City spraying for mosquitoes





The Pleasanton City Council met June 16 for their regular council meeting. Comprising the council are Mayor Clinton J. Powell, Douglas Best (Dist. 1), Kenneth Hernandez (Dist. 2), Diana Prasifka (Dist. 3), Eliseo Flores (Dist. 4), Robert Earl Wood (Dist. 5) and Travis Hall Jr. (Dist. 6). Councilman Best was unable to attend.

Pleasanton Parks Superintendent Greg Leach reported on mosquito spraying and gave an update in the department.

All districts have been sprayed, said Leach and they are beginning their second run.

“We have also treated all standing water that we can find- drainage ditches, etc.,” said Leach.

The city tries to provide vector three times a week.

“It is completely weather and mainly wind-dependent. Anything above 8 miles an hour, is really not effective,” said Leach.

A wind speed of 3-7 miles per hour is needed to effectively spray for mosquitoes, which is not possible every night.

Leach also said that June had been a busy month for them, with all the rain received early on.

“Most of our assignments have been devoted to mowing and other grounds maintenance. All of our sites have been mowed at least once a week, some two. Even a couple we mow three times a week,” said Leach.

To stay ahead of time and labor, the city has made multiple Round-Up applications. In conjunction with the Pleasanton Little League, the city will be hosting All-Stars this year. There will be three age divisions, more than they have ever held. Also, for the first time the city will be hosting the Sectional Tournament which Leach said will bring teams as far as San Angelo and Lampasas. Over the next three weeks, the city will host 41 teams and their families.

“It is a great event for us to showcase our fields,” said Leach.

To prepare for this, the city has done a lot of work at the Sports Complex. They cleaned up the restroom and he asked everyone to take a look at the fields the next time they go by. They also painted with the new field-striper purchased last year. They installed a new PA system, along with the Little League, which helped cover the costs on that. Earlier in the year the city replaced 48 lights that had burned out.

Under the Consent Agenda, council unanimously approved:

•Minutes of the June 2 regular session

•The final plat for the Parita Shorty’s subdivision

•The use of asset forfeiture funds for the purchase of firearms for the Police Department

•To close the River Park for general use and to waive the fees associated with rental of the park on Aug. 13, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. for the American Cancer Society’s Battle of the Bands event.

Kevin Aniol of the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce invited everyone to the Eagle Heights ribbon cutting ceremony, which was held on June 23. He reported that they donated $10,000 to the Raptor Foundation in San Antonio, which brought an eagle to fly in the area, in support of the Pleasanton Eagles.

Atascosa Health Center

Council heard a presentation on the Atascosa Health Center from CEO Monty Small and CFO Maria Garcia. Since 1976, the Atascosa Health Center has provided quality, accessible medical and health services to patients of all ages and income levels.

AHC has locations in Pleasanton, Karnes City, Wilson County, Live Oak County, McMullen County and Lytle. It covers 5,000 square miles. Small listed many of the physicians and the different fields they represent, such as Dental, Behavioral Health Sciences, etc.

AHC offers special pharmacy services at lower prices and also provides outreach, screening, assessment and the Healthy Texas Women program. AHC’s services also include cancer screening and they assist patients newly diagnosed with cancer.

Small said AHC is planning for a new future site- the Poteet Community Health Center. AHC is open Monday-Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and has extended hours on Wednesday evenings until 8 p.m. The center accepts most major insurance such as Humana and Blue Cross Blue Shield and accepts Medicaid, Medicare and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. They also provide a sliding fee discount program based on income. Regarding seeing minors as patients without parental consent, Small said the center follow state regulations very closely. It depends on the situation and there is a fine-line. They can provide family planning counseling for a minor who comes in asking for that, under the guidance of Texas rules and regulations. However, the center does not talk about abortion or promote abortion.

Mayor Powell thanked AHC for all that they do, which was followed by applause.

Council unanimously moved to direct city staff to enter into an interlocal agreement with the Pleasanton Independent School District for the construction for the Atascosa River Sewer Project, Phase 3. Pleasanton City Engineer John Metting said in the agreement, the City of Pleasanton will construct the sewer line and Pleasanton ISD will fund half of the construction costs. The city will reimburse them over seven years, starting in 2018. Metting recommended that the city enter into the agreement. Mayor Powell explained why the pay-back is over seven years. It was budgeted for 2017-18, two budgets from now. For the city to move the project up, it needs to be done financially the way it is projected out, which is why the pay back is over seven years.

Councilmembers discussed the appointment of members to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Mayor Powell asked for appointments. Resident Ray Samsel said he would continue serving. Ken Hernandez, now on the council, will need a replacement. Mary Gallegos will replace Ben Garza and Julie Bruce will serve for Dist. 3.



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