Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • B4

TM 4B FROM 1B AREA with an ice cream and soda shop, general store, beauty salon and movie theater, is a place designed to celebrate life. At the same time, it is a place where people will go to die. Universal Health Hospice and Palliative Care Facility is a $7 million state-of- the-art center that is designed to comfort people who are supporting and comforting their families. know how to control the said Ray Clark, vice president. But, he said, more difficult to know how to manage the pain of grieving relatives.

Very little here resembles a hospital.There is plenty of color instead of the usual sterile whiteness. It has carpet on the floors, beds with wooden headboards, large family lounge areas in each of the three wings, a place for family members to shower and do their laundry, and beautifully landscaped gardens outside. There are no intercom announcements. A computer system knows where each member of the medical staff is at all times, and they can be contacted by color-coded lighting throughout the building. hear at the passing of your loved one the paging of a doctor or Clark said.

During a short stay the average length is four to seven days the goal is to permit an individual die with peace and Clark said care is given in a holistic way, as is traditional with osteopathic treatment. The doctors and staff members look at more than just the medical aspectsof the patient, making sure that they consider the psyche, as well as the cultural and the spiritualaspects, he said. The model for controlling pain is to keep the patients from hurting but not to sedate them to the point of unconsciousness. try to establish equilibrium between comfort and Clark said. want them to be aware of their family and Many of those facing death, Clark said, tend to hold on until they feel confident that their relatives are doing all right.

That is where some of the extras come in at this unique place. The soda fountain has the familiar soft ice cream as well as a jukebox. The theater has seats like those you would find in a movie house, and, of course, it has a theater- style popcorn machine. As I said, facility is designed so that families can be close. They can reminisce about life while preparing for a loved death.

Even during these days of intense sadness, there can also be laughter and a special kind of joy. It has been open only a few weeks, but it is already having an effect. The first patient arrived April 7. He died the day before my visit last week. During my tour, I ran into a very special nurse making the rounds.

Kathy Walls, the story goes, started the company 12 years ago while working out of broom at a north side office. It is now a multimillion-dollar corporation. owns this big company, but she still goes out and sees said Dr. Mark Sanders, the medical director. find that I also find it amazing but having known Walls for years, it is not surprising that she has such a keen interest in those she is committed to serve.

For a long time, I have been an advocate of hospices, especially after watching the staff of Community Hospice of Texas care for two of my terminally ill loved ones. I now serve on the advisory board of that nonprofit organization and continue to see the good work it does for many other families. It is good to know that when we come to that part of life called death, there are places prepared to help us face it in some degree of comfort and with a great degree of dignity. Bob Ray column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and 390-7775 Sanders: New hospice is a place to celebrate life as it nears its end CONTINUED FROM1B Young recalls insisting. it says here you Young recalls the representative telling him.

Young says he threw a fit. The Verizon representative gave him a credit and suggested that he call ESBI in San Antonio to remove the charge permanently. He did. was pretty teed off when I found out they can put something on my phone bill without any hesaid. The Federal Trade Commission says that Young appears to be one of many telephone customers who are victims of an improper practice called which added charges are crammed onto an already-crowded phone bill.

ESBI, a billing agency that passes along charges through a local phone bill, was cited by the FTC several years ago for the practice. Still, a quick search on the Internet located consumers still complaining of cramming practices by ESBI involving phone companies such as Verizon, Sprint, Qwest and SBC (now called Several e-mails and a phone call to ESBI by The Watchdog were not answered. But two years ago, an ESBI spokeswoman told a Johnstown, reporter: process about 40 million records a month. not a common thing, but occasionally there are In the 2001 settlement with the FTC, ESBI agreed to notifyconsum- ers thattheir billsmight contain unauthorized charges and explainhow theycould obtain refunds. The FTC had charged that ESBI improperly told customers they had to pay charges for services they had not ordered and that it tried to collect those charges through local phone companies.

