STORIES FROM THE PAST

50 years ago

The Imperial Irrigation District this morning approved in principle plans for a catfish hatchery in Imperial Valley.

Realtor Jack Strobel presented the ideas a group of investors have for converting about 320 acres on the Keystone Road west of the Rose Drain into a fish farm.

Many problems were presented, including the need to lift water to the site because of the land’s elevation. However, Strobel said the group he represents wants to begin construction soon so they can be in operation next spring.

40 years ago

A man’s home is his castle, or so the old saying goes.

But for a senior citizen that castle is pretty hard to find when faced with a fixed income of about $300 a month and rent for an average apartment not much less.

This disparity has meant that senior citizens have been forced to live in delapidated, rundown apartments, where the rent is sometimes still more than the seniors can afford.

But, now, for the first time, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon.

Construction began in May on a 172-unit senior citizen apartment complex near the corner of Waterman Avenue and Main Street in El Centro.

What makes the project especially important is that seniors who live there will be able to receive federal rent assistance.

What the “Section 8 rental assistance” does is to allow seniors to pay whatever portion of the rent they can and the Housing and Urban Development program subsidizes the rest up to a maximum of $176 for tenants who must pay utilities and $162 for those who do not.

30 years ago

A blue dome caps the sand-colored structure that sits amid mounds of dirt while workmen scurry about and step ladders block the maze of hallways of the new building on LaBrucherie Road, just north of Hamilton Avenue, El Centro.

After more than 15 years of planning, the new St. Mary’s Catholic Church nears completion and will hopefully have its first services in mid-September.

The Rev. Thomas Vidra said plans for the new church were already underway when he became pastor of St. Mary’s in 1973.

That year the church began making its general proposal and projections. Ten years later, in 1983, members began their formal drive.