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Members of the San Marcos community expressed concerns about an appraisal and possible sale of the property where the Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos is located at a recent school board meeting.
The board of directors of San Marcos Consolidated ISD was scheduled to discuss obtaining an appraisal and publicity for the sale of 2.5142 acres of SCISD real estate at 501 S. LBJ Drive, where Centro is located, during the regular meeting on Monday.
Dr. Rosina Valle, former teacher and administrator of SCISD and founding member of Centro, was one of many community members to speak during the public comments, asking the board to reconsider the valuation and sale. possible ownership.
“Take a step back and continue the conversations about what preserving a historic building does and how it benefits the community,†said Valle. “I’m here to talk about preservation. History is our collective memory – a source of wisdom and strength that we can draw on when we need it. Preservation is one of the few things that brings us together as a nation, community and people. I’m actually disheartened to be here tonight to defend the contributions of our Hispanic heritage, history and culture and the Centro.
The mission of the Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos is to serve as a community beacon for the preservation, development, promotion and celebration of Hispanic arts, culture, heritage and values.
“What Centro is is more than the courses and programs we offer. It is the sustenance of the soul and the future of our community, â€said Gloria Salazar, program coordinator and co-founder of Centro. “The value of Centro’s impact on the life of our community in the long term cannot be measured in today’s dollars. The opportunities offered to children, especially economically disadvantaged children, these opportunities can change their life course and affect their whole family. The lessons learned, the creativity nurtured, the sharing, the joy of the diversity of our community will surface and be revealed in the caring adults and leaders they become. Every community needs a Centro. Let us work together again to keep our treasure, our Centro, in our community.
The board was to hold the discussion in camera, however, the trustees chose to speak in open discussion following concerns raised by the community.
Administrator Miguel Arredondo asked when and why the item was put on the agenda after the board’s agenda meeting on September 7th. The president of the council, Clementine Cantu, clarified that the item had been placed on the agenda on Tuesday, September 14. Administrator Kathy Hansen added that the council’s central office subcommittee decided to put on the agenda the assessment of two plots of land – 501 S. LBJ Drive and 11,958 acres at the intersection of Suttles Drive and Hunter Road – to find out the value of both properties.
“We discussed that we should be looking at the properties that we’re not using to potentially review, I guess, to help us with funding our central office,†said administrator Mayra Mejia, who is part of the sub. -committee of the central office. “Anyway, we have discussed that our property needs to be submitted for appraisal as it hasn’t been appraised for a few years, so it’s necessary.”
District attorneys provided the trustees with a presentation regarding the two properties and proposed two possible motions that would state that the properties are “no longer necessary for the operations of the school district and would authorize the district administration to assess the property and announce the sale of the property with the district. state law and policy and, if necessary, retain the services of a real estate broker to facilitate advertising and solicitation of bids.
Hansen said both motions went “way beyond†what the subcommittee was looking for.
“We’re just asking what is the value of these two assets. Just an assessment, â€said Hansen. “We don’t look at anything else. “
The trustees have chosen to table any further discussion regarding the valuation of either property.
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