City approves paying half of cost to repave Apache Field parking lots

A three-way partnership between the City of Gonzales, Gonzales County and Gonzales ISD is going to lead to the north and south parking lots at Apache Field finally being repaved.

City Council members voted unanimously Thursday, Sept. 12, to approve an interlocal agreement that will call for the city to pay $56,345.88 — half the cost of the $112,691.76 needed for base materials — with the school district picking up the other half. The county will provide labor, personnel and equipment necessary to do the work.

Council members also approved a peformance agreement between the Gonzales EDC and the city that would have GEDC paying for infrastructure improvements (streets, water, wastewater) for property owned by TXGN Railway at Steiren Road so that company can expand and made appointments to various civic boards.

Parking lot

City Manager Tim Crow extolled the virtues of the joint agreement between the city, county and school district.

“It's actually a pretty unique opportunity in which we would participate with the school, the county and the city working to easily together to to fulfill a needed project in our city,” Crow said.

GISD and city officials had met with county commissioners in July to discuss joining forces to improve the parking situation at the high school stadium, which sits on property owned by the city and leased by the school district

The dirt-base parking lots at the stadium are especially difficult to traverse for persons in wheelchairs or those with mobility issues and present other safety issues. They are also not properly striped and what loose gravel there is can be a hazard, including for windshields if rocks are kicked up into the air by car tires.

GISD Superintendent Dr. Elmer Avellaneda had indicated the one outside bid the district had received to perform the work was nearly $800,000 — an amount he found to be too high.

In July, commissioners initially indicated the cost of materials and soil stabilization, which included two coats of seal coating, would be $481,000, but it turned out that was on a miscalculation of thinking the project would require the equivalent of recoating 12 miles of 20-foot-wide road. Instead, the entire project is only about 465 feet long by 275 feet wide, resulting in a new cost estimate that was $368,000 lower, much to the delight of council members.

“I was a little bit sweating that one when I first heard ($481,000),” Sucher said.
After approval of the interlocal agreement by the school district and the county, it would take about two weeks to perform the work, county officials have said.

Stieren Road project

TXGN Railway has been in negotiations with Gonzales EDC and the city to expand its business at the Stieren Road property with new business development and a significant capital investment that will add   140 new jobs top the community over the course of four phases. The first phase will add 11 new jobs, the second 12, the third 63 and the fourth 54, bringing total employment up to 145 people.

In exchange for making these jobs available and expanding the business, the city would put in new infrastructure at the property site because the expansion would generate new tax revenue for the city in addition to the new jobs for the community. The money to pay for the improvements comes from the half-cent sales tax collected by the Gonzales EDC for economic development.

Appointments to civic boards

In other action, council members approved appointments to various civic boards.

• Airport Board: James Dixson III, Jessica Trimble and John Langhoff reappointed.

• Beautification & Design Board: Pat Anders-Ryan reappointed; Joshua Wilkinson appointed.

• Gonzales Convention & Visitors Bureau: Denise Bryant and Skye Hambleton reappointed; Marguerite Wills appointed.

• Gonzales Economic Development Corporation: Amy Peeler reappointed; Trey Lester and Marguerite Wills appointed.

• Gonzales Golf Course Advisory Board: Michael Turk and Ryan Lee reappointed.

• JB Wells Park Advisory Board: Janelle Trammell and W.R. Low reappointed; Rebecca Martinez and Rachel Sanders appointed.

• Gonzales Library Board: Dorothy Eberle, Ida McGarity and John Tinsley reappointed; Rita Ashby appointed.

• Main Street Advisory Board: Gregory Webb, Linda Brown and Rebecca Martinez reappointed; Brandon Scott Page appointed.

• Museum Advisory Board: Joey Moss, Denise Bryant and Rose Ruiz Jones reappointed; Joshua Wilkinson and Rachel Sanders appointed.

• Planning & Zoning Commission: Paul Neuse reappointed;  Joshua Wilkinson and Ken Morrow appointed.

• Zoning Board of Adjustment & Sign Control Board: Johnnie Edwards reappointed; John Quirey appointed.