Football, wrestling and doomed cesspools

100 years ago

The Odessa Record

December 7, 1919

News updates: Weber, Schimke and Schatz as councilmen and Reiman as treasurer were elected without a dissenting vote at the city election.

A blizzard, followed by zero weather, hit this week. Summer fallow was swept clean by a strong wind and drifts piled up to a height of five feet. W. C. Raugust of Batum started for Ritzville the morning of the storm and took all day to make the trip. Plumber C. M. Smith was busy thawing out water pipes.

North Dakota is sweltering under the prosperity of its newly elected nonpartisan league. Several semi-socialist projects have been put in force and taxes have increased 450 percent.

There will be a meeting of ex-service men at the city hall Tuesday to form a local post of the American Legion.

Attorney W. M. Nevins returned Wednesday from Olympia where he had a case before the supreme court.

The Portland Flouring Mills company is enlarging the size of its office with an addition at the rear of the building.

The high school boys commenced basketball practice in Derr’s garage this week. The high school boys will share rental of the building with the town team, of which Slats Wachter is manager and Cecil Jenks coach.

Other players that have reported for work include Al Wagner, Charles Kucera, H. H. Rieke, Claude Gillispie, John Schoonover, Arthur Schatz and Gus Weber.

The Red Cross Christmas seal for financing a fight against tuberculosis was placed on sale this week.

Miss Rachel Kister of Irby was an Odessa visitor yesterday.

The snow storm caused train delays, the mail trains coming in 12 hours late.

Leon Allard arrived Wednesday following his discharge from the navy. Leon was the next to the last to be discharged. The last one is the boy that the Record office is patiently waiting for, C. A. Bragg, its foreman.

Will Raugust, Batum fuel dealer, was a Record visitor. He states that he still has a carload of fuel left, the only fuel remaining for sale in the area.

The Rieke Motor company installed free air service for its trade this week, with two outdoor units.

Miss Languille has resigned from the local schools to teach at Kellogg, Idaho, and Miss Scott, a recent Cheney graduate, has been hired to replace her.

A million dollar irrigation project, with power plant and 25 miles of canals is planned at Leavenworth.

A new bridge is to be built across the Wenatchee river at Cashmere.

75 years ago

The Odessa Record

December 7, 1944

Football team club guests: The championship football team of the Odessa high school and Coach Leroy Hook were guests of the commercial club at the Wednesday noon luncheon of that group. Coach Hook gave a brief talk on “why does a team click?” and introduced his squad. Sol Reiman spoke for the club and Ralph Heimbigner, captain, spoke in response.

Honored at the meeting were Ralph Heimbigner, four year letter man; Gerald Schafer, Howard Odell, Jim Luiten, Lloyd Carlson, Mark Cosgrove and Howard Michaelsen, two year men; and Dick Laney, Wallace Weishaar, Warren Weishaar, Merlin Jantz, Kenneth Melcher, Dick Kareen, Dave Williams, Don Zicha, Tony Groh, Paul Totusek, Leland Frederick, Walter Deife, Don Schibel, Denny Smith, Wayne Walter and Jim Smith, first year men, and Dick Kanda and Eugene Frieske, managers. Coach Leroy Hook accompanied the team.

The Goodfellows committee reported that there were no cases of actual need in the community. The group was directed to turn its attention to securing some pre-war toys for the children at the Washington Children’s Home.

A. H. Luiten announced that the collection day for the Victory Shop was to be Saturday, December 16, and that the Lions club would have volunteer workers to handle donations at the OPA office. The Lions club play for next Wednesday was also announced.

The decorations committee offered a report that it would not be possible to use the outdoor lightning this Christmas, but that the Lions club would furnish Christmas trees for street use.

Soaking rains are recorded here: Rainfall during the past week reached .62 of an inch and fell on unfrozen ground. The season total since September 1 is now 3.35 inches.

Winter wheat was planted by many ranchers during the dry period and much of this is up and showing excellent growth, hampered in part by the early cold spell. On three of the past seven days temperatures dropped to freezing.

Michaelsen is named mayor: Odessa’s city election Tuesday brought out a record vote of 275, in the first election held under the new plan adopted this year. J. C. Michaelsen, a former mayor, received 147 votes to defeat Jno. C. Jantz, incumbent, with 127.

Winning the councilmen posts were Howard Moore, with 156 votes, L. O. Williams, 146, and Con H. Eckhardt, 144. Other candidates were Gus A. Weber, who received 130 votes, A. W. Birge, 116, and Henry Michaelsen Jr., 114.

The race was marked by friendliness, and voters had to make a choice between candidates, as reflected in the close voting. It was anybody’s race until the final vote was counted.

W. C. Raugust and J. W. Scrupps are the holdover councilmen, and will be the only two remaining from the former city officials, the Tuesday vote putting in a complete new personnel. Jacob Quast and Robert Brauer, former councilmen, had not filed for re-election. Birge was the incumbent candidate.

