STORIES FROM THE PAST
50 years ago
The swimming pool is vivid blue and Central Union High School finally has a “front” in new full-color architect drawings shown to CUHS trustees. They are of construction proposed under the upcoming Jan. 30 bond election.
Color renderings were requested by trustees from architects Bryant Jehle and Associates to better show the work proposed. Drawings will be used in talks before Parent-Teacher Associations, civic and service clubs and in voter material.
The $1.5 million bond issue was narrowly defeated in November and was immediately rescheduled by CUHS trustees “to impress upon the voters the need to pass it,” because of increases in enrollment.
The proposed bonds would complete a master plan for the high school, providing 12 additional classrooms, a high school administration unit with teacher’s workroom, nurse’s office, attendance and counseling area, student body office, principal and assistant principal’s offices (freeing two additional classrooms now taken up by these) and completing air conditioning of 30 existing classrooms.
40 years ago
Dr. Daniel Angel, a 38-year-old legislator from Michigan, was hired by the Imperial Valley College Board on Friday as IVC’s third president.
He will succeed Dr. Terrel Spencer, who will retire in June. Angel will begin at the college in February, in time to assist in preparation of next year’s budget.
“We really believe the community will be satisfied with the choice,” Board President Clem Muller said Friday after a 90-minute board meeting with only 10 minutes in open session. “He is an outstanding man.”
Muller said Angel will be offered a four-year contract at an annual salary of $38,000. Angel presently makes $22,000 plus $4,500 in expenses as a second-term Republican representative in Michigan’s Legislature.
30 years ago
The Calipatria Hornets played the Central Spartans a lot closer than most people expected them to, but the Spartans eventually defeated the Hornets 46-37 in the championship game of the 23rd Annual Central Boys Basketball Tournament.
It was the first victory for the Spartans in the title game of the tournament since 1981, when they defeated Brawley 57-34.
Brawley defeated Palo Verde 73-63 to win the consolation bracket and Calexico defeated Imperial 3936 to take third place.
Central’s Ralph Bellamy was voted the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Joining Bellamy on the All Tournament team were Gene Martin (Central), Jesse Baeza (Brawley), David Hickman (Calexico), David Huff (Imperial), and Robert Romero of Calipatria.
20 years ago
The water transportation dispute between the San Diego County Water Authority and Metropolitan Water District has been like a Beatles’ song: the long and winding road.
For more than two years the two water agencies have tried to reach an agreement over how much San Diego should pay MWD to move, or “wheel,” conserved Imperial Valley water through MWD’s Colorado River Aqueduct.
The two sides have gone back and forth, sometimes appearing close to an agreement and other times almost breaking apart.
San Diego has proposed paying $68.50 per acrefoot to wheel water, including power costs; MWD has offered $70 to $120 per acre-foot, plus power costs (about $30 per acre-foot). A high wheeling rate could make uneconomical the proposed Imperial Irrigation District-San Diego water transfer of 130,000 to 300,000 acre-feet a year. A low wheeling rate could cause rates to rise for MWD’s 26 other member agencies than SDCWA.