By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
Council members on Tuesday approved buying a shade structure for two city parks.
The council approved the purchase of a shade canopy for a new playground and recreational
equipment site at Star Park and three shade canopies for the Del Rio Skate Garden at
Severiano Perez Parkway near the San Felipe Creek.
The resolution to approve the purchase of the shade structures was discussed during the
council’s regular meeting.
The resolution authorized the city manager to procure the shade canopies in the amount of
$125,706.85 from Exerplay Inc. for shade structures at Star Park, 601 N. Main St., and the
children’s park and skate garden, 708 W. De La Rosa St.
Councilman Randy Quiñones made the motion to approve the resolution, and Councilwoman
Ernestina “Tina” Martinez gave the second.
As mentioned in the summary of the resolution submitted by
Lazaro Castro, the city’s parks
director, the city’s Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Master Plan recommends the city spend
money on repairs and upgrades to areas in the city’s existing parks.
Mayor Al Arreola asked if the amount specified for the canopies had been budgeted
“somewhere,” and City Manager Shawna Burkhart replied the amount is part of the city’s Capital
Improvement Plan (CIP) for the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year, which is being funded by the 2023
certificates of obligation (COs).
Arreola then asked if the amount specified could be used for water-related issues such as the
city’s water infrastructure. Scot Carcasi, the city’s operations and compliance manager, was in
attendance to answer questions, and he explained how the amount set aside for the canopies
can only be used for that purpose.
“When those COs were issued, when the council approved them, there was a scope of what
they were to be used for. . . . These were set aside for park improvements for the Parks Master
Plan,” Carcasi said.
Arreola said he has gotten concerns from citizens about the way the city’s money is being
spent. Burkhart then elaborated on the pros and cons of using the different accounts the city
has.
“Right now you have $453,800 for water system improvements, so there is a scope that allows
money to be used for water system improvements. However, if you were to use the general fund
appropriation debt to be moved over to the water debt, it would change the rate structure, and
currently the rate structure is for $453,800 for the water system,” Burkhart said.
“So if you increase, you are also going to increase the debt,” Burkhart added.
Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez asked Burkhart if they could move money from the general funds accounts, and Burkhart elaborated on the drawbacks to relocating an amount to another
area.
“You can move some, but when you do that between fund types (general fund and utility fund
accounts), you are going to have an impact on that fund for additional debt,” Burkhart said.
Gutierrez said it is great how the city’s parks are going to be improved, but added the water
issues are the main priority. Focusing on the resolution in the agenda, Arreola asked Carcasi to
confirm the amounts for each park.
“The $125,706.85 includes Star Park, the playground structure at Severiano Perez Parkway and
the skate canopy (the Skate Garden),” Carcasi said.
“In the community engagement meetings (in 2024), people wanted the city to add shade when
the skate garden was being built,” Carcasi added.
Carcasi said the shade canopies were planned to be built for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. No
further questions were asked, and the council moved on to the next agenda topic.
