Park Investment, San Antonio style
You mean even with two 2 year term limits, politicians might still be able to use money in a way contrary to the local constituents wishes?
E-mailers questioned the motives of Hall, who decided to allocate all of his district’s potential $5 million share of discretionary bond cash to an athletic facility at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
The move raised eyebrows because a 32-member citizens panel on parks did not select the project, largely because there was a feeling it would give preference to select youth tournaments in soccer, track, baseball, tennis and softball.
As such, some committee members felt the facility was not a public park in the classic sense.
District 8 residents immediately began wondering if Hall was trying to secure a UTSA professorship or was plotting to boost the school’s dream of fielding a football team.
He’s not running for office again, so what does he care?
I seriously don’t think Hall is looking for a UTSA professorship. But I do think it’s a classic illustration of what is considered community investment in San Antonio.
“What I’m trying to explain to folks is that I’m still trying to find that money for Voelcker,” he said.” But I personally think UTSA is a citywide project because it invests in San Antonio.”
This “city wide” investment will serve a mostly, elite group of athletes who pay lots of money to play in tournaments. Better yet, with a little promotion, a good percentage of those teams will come from outside of San Antonio.
So it’s a perfect San Antonio investment. We create a facility where outsiders pay to use and thus maintain the facility and tell the rest of the city to be happy with the extra sales taxes generated by hotel stays–which go to fund such facilities. In the mean time, a select group of people in San Antonio get to use and control the facility to their exclusive benefit and northsiders can rest assured that no undeserving southsiders sneak their way in. Maybe Microsoft will donate some money for some soccer fields.
Filed under: Art Hall, Athletic facility, District 8, San Antonio, UTSA, public parks
