San Antonio owes the public better transparency on its delayed construction projects

BY HEYWOOD SANDERS

Editor’s Note: CityScrapes is a column of opinion and analysis.

When I think of the construction woes currently throttling traffic and commerce across San Antonio, North St. Mary’s Street jumps to the fore.

It feels like the Strip has been under construction for years, with constantly changing detours and lanes making it all but impossible to navigate to restaurants, clubs and services. Difficult as it’s been for potential customers, it’s been far worse for business owners, whose patronage and revenues have plummeted.

The promise in San Antonio’s 2017 city bond program was that the $7 million St. Mary’s project — just one of 64 projects in the bond’s $445 million street improvement component — would provide “sidewalk connectivity, intersection improvements and signal enhancements as appropriate and within available funding.”

The promise of “sidewalk connectivity” was certainly welcome and appropriate. For much of San Antonio’s history, the provision of sidewalks in neighborhoods was the responsibility of property owners. As a result, we ended up with lots of areas — typically lower income ones — with no sidewalks at all, and others with disconnected stretches of pavement, making walking an adventure.

But while the promise of new and better sidewalks along St. Mary’s is laudable, it seems to be taking forever to get them. The 2017 bond brochure didn’t provide an estimated completion date that could be readily found. Instead, the city’s fiscal year 2018 budget showed the bulk of the spending on the North St. Mary’s project would be in fiscal year 2020 with the final amount coming in fiscal 2021.

Now, city officials promise the project will be completed in summer 2023 at a total cost of $11.4 million, including some added features. That’s not just a delay of weeks or a couple of months compared to the original promise.

And North St. Mary’s is far from the only major street improvement project that appears to be stuck in excruciating slow motion. A large stretch of Broadway is impassable, North New Braunfels Avenue is all torn up and work on North Main Avenue downtown seems to be unending.

So, it’s great that Councilmember Melissa Cabello

Havrda proposed and secured unanimous council backing for an ordinance giving city staff the authority to assess contractors’ ability to keep on schedule, within budget and to complete a quality job. The new ordinance should give the city the capacity to block contractors that underperform from securing new civic projects.

Delays aren’t always the fault of a contractor, though. The recent project update for St. Mary’s notes “challenges” with utilities and soil conditions as reasons for the slowdown. Still, the city needs to be able to deliver on the improvements it promises to the public in its every-five-years bond programs in a timely, effective way — and with as much transparency as possible.

A look at the city’s latest 2017 “Bond Dashboard” shows the St. Mary’s project is “on time.” That doesn’t appear to reflect the reality on the ground.

So, as we look forward to results from Havrda’s ordinance — and an accounting as to whether any contractors are actually held accountable and sanctioned for underperformance — some greater transparency on how the individual bond projects are proceeding would be a significant advance.

And if city staff is actually going to evaluate contractors on qualities such as “responsiveness” and “quality of work,” all of us should be able to easily learn which projects aren’t measuring up to those standards, and who’s to be held accountable.

Too many delays and too many unexplained disruptions might well lead to far more “no” votes on the next big bond program. If that program fails as a result, delaying much needed improvements, city leaders will only have themselves to blame.

Heywood Sanders is a professor of public administration at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Willow Pill