Verizon spokesman Bill Kula told me that ESBI bills customers, such as Young, for enhanced services such as e-mail, voice mail and Webhosting. He suggested that I ask Young if he had purchased any of those services. When I asked wife, Marie, she answered adamantly: Absolutely not! That is absolutely not true. We did not order The Verizon spokesman said that customers who believe they have been crammedshould call their local telephone service provider and ask that the charges be removed. He said Verizon and most providers can blockmiscellaneous services from being added to a bill.

If you have the block, you can ask for it. Marie Young originally alerted The Watchdog to her cramming episode, she says, because she fears that this is happening to others who do not realize it. need to be more conscientious about looking at the details of all your she cautions. News researcher Cathy Belchercontributed to this report. Dave Watchdog column appears Sundays and Fridays.

(817) 685-3830 Watchdog: Companies can block new services CONTINUED FROM1B ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: LIVE CHAT The Watchdog helps you stand up to the system in a live chat from noon to 1 p.m. each Tuesday. Post questions at any time under at www.star- telegram.com IN THE KNOW How to avoid cramming on your phone bill Check your phone bill each month for unfamiliar charges. Pay special attention to items marked Charges and The FTC warns, may be so small, or described in such general terms, that easy to overlook or to confuse with valid services you may have ordered from another Sometimes these charges are referred to as Use or Understand that your local phone company can bill for services provided by other companies. Be careful when filling out contest forms, especially when they ask for your phone number.

Read the fine print. Remove cramming charges by calling your local phone company to get a refund, and permanently remove the charges by calling the billing company, too. If you think you have been crammed, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.govand the Texas attorney protection division at www.oag.state.tx.us/consumer/ consumer.shtml. SOURCE: Federal Trade Commission SIX FLAGS OVER TEXAS OPENING SATURDAY Kids rate the new batch of family-friendly rides Batwing Location: Gotham City Description: Nine Batplanes fly around an oval-shaped course. Height requirement: Under 48 inches must be accompanied by an adult Rating: Yelena-Yes; Stephan-Yes liked it because it had a white button in the middle to make the plane go Yelena said.

La Fiesta de las Tazas Location: Spain Description: Teacups spin around as fast or as slow as riders want. Height Requirement: Under 42 inches must be accompanied by an adult Rating: Yelena-Yes; Stephan-Yes was actually pretty Stephan said. spinned real fast and actually made me ACME Rock-N-Rocket Location: USA Description: A 50-passenger rocket swings back and forth, making several 360-degree loops. Height requirement: At least 48 inches Opening soon Rodeo Location: Texas Description: Rodeo bulls buck up and down Height requirement: At least 48 inches, and riders under 54 inches must be accompanied by an adult Rating: Yelena-too short to ride; Stephan-No did not move enough plus it was too Stephan said. Crazy Legs Location: Goodtimes Square Description: The four-legged ride moves in a circle while gondolas at the end of the legs move in the opposite direction.

Height requirement: At least 36 inches, and riders under 50 inches must be accompanied by an adult Rating: Yelena-Yes; Stephan-Yes of the best Stephan said. Caddo Lake Barge Location: Between the Tower Section and Boomtown Description: A large barge rocks back and forth across a small lake. Height requirement: Under 42 inches must be accompanied by an adult Rating: Yelena-Yes; Stephan-No sort of felt like I was going to fall into the Stephan said. Sidewinder Location: By the Titan roller coaster Description: The old-time ride looks like an egg-beater scrambling eggs. Height requirement: At least 36 inches, and riders under 48 inches must be accompanied by an adult Rating: Yelena-No; Stephan-Yes like it because I squished my Yelena said.

Cloud Bouncer Location: Goodtimes Square Description: Baskets of hot-air balloons take riders up into the air to view the park. Height requirement: Under 42 inches must be accompanied by an adult Rating: Yelena-Yes; Stephan-No felt like a copy of the teacups except it went up. for smaller Stephan said. Boot Location: By the Texas Giant roller coaster Description: Large boots bounce riders up and down while moving in a circle. Height requirement: Under 36 inches must be accompanied by an adult Rating: Yelena-Yes; Stephan-No went up and down and up and down and because shaped like a boot, why they call it Boot Yelena said.

Gotham City Sprayground Location: Gotham City Description: Timed water fountains shoot water at guests in this interactive sprayground. Height requirement: None Rating: Yelena-Yes; Stephan-Yes squirted water just like a Yelena said. They spin in circles, bounce around and make 360-degree loops. And on Saturday, the public will get its first chance to ride the 10 new family-friendly attractions that Six Flags Over Texas has added to the park this season. But before the official debut, the park let members of the local news media try out the rides Thursday.

And since it was national Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, the Star- Telegram had two of its kids go with their parents. Yelena Koos, the 5-year-old daughter of reporter Andrea Ahles, and Stephan Maxwell, 12, the son of photographer Bruce Maxwell, spent Thursday morning sizing up the rides and rating them with a smile or a bored expression. For most of the new rides, patrons must be more than 42 inches tall to ride alone; sometimes they must be accompanied by an adult. In addition, the ACME Rock-N-Rocket ride was not open but will be in the next few weeks, park general manager Steve Calloway said. Here is what Yelena and Stephan thought: STAR-TELEGRAM houses.

Most of Thursday speakers opposed drilling, although a half- dozen said they were comfortable with the current requirements for drilling and the city ordinance, which has been in effect since Jan. 1, 2002. The recent growth in drilling is an unexpected source of income to property owners who own the mineral rights to their land. Rob Green, a land developer on the task force, said that fatal incident, while tragic, proved that the distance limit is adequate. State law allows wells as close as 200 feet to homes, and anything stricter than that hurts the rights to use their property.

Gary Hogan, a task force member who is president of the Chapel Creek neighborhood association, said the limit should be 1,000 feet unless the driller can show good cause for a decrease. Task force members tentatively agreed to recommend a 600-foot setback but to allow drilling as close as 200 feet from homes if all the surrounding homeowners agreed. The limit would also apply to churches, schools, parks and hospitals. Fort Worth sits over the gas-rich Barnett Shale and is the only large city in Texas to have extensive drilling inside its city limits, with 512 wells approved so far. Gas exploration companies have made offers to residents in inner-city neighborhoods including Morningside Heights and Oakhurst.

The city has leased the mineral rights to about 2,400 acres of city property, mostly parks and airports. So far the city has received about $9 million in bonuses and royalties. The Forest Hill incident was the first gas-well-related fatality in Tarrant County. There was a nonfatal blowout in Haslet in 2002; there have been four blowouts in Denton County since 1997 and 14 in Wise County since 1968, according to the Texas Railroad Commission. The task force still has not settled the question of setbacks between existing gas wells and new construction.

That is likely to be thorny because increasing the limit has a direct effect on the amount of land available for development. Mike Lee, (817) 390-7539 Task force The gas drilling task force has worked since the fall to address concerns about the ordinance regulating drilling, which has been in effect since Jan.1, 2002. The task force comprises nine neighborhood representatives, gas industry representatives, land developers and lawyers. The most intense discussion has been about the distance between gas wells and nearby homes. The task force agreed Thursday to recommend a 600-foot buffer.

Other proposals would: Require drillers to measure ambient noise and make sure that drilling raise the existing noise level by more than fivedecibels Increase permit fees that drillers pay to help pay for enforcement of drilling regulations Restrict deliveries on residential streets to daytime hours Require sites to be gated if they open onto a public street Shorten from 30 days to 10 days the amount of time a driller has to comply when notified of a problem Require fences around mud and water pits Require closed-loop systems, which operate without open pits, on wells close to homes and neighborhoods SOURCE: City of Fort Worth Drilling: Some at meeting urge buffer of at least 1,000 feet CONTINUED FROM1B.