By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Three county commissioners who voted to move a planned sports complex from the county fairgrounds to a site east of Del Rio said they believe the new site offers more room for growth.
County Commissioner Pct. 1 Martin Wardlaw, County Commissioner Pct. 2 Juan Carlos Vazquez and County Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores on Monday again voted in favor of moving the sports complex from the fairgrounds off North Main Street to a 2,500-acre property adjacent to Laughlin Air Force Base.
That property, formerly known as the SE Ranch, was purchased by the county several years ago to prevent encroachment on the air force pilot training base.
Despite hearing from many attendees who favored keeping the sports complex at the fairgrounds, the three commissioners held firm to a position they took in January to move the complex. All three had previously voted in favor of siting the complex at the county fairgrounds.
After Monday’s public hearing, each of the three commissioners spoke to the 830 Times about why they changed their minds about the best site for the sports complex.
Wardlaw said he changed his vote because he feels there is more room at the SE Ranch.
“There’s just no room for expansion at the fairgrounds. They need football fields, they need basketball facilities. They’re talking about 600 kids who’ve signed up to play football, 600 for soccer, and there’s not enough space at the fairgrounds,” Wardlaw said.
“Out there (at the SE Ranch), we can take care of everybody,” the commissioner added.
Wardlaw said he believes that neither the existing plan for the sports complex at the fairgrounds nor an earlier plan developed by a citizens’ committee on the fairgrounds adequately address the needs of the community’s many sports league participants.
Flores, too, said he believes the fairgrounds site is too small.
“At the fairgrounds, we’d have to squeeze the fields in there, and there’s no room for future growth. If somebody comes in five years and says, ‘We need another field or two,’ where are we going to put them?” Flores said.
Flores added he came to his decision after considering the two prospective sports complex sites.
“You’ve got 40 acres over here (at the fairgrounds) and more than 1,000 acres out there (at the SE Ranch),” the commissioner said.
Flores also said he does not believe the sports complex will encroach on Laughlin Air Force Base since it will be sited on the far
east side of the county property adjacent to the base.
Vazquez said he changed his vote after hearing from his Precinct 2 constituents.
“I’m here representing my constituents of Precinct 2, and I had a lot of people in Precinct 2 say to me, ‘What’s going on Juan Carlos? Why are you not pushing for Precinct 2, which is right on the (State) Loop (79), for getting the sports complex?’” Vazquez said.
He said moving the sports complex from the fairgrounds to the SE Ranch would place it closer to the population centers of his precinct, giving more convenient access to many of his constituents.
“That’s the only reason I changed my vote. My constituents voted me in, and they are the ones who said, ‘Hey, Juan, we want something towards this area, not everything on the other side of town.’ That’s the only reason,” he added.
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