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression” is a cautionary quote most often attributed to American vaudevillian Will Rogers. Enigmatic drag performer Willow Pill gave that dusty old adage a run for its money during her debut on the 14th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Conjuring a classic blond bimbo, she entered the “werk room” in criminally tacky platform flip-flops and a skimpy white top bedazzled with the word “Angle” accented by wings and a halo. As Drag Race entrance looks go, the ensemble came across as a fashion typo and led other contestants to discredit Willow Pill as serious competition. But during that same episode’s “Charisma, Nerve & Talent Show,” she quickly won over RuPaul and many others with “Self Care in Quarantine” — a conceptual performance that involved her drinking wine, eating meatballs and throwing a toaster into a bubble bath before slipping into it herself. Raised in Denver and based in Chicago, Willow Pill suffers from cystinosis — a rare genetic disease that claimed her sister’s life mere months after filming wrapped. Nodding with her name to the 20-plus pills she takes daily to live with the condition, she channels the darkness in her life into character-driven drag with a distinct sense of storytelling. Shining examples of her madcap creativity took shape in runway presentations entailing a dollhouse worn as a head ornament with “Help” scrawled on the back in fake blood; a Muppet-like costume with polka-dot horns and elongated arms inspired by a childhood “monster under the bed”; and a frilly red-and-white frock based on bleeding tooth fungus mushrooms. Identifying as trans femme since March of last year, she took things wildly over the top for the Season 14 finale, rocking an elaborate creation outfitted with three additional heads modeled in her likeness, performing the bitchy original track “I Hate People” and eventually snatching the crown along with a hefty cash prize of $150,000. Still reigning as America’s Next Drag Superstar while a new crop of queens competes on Season 15, Willow Pill touches down in San Antonio for two makeup shows — originally scheduled for last summer — presented by Rey Lopez Entertainment and hosted by lovable camp queen Tencha la Jefa. $25-$30, 10:30 p.m. and midnight, Bonham Exchange, 411 Bonham St., table reservations via text only at (210) 386-4537, facebook.com/reylopezentertainment. —

Bryan Rindfuss

vative fair food. As always, the rodeo boasts an impressive musical lineup, opening Feb. 9 with Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen ($33 and up, 7 p.m., AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Parkway) and wrapping up with Gary Allan on Feb. 25 ($49 and up, 7:30 p.m., AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Parkway). A full rundown of musical performances is available online, and as per usual, it’s not just country but also includes rock, Tejano and more. The rodeo fairgrounds ($5-$15) are open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, giving attendees access to more than 175 unique vendors, a food court, bars and a petting zoo, while the carnival is open 4-11 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-midnight Saturday and Sunday. Times and pricing vary, Freeman Coliseum, 3201 E. Houston St., and AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Parkway, sarodeo.com. — Macks Cook

THU | 02.09

Sun

Theater Fences

02.26

The Pulitzer-winning play Fences tells the story of the Black American battle for respect and dignity in sports and beyond. The play’s protagonist, Troy Maxson (Naybu Fullman) — a former baseball player relegated to working as a trash collector in 1957 Pittsburgh — was once excluded from the major leagues based on his race. When Troy’s son Cory (Ty Price) catches the attention of a college football recruiter, the father’s unresolved feelings about his past threaten to destroy his relationships with his son, his wife Rose (Nerryl Williams) and the rest of his family. Thanks to a 2016 film adaptation starring Denzel Washington, Fences has emerged as a resonant and ever-relevant drama that’s touched the lives of millions. Presented by the Classic Theatre of San Antonio, this local run will feature a series of Community Nights, including Free Admission for Students Nights, Pride Night, ASL Night and a performance followed by a community talkback. The Classic also will host a book drive for the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum (SAAACAM) during the final weekend of performances. $23-$38, 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Carver Community Cultural Center, 226 N. Hackberry St., (210) 589-8450, classictheatre.org. — Caroline Wolff

THU | 02.09SAT | 02.18

Theater We Sail On In Darkness

We Sail on in Darkness, which is making its onstage debut, is a work of physical theater, a performance genre in which the storytelling primarily takes place through movement. The play makes use of actors’ onstage actions and gestures along with music and color to connect the stories of four mystics: Hildegard of Bingen (Katrin Blucker Ludwig), Julian of Norwich (Cynthia Neri), Angela of Foligno (Michelle Bumgarner) and Martyred Perpetua (Courtney Johnson). Playwright Ruthie Buescher adapted their writings for modern audiences, connecting accounts of suffering, courage and joy, with each mystic’s story representing a specific form of human suffering. For this production, Buescher assembled a primarily female cast and crew. This play’s run includes a a Feb. 11 ASL interpreted performance, a Feb. 15 student performance and a pay-what-you-can performance on Feb. 16. $15-$25, 7 p.m. Feb. 9-11 and 15-17, 2 p.m. Feb. 18, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 315 E. Pecan St., (210) 207-7211, wesailonindarkness.com. — Christianna Davies

