City of Presidio to toss junk cars, add lights, seek tourism board members 

Presidio 

On Monday afternoon, the Presidio City Council tackled a number of topics dealing with infrastructure and politics, calling for the public’s help and input. Mayor John Ferguson also included an agenda item to talk about how best to help folks during the government shutdown—a large percentage of Presidio’s workforce is dedicated to Customs and Border Protection and other federal agencies—but with the longest shutdown in U.S. history winding down, council members were able to focus on more routine issues that needed tending to. 

City to collect junk cars

Over the summer, the city embarked on a campaign called “Make Presidio Beautiful” aimed at increasing tourism and investment. Volunteers from both the community and the Joint Task Force-Southern Border military deployment have come together a handful of times to collect litter from downtown, but the project also includes a city-sponsored component that began with hauling off junk tires and appliances to help community members clean up their yards and garages. 

The council voted to officially begin phase two of Make Presidio Beautiful by waiving fees for residents to drop off junk vehicles at the landfill—and even offering to tow them away for free. Community members can stop by or call City Hall to take care of an old vehicle taking up space within city limits. Councilmember Fernando Juarez thought it was a great second step toward cleaning up the city’s streets. “It’s about getting people to be responsible,” he said. 

Lighting up the night 

Councilmember Juarez was also concerned about inconsistent dark patches along city streets, particularly along O’Reilly Street, the town’s main drag. “I don’t believe our lighting is adequate,” he said. 

Mayor Pro Tempore Christian Montoya felt that the lack of lighting in certain parts of town wasn’t just a safety issue, but could potentially be discouraging tourists from checking out Presidio. “I think it’d be great for the aesthetics,” he said. 

Juarez said that he had reached out to AEP, the company that helps Presidio keep the lights on, and that they had indicated that they could put up new lights at no cost to the city. Mayor Ferguson and former Councilmember Arian Velázquez-Ornelas suggested meeting up with Stephen Hummel, Dark Sky Specialist at the McDonald Observatory, to make sure that the new lights were in compliance with the region’s dark sky regulations. “I think that we can have streets that are visible and safe and still maintain our dark skies posture,” Juarez contended. 

Board members needed for Convention and Visitors Bureau

The city ended the meeting by putting out a call for new members for the Presidio Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), which meets at least monthly to vote on how the city’s Hotel Occupancy (HOT) tax can be spent. The board has had a lot of turnover over the past few months, which council members were split on how to address. 

One audience member suggested that the Presidio Municipal Development District (PMDD), which operates with a percentage of city sales tax, should be merged with the CVB, but officials agree that the issue would have to be brought before legal council. Mayor Ferguson stepped in and volunteered to be on the board to help generate positive momentum. 

Those interested in serving on the Presidio CVB should call or stop by City Hall, where they can pick up an application with instructions on how to submit a letter of interest. To call City Hall about open positions (or about the junk car program), dial 432-229-3517.