Hess considering pursuit of pop contract

Published 12:00 am Friday, August 20, 1999

Already, James Hess is carrying on a torch first lit by his predecessor J.

Friday, August 20, 1999

Already, James Hess is carrying on a torch first lit by his predecessor J. Douglas Myers.

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Hess, the new superintendent of Austin Public Schools, is exploring the possibility of securing a soda pop contract for the district.

"I’ve been in the pop wars before," Hess said. "The major soft drink vendors and distributors are very competitive and would like to have exclusive market arrangements with school districts."

A pop contract can mean big bucks, sometimes more than $100,000 annually for a district. The competition usually boils down to Pepsi vs. Coca-Cola.

Hess said he’s in favor of accepting bids, like the district would for a construction job, and determining which vendor to go with from there.

The contract would require one company’s carbonated beverages served at all school district activities. Hess said a pop contract would not take money away from local concession operators, like the Packer Backer Booster club.

"They could still raise money," Hess said. "But we’d have to tell them what product they could use."

Before his retirement, Myers brought up the idea of signing a pop contract and using the money as the district’s contribution to the Wescott Field renovation.

Hess wouldn’t go so far as to say the money would be targeted for Wescott Field.