Marfa and Alpine elect city council members

Voters trickled into the polls Saturday to elect three members to the city council in Marfa and two in Alpine.

Marfa voters picked their preferred candidates out of four for three spots, with the results being:

Eddie Pallarez — 140
Mark Cash — 124
Mark Morrisson — 111
Tony Georges: 22

For Alpine, two spots were open — Ward 1 and Ward 4, with the following results:

Ward 1
Reagan Stone — 42
Jennifer Peel — 35

Ward 4
Lucy E. Escovedo — 33
Lori A. Griffin — 32


National Park Service selects new Big Bend National Park superintendent

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK — The National Park Service has selected Anjna O’Connor as superintendent of Big Bend National Park. O’Connor will begin her new assignment on May 19.

“Anjna has a record of success that demonstrates her superior ability to build coalitions with local, state, and federal partners,” said Deputy Regional Director Lance Hatten. “In Texas she has well-established relationships with student groups, emergency service providers, and advocates for outdoor recreation. Her ability to forge and maintain strong partnerships while leading a complex land management organization will be a real asset for Big Bend National Park.”

O’Connor has led a team that effectively managed U.S. Army Corps of Engineer campgrounds and day use areas in central Texas visited by 6 million people annually. She managed environmental compliance, recreation, flood risk and natural resource programs. O’Connor has also directed complex large-scale projects to include hospital construction at Fort Cavazos and infrastructure projects in Afghanistan. Currently O’Connor works as a supervisory program manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a position she has held since 2020. Her responsibilities included the oversight of tactical infrastructure construction projects for U.S. Border Patrol. She has worked as a deputy district engineer, operations project manager, environmental specialist, recreation specialist and park ranger. 

“After my first visit, I knew that I wanted to one day work at Big Bend National Park,” O’Connor said. “I am excited and am looking forward to working with the team at Big Bend National Park, our partners, communities and visitors to continue to care for this special, breathtaking park.”

O’Connor will be moving back to the area with her spouse. She succeeds Bob Krumenaker who recently retired.

County takes action to finish costly fuel-spill cleanup

MARFA — Facing a deadline to finish cleanup from a faulty overflow prevention valve that spilled 200-400 gallons of jet fuel through a storm drain and into the ground at the Marfa Airport, Presidio County commissioners agreed to push forward with up to $95,000 in cleanup costs.

The initial estimates of $35,000 for cleanup grew as the contractor hired found the fuel had gone much deeper into the ground requiring hauling much more earth to a landfill certified to take contaminated material near Odessa, according to Airport Director Chase Snodgrass.

Precinct 4 Presidio County Commissioner David Beebe, who informally oversees airport operations for the county, said 90% of the cost can be covered by a state grant already received by the airport, with the rest covered by airport funds.

Snodgrass said a claim to the county’s insurance pool to cover the accident was denied because it said the policy had exemptions for faulty or unmaintained equipment. County Judge Joe Portillo asked whether the county could challenge the denial, and the court agreed to look into making a challenge.