Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 19

Brochures in the mail This evening's off Power company strives to explain roundup By doug McMillan Starting today, most Northern Nevada residents will be receiving tan brochures along with their electric bills, outlining the Sierra Pacific Power Company's reasons for requesting $11.2 million in utility rate increases. The pamphlets are filled with statistics denoting spiraling costs: 6-inch water main up 67 per cent in the'past five years, wire up 69 per cent, utility poles climbing from $58 to $117 apiece for a 101 per cent increase. Beyond these inflationary forces is another kind of growth population. To keep pace with the area's population growth, Sierra Pacific is going to have to spend $626 million over the, next seven years for new power plants, said Joe L. Gremban, whose signature appears at the end of a "Dear Customer" letter on the brochures.

Gremban, president of Sierra Pacific, lectured reporters for two hours with the help of pie charts, stockholders reports, and long lists of seven-digit figures at the utility's headquarters on Moana Lane. The briefing was in preparation for hearings before the THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE REVENUE DOLLAR 1975 INTEREST $10,056,000 COST Of FUEL FOR GENERATION TAXES $8,386,000 i 27,428,000 a 84 Nevada Public Service Commission Feb. 19-20 on the company's application for the rate hikes: 13 per cent for electricity, 4.5 per cent for natural gas and 18.8 per cent for water. Electricity rates would comprise most of the increase, adding $9,267,000 of the $11.2 million, if the commission grants Sierra Pacific's request in full. Sierra Pacific gave examples of impacts on homeowners: A customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month would pay $4.65 per month more for electricity, A gas bill for 200 therms would go up $2.09 monthly and the usual $9.97 monthly water charge would reach $1 1 .85 per month.

Such a household might be a three-bedroom home occupied by a family of four with an electric water heater and the usual appliances. Sierra Pacific is in a bind, said Gremban, caught between the need to expand its facilities to serve the area's rapid growth and the rising interest rates to finance expansion, i "If we can moderate our growth, then the impact will be somewhat minimized," Gremban said in his lecture. Asked if he meant that present Sierra Pacific customers are going to have to pay higher utility bills to finance power plants for future waves of new Nevada residents, the power company president replied, "In part, we're all paying the price for growth." If Sierra Pacific does not have to build new facilities as fast as present population trends say it should, the savings to individual consumers would be significant, he said. "We are advocates of moderate growth for our community," Gremban said. No growth would result in a "stagnant community," he said.

i "Some growth is desirable, but we don't want to grow so rapidly that we are hard put to keep up with it." i Not all of the demand is due to new customers; he hastened to add. The average Northern Nevada resident used four per cent more electricity in 1975. Customer's use was increased about three per cent a year before that. Thus the increased consumption by existing customers accounted for almost half of the yearly 8.5 per cent increase in total demand for power Northern Nevada has experienced in recent years, said Gremban. This combined total new people moving into the area and most people using more electricity has gone up faster than for the rest of the country, he said.

Total demand in other parts of the nation has risen about five to six per cent. Sierra Pacific hooked up utilities to more than 5,000 new homes last year with a five per cent increase in both gas and electric customers. New customers increase the company's sales, but those new profits are more than offset by the costs of building a new power plant and expanding other facilities, including the high 11 per cent to 11.5 per cent interest rates: the company would have to issue to finance the new ad VEAR 8 TEAR 7,748,000 REINVESTMENT IN PREFERRED STOCK DIVIDENDS $2,760,000 OUSINESS 1,499,000 ..7 MATERIAL 8 SERVICE OTHER THAN OIL FUEL $6,565,000 19 A PURCHASE OF Catholic funds Pope Paul VI has given the Diocese of Reno, which includes all of Nevada, $20,000 to help meet its financial obligations, officials have announced. Bishop Norman F. McFarland, Apostolic Administrator of the diocese, said Tuesday the gift is the second from the Pope to the financially troubled diocese.

Pope Paul previously sent Nevada $11,600 in November, 1974. The money is from a bequest given to the Pope for use at his own discretion. The Reno Diocese has been in financial difficulties since 1974 when a religious trust fund in which it had invested collapsed. Downtown Vegas LAS VEGAS AP) Plans were unveiled today for a new organization to promote development and tourism in the downtown Las Vegas area. Members of the Downtown Casino Association presented the plan during a noon luncheon attended by about 100 businessmen and government officials.

