Commissioners declare November as Native American Heritage Month

November is officially Native American Heritage Month.

Hays County Commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to proclaim the month of November as Native American Heritage Month, in honor of the Coahuiltecan people who have inhabited Hays County for thousands of years.

Maria Rocha, Board of Elders member with the Indigenous Cultures Institute, thanked commissioners for issuing the proclamation.

“As the proclamation states, here in Hays County, people who are labeled Hispanic, which is about 40% of your constituents, most likely have indigenous heritage, so they have indigenous ancestors and will celebrate this day with you,” Rocha said, adding, “I would also like to thank you for your consideration of helping us to establish an indigenous cultures center.”

Judge Ruben Becerra said he was “grateful” to have sponsored the agenda item, because “We are all here, moving through, suffering through this existence, living through and enjoying it, however you want to see it.

“But just know that everyone with a beating heart is someone’s loved one, and it should be a goal of ours to be most peaceful, most accepting, and see others with loving eyes,” he said. “It is so important that during these polarizing and ridiculousness in politics that we remember that at the end of the day, when truth comes home to roost, we are still neighbors.”

Commissioners also voted unanimously to recognize the first Saturday of November as Harvey E. Miller Day of Service.

The Dunbar Heritage Association (DHA) and the City of San Marcos Parks and Recreation Department were the first to recognize Miller annually for his contributions to San Marcos.

Miller’s accomplishments include transforming the old Dunbar school site into a park and recreation center, initiating Hays County’s annual Juneteenth celebration, and helping Hispanic residents “understand and appreciate the significant contributions and legacy of African Americans citizens in our community and across Texas,” according to the agenda item summary delivered at Commissioners Court.

As the founder of the DHA, Miller was also a 2008 recipient of the Spirit of San Marcos Award and named Outstanding Senior Volunteer by the San Marcos Senior Citizen Advisory Board.

Miller died on Sept. 1, 2020.

The DHA, in collaboration with Keep San Marcos Beautiful and the Hays County Food Bank, will host its 2nd Annual Harvey Miller Day of Service on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The event begins at 9 a.m. with a neighborhood cleanup of Eddie Durham Park, followed by a reception with light refreshments.

The food donation dropoff takes place from 9 to 11 a.m. For more information, visit the DHA Facebook page.

Also at Commissioners Court, commissioners heard five proposals from Ardurra for the use of American Rescue Plan funds and approved a contract with Halff and Associates, Inc. for engineering services related to the Onion Creek Watershed Hydraulic Study.

Molly Quirk, client service manager for Ardurra, presented ARPA funds proposals from Kyle Area Senior Zone (KASZ), Burke Center for Youth (BCFY), Wimberley and Dripping Springs Education Foundations, Gunner Thames Memorial Foundation (GTM), and Hill County Rally, Inc.

Commissioners will take action on the five proposals at their next meeting.

Hays County issued an RFQ for a Watershed Hydraulic Study on Onion Creek to “develop digital, geo-referenced hydraulic models and floodplain maps for the Onion Creek Watershed for both existing and fully developed land-use conditions as well as Atlas 14 flows produced by the City of Austin hydrologic models,” according to the RFQ.

For the complete meeting and agenda, visit https://hayscountytx.com/commissioners-court/court-video.