2017-1 Remembrances Special EditionCity of Schertz REMEMBRANCES Special Edition Article 2017-1
Presented by: Schertz Historical Preservation Committee
The 1990s transformed our lives forever with the introduction of the World Wide Web as an internet
service in 1991 and shook us up just 8 years later with the threat of a phenomenon we called Y2K.
Politically, we advanced our status as the superior world power when the Soviet Union dissolved and we
claimed victory in the Cold War. Simultaneously, we began our longest period of war with military
engagements in Southwest Asia named Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM. While the
world was absorbed with those military actions in early 1990, Schertz residents were focused on a
radically different history-making event.
In November 1989, a young 21-month old Schertz resident, Ashley Smith, pulled at the heart strings of
people across the Country when she received part of her mother’s liver in the first living liver donor
transplant ever performed in the United States. Weeks later, after multiple operations at the University of
Chicago Hospital, Ashley was scheduled to return home on January 16, 1990 and the City Council
planned to give her a champion’s arrival. On the afternoon of her return, city dignitaries, several Schertz
residents and local media formed a welcome committee for Ashley and her family at the San Antonio
Airport. Following a brief reception, the Schertz Police Department provided the little hero with a police
escort from the airport to her Schertz home. Ashley’s homecoming was just the first of many special
engagements and contributions Schertz’s elected officials delivered during the 1990s.
Unfortunately, just 2 weeks later, Schertz mourned the loss of a prominent citizen when
Dr. Roy Richard, the second Schertz mayor, passed away on February 1st, 1990. During the Council
meeting on February 6, Mayor Sawyer characterized him as “one of the great leaders for the City of
Schertz” and credited Dr. Richard as the person who laid the groundwork for City annexations on IH-35.1
As a show of gratitude for the former mayor, the Council issued a resolution on January 19, 1993 to
change the name of FM 3009 from Jack Hays Boulevard2 to Dr. Roy Richard Boulevard. The Richard
family generously paid the $4,200 cost to change the street signs so the City didn’t have to bear the
burden…a noble gesture one might expect to see only in a small town.
While a relatively small town of just 10,555 residents in 19903, Schertz was blessed with many
dedicated citizen servants like Dr. Richard who assured the City’s continued growth and progress.
Serving during the 1990s, City Council members included Mayor
Earl Sawyer, Hal Baldwin (elected Mayor in 1994), Earl Hartzog,
Barbara Stanhope, Mary Marsh, Ken Greenwald, Joe Potempa,
Charles MacDonald, Norman Agee4, Regina Agee, Pia Jarman, and
Glyn Williams. As developers built new houses and industries
moved to Schertz, the increase in taxable properties allowed the City
Council to reduce the tax burden of individual residents. At the same
time, the larger tax base provided the increasing operating budget (as
shown in the following table) to allow the City to finance many planned improvements under the
direction of the City Manager, Kerry Sweatt, and City Council.
1 Schertz City Council Meeting minutes, February 6, 1990
2 Capt. Jack Hays was a Texas Ranger from the Austin area and since Hays didn’t have any affiliation with Schertz, the name change was not a
difficult decision. Hays County is named after Capt. Jack Hays
3 Population grew to 18,694 in 2000; Source: Texas State Library and Archives Commission, online at https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/popcity1.html
4 Served as Schertz Chief of Police until his resignation and subsequent unopposed election to the City Council. Unfortunately, Agee died 1
week after his election. The City Council appointed his wife, Regina, to fill his term.
Fiscal Year
Assessed Tax per $100 Operating Budget ($M)
1990 .3689 $2.73 1991 .3889 $2.49 1992 .4255 $2.61
1993 .4684 $2.86
1994 .4275 $5.79
1995 .4072 $6.12 1996 .3719 $6.90 1997 .3554 $7.68 1998 .3554 $9.56
1999 .3455
The City Council recognized they couldn’t attract new business on their own so they established the
Schertz Development Foundation in the summer of 1991. The Foundation was originally established as a
non-political, non-profit agency to solicit gifts, donations and pledges for institutions or individuals
looking to get tax advantages of donations to a non-profit agency. Chaired by Charles MacDonald and
original members Tom Weaver, Lew Borgfeