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Floresville Event Center Manager Celina Guerrero, Floresville 4A Corp. Secretary Brian Gray, President Jake Lamberth, board members Billy Herrera Sr., Cecelia Rodriguez and Gloria Martinez, and Assistant City Manager Monica Veliz and board attorney Tom Caldwell gather for a photo in August. 15, the first meeting of the new Floresville 4A Corp. board since its appointment in June by the Floresville City Council. RACHEL DRAPER/Wilson County News
[Video below] After a unanimous vote, Jake Lamberth is the Floresville 4A Corp.’s new president. Brian Gray – who stepped in as the board’s secretary during the June 6 meeting – will continue in the role of secretary.
The new board members made quick introductions Aug. 15 during their first board meeting together since being appointed June 13 by the Floresville City Council. The new team sat down with attorney Tom Caldwell to discuss the roles and responsibilities of board members.
The city council wants the board to be more involved in the event centre, says assistant city manager Monica Veliz. The city has budgeted for positions it would like the board of directors in 4A Corp to fill. to advise them on.
“You are the advisors to the council on this center, in addition to making sure that the sales tax revenue is collected correctly and paid for the bonds,” Caldwell told the new board.
The 4A board members have been asked by the municipality to bring new ideas to the table for events for the coming year. One event that is coming back is the Floresville Holiday Extravaganza, which already has a date set for Saturday, Dec. 14, according to Veliz.
Veliz and the board of directors of 4A Corp. hopes to build on the momentum the Fourth of July event brings to the city to keep the crowds coming to the Floresville Event Center.
“We’re bringing back our Christmas parade,” Veliz told the board. “This is our third year and we plan to have a band after the parade. It will be a street dance in front of Floresville City Hall.”
The city hopes the 4A board will take on entertainment responsibilities for future events.
Other ideas discussed by the new board include the possibility of a summer concert series, outdoor movies on the patio, bringing back Floresville Market Days, holding laundry or pool tournaments or even bringing in an intramural sports league.
“A lot of people go to San Antonio for these things,” said new president Lamberth. “We have a beautiful facility here. There’s no reason we couldn’t incorporate some kind of intramural league. It will bring financial funding, sponsorships and advertising to more businesses.”
One of the first major projects the new board will tackle is facility repairs. Plans for updates and improvements to the center’s audio and visual capabilities were considered, but a more pressing issue has come to the fore – a complete replacement of the center’s roof.
“We’ve had a company come out and do some patchwork on it,” Veliz told the new board. “It doesn’t seem to last as it should. They recommend a total roof repair.”
Veliz said the city is waiting for a structural engineer to inspect the roof and determine if a complete replacement is necessary. No action taken, pending more information.
For more from the meeting, see Meeting Watch, page 13A.
break-to-be ‘saves the date’… again
Only one reservation was affected by the city’s heritage oak collapse, said Floresville Event Center Manager Celina Guerrero. The tree – which provided a backdrop and source of shade on the patio during the Event Center festivities – collapsed on July 13. A bride-to-be whose special date comes in September will continue with plans to get married on the patio, Guerrero told 4A Corp. members at their Aug. 15 meeting.
rdraper@mywcn.com