Gonzales council approves digital mapping of museum, discusses recall petition

The Gonzales City Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, Nov. 14 at City Hall.

One of the main items that was discussed at the meeting was a digital mapping project at the Gonzales Memorial Museum.

Many gathered in support of the project for the museum, including John Reinhart of Austin Film Crew, who talked about the technical details.

“I'm really excited just to get to talk with you all tonight and to share with you the vision that we have for this project that I really think could make Gonzales a leader in the heritage tourism space,” Reinhart said.

“With your support, we have the opportunity to change the fact that oftentimes we get overlooked for other cities who've told stories better than we have, not necessarily because they're more important, just because they told it better. And I think that we have a chance to change that,” Reinhart said.

One of the examples of digital mapping or projection mapping is a video projection in which video is mapped on surfaces (building, runways, and stages) and becomes a canvas of light and illusion.

Reinhart used “San Antonio: The Saga” as an example of digital mapping as the San Fernando Cathedral façade is lit up at night via a 24-minute projection depicting the history of the area.

“So this isn't just a slide show, it is a movie, and it really is immersive projection mapping using a series of projectors and some extremely sophisticated collections of software to create a 3D map of a building,” Reinhart said.

“Projection mapping has been used to great effect at Disney World and at numerous art installations worldwide. Currently, in the United States, only four cities have permanent installation,.” Riehart added.

Reinhart calls the project “Gonzales: Legacy and Lights” and he wants the history of Gonzales projected onto the museum.

“I want you to try to imagine as much as you can to be able to see our story kind of unfold on those walls every single night,” Reinhart said.

Reinhart grew up in Gonzales has told the story of “Come and Take It” more than he count all over the world, he said.

“From the Old 18 to the immortal 32, it’s just that indomitable spirit of Gonzales. And this story that we have has weight and has grandeur. I started thinking of Leonidas facing off with Xerxes. It has that same flavor, but outside of our community and a handful of extremely dedicated local historians, it remains largely untold, but I think we really do have the chance to change that,” Reinhart said.

“I think that this is more than an investment in lights and projectors. It is an investment in our city's future, and there are generations, as you've heard tonight, yearning to connect with that history, to feel the pride, sometimes to feel the sorrow, and the triumph of the people that came before us,” Reinhart added.

The council approved unanimously the recommendation from the Gonzales Convention and Visitor’s Bureau to use local Hotel Occupancy Tax Funds in an amount not to exceed $303,146 for digital mapping of the Gonzales Memorial Museum.

In other business, the council discussed the petition submitted to recall District 4 Councilmember Ronda Miller.

City Secretary Kristina Vega said she received the petition Monday, Nov. 4, and it met the 25 percent registered voter threshhold required for the recall.

“I verified with the election administrator the number of registered voters in the May 2024 election, because that's what the charter says that has to go by. That was 1040, so 25% of that is 260. I meticulously went through to verify names to make sure it had everything as required by election, by the election code,” Vega said.

Councilman Lorenzo Hernandez asked if there is a reasoning for the signatures and were the signatures all notified about what they were signing.

No actions were made, but the council went into closed session to discuss more about the recall petition without taking any action upon their return.

The council approved the following agenda items:

– Approving the 2025 Insurance Provider for Health, Dental, Vision and Life.

– Approving the Lease Agreement with Enterprise Fleet Management, LLC. for the Lease of two budgeted vehicles and authorizing the City Manager to execute said agreements.