Plans are to set up' a permanent organization called "Downtown Progress Inc. to be funded by local businesses. Don Ashworth of the Golden Gate Hotel said the main concern will be to improve appearance of the downtown area, improve traffic flow and plan for development of a mini-convention center in the area. Porno appearance The Greater Reno Chamber of Commerce wants adult bookstores and movie theaters to clean up their exterior signs and advertisements. "There is no way that we can have an effective downtown beautification program and tolerate the current ap-; pearances of this segment of our business community," chamber president Bill Kottinger said Tuesday.

Kottinger noted that core areas in many communities have a serious problem with lowering property values and the vacating of many traditional businesses due to the distasteful appearances of adult stores and theaters. The chamber's board of directors voted Tuesday to contact the owners of adult stores to see if they will voluntarily improve the exteriors of their businesses. Prostitution fight LAS VEGAS (AP) The Clark County Commission has passed on a first reading a new anti-prostitution ordinance that would apply to men as well as women. The measure is intended to replace an existing ordinance that was struck down by the courts as being too vague. Under the new ordinance, a person is subject to arrest who "repeatedly beckons to, stops, attempts to stop, or engages persons passing by in conversation; repeatedly stops or attempts to stop motor vehicle operators by hailing, waving of arms or any other bodily jesture." The ordinance says an officer must give the person subject to arrest a chance to explain his or her actions.

New hotel LAS VEGAS (AP) The Clark County Commission has approved plans for a new 23-story hotel on the Strip. The hotel, to be developed by Xanadu would be at the corner of Tropicana Ave. Attorney Herb Jones said Xanadu's chief officer is Tandy McGinnes of Las Vegas; The property, across the street from the Tropicana Hotel, is owned by Howard Downes of Coral Gables, Fla. Plans for the hotel include 1,775 rooms, a casino, lounge restaurant, show room, convention facilities and indoor tennis courts. Crockett trial Jury selection got under way Tuesday for the Washoe district court murder trial of Edward N.

Crockett with attorneys questioning possible jurors from among a field of about 80 ordered to appear for the case. A defense spokesman said the unusually large number of prospective jurors were assembled because of the extensive pre-trial publicity given the charge against Crockett. Crockett is accused of the 1974 murder north of Lemmon Valley of his 15-year-old step-daughter Blythe Harrington. Selection of jurors for what will be at least a two week trial got no further Tuesday than early challenges by ELECTRICITY $11,637,000 7 WAGES $7,340,000 COMMON STOCK DIVIDENDS NATURAL GAS FOR RESALE $9,430,000 Reno Evening Gazette Observations lights and sidelights Reno, Nevada, Wednesday, February 4, 1976 Phone (702) 786-8989 Nineteen I r- ig TREES, EARTH BERM TRUCKEE RIVER WALKWAY PARK Utility trial "I- A ft A Park plan map This is a map of Truckee River Walkway Park river borders the park at the bottom with Ralston proposed by the Reno Bicentennial Committee. The Street on the left and First Street at the top.

Bicentennial park outlined a spreading pine tree and i stood on tahoe's shore alistening to the waves alapping, signing and dying their gentle way to the strand that many a man had trod on another day, but now there stood only a spreading pine tree andi, when suddenly there struck full in the midst of the serenity the wailing yowl of a cat. mark well it was not a meow, it was a yowl, and there is all the difference between them as contentment in repose and shrillness gone amock. truth to tell, to this yowl i said come here, i know you hurt and you are all alone and all the friends who ever petted you and made you purr and slant your eyes were nowhere on that lonely shore and all the hands that put out for you the milk of love were off in the marketplace or fending off the madding crowd and served you naught. i said: come here, but trust had long since gone ascattering, (acattering?) and you only yowled the more in consonance with me as if you really wanted someone to talk to, and i thought how eerily human you were in your needs. slowly, lest i send you ahiding, i broke some crackers into crumbs and then softly, soothingly i retreated from your sight, only to watch from behind the hiding screen your paw-like, graceful approach to the crumbs of care and concern.

kitty, i called carefully and you, with back ahunch and slithered eyes looked my way, and sent me, though you could not see me, mixed with lapping waves a meow and from the core of my soul to the tip of my teeth i smiled. i could not go to you, could not touch you, for trust was still aborning, but someday i will feel you purr in the sunlight and then there will be three of us on tahoe's shore alistening to the waves: a spreading pine tree and i and you with your meow. The triangle of land across from the Greyhound Bus Depot will be developed into a Truckee River Walkway Park complete with trees and a statue by the Reno Bicentennial Commission. The one-third acre parcel bordered by the Truckee River, West First Street and Ralston Street was Tentative plans call for planting 13 pine oak trees, which will surround a triangular walkway through the park. Either a fountain or a sculpture which the commission hopes local artists will contribute to will be in the center of the park.

