Landmark status for Historic Baptist Church could be approved by city council tonight

The status of the historical First Baptist Church as a local landmark is on the agenda for tonight’s regular San Marcos City Council meeting. 

The council will hold a public hearing on an ordinance that would establish the church as a local historic landmark and hold a vote on the first of two readings of the ordinance. The city’s Historic Preservation Commission and Planning and Zoning Commission both approved granting the church local historic landmark status. Efforts to restore the church, which was built 110 years ago, recently received a $150,000 boost from Partners in Preservation. 

In other business, council’s consent agenda includes a contract with Alan Plummer Associates to update the Alliance Regional Water Authority (ARWA) water supply delivery master plan. San Marcos is one of several entities participating in the ARWA, which aims to bring a new groundwater supply to San Marcos and other cities in the Interstate 35 corridor to meet future demand. The council agenda notes that the new supply will “create a significant change to the city’s water system and will require the construction of new facilities to provide for its effective distribution in the water system.” The contract under consideration will allow Alan Plummer Associates to update the master plan and identify improvements to the water system, including the city’s water treatment plant, that will be needed. 

The consent agenda also includes two resolutions regarding lease agreements with Coast Flight Training and Management at the San Marcos Regional Airport. Coast has requested that a year be added to its contract allowing a temporary modular facility at the airport that has been used for classroom and office space. The resolution would extend Coast’s lease term to Dec. 19, 2019, and increase rent by 10 percent beginning in the third year. The second resolution would give Coast the opportunity to renew for five one-year additional terms of their lease agreement for commercial use of a city-owned hangar for aircraft storage. Coast trains U.S. military helicopter pilots to become civil airline pilots. 

Council will meet in the council chambers at City Hall, 630 E. Hopkins St. City council meetings are also televised live on Spectrum Ch. 10 and Grande Ch. 16 or 123-16 and streamed online.