By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
City council members have approved changing the name of the city’s multi-purpose facility at the municipal golf course to make the building more attractive to Del Rio residents who want to rent a venue for special events.
Council members took the action during their meeting Feb. 10. After Deputy City Secretary Ana Maria Giraldo read the heading of the agenda item, Mayor Al Arreola recognized City Manager Shawna Burkhart.
Burkhart told the council, “This is simply to name the facility so that we can start advertising the rental options for this facility. ‘The Multi-purpose Facility’ just doesn’t seem to strike a chord with a lot of people, so we came up with the suggestion for this name, the San Felipe Springs Event Center.”
After Burkhart finished, Councilman Jesus Lopez Jr. commented, “Back in 2019, the same item came up, and they were kind of leaving it up to the golf course committee because that was what the committee was about, but also, reading some of the agenda items, Ms. Esme or someone running the golf course, they put out a contest, I think it was a high school contest, to help out and name the country club.”
He added he believed the contest winners were never used but noted the community had input on the name.
“I think all parties involved with the golf course should have a say-so,” Lopez added, saying he had no problem calling the building the San Felipe Country Club.
Lopez said he would also appreciate the city manager “giving time to the golf course committee” to let them weigh in on the proposed name change.
Scot Carcasi, the city’s operations and compliance manager, walked to the podium, and when Lopez began speaking about letting the current golf course manager manage the whole facility instead of placing the buildings under other city facilities, Carcasi said Lopez “was off-topic.”
Lopez and Carcasi began talking at once, and as the mayor moved to intervene, Councilman J.P. Sanchez announced, “I’d like to make a motion to name the facility the San Felipe Springs Event Center, as noted here.”
Arreola asked if there was a second, and Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez gave the second.
Arreola then asked Carcasi, “This is for the purpose of the rental?”
“Correct,” Carcasi replied.
“And it’s not the actual golf course,” the mayor added.
“Correct,” Carcasi confirmed.
Carcasi told the council, “That building has a completely separate address from the golf course. It’s actually a civic facility. We have a lot of interest in people wanting to rent it. The title being on the agenda tonight, we received calls about wanting to rent it. We had a meeting with the department heads, and Peter Ojeda, the city’s communications and marketing director, was involved, and our thought was that we kind of need to get a catchy name for people to want to have events there because it is a beautiful setting, and when people were renting it under the previous tenant, it was almost every weekend that it was being occupied. So I think this could be a really good, positive thing for the city, and it also offers another venue for people to have their events.”
Sanchez added, “An event center is broad; you can have a lot of events. I think it’s perfect.”
Arreola attempted to address some of Lopez’s concerns, noting that “you still have the traditional, which is ‘San Felipe,’ so the tradition is still there.”
Lopez again said he would like for the proposed name change to first go before the golf course committee, saying that is the city’s process.
Arreola said the golf course commission dealt with the golf course and noted the building was not part of the golf course.
“It’s a totally separate thing, and I don’t mean to correct you, but that’s the way it is,” the mayor said.
When Arreola asked if there were any other questions or comments, Burkhart added, “Just to be clear, it is a city facility, so we will give priority to city events such as any golf tournaments that may need to utilize the facility, and that is something we will take up with whoever does the scheduling.”
Arreola asked if someone could lease the entire facility.
Carcasi replied, “That would be part of that long-term rental process, but we’re gearing it, just like the civic center, that there are rooms to rent there for whatever you want at the location.”
Lopez asked if the bar would be separate, and Carcasi said it is not, that the bar is part of the overall facility.
The mayor then called for the vote, and, despite his comments, Lopez voted with the rest of the council to approve the name change.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
