ANSWER PAGE

Q. Is there a synchronized Q. swim team in the area? We’re new here, and my daughter used to swim on a team in California. She’s been in the Junior Olympics, and now that synchronized swimming will be an Olympic sport in 1984, she’d like to continue. S.H.S., Dallas.

A. At one time, as many A. as seven synchronized swim teams were active in the Dallas area. Currently, however, the Dallas Aquadyans is the only team we know of that is still practicing here. The Aquadyans, consisting of 11 members and three coaches, work out at The Hockaday School twice a week. The team is coached by former members Rebecca Earl, Kathy Ross and Nancy Beardslee.

What’s going on at the

Q. old Dallas pump station on Harry Hines off the tollway? I’ve noticed some work going on there, and I’m curious. D.W., Dallas.

A. It is hoped that the old A. Turtle Creek Water Station will soon be transformed into the Turtle Creek Center for the Arts. The Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra obtained use of the building almost two years ago; the orchestra and the Shakespeare Festival of Dallas together will raise funds for the center. In June 1982, extensive renovation plans were drawn up by ArchiTexas architects, and the fund-raising office was opened. So far, more than one-third of the $1.5 million needed for renovation has been obtained. Fund-raisers for the project include such notable Dallas-ites as Joe M. Dealey Sr. and John Stemmons; major contributors include the Hoblitzelle Foundation and the A.H. Belo Corp. The group is hoping to begin construction no later than September. There are no plans at this time for performance studios within the facility because of the limited parking space available, but the center will house rehearsal studios and home offices for both art organizations as well as offer lecture and banquet accommodations.

Q. I have a checking count at a large bank in downtown Dallas. When I was in Carrollton the other day, I saw a branch of the same bank and decided to make a deposit. The teller said 1 had to go to my own bank. I was at my own bank – or so I thought. What’s the deal? L.B., Dallas.

A. First of all, the bank you saw in Carrollton is not a branch of the downtown Dallas bank. Branch banking is illegal in Texas – the law that prohibits this form of banking has been on the books since the first banking laws were integrated into the state constitution, says Jim Lederer, associate counsel for the Texas Bankers Association. Banks with the same names are owned by the same holding company but are separate entities as far as everyday banking functions are concerned. To ease the inconvenience of these laws, the constitution was amended several years ago to allow Automatic Teller Machines to be placed at various points around the state, allowing banking transactions to be carried out away from the home bank. Texas is one of 13 states with laws against branch bankin

Q. What exactly is the pollen count? We just moved here from the East, and I was wondering what a normal or high count is for the Dallas area. Could you also tell us when there is the most problem with pollen here? W.F., Richardson.

A. pollen count is a “mi-croscopic examination of the air, locating particular types of pollen that are present in a 24-hour period,” says Jerry Young, microbiologist for the Dallas Department of Health and Human Services (DH&H). In layman’s terms, a pollen count measures the number of grains of each type of pollen per cubic meter of air. Each pollen group seems to peak during a certain season-fungus spores peak from about May to July; mountain cedar is usually the most irritating from December to February. Other pollen types and their peak periods: elm, from February to April; cottonwood, March to May; grass and weeds, April to June and September to October; oak, pine, sycamore, pecan, hickory and walnut, March to April; ragweed, late July to November. These are merely averages, since peaks “pretty much depend on [the amount of] rainfall and how the seasons are going,” Young says. Each weekday, DH&H issues the pollen count at 11 a.m. and the air quality index at 4 p.m.