The election brings to a close the 10 year term of Jno. C. Jantz, who was a successful sticker candidate during the 1934 election and was retained in office each year since.

Election officials were F. B. Totusek, Mrs. Emma Aherin and C. E. Weber. Robert Brauer assisted the group at the counting.

50 years ago

The Odessa Record

December 4, 1969

Grower interest indicates Odessa may get bean plant next year: Interest shown by area farmers in the raising of beans on part of their irrigated acres brings the prospect of the establishment of a modern dry bean processing plant in Odessa, members of the Chamber of Commerce learned at Monday’s meeting.

A meeting was held here last week, under the auspices of the Odessa Trading Co., at which time a survey was made of those farmers with water available interested in raising beans next summer. Indications are, according to a report by W. C. Raugust, that there will be a sufficient supply of beans raised locally to warrant the establishment of a processing warehouse.

If the plans are continued, the OTC will be revamping its 60x220-foot warehouse in north Odessa to handle the new crop. The firm has had experience in handling beans in the Basin, Raugust reported.

A guest at the chamber meeting this week was a newcomer to Odessa, Jack Talbott who is managing the newly-opened Scaggs Tire Center at the Union Oil station.

A report from Paul Hopp, decorations chairman, was that the holiday pole fixtures had been erected Sunday and were being lit for the season. New cross-street strings of lights are being made this year and will be hung upon completion. A crew of chamber members worked on the project of replacing light bulbs in the pole fixtures and attaching sockets to cross-street lines last Wednesday evening.

Discussion at the meeting indicated that additional fixtures should be purchased to complete the installation in the business district on the south edge of First Avenue.

A motion was introduced and passed asking that the Odessa TV Club and the City Council work for a system of assessment of TV set owners to cover costs of maintaining and modernizing the translator installation for this community. One possibility would be to have the city take over responsibility for the installation.

It was reported at chamber that just over 50 percent of the town TV owners had contributed their annual $10 dues this fall under the voluntary system of raising necessary funds. Reason for the resolution was to make financing of the translators more equitable, instead of having 50 percent pay and 50 percent as free-riders.

OHS wrestlers open season against Wilbur here Friday night: Twenty-one boys are turning out for the Odessa high school wrestling team. This week’s match starts the second year of the sport in Odessa.

“With 11 returning from last year’s team, prospects look good,” Coach Jack Hester reports.

Counted on to produce most of Odessa’s wins are returning lettermen Steve Larson, 112 pound class; John Schafer, 120 pounds; Dean Michaelsen and Allan Voise, 127 pounds; Tracy Kissler, 133 pounds; Mark Cronrath, 138 pounds; Virgil Schmidt and Doug Hemmerling, 145 pounds; Tom Weishaar, 165 pounds; Ron Keller, 175 pounds; and Bill Schlimmer, heavyweight.

Filling out this year’s team are Richard Weber, 103; Tom Null, 112; Jack Praetorius, 127; Rich Roberts, 120; Rick Thompson, 154; Charles Kissler, 165; Bill Walter, 175; Mike Braun, 180, and Paul Scheller, 191.

The Tiger Wrestlers have a full schedule of 12 matches lined up with the first one being this Friday, December 5, against Wilbur at Odessa at 7:00 p.m.

“The boys show a lot of enthusiasm and have been working hard for the past three weeks to get ready,” the coach states. “Even though we are quite inexperienced, and lack depth in almost all weight classes, we’re looking forward to a successful season.”

Exciting basketball season predicted by Coach Nelson: “It appears that the overall league will be strong which should provide some exciting basketball this winter,” Coach Don Nelson stated this week in announcing the opening of the 1969-70 basketball season.

The Tiger basketballers opened at Davenport Tuesday in a Jamboree scheduled there. On Friday night the teams travel to Wilbur then return to travel to Lind on Saturday night.

“We have two returning lettermen in Tom Renner and Neil Jeske,” Nelson explains, “so we will be young and inexperienced at the beginning of the season. The team has been working very hard concentrating on fundamentals.”

The varsity includes Tom Renner, 6’3” 160-lb. senior; Dave Wiest, 5’10” 145-lb. senior; Doug Meek, 6’ 150-lb. senior; Neil Jeske, 6’7” 170-lb. junior; Marty Meise, 5’11” 150-lb. junior; Jim Weber, 5’8” 155-lb. junior; Reid Schafer, 5’9” 140-lb. junior; Mel Jantz, 6’ 175-lb. junior; Dale Deife, 5’10” 145-lb. junior; Mark Wagner, 6’ 150-lb. sophomore; and Greg Haase, 6’1” 155-lb. freshman.

