Downtown San Angelo Summer '25 - Magazine - Page 31
The Port-to-Plains initiative of highway and railway lines has progressed significantly–the ribbon-cutting ceremony
opening the first four-odd miles of I-27 out of Lubbock occurred in April, and will eventually reach San Angelo,
Eldorado, and then on to Laredo. The South Plains & Lamesa Railroad has a San Angelo multi-track port that puts
our city directly in the supply-chain line from Mexico to all points north which will be a great boon to the city, as more
and more manufacturing has moved from China to Mexico since Covid. As realtors love to say, it’s all about “location,
location, location,” and we are definitely in the right place to become a transportation hub as products come across the
border for distribution.
“Our airport is also part of the transportation strategy, an engine for driving economic development,” Brenda said in a
recent interview. Over the past 8 years, a pilot training program in affiliation with Southwest Airlines has been
implemented by ASU and a new training center has been added for air traffic controllers, and airplane and airline
mechanics who can work not only on the planes, but elevators and escalators. To capture some of the growth that
Texas has experienced in the last several years–particularly along the I-35 corridor–San Angelo must maximize its
Mayor
transportation and key assets, and without
theArticle
push to do so, Brenda believes, SanAngelo will become a smaller and
smaller dot on the map as other cities seize those opportunities for economic growth.
The Lake Nasworthy Sewer Project has been completed. Double J Lamb has been successfully established, an asset for
local ranchers and providing as many as 100 area jobs. With the City Council, Brenda has also seen through the
Concho River Water Project, a sustainable water resource in our parched region, as well as securing rights to the
Hickory aquifer, ensuring adequate water supplies for the future.
There is more to be done, and as our new Mayor, Tom Thompson, assumes his office, Brenda reminds the citizens that
the mayor has only one vote on the City Council; no mayor has unilateral powers. Strategic planning with a
prioritized, long-term vision for the city and cooperation and consensus make for an effective City Council. She leaves
behind projects that have already been planned and funded, such as upgrades to the River Stage; all that remains is for
the work to continue. She hopes that the new mayor and his council will be successful in finding solutions for other
projects that are important for San Angelo–a quality downtown hotel, possibly through renovating the Edgewater Inn,
has long been considered a worthy investment for the city, as well as the work needed to complete the Roosevelt Hotel,
the extension of the Streetscape Project and continuing improvements at the airport and Lake Nasworthy.
These efforts are all in line with capturing “heritage tourism.” In just the same way that we Texans might be drawn to
the medieval castles and churches of Europe, tourists come here to visit the American West, to see what a frontier fort
was like, catch a glimpse of a buffalo or prairie dog, or to watch a cowboy rope a steer, things of legend that are as
exciting to visitors here as we might be at the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. San Angelo offers these
things, and our river and lakes, our parks, our public art, performing arts centers, and variety of local shops and
restaurants are the surprising bonuses that make our city a memorable place to visit time and again, as well as a home
to be proud to live and work in. We see no better proof of this than when families return to call San Angelo home after
having enjoyed their time here while stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base–San Angelo has won the Altus Award
multiple times for its outstanding community support and military-friendly atmosphere.
All in all, at the end of Brenda’s tenure as Mayor, San Angelo is a better city, healthy and growing. We have secure
water supplies; our infrastructure has been improved; we will see new opportunities as a result of the Port-to Plains
initiative; our tax base is growing; schools have been improved, and thanks to our citizens’ determination to sacrifice
now for future generations by passing the recent bond election items, they will continue to see improvement, along
with our Coliseum. Brenda now plans to spend more time at her restaurant, and she will continue to be involved
behind the scenes, championing the city that has become her home and her passion.
Thank you, Mayor Gunter