FRI | 02.10SAT | 02.11

Opera Maria De Buenos Aires

SPECIAL EVENT

San Antonio Stock Show And Rodeo

Dust off your Stetson, shimmy into your blue jeans and grab your boots, it’s rodeo time. The 2023 San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo promises more than two weeks of bull ridin’, bustin’ mutton and inno-

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Opera San Antonio is bringing a sensual and seductive opera to the Tobin Center. Astor Piazzolla’s and Horacio Ferrer’s Maria de Buenos Aires tells the story of the life and death of the eponymous Maria (played by soprano Catalina Cuervo), a tango-obsessed sex worker who was “born on a day when God was drunk.” The production also may hold appeal for those not normally drawn to opera, since Piazzolla’s music revolutionized tango, adding elements of jazz and classical music to the genre. The show is a collaboration with Classical Music Institute, featuring musicians led by conductor and pianist Pablo Zinger. To fit the opera’s theme, the Tobin Center’s Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater has morphed into a gritty night- club with cocktail table packages, interactive single seating options and full bar service. Sold Out, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org. — CD

SAT | 02.11

Burlesque

VA-VA-VALENTINE BURLESQUE & VARIETY SHOW

San Antonio burlesque troupe the Pastie Pops will spice up Valentine’s Day weekend with its annual Va-Va-Valentine Burlesque and Variety Show. Pastie Pops faves will strut alongside special guests in the Bonham Exchange’s historic Rainbow Ballroom for a show bubbling over with charm and glamor. Expect sizzling performances from Ruby Joule, Lady Lola LeStrange, Queertini Time, Pantie Oaklie, Natasha B. Capri, Miss Taint, Mary Annette, Jasper St. James and Vixy Van Hellen. Hosted once again by Camille Toe and Topsy Curvy, Va-Va-Valentine is sure to leave you — and your date — at least a little hot and bothered. $10-$100, 8 p.m., Bonham Exchange, 411 Bonham St., (210) 224-9219, instagram.com/ pastiepops. — Dalia Gulca

SAT | 02.11

Sports

REY VARGAS VS. O’SHAQUIE

FOSTER: WBC SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

How good is Rey Vargas, really? The undefeated, sleek Mexican Featherweight and Super Bantamweight champ moves up in weight to try to earn his third belt in as many weight classes, joining the Julio César Chávez, Erik Morales and Mar-

TUE | 02.14

Comedy Box Of Laughs

This Valentine’s Day, there are alternatives to the traditional box of chocolates. One of those is Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club’s annual Box of Laughs performance, which this year features an array of Texas’ top stand-up talent. Dallas Vann will emcee for a lineup including Justin Governale, Ben Horn, Will Mosely, Ava Smartt, Holly Hart and Tori Pool. Many Alamo City comedy fans are familiar with Pool, who hosts Texas Public Radio’s Worth Repeating podcast, produces Don’t Tell Comedy San Antonio and co-created the card game Latino Card Revoked. While Governale is known around the Lone Star State for his sharp wit, he may soon gain a national following thanks to his upcoming appearance on Season 9 of Discovery’s Naked and Afraid. In his Instagram bio, Goverrnale calls himself a “Marine Sniper Has-Been,” which puts him in a unique position for the task at hand. $15, 8 p.m., Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 Northwest Loop 410, (210) 541-8805, improvtx.com/sanantonio. — Brandon Rodriguez co Antonio Barrera club. Possessing an excellent jab, height and reach advantage, Vargas can box but also punch, as his 36-0 (with 22 KOs) record indicates. He can go down but always gets up, and he seems to be a magnet for headbutts that cut him in virtually every fight. Yet he always survives and takes care of business, even though he hasn’t knocked anyone out since 2016. O’Shaquie Foster (Orange, Texas, 19-2, with 11 KOs) boasts a nine-fight winning streak and likes to switch stances and counterpunch effectively, so we’re likely in for a history-making bloodbath — if Foster corners him. Not enough for you? Here’s a significant added attraction: SA’s own, always-tough, former WBA Super Lightweight champion Mario Barrios (26-2, 17 KOs) is returning home to face Puerto Rican Jovanie Santiago (14-2-1, 10 KOs), in a door-die bout for a pair of fighters coming from two straight defeats.