Assistant Coach Leigh Murchie concentrates his efforts with the Tiger B team which includes Bob Suchland, Mark Iksic, Jeff Stout, Wade Walter, Tom Schuh, Gary Pierce, Owen Heimbigner, Douglas Winter, Ivan Groh and Irvin Groh.

C Coach Carl Ryan has these upcoming prospects: Clark Kagele, Lynn Schmidt, Lynn Heimbigner, Robin Weishaar, Norm Ott, Keith Cronrath, Duane Bays, Cory Benzel, Gary Fink, Dennis Goetz and Ken Groh.

25 years ago

The Odessa Record

December 8, 1994

Junk law seen as key to cleanup: Odessa may again live up to its reputation as the region’s neatest and cleanest town when a new ordinance relating to nuisance and abatement of junk vehicles goes into effect.

The second reading of the ordinance was given Monday night at the meeting of the Odessa Town Council, which then passed the measure.

“In a couple of years we’ll be done with them,” said Mayor Denny McDaniel. He was referring to the junk vehicles and parts of vehicles which are found in various neighborhoods of Odessa.

The new anti-junk law was adopted “to preserve the character and safety of the town’s neighborhoods by eliminating as nuisances junk vehicles from private property and to provide procedures for the removal of junk vehicles.”

Still to be worked out is a method of removing junk vehicles from streets and private property. Council members suggested the town might tow or haul away the vehicles from streets or private property using town equipment. Another plan is to contract with a registered tow truck operator.

Violators of the ordinance face a fine of $250 in addition to costs of removal and disposal of the vehicle.

The ordinance provides that Odessa Police will notify the last registered owner of record of a junk vehicle, who may request a hearing within 10 days. If no hearing is requested, the costs for removal will be assessed to the owner or to the landowner on whose property the junk vehicle is stored.

The ordinance defines a junk vehicle as one three years old or more, extensively damaged, apparently inoperable and having an approximate fair market value equal only to the value of the scrap in it.

There are several vehicles fitting this description on Odessa streets and in yards.

McDaniel said the new statute has teeth in it to enable the cleanup of neighborhoods which have been a blight on the town.

“If we’re going to clean up the town, we’ve got to do it right,” he said.

Regulations may doom cesspools: Look almost anywhere, and you’ll discover a new regulation which changes things from the way they once were.

Federal and state regulations are certainly changing the way small towns like Odessa are dealing with waste treatment and disposal. New standards have been set for existing sewers, making it necessary for municipalities to spend millions to update their systems.

Odessa has so far avoided this, and many residents, in retrospect, are happy that the town never had a sewer. But new septage rules which the state soon will impose are bound to upset Odessa’s complacency.

On January 1, the on-site sewage regulation become effective. It will require a sand filter for residential septic systems in areas of course gravel and rocky soil, which is typical of the ground on which most of Odessa is built.

When present septic systems, including dry wells and seepage pits fail, it will no longer be a question of simply pumping them out. They will have to be completely replaced. The same regulation applies to all new construction. Expansion of a home means a new septic system which meets minimum-size lot regulations. Most existing Odessa homes are built on lots which won’t qualify.

The cost of a new system meeting on site sewage regulation specifications will be about $12,000, according to Lincoln County Director of Environmental Health Ed Dzedzy, whose office is charged with implementing the new rule.

Even for septic systems which are in working order and don’t need replacement but only occasional pumping, new septage rules will apply, said Dzedzy. By next year, the state Department of Ecology will require screening or grinding of effluent pumped from cesspools. It is presently allowable to dispose of effluent pumped from cesspools in designated aboveground areas. The new septage rules will require that the effluent be dumped into a waste disposal and treatment system. This could mean that Lincoln County will have to establish its own lagoon system to accept effluent pumped from private septic systems.

By the middle of next month, the Odessa Town Council will receive a report from Wyatt Jaykim, the engineering firm which has been conducting a feasibility study for Odessa’s proposed waste treatment and disposal system. This will be the first indication of the cost of the entire system and the probably cost per household.

Homeowners and property owners in Odessa have feared the cost of hooking up to a new sewer. A ballpark figure often quoted is $4,000. For residents unable to meet this cost, funds from grants which are expected for financing the sewer, would be available.

Once the sewer plan is made known, the Town of Odessa will be able to present government agencies with firm figures on costs in requests for grants and funding for the project. But before construction ever begins, the sewer measure will be presented to Odessa citizens for their consideration and approval.

A sewer won’t automatically end Odessa’s waste disposal problems. Government guidelines and regulations also are reaching to communities which have sewers. Because of new standards, sewer rates have doubled in many small towns, and it is forecast they will double again as a result of expensive sewage treatment systems and improvements which regulators require.

When Odessa residents make their decision as to whether or not they want a sewer they will have to consider the future. Whichever direction they follow, it’s going to cost them more money.

Maybe a $4,000 hookup charge will be more acceptable than the $12,000 price tag for an on-site sewage system.