B ACKPAGE B ACKPAGE Page 10 Issue 40 Thursday, October 4, 2012 FARM BUREAU continued from page one PUBLIC MEETINGS City Council - The Portland City Council meets for their regular meetings the first and third Tuesday of the month. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Oct. 16. The council meets on the sec- ond floor, at 1900 Billy G. Webb Drive. Commissioners’ Court - The San Patricio County Commissioners meet at 9 a.m. every Monday at the San Patricio County Courthouse. Their next meeting is Oct. 8. Alcoholics Anonymous - Alcoholics Anonymous meets at noon every Tuesday at 215 Sodville (Annex) in Sinton. For more information, call 361-522- 1542. Overeaters Anonymous - The group meets at 7:30 p.m. each Monday at 627 S. Houston St., Aransas Pass (First Baptist Church). Call 361-882-1165 http://www. overeatersanonymus.org. City Council - The Gregory City Council will begin meeting the first and third Monday’s of the month in October, in the City of Gregory Housing Authority building at 6:30 p.m. Special meetings will be held in the council chambers at a time to be announced. The next regular sched- uled council meeting is Oct. 15, at 6:30 p.m. School Board - The Gregory-Portland Independent School District Board meets the third Tuesday of every month at the district’s offices at 608 College St. The next regular meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 16. Got News tips, photos or story ideas you would like to see run in the Portland News? Contact our office by phone at 643-1566 or email at [email protected] SENATOR Z. 3 X 10.5 PORTLAND continued from page one New location T&H Sales and Service celebrated the grand re-opening of business, at the new location at 341 Highway 35 in Gregory Wednesday morning, with the Portland Chamber of Commerce and many of its members on hand to help celebrate. Pictured (l-r) are Portland Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sue Zimmermann, Dick Myers, Crystal Castro, Leslie Acosta, Teri Owen, John McQuery, Marcia Tesauro, Teresa Turner (owner), Tiffany Anzaldua, Nick Turner (owner), Pat Farias, Oscar Cisneros (worker), Nathan East, Jay Wheless, Brandon Doyle (worker), Glenda Witman, and Leroy Cornelius. If you have any questions please let me know. POLLY TAYLOR/ News photo Farm Bureau leaders Pictured (l-r) are San Patricio County Farm Bureau President of the Board of Directors Travis Adams; Guest Speaker Jim Sartwell, Director of Public Policy for Texas Farm Bureau and Matt Setliff, San Patricio County Farm Bureau Vice President of the Board of Directors. SARAH WHETSTONE / News photo Coastal Teacher’s Credit Union 3 X 10.5 Fewer pavement repairs and seeding were required, wich reduced the amount of the contract with Coym, Rehmet & Gutierrez Engineering by $5,224. The council unanimously approved the change order request. DeLatte also asked the council to approve two pay- ments, for the completion of energy efficiency and con- servation projects, retro- fitting lighting fixtures and the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) sys- tem, at the Community Center. During the projects, 139 light fixtures were replaced, and should reduce the city’s energy bill 10 to 12 percent over the next few years. The council unanimously approved both of DeLatte’s requests. Portland Fire Chief Tim Vanlandingham asked the council to consider Resolution No. 657, which would adopt the Coastal Ben Mitigation Plan. The plan is designed to help reduce losses in the future from hurricanes, high winds, flooding and drought. The resolution would adopt the updated Coastal Bend Mitigation Action Plan (CBMAP), which is reviewed periodically and updated, and covers a seven county region. Before the State of Texas will accept the plan, all of the participating juridic- tions and municipalities must adopt it. The city council unani- mously approved adoption of Resolution No. 657. control and the use of pre- scribed burns. • We support requiring RMA adjusters to have suffi- cient experience with the crop they are adjusting, whether by college education or on-farm experience. • RMA should encourage harvest incentives. • We encourage the state to develop a database to track the serial numbers of tires in order to discourage illegal dumping. • We support a mandatory deposit on all new tires. The fees should be graduated based on the size of the tire. The state should also give a refund of deposit on returned tires. The evening’s speaker was James Sartwell, Director of Public Policy for Texas Farm Bureau, headquartered in Waco, who gave a presenta- tion on the increasing diffi- culty of managing water infrastructure needs in Texas to support 1,000 people per day moving into the state. He talked about the challenges Corpus Christi-area farmers face in a growing urban and suburban atmosphere and ways modern farmers are addressing the changing pop- ulation landscape. He also addressed the political arena and upcoming election peri- od, noting that Congressman Blake Farenthold was one of only two representatives who received a perfect 100 on vot- ing record when the agency scored politicians. Current Directors include: Matt Setliff, Nick Pinkston, Bobby Rieder, Marvin Beyer, Dennis Brezina, Clarence Chopelas, Bob Dillon, Lynn Drawe, David Krebs, Andy Miller, Troy Nedbalek, Charles Ring, Wesley Schmidt, Erich Schneider and Jeff Stapper.