By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
City Manager Shawna Burkhart spoke about several events and provided updates on a number of city projects in the “city manager’s update” during the July 8 city council meeting.
Mayor Al Arreola spoke first, in a regular agenda item titled “mayor/council public announcements. Arreola urged prayers “for everyone in the Hill Country.”
“They are going through the same thing we went through in 1998, so we want to keep them in our prayers,” Arreola said.
Arreola also told the meeting audience that the San Felipe Exes had held their biennial reunion here over the past weekend and said the group “really demonstrated the purple and gold,” the colors of the former San Felipe High School.
“It was tremendous,” the mayor said.
Arreola also thanked City Community Services Director Esme Meza and Leno Hernandez, the city’s civic facilities manager, for spearheading the city’s Fourth of July festivities.
“It went great. I think we had a good turnout. Hopefully, next year will be a little better,” Arreola said.
He again urged those present at the meeting and those watching to offer whatever support they could to communities devastated in the Hill Country flash flooding.
After Arreola’s comments, City Manager Shawna Burkhart gave her update on city events and projects.
Burkhart said, “I would like to take the opportunity to also thank all those employees that worked the Fourth of July event. I’d like to touch on just a few: Community Services (Director) Esme Meza, all of media and communications, Peter Ojeda, civic facilities (manager) Leno Hernandez, police department (chief) Frank Ramirez, fire department (chief) David Harrison, legal, for all the contract review, (City Attorney) Ana Markowski Smith.”
Burkhart also recognized City Secretary Mari Acosta and her staff “for all of the vendor permits,” the neighborhood services department for food vendor permits, Parks and Recreation Department Superintendent Lazaro Castro and his staff, Nutrition Center Director Josie Balderas and her staff, City Landfill Superintendent Rene Maldonado for their work in providing roll-off dumpsters and the staff of the San Felipe Golf Course.
“If you have the opportunity, please thank them for their work on the Fourth of July,” Burkhart said.
Burkhart said before the meeting started, the city had displayed a QR code Del Rioans could use to reach the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund. The fund can also be reached at the following web site: cftexashillcountry.fcsuite.com and search “Kerr County Relief Fund.”
Burkhart announced the new soccer field at the Rotary Park along the San Felipe Creek would be opened Thursday, with a small ceremony at the site.
“This project was made possible through a generous grant from the Friends of Val Verde Health and Wellness, Inc., and their support of the Rotary Club of Del Rio helped bring this upgraded soccer field to life for our community. We’d like to thank the city of Del Rio, the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Rotary Club of Del Rio, Friends of Val Verde Health and Wellness,” Burkhart said.
Burkhart called the council’s attention to a brochure she had handed out to council members. The brochure is titled “Get the Alert Before it Becomes the Emergency.”
The brochure explains how to sign up for the city’s Regroup emergency alert notification program.
“The program (allows) you to get communications from the city directly to your cell phone, and we encourage everybody to sign up for that,” Burkhart said.
She added the brochure can be accessed via the city’s website and on its Facebook page.
Burkhart also spoke about a “movie night” being hosted at the city golf course on Wednesday.
The city manager announced on July 14, city contractors will begin milling pavement on the city’s international bridge.
“We have met with (officials from) Mexico, and we have met with (officials from) CBP (Customs and Border Protection) on that, and (some work on) Griner (Street) will continue during that time period that we are milling the bridge. It’s the same contractor, so on Griner, they will continue to work on curb and sidewalk, but they will come back after the milling of the bridge and finish Griner,” Burkhart said.
The city manager also gave an update on ongoing efforts to renovate the city’s Paul Poag Theatre for the Performing Arts.
“The Paul Poag plans have been completed, and we should be having a meeting on that Thursday or Friday of this week, so we are moving forward on the Paul Poag Theatre,” Burkhart said.
Finally, she announced a city council budget “goals and objectives” workshop scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 19, in council chambers at City Hall, 109 W. Broadway St. The workshop is open to the public.
After Burkhart finished her presentation, Arreola asked her about ongoing work on Losoya Street.
“Losoya, we had it milled and packed prior to the Fourth of July weekend, so that there would be at least a level surface for people to drive on. It’s my understanding that that will move forward as soon as we get the materials that we have ordered. We have not forgotten about that. That is an in-house project, and we are just simply waiting on supplies,” Burkhart said.
Councilman J.P. Sanchez said he would like to have some updates on a number of projects at one of the council’s next meetings.
“I’d like for the water department to give me updates on what they’ve got going, the (new municipal) well, the East Springs (containment wall reconstruction), West Springs pump, whatnot, anything that they’ve got going,” Sanchez said.
He told Burkhart he would also like to hear an update from the sewer department.
“I’d like for them to give us an update on what’s going on over there with the sewer department. We were talking about the contractor doing the overlay on the bridge, but (that contractor) is also doing the Carranza (Park) detention pond project, so I’d like an update where we are with that, if we’re on schedule, stuff like that,” Sanchez added.
The councilman also said he would like to hear an update from the gas department on the expansion in the Reservation, an area in north Del Rio.
“They’re doing a lot of installing of lines, and I would like to be able to ask them some questions about that, and if at all possible, if we could have some of those people here, that way we, on the council, could ask some questions,” Sanchez said.
Councilwoman Ernestina “Tina” Martinez said she was approached recently by a citizen asking for an update on the city’s San Felipe drainage mitigation project.
Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez added her concerns.
“Because of the Kerrville flooding, that our citizens would like to have an update as to what our efforts in being prepared, should something like that occur again in our community,” Gutierrez said.
Burkhart said she has already set an item on that for the agenda of the council’s July 22 meeting.
The city manager said she has listed an item for discussion of warning sirens in the community.
“That will be for discussion on the 22nd and hopefully for action maybe the first meeting in August,” Burkhart said.
Councilman Randy Quiñones said he would like to hear a general update on all of the city’s ongoing projects.
“We’re halfway through the year. What have we done this year, and what do we have to look forward to for the rest of the year?” Quiñones said.
Burkhart said at the next meeting she would be presenting the third quarter “Your City At Work” update to the council and citizens.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
