City hopes to improve Trevino Sports Complex

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The recent approval of two projects to upgrade the infrastructure at the Victor Trevino Sports Complex will leave a balance of $88,000 in Pearsall’s Hotel Occupancy Tax fund.
After learning during a December 13 meeting that funds had not been invested into the sports complex in the past 20 years, councilors made the unanimous decision to seek bids for repaving the jogging trail and parking lot, and repairing lights at the facility.
A sole bid from Gaydos Construction was submitted for the repaving project at a cost of $156,602. However, City Manager Federico Reyes said a five-percent contingency fund was added to the bid, which now totals $164,432.
“The last time we used the hotel tax revenues, it was for festivals,” Councilor Davina Rodriguez said. “The Victor Trevino Sports Complex has not been updated in a long time.”
Councilor Julian Hernandez agreed with Rodriguez, referencing a presentation given by Parks Director Ramiro Otero that showed the poorly lit parking lot without striping and children running behind cars.
“This was the only company to submit a bid,” Reyes said. “They did a good job here at City Hall. They can start the paving of the parking lot and jogging trail by next month and finish by April or May.”
Reyes recommended hiring Qualite Sports Lighting for improvements to the lighting fixtures.
“The difference with this is that we would not start work until November or December,” the city manager said. “If approved, we would order the material now and get it at today’s price.”
The total project will cost the city $379,862, of which $274,912 is for the material.
Reyes said installation would not occur until the 2022 fiscal year.
Rodriguez said the new lighting would be approved by the University Interscholastic League and the city could rent out fields for UIL-sanctioned tournaments.
“Actually, for UIL that would require taking all the old poles down and putting in new poles,” Qualite Sports Lighting representative Mike Kiker said. “Putting in new poles will drive the cost up.”
According to Kiker, the city chose Oan option that entails removing the old lights and reusing the poles to keep the cost of the project down. Kiker recommended this option, saying the city would “be extremely happy and the lights would be ten times brighter.”
The project calls for replacement with 147 energy-saving lamps, and 22 poles.
“A rough estimate to do option two, which would meet UIL requirements, would add an additional $125,000 for the poles alone,” the Qualite representative said. “The electrical would be another fifty to seventy-five thousand.”
Following a lengthy discussion councilors made a motion to direct Reyes to negotiate with Qualite, approving the second option with the understanding the lighting would be upgraded to UIL standards.
“What we can do is a field at a time,” the city manager said. “Let’s look and see what we can budget, then consider the use of the HOT funds to host an event.”
The beginning balance of the HOT funds was $527,622; the $439,344 estimated improvements to the sports complex leaves the balance at $88,000.