San Marcos is in the midst of a growth spurt, and it is impacting schools and businesses. Heralded by the sounds of the San Marcos High School Varsity Mariachi Band, city officials addressed the public at 11 a.m. Thursday at the convention center to discuss how far growth has come and what may be done to accommodate the coming changes.
“Our communities and the communities that surround us continue to experience considerable growth. This year, the Planning and Zoning Commission will review and make recommendations on the new comprehensive plan entitled ‘Vision SMTX,’” Mayor Jane Hughson said. “This plan will guide decision making as we look to grow our city.” The plan has been in the works for three years now and there was a presentation to shed light on what it means.
According to the video, of particular importance are the ways in which housing will be addressed. San Marcos is one of nine cities selected to join the peer city network created by Housing Solutions Lab which will provide policy experts, researchers and advocates to assist in the development of equitable housing policies. This network will help to ensure upcoming policies reflect the interest of the city's diverse community. City staff and city council met with elected officials and federal agencies in Washington to learn about funding opportunities as well as other programs that could benefit San Marcos.
The presentation discussed a partnership between the communications department and Polco, an online engagement tool for commuity feedback, that launched the National Community Survey which gained insight into how to allocate federal funding provided during the pandemic. It was overarching and covered everything from housing affordability to transportation, and was not only completed by community members; approximately half of the city staff participated as well.
“Next year, construction is expected to begin on an exciting project that will create jobs and new opportunities in the Texas innovation corridor. Hill Country Studios,” Hughson said. “(This) will be the largest film studio in Texas to date.” The studio will include sound stages, offices, production spaces and workshops. “We’re also excited that many other companies are interested in investing in the San Marcos community to address future needs,” Hughson said.
There was another video presentation about the Engineering and Capital Improvements department and the work that's being done to improve the city’s neighborhoods. The proposed Blanco Riverine Flood Mitigation project is meant to protect homes in the Blanco Gardens neighborhood from flood damage, and there are several other flood mitigation projects in the works.
The fire department is expanding to reflect the growing population. The department recently got a new training facility at the airport. The Fire Prevention Division won the 2022 Fire Safety Award, and that same year, Chief Les Stephens was named Fire Chief of the Year. The police department is taking measures to increase safety. “In 2022, the San Marcos police department focused on addressing a rise in violent crime,” Police Chief Stan Standridge said. “Our efforts paid off with San Marcos seeing violent crime go down in the last quarter of 2022 in a year ending with zero reported homicides for the first time since 2014.” Standridge said that next year there will be a mental health clinician that will respond with police to assist in problem solving during a crisis situation.
Superintendent Dr. Michael Cardona addressed the public to discuss all of the accomplishments achieved by SMCISD and the upcoming bond elections. “This board has paid down $14.5 million in debt early from bonds. It would be $20 million,' Cardona said, but during the pandemic “the board made the decision to help out the families which is a good decision.” According to Cardona, the board has also contributed $19 million into the fund balance over the last six years.
According to Cardona, six of the elementary schools have reached the goal of achieving a B rating which means “more of the kids are reading at or above grade level, doing math at or above grade level and they’re writing at or above grade level.” Cardona said there are currently several high school level classes in the middle school, so conceivably, a student could enter high school already classified as a sophomore. “This year we have a group of 15 students,” Cardona said. “They will walk with their associates degree before they get their high school diploma.” This is due to a partnership the school has with Coastal Bend College in Beeville. “We’re not afraid to go outside of our network and do what we need to do to make sure we take care of our students.”
“Currently we have about 162 students that have earned their certifications in 21 different pathways, but we’re not stopping … We’ve got future pathways coming up,” Cardona said. They also have many other programs such as horticulture, robotics, and cosmetology, to name a few. Cardona pointed out that the National College Board wanted to recognize San Marcos for having 50 percent females in their AP computer science program which is a typically male-dominated field.
Cardona discussed the proposed bonds that will be voted on in the May 6 election. It involves Prop A which is an attendance credit; Prop B is a $147,724,645 bond to upgrade all 12 campuses; Prop C asks for $984,563 to replace the SMHS stadium turf; and Prop D is $17,478,750 for a natatorium.
Cardona recommended that for more information, the public should go to smcisd.net/domain/ 2846.
