the 155th District Court in La Grange. A three-man commission of H.J. Berry, Glenn J. Hattermann and L.A. Giese set the figure after hearing testimony in the case brought by the Lower Colorado River Authority. The $305,870 total was $10 more per acre than the LCRA appraiser had set on the tract. Anderson asked for $3,500 per acre based on an appraisal of $692,100 by Mrs. Annie Schatte.

Since preliminary planning on the Hwy. 71 La Grange Loop was progressing well a meeting was scheduled to gather comments from the public on August 6 in La Grange City Hall. The relocation and improvement work included development of Hwy. 159 to replace those sections that would be covered by the Cedar Creek reservoir area of the Fayette electric generation plant. The proposed relocation would affect a section from .76 of a mile east of the intersection of Hwy. 237, southeast to 1.24 miles west of Fayetteville, approximately 5.5 miles. A minimum right-of-way of 120 feet would be required with wider widths necessary at areas of high fills, deep cuts, stream crossings and road intersections. Notices of the meeting had been published and LCRA had notified those persons directly affected by the relocation by letter.

The business development committee of the La Grange Chamber of Commerce, chaired by Mrs. Virginia Schroeder and co-chair Donald Hagemann, was hosting a free hot check clinic in the First National State Bank meeting room. County Attorney Dan R. Beck was to conduct the session.

Fingerprints obtained at one of the two places in Schulenburg hit by a burglar led to the arrest of a 21-year-old part-time Schulenburg resident. Sheriff T. J. Flournoy said the Austin offices of the Texas Department of Public Safety checked the prints and made the identification. Businesses broken into included the Texas Butane Company and the Victor Stanzel Company.

A state district jury court decided generally in favor of the LCRA in the utility’s $26.6 million suit against Coast States Gas Producing Co. The reactions were tempered with caution because the jury’s action did not mean that the LCRA had automatically won the case. The final judgment would be made by District Court Judge W.C. Davis.

The Fayette Heritage Museum/ Library building fund inched closer to the $200,000 mark with the announcement of another sizeable contribution of $50,000 from the Moody Foundation in Galveston. Project finance chair Father Harry Mazurkiewicz gave credit to William J. Campbell of La Grange for helping his committee compile the grant request. This latest contribution brought the fundraising total to $182,942.06.

Contestants in the 1975 Fayette County Farm Bureau contest were: Donna Heinrich, 17, of Swiss Alp; Margaret Joost, 18, of La Grange; Jeannette Reinhardt, 19, of Winchester; and Carrie Okruhlik, 17, of Flatonia. Talent entries were Jill Stueber and Elizabeth Michalsky. Little Miss entries included: Robin Brandt, Jennifer Allie Alexander, Denise Harbrich andAmyAnn Wagner.

Congratulations to the bestdecorated floats in the Round Top July 4th parade: grand prize, Ellinger Chamber of Commerce; 1st, Schatte Real Estate; 2nd, Town of Round Top; and 3rd, La Grange Chamber of Commerce. Comical floats: 1st, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Chovanec of Blieblerville; 2nd, John Rice of Industry; 3rd, David Nagel of Houston; and 4th, Larry Krebs of Willow Springs. Antique cars: 1st, Travis Pilschiek of Brenham; 2nd, Rex Grey of Warda; 3rd, Mr. and Mrs. John Powell and Jimmy. Covered wagons: 1st, Papa Joe’s Outlaws; 2nd, Papa Buel’s Rough Riders of Sealy; 3rd, H.W. Konetzke of Houston; and 4th, the Siptaks of Industry.

Laurie Matejowsky, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Matejowsky of Ledbetter, was on the dean’s honor roll, cum laude, during the last semester at the University of Texas.

The Fayette County, Swiss Alp, Flatonia, La Grange and Cistern Farm Bureaus were sponsoring five students to the 13th annual Texas Farm Bureau High School Citizenship Seminar on the campus of Baylor University at Waco. The students were: Ginger Holub of Schulenburg; David Q. Schlortt of Smithville; Kathy Holub of La Grange; and Larry Brenecky and Barbara Lev of Flatonia.

The La Grange Ravens retained the trophy in the Tri-County Teenage Baseball League. Champions for the past two years, they went to the league tournament in Columbus as runners-up to the zone champion La Grange Braves. The Ravens promptly knocked off the south zone winner, Shiner, and then mauled Schulenburg, 25-2, in the finals after Schulenburg upset the unbeaten Braves. Curtis Ray led the hitting barrage with three doubles, while Michael Miller and Charles Bippert each had a single and a double. Also garnering two hits apiece were Paul Mikula, Ronnie Pietsch, Donnie Kruppa and Darren Kolbe.

Funeral services were held for: Otto Burger, 86, of La Grange, Mrs.Agnes Bucek, 92, a native of St. John’s and Mrs. Alvina Arndt, 53, a former Carmine resident.

Otto L. Fuchs Jr., the popular vocational agriculture instructor at Round Top-Carmine High School, was honored by the Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas for 25 years of service to the state’s vo-ag program at a meeting in Houston. Fuchs graduated from La Grange High School and received his BS degree in agricultural education from Texas A&M University after attending Blinn College in Brenham.

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