Marion ISD to get $78.8 million upgrade

Darren Dunn and Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Marion) -- The third time really was the charm for the Marion ISD. Voters on Saturday gave their approval to Marion’s $78.8 million bond package. Similar bond packages failed in May and November of last year. But this time around, the district was finally able to gain the support of its voters. There was 777 votes in favor of the Marion ISD bonds, and 416 votes against it this year.

Marion ISD Superintendent Don Beck says they have worked hard to educate voters. He says they wanted to make sure that they truly understood what was being proposed in this package.

“The first thing I want to say, is I want to thank everybody for voting. We almost had double the amount of votes we’ve ever had in an election, and so the communication I mentioned to you back in November that I said communication was the key. I failed to communicate to people back in the fall, so ultimately that was our number one goal was to make sure when they went to the polls, they knew what they were voting for –– and thank them for trusting me and trusting the district and trusting our school board to move forward with the largest bond referendum, I believe we’ve ever had at $78.8 million. We’re ready to be good stewards of those funds and create something they’ll be proud of,” said Beck.

Dr. Beck says they want to thank the voters for giving what they need to keep their campuses safe, to grow their CTE programs and to build a much needed competition gym at the high school.

“You know just the results and what it’s going to be able to do for our students and our staff. We are just excited about the opportunities that are about to happen,” said Beck.

Beck says the next step now is to go to the planning table and begin the design phase for these future projects.

Donations of bikes desperately needed for annual Seguin PD event

Community asked to donate bikes of all sizes

(Seguin) -- Due to a supply shortage, gathering the number of bikes needed for the 2023 Badges, Bikes, and Tykes, has proven to be a bit challenging this year.

The Seguin Police Department is seeking the community's help in collecting enough bikes to be given away to local children.

The bikes are needed for the free family event scheduled for Saturday, May 20 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Max Starcke Park.

To help ensure the necessary donations of bikes, the Seguin PD is offering a listing of exactly what it needs. The following list is the size of bikes and the amount of them needed.

Bikes, pg. 3

Yes, continued.

It's baseball games are currently played off-campus at Smokey Joe Williams Field, which is owned by the city of Seguin and located at the Guadalupe County Fairgrounds.

The bonds also call for a replacement of the existing softball field at the high school. District officials say both facilities were out-of-date and, in some cases, not safe for play.

The baseball and softball complex will be built at the high school along College Street and they will share amenities, like restrooms and concessions. An identical issue failed during a bond election held in November, but voters offered overwhelming support this time around.

Seguin ISD Superintendent Matthew Gutierrez says they are thrilled that the community was now willing to support this much-needed project. Dr. Gutierrez says this is great news for the kids in both programs and for the community overall.

"Our kids were devastated when it didn't pass in November. There were kids saying, 'Are we just not good enough? Do we not have support? Do we not matter?' And our response was, 'No, you do; we just have to do an even better job of educating and informing our community. We started having these conversations

Bikes, continued.

That list includes:

GIRLS

12 in Bicycles- 5 16 in Bicycles- 8

18 in Bicycles- 7

20 in Bicycles- 15 24 in Bicycles- 10 26 in Bicycles- 5

BOYS about the baseball/softball facilities back in 2018, and unfortunately, conversations came to a standstill once COVID hit. But we felt very strongly, and I felt very strongly about coming back out to our community to let them have a final say. When it did not pass in November, and I had told my team and the board that I wanted to come back out in May, the response was pretty much, 'Are you crazy?' I absolutely knew in my heart our community supports Seguin ISD. Our community supports our athletes, and they certainly showed that they are going to have the type of facilities that they need and deserve," said Gutierrez.

Seguin ISD Athletic Director Craig Dailey says the recent rains demonstrated just how much the fields had deteriorated over the years. The fields were not suitable for play on multiple occasions, with several games being moved or postponed.

"I really don't know the words to really express how I feel right now. All I know is I'm so thankful for the people of Seguin to invest in these kids. I'm so excited for the kids of Seguin," said Dailey.

Dailey says this is a real win for the kids in the Seguin ISD.

"It's just going to give our kids so many resources and opportunities to better themselves and of course to grow our programs. Extra-curricular activities are just such a big deal for our kids to be successful in Seguin. This is going to give us another opportunity to get more kids involved in those programs," said Dailey.

Although he realizes the issues with the supply chain and unexpected extreme weather patterns, Gutierrez says he is holding onto to optimism that the fields will be ready in 2024. He says this is also in large part thanks to the board, who first started talking about this project five years ago, and who had plans already drawn up for this now voter-approved facility.

"We are going to begin to be able to move dirt here pretty quickly and hopefully, have our students next year play in these facilities at least play a game or two but the ideal timeline would be for our kids to see these facilities come to light a year from now," said Gutierrez.

The bond passed with 1,522 votes cast in favor of the bond, and 942 votes cast against it. The district already has its plans for the new baseball/softball complex, which they say should allow them to get started on these projects as soon as possible.

12 in Bicycles- 5 16 in Bicycles- 8

18 in Bicycles- 7

20 in Bicycles- 15

24 in Bicycles- 10 26 in Bicycles- 5

The bikes can be dropped off at the Seguin Police Department. Those wishing to have the bikes picked up are asked to contact Officer Sarah Wallace at 830-386-2582.

Thank for making this year’s race a huge success!

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