At its meeting last week San Angelo City Council voted unanimously to move forward with expanding the McNease Convention Center. The hope is that a larger convention center will draw larger conventions. The proposed expansion would add a new 20,000 square foot exhibit hall and meeting rooms.
The Convention Center project will be funded by increasing the Hotel Occupancy Tax by 2%. No raise in property tax for San Angelo citizens should be required. The funds for this project would be paid by travelers or tourists staying in hotels in the city. San Angelo voters must vote to approve the project. They will also vote on the 2% Hotel Occupancy Tax raise. The election will take place in November.
Reasons For Expansion Of The Convention Center
Civic Events Manager Sidney Walker listed several reasons Council should approve the Convention Center project. “One of the things that’s holding us back is not having a proper space. . . to able to bring in these [larger] conventions. “So we’re already against the grain. ” Walker said. San Angelo lost three potential major conventions last year due to a lack of space.
The current plans call for adding a 20,000 square foot exhibit hall, loading dock, storage, and lobby areas. The project also would increase the number of meeting rooms from eight to fifteen. The new Convention Center would increase square footage 35,765 to 83,065 square feet.
City Council voted 7-0 approval to move forward with this project. More information and finalized plans will be available in the coming months. Citizens will be able to vote on approving these plans and the financing for them in November.
In Other Business:
- City Council authorized the City Manager to negotiate, execute and engage in an agreement with the law firm Denton-Navarro to provide professional legal services relating to the Joshua Loudermilk litigation.
- Approved the proposed theme, style, and scope for the river walk wayfinding signage.
- Approved the nomination of Dr. Karen Frembgen to the Animal Shelter Advisory Committee.
- Approved the nomination of Scott Allison, Gary Cortese, and Jordan Sefcik to the Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals.
- Approved the nomination of Katy Villa to the Public Art Commission.
- Approved Contract #23-00019 for the purchase and installation of 14 HVAC units at the McNease Convention Center in the amount of $524,573 utilizing HOT fund balance.
- Approved the annexing into the City of San Angelo, by petition of the property owner, unaddressed tracts with a total of 1205.573 acres in Tom Green County, Texas, located south of US Hwy 67, east of the US Hwy 277 and US Hwy 67 interchange and Harriet Rd.
- Approved an ordinance for Z24-17, a request for a zone change from the General/Heavy Commercial zoning district to the General Commercial zoning district located at 2401 N. Chadbourne.
- City Council authorized the purchase of Lots 14 and 22, Willick Subdivision of Bells Addition for stormwater purposes.
- City Council accepted a .312 acre, 25-ft. wide utility easement out of C. Beck Survey No. 315, Abstract No. 61.
- City Council accepted a .054 acre, 11-ft. wide utility easement out of C. Beck Survey No. 315, Abstract No. 61.
- City Council accepted a .266 acre, 20-ft. wide utility easement out of Lots 30 and 31, Block 1, Lakeside Garden.
- City Council accepted a .277 acre, 20-ft. wide utility easement out of Lots 5, 6, 24 and 25, Block 1, Lakeside Garden.
- City Council approved Task Order #1 with CDM Smith, Inc. under RFQ PW-01-23 for professional services related to updating the City of San Angelo’s America’s Water Infrastructure Act Risk and Resilience Assessment & Emergency Response Plan in the amount of $132,120.
- City Council Approved Change Order #4 to RFB ES-01-22 College Hills Blvd. Reconstruction to Reece Albert Inc. in the amount of $778,276.46.
- City Council approved TIPS-240101 purchase of replacement microwave data links serving the City of San Angelo radio system from Alpha Omega Wireless, Inc. in the amount of $281,095.02.
- City Council approved the annual purchase of Microsoft EntraID software licenses from Department of Information Resources in the amount of $51,454.35.
- City Council approved a proposal between the San Angelo Area Foundation and City of San Angelo to fund a new position of assistant archivist at Fort Concho for five years starting April 2025.
- City Council approved the second reading of an ordinance amending the budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2024, and ending September 30, 2025, for health insurance claims and an IRS payment for arbitrage.