$55.50-$155.50, 8 p.m., Alamodome, 100 Montana St., (210) 207-3663, alamodome.com. — Enrique Lopetegui

Reminder:

Although live events have returned, the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us. Check with venues to make sure scheduled events are still happening, and please follow all health and safety guidelines.

SUN | 02.12

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Sandbox Percussion

Sandbox Percussion’s name calls to mind a creative playground activity: digging in the dirt, molding it into complex architecture and smashing it in a frenzied climax when the whim strikes. Percussionists Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum and Terry Sweeney collaborate with composers as well as artists in other disciplines to craft performances that go beyond toe-tapping rhythms — though there’s always plenty of that too. As part of the San Antonio Chamber Music Society’s 80th season, Sandbox brings a concert focused on new music with inventive instrumentation to Temple Beth-El this month. Featured pieces include Caccese’s Bell Patterns, for four tuned desk bells and vibraphone, and Amy Beth Kirsten’s triangle quartet may the devil take me, two works that play with resonance by alternating between ringing and muted metallic timbres. The quartet also will perform Pillar V from Andy Akiho’s Grammy-nominated piece Seven Pillars, an evening-length work commissioned by Sandbox and developed over the course of an eight-year collaboration with the composer. Though the program is primarily forward-looking, the ensemble will delve into past canon as well with a keyboard concerto movement by Johann Sebastian Bach and Part 1 of Steve Reich’s seminal percussive work Drumming $25, 3:15 p.m., Temple Beth-El, 211 Belknap Place, (210) 4081558, sacms.org. — Kelly Nelson

TUE | 02.14

DANCE

Malevo

As seen on America’s Got Talent, Malevo is a thrilling, all-male group specializing in the art of malambo — a traditional Argentine folk dance at least two centuries old. Created by choreographer and dancer Matías Jaime, the group takes the art form beyond its traditional confines, giving exhilarating performances and producing an over-the-top spectacle. Malevo incorporates percussion, aggressive footwork and — much like the original gauchos, or cowboys, of Argentina — swinging cattle rope. The troupe originated with eight men, each of whom worked blue collar jobs and envisioned themselves as the “Magic Mikes” of Argentina. Since appearing on Season 11 of America’s Got Talent, Malevo has toured the world, worked alongside pop star Ricky Martin and earned the title of “Cultural Ambassador to the National Identity of Argentina.” $35-$65, 8 p.m., Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org. — Marco Aquino

THU | 02.16

Special Event

TRIXIE & KATYA LIVE!

Though neither made it to the finals on Season 7 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, fan favories Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova rose to fame and haven’t stopped ruling in their own right. Performing together on the web series UNHhhh since 2016, they’re prepping for a new theater tour. The bottle blonde pair’s San Antonio stop is one of just two Texas dates and comes after their successful TV debut, Viceland’s The Trixie & Katya Show, and the cementing of their status as New York Times best-selling co-authors with Trixie and Katya’s Guide to Modern Womanhood. Known for improv comedy that frequently skewers both pop culture and LGBT stereotypes, the duo promises no shortage of dancing, acting, wigs, stunts and props during a sold-out San Antonio performance that might be worth seeking tickets for on the resale market. Sold Out, 7:30 p.m., Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — Karly Williams

WED | 02.15 -

THU | 02.16

Dance

CONTRA | TIERRA

Arte y Pasión is hosting Madrid-based flamenco masters El Caballero and La Nerea for two San Antonio presentations of the production CONTRA | TIERRA. Artistic director Tamara Adira, vocalist La Memphi and guitarist Jose Manuel Tejeda will perform alongside the primary dancers. While El Caballero starred in Arte y Pasión’s 2022 production Confluencias, which brought the entire house to its feet, this will mark La Nerea’s first visit to the United States. Both La Nerea and El Caballero are fixtures of Madrid’s tablao scene, performing in venues such as the world-famous Cardamomo and Café Berlín. Together, the two are known for rapid-fire footwork and gritty, passionate performances. CONTRA | TIERRA is a play on words, taken from the term “contratiempo,” or counter rhythm. Counter rhythms, or palos, are a key feature of the flamenco genre, which often features complex cadences that are difficult for the untrained ear to follow. $15-$30, 7:30 p.m., Brick at Blue Star, 108 Blue Star, (210) 262-8653, arte-y-pasion.com. — MA

THU | 02.16SAT | 02.18

THEATER

THE

SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY

Fans of the iconic ’60s folk duo will have a chance to say “hello darkness, my old friend” as The Simon & Garfunkel Story rolls into San Antonio. This concert-style theater performance brings the story of Simon & Garfunkel to life with projected photos, film footage and a live band playing hits such as “Cecilia” and “Mrs. Robinson,” which became mainstays for a generation. The production promises glimpses into the

SUN | 02.19

SPORTS BRAHMAS VS. BATTLEHAWKS

The San Antonio Brahmas will take on the St. Louis Battlehawks this month in a nationally televised game at the Alamodome. The Brahmas’ inaugural home game will be the first time San Antonio sports fans will catch a glimpse of the newly formed XFL semi-pro sports franchise and see what Brahmas head coach, former NFL star Hines Ward, has managed to put together on the field. Even so, the jury is still out as to whether Alamo City residents will welcome the Brahmas sufficiently to ensure the team’s future viability, given the litany of semi-pro football teams that have petered out here, most recently the AAF’s Commanders in 2019. $24 and up, 2 p.m., Alamodome, 100 Montana St., (210) 207-3663, alamodome.com, ABC. — Michael Karlis infamous feud that fueled the duo’s 1970 split, the performers’ early careers under the name Tom & Jerry and their 1981 reunion concert in Central Park that drew half a million fans enraptured by their harmonious vocals and lyricism. $39.50 and up, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, 226 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — MC

FRI | 02.17SUN | 02.19

COMEDY

Nimesh Patel

Known for a quick delivery, high-level wit and deadpan demeanor, Brooklyn-based comic Nimesh Patel has opened for top comedians such as Chris Rock and Aziz Ansari. But Patel’s conversational stand-up work isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and he knows it. For example, in one YouTube clip he lays out an increasingly uncomfortable series of jokes mocking former Vice President Mike Pence’s homophobic public persona, leaving the audience to think, “Pence is projecting, right?” Perhaps because of that willingness to push buttons, Patel has also earned high-profile writing gigs including a stint as the first Indian American writer on Saturday Night Live. Additionally, he’s penned jokes for the 2016 Academy Awards (at host Rock’s invitation, no less), the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and NBC late-night talk show A

Little Late with Lilly Singh. Patel’s special Thank You, China is available on YouTube. $70-$200, 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 NW Loop 410, (210) 541-8805, improvtx.com/sanantonio. — Brandon Rodriguez

Exhibition on View Through JULY 2, 2023

curated by

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

Cande Aguilar, Francis Almendárez, Fernando Andrade, Violette Bule, Angel Cabrales, Sara Cardona, Christian Cruz, Jenelle Esparza, Christopher Nájera Estrada, Melissa Gamez-Herrera, Karla Michell García, Omar González, Raul de Lara, Ingrid Leyva, Ruben Luna, Alejandro Macias, Chris Marin, Gabo Martinez, Gabriel Martinez, Tina Medina, Juan de Dios Mora, Arely Morales, Francisco Moreno, Patrick McGrath Muñiz, Benjamin Muñoz, Marianna T. Olague, Joe Peña, Jaylen Pigford, Vick Quezada, Stephanie Concepcion Ramirez, Josué Ramírez, Natalia Rocafuerte, Gil Rocha, Eva Marengo Sanchez, Marco Sánchez, Ashley Elaine Thomas, Bella Maria Varela, José Villalobos, Sarah Zapata, Jasmine Zelaya.