(Seguin) — The Seguin ISD wants the community to keep swinging for the fences. The district this week officially kicked off its information campaign that tries to educate the public about a $7.5 million bond package that calls for the construction of a new baseball and softball complex at Seguin High School.
Seguin ISD Superintendent Matthew Gutierrez used Tuesday’s meeting of the Seguin City Council to make his first presentation. Dr. Gutierrez says both facilities are desperately needed. He says the current softball field at the high school is completely inadequate and needs to be replaced. There are problems with the field itself, and he says there are parking and accessibility problems for spectators.
The baseball program has its own facility problems. The baseball team currently doesn’t have its own game day field at the high school. The baseball players have to travel from the high school to an aging Smokey Joe Williams Field at Fairgrounds Park. Dr. Gutierrez says it’s not a good situation and its hurting the overall baseball program in Seguin.
“Having to take time to pack up equipment, load it on the bus, travel to Smokey Joe’s, (and then) practice, pack up equipment, load on the bus and travel back to the high school — (with all of that), they lose out on quality practice time,” said Gutierrez.
Gutierrez says the lack of adequate facilities is also keeping the district from bringing more kids into these programs. He says they want to grow those programs, but simply can’t do that right now. It also would help the district better manage the operation of these facilities on practice and game days.
“We’ve not been able to expand the programming to middle schools, and 70 percent of our students come from poverty. So many of our students do not get that exposure until they get to the ninth grade. Having a facility that could accommodate middle school would give students exposure beginning in seventh grade and in eighth grade to give them two years of skill development. By building the baseball complex at Seguin High School, it would (also) be a cost savings due to not duplicating a ticket booth, restrooms and concessions. They would be shared. We would have about a seating capacity of about 1,000 for spectators, with restrooms right there on site and concessions that would be shared,” said Gutierrez.
The new baseball and softball complex would have artificial turf on the playing surface, which also helps to save the district time and money in the long run.
“The cost of watering and maintaining the grass fields, that comes at a cost every year. A couple of years ago, we invested about $300,000 into the fields for reseeding and just ensuring that it is up to par to be able to play and practice on,” said Gutierrez.
Voters said no to this project last November. Gutierrez says they brought it back because the needs remain. He says it not only helps to finish the work that’s been done at Seguin High School, but he says it’s something that is sorely needed for our children to succeed in these programs. The updated fields would also bring the potential to host more tournaments and games in Seguin, which will also help to bring more revenue to the community.
“It would be a shared location where our current softball field exists at Seguin High School. What I shared back in November is that our ultimate goal was to complete the entire high school package. We have the new high school as part of Bond 2013. We have the new Matador Stadium as part of Bond 2019. We have the Goldie Harris facility and we have upgraded tennis courts. The last piece to that puzzle is the baseball and softball fields,” said Gutierrez.
The new baseball and softball complex would fit nicely into the existing footprint of the Seguin High School campus. He says it would solve so many issues when it comes to both programs.
“The parking is already there. It exists where the student parking is (off College Street). Of course, there is also parking along the street. But it would put it in closer proximity to the existing parking lot. In addition to that, there would be a pathway that leads to the parking that is right there by the stadium,” said Gutierrez.
There may be some people who wonder what this means for Smokey Joe Williams Field at Fairgrounds Park. The facility is owned by the city. In addition to the Matadors playing their home games there, it is also the home to the collegiate league summer team, called the Seguin River Monsters. The River Monsters are expected to continue to play games there each summer, but city officials say they would also look for other potential uses for the facility, which has a long and storied history when it comes to baseball.
Everyone involved seems to agree that it’s important to honor that past, but Dr. Gutierrez says its time for the high school to get its own field for baseball.
“We’ve appreciated the partnership that has existed for many years between the city and Smokey Joe Field. But again, ultimately, we want to have that facility on site for our students,” said Gutierrez.
Gutierrez says it’s important that everyone understand that this is a real need, and it can be fully funded without increasing the district’s tax rate. He says the district hopes that will be another selling point for voters during this election.
“Under House Bill Three, which was passed back in 2019, all bond propositions for any school district must have the following phrase — ‘This is a property tax increase’ on all ballot language for all bond propositions. Now in November, it was a tax increase of two cents. Back in 2019, it was a tax increase of five cents, but ultimately it was only a 2.5 cent increase because of the explosive growth that is happening. Due to this requirement, all voters will see that statement on the official ballot, regardless of the bonds (lack of) impact on the district tax rate. Homeowners, of course, the over 65 homestead exemption are not impacted by the school bond program, if no improvements are made. Of course, no taxpayers are going to be impacted by this bond,” said Gutierrez.
Voting will begin soon on the bond package. Gutierrez says they will do all that they can to make sure that they help voters make an informed decision when they head to the polls.
“Early voting begins very soon, on April the 24th through May the 6th at the following locations — the Guadalupe County Election Office, Rodriguez Elementary, Jim Barnes Middle School, Seguin High School Performing Arts Center, and the Seguin ISD Administration Building. So there will be multiple opportunities and locations to vote in close proximity to many of our community members. On Election Day, the voting sites are at Rodriguez Elementary, Jim Barnes Middle School, Seguin High School Performing Arts Center and the Seguin ISD Administration Building,” said Gutierrez.
Election day is Saturday, May 6. Information about voting hours and polling locations can be found on the district’s website, seguinisd.net. Voters can also find complete details about the full proposal for the new baseball and softball complex at Seguin High School.