The commission hopes to have the park completed by July 4 the date of the nation's Bicentennial celebration. donated to the City of Reno by the Fleischmann Foundation several years ago and chosen for the Bicentennial project by the commission. The cost of the project is $30,000 half from the City of Reno and half from a federal Bicentennial grant. Bob Ross, a member of the commission and a landscape architect, developed the plans for the park. CARSON CITY (AP) A court trial is under way on an appeal by Continental Telephone Co.

of a state order granting it just $233,000 of a $1.5 million rate hike request. The Carson District Court trial opened Tuesday. Contel appealed to the court after the state Public Service Commission issued its order. The rate hike affects Henderson, Yerington, Gard-nerville and South Lake Tahoe area customers of the utility. Teacher's meeting Washoe County's 32,000 public school children won't be in class Friday, but the school district truant officers needn't be alarmed.

The students will get a break from school as Washoe County teachers and about 900 educators from other parts of the state gather for Teachers' Institute Day. The workshop-filled day is sponsored by the Washoe County School District and the State Department of Education and will draw teachers from Mineral, Storey, Lyon, Douglas, Pershing and Humboldt counties. Arlington fire A fire at 6:56 p.m. in the rear of a building at 138 N. Arlington forced closure of Arlington Avenue between First and Second streets for more than an hour-Tuesday night.

Cause and official extent of damage was unknown Tuesday night, but fire officials at the scene said damage appeared limited to a rear storage area where a number of cash register tapes were stored, and damage was considered relatively minor. Air service plan The Greater Reno Chamber of Commerce has asked Continental Airlines to apply for permission for a Reno stop on its Albuquerque-San Francisco route. Gaming check expense debated vestigation should be adequate, but that state law prohibits a local sheriff from seeing the state's investigation files in order to determine whether an applicant should be granted a county gaming license. "I would like for us to get that aspect changed by the state legislature. Until then, however, as long as I sit on the licensing board, I want to know the cost and the justification." The commissioners tabled further discussion on the proposed ordinance until Washoe County Sheriff Bob Galli could appear before the board to discuss his views of the investigation fees.

Washoe County commissioners split today on how much the sheriff can spend on background investigations of gaming license applicants without prior approval of the County Gaming Licensing Board. A proposed county ordinance allows an investigation fee up to $5,000 to be charged without prior approval of the licensing board, which is composed of the five county commissioners and the Washoe County sheriff. Commissioner Bob Rusk objected to the $5,000 figure and suggested it be lowered to $1,000. "I do not want to control any investigations, but I do think the cost of any investigation must be justified to this board and the applicant." Chairman Dick Scott disagreed, pointing out he has been against local background investigations in light of the fact that the State Gaming Board conducts extensive backgrounds prior to the applicant coming to the county for a license. Scott said, however, that if the county was going to get into the investigation business, "I think the sheriff should be free to do the job he thinks is necessary without our interference." Rusk said he agreed the state in- lhe chamber, in an effort to improve Reno's air service and its tourism, said if this stop is approved it would open up the Texas market to Reno since the flight originates in Houston-Dallas.

Texans currently have to fly through Denver to come to Reno. The chamber also asked other airlines including Hughes Airwest and United to upgrade service to Alberta, Canada, San Jose, Fresno and Phoenix-Tucson and to retain promotional fares. DESK PARTNER, HERE SNT VEW Energy talk QmjWK i i. I SOflvi: MAAM JTAKIN6UPT00 ZXL)HkI VTy MUCHK0 The Rev. Leo McFadden, long-time Nevada priest, is pastor of St.

Teresa Church in Carson City and a former worlu-traveling, Rome-based correspondent for the National Catholic News Service. "A National Plan for Energy Development and Demonstration," will be discussed Thursday by Mahlon B. Gates, manager of the Nevada Operations Office of the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration (formerly Atomic Energy Commission). Presented by the Mackay School of Mines, at the University of Nevada-Reno, the illustrated lecture will be held at 4 p.m.

in Room 326 of the Scrugham Engineering-Mines Building and is open to the public..