The Modesto Bee from Modesto, California • 13

The Modesto Bee metro FRIDAY JANUARY 9 1981 b-1 Coelho says Carter won't budge on Melones By THORNE GRAY Coelho said spoken to a fair number of Coelho said efforts to make In a town hall meeting in Bee staff writer is firm and not revers- know the White House has the Stanislaus within New Me- Merced that day Carter called he said was so in- remarks were re- our request under consider- lones a national monument or to the Stanislaus one of the most IV1' poop believed structed todav bv the White ceived with anger and dissa- Fantin said otherwise protect the river by beautiful rivers in the nation and ByTHORNEGRAY Bee staff writer The five people believed Coelho said is firm and not he said was so instructed today by the White spoken to a fair number of remarks were re ceived with anger and off the top I bet a lie know the White House has our request under Fantin said Coelho said efforts to make the Stanislaus within New Melones a national monument or to otherwise protect the river by In a town hall meeting Merced that day Carter called the Stanislaus one of the most beautiful rivers in the nation and chained in New Melones Reservoir have no chance to persuade President Carter to name the Stanislaus River a national monument Rep Tony Coelho D-Merced said Thursday Can tell you the administration is not planning to take any However White House spokesman Rich Nelson after 5 pm Washington time was unable to confirm report locate anyone who told Coelho Nelson said dissa-pointment by Dennis Fantin of Berkeley the blind spokesman for the five who Fantin says chained themselves in the reservoir Monday to protest its filling and sent the keys to Carter certainly the first heard of Fantin said Coelho is the of San Joaquin Valley agribusiness with its obvious interest in receiving subsidized water from New Melones and he is no friend of disabled people or of human rights for disabled Fantin added Presidential decree have been going on for more than a month Those internal discussions have borne no fruit for the forces who want to save the Stanislaus because Carter has upheld a commitment he made to Coelho on July 4 the congressman said declared he would make it a national wild river if a bill with that protection reached his desk Coelho said he told the president right after the speech that he have any SeePage 2 MELONES Planners approve 50-acre project near country club the Turlock Planning Commission was made at a meeting Wednesday night illegally held behind closed doors The city action was made at a Turlock restaurant about 15 minutes before a joint City Council-commission meeting But because the impromptu commission meeting was not announced to the public or the press the city attorney ruled the action was void it is more than a museum piece of love' is taking shape By NANCY NEHER Bee staff writer A 42-lot subdivision near the Del Rio Country Club was approved Thursday night by the Stanislaus County Planning Commission despite concerns about traffic congestion on McHenry Avenue and Stewart Road And in a Turlock-area matter the commission approved zoning for a truck terminal on Golden State Boulevard at Taylor Road over the objections of some Turlockers concerned about a secret meeting over the matter In the Del Rio development commissioners unanimously approved the tentative map for the project to be built by Joaquin Construction Co on land owned by Berberian Farms Action came after neighbors complained that new development would worsen the already bad traffic situation at the McHenry-Stewart intersection Robert Goldberg representing the Del Rio Homeowners Association said the Joaquin Development coupled with another 98-unit subdivision proposed nearby would double or triple the traffic in the area not here to oppose the project but we want to ask you to do something about the traffic Goldberg said Commissioners too said they were concerned about Del Rio traffic congestion but pointed out the area was reviewed by property owners and commissioners about two years ago and the consensus was to allow de-veolpment a traffic problem out there but a problem of their own said Commissioner Dick Vermeulen Local road projects generally are financed by the county with some financial heln from developers Planning Director Harter Bruch said But in recent years money money has been so tight have problems just keeping potholes said Ray Edwards chief civil engineer In the Turlock rezoning the commission considered delaying a decision because a recommendation for approval from A B-50D Super Fortress shows 'Labor By JOE THOME McClatchv Newspapers Service CASTLE AIR FORCE BASE The Castle Air Museum be a plain old museum And if a dedicated group of men and women have their way it will be more than an old plane museum Lt Col Jerry Rhyne Heritage Task Force Director for Castle Air Forece Base calls the museum labor of for the volunteers devoting their free time to restoring vintage airplanes Those workers members of the Castle Air Museum Foundation and base officials broke ground for the museum recently on a 10-acre site between the Castle Hospital and the base boundary along Santa Fe Road Castle officials say the museum is being established for two reasons: preserve Air Force and Castle heritage for future and show generation how the Air Force has evolved from the US Army Air Corps of the 1940s The museum will house American bombers uniforms equipment aero-space displays photographs and other artifacts in two World War II surplus buildings which will be moved to the site and restored to look as they did during wartime Seven planes are already in the collection They are a B-17 Flying Fortress a B-25 Mitchell a B-29 Super Fortress a B-45 Tornado an A-26 Invader a B50D Super Fortress and KC-97 Stratofreighter And officials are working to acquire an F-105 a C47 and a U-6 according to Rhyne Much of the money for the Schools fear cuts in budget Gov proposed state budget for 1981-82 could leave public schools and colleges with less money at a time when inflation is a hard- hitting fact of life But the budget battle has just begun with the real struggle to come in the state Legislature educators say Tom Van Groningen superintendent of the Yosemite Community College District said optimistic about any (state aid) increase being anywhere near the rate of inflation We are now facing the realities of Proposition Van Groningen estimated the inflation rate at 12 percent one has seen the budget document yet We anticipated it would be tight but we anticipate zero percent (increase) We had expected an increase of 1 to 5 or 6 he said cutbacks unofficially disclosed in Sacramento on Wednesday propose education welfare and other major state spending programs in line for automatic increases be limited to increases of 475 percent Also "cautiously about the action was Walter Olson president of Stanislaus State College in Turlock use to be down in the mouth he said adding SeePage B-2 BUDGET are proposing a development on land along Dry Creek between Church Street and the Sante Fe Railroad tracks To be allowed to develop the land the owners must get a General Plan amendment In an environmental review of the project planners said the development would promote urban sprawl and would conflict with the agricultural use of adjacent land However Swatman argued that the development would preserve prime farmland elsewhere and would offer a new type of housing but I want it without some cooperation with the Wilhoit said The supervisor said the county is trying to find a suitable site to establish the sports complex That search apparently is bogged down in a political decision as to where it should be located Wilhoit said he believes the complex should be in a central location where all residents of Stockton Lodi Tracy and other areas could use it Stockton he See Page 2 PARKS Dry Creek development plan put off until April Fresno Bee photos museum's collection in the early 1940s Individuals may join the museum foundation by donating $2 for students $10 for adults for sustaining for contributing and $1000 or more for life memberships Applications are available by contacting the Castle Air Museum Foundation Inc PO Box 488 Atwater CA 95301 cockpit of this A-26 of seven vintage planes in the planes have been dedicated to aviation heroes The B-17 was dedicated in honor of Brig Gen Frederick Castle for whom Castle AFB was named: the B-25 Mitchell was dedicated in honor of Lt Gen Jimmy Doolittle and the A-26 Invader was dedicated to Col John A Macready a former aviation pioneer who was commander of Merced Army Airfield (forerunner of Castle) Workers will try to restore the said in an acceptance message after being sworn in Monday In going after parks Wilhoit appears to have seized on one of those issues deserving of attention but forced to compete with other public concerns in the tight post Proposition 13 era Wilhoit said he favored improving the park system this year to make it serve more people At present there are 25 parks in the system including Durham Ferry to serve the southern part of San Joaquin and Oak Grove near Stockton to ser the A B-17 Flying Fortress is one venture comes from the Castle Air Museum Foundation a non-profit tax exempt organization formed by private citizens Restoration of some of the airplanes is finished Others sit with gaping holes in their skins exposing ducts and wiring that would baffle anyone but an experienced airplane technician Three of the museum air in later interviews said the county had few camping sites its dedicated equestrian trail system was nonexistent" there were almost no facilities for softball or archery and no regional sports of any kind Wilhoit pointed out the county did have a zoo at Micke Grove but that it was in dire need of expansion county has made commendable progress during the past five years in expanding park facilities but we still have many glaring deficiencies" he Airman 1st Class Tom Clements twirls drone's propeller A snafu in the legal advertising prompted the Stanisalus County Planning Commission Thursday night to postpone hearing a proposal for a 50-unit cluster housing development on 50 acres of farmland east of Modesto Property owner Donald Swat-man agreed to the delay which means the matter will not be considered by the commission until April not suprised something like this occurred and I want to present my case under any Swatman said Swatman and Merle Alldrin another million dollar plus development the long-awaited 180-acre Durham Ferry Park on the San Joaquin River near Manteca and Tracy And state Department of Boating and Waterways officials apparently give high priority to development of county owned Spud Island in the San Joaquin River Delta as a recreational haven for boaters Wilhoit said he has mixed feelings about Spud Island and particularly if the state barges in to push for development be opposed to it New board chairman raps San Joaquin County parks northern area of the economic condition people travel too far from home So it is important that county provide more parks and recreational facilities for them if there is money to do Wilhoit said Some of the answers to meet deficiencies already are in the works including a $13 million sports complex that would have eight lighted softball fields and four softball fields a tennis complex and facilities for handball and racquetball Also the county has plans for ByBRYCE WHITE Bee staff writer STOCKTON Nature is often hidden said the philosopher Francis Bacon but it is not clear whether he had San Joaquin Countyin mind According to Doug Wilhoit who this week was sworn in as chairman of the board of supervisors the county has not allocated enough resources to make the natural beauty accessibleto residents Specifically Wilhoit in his opening speech to the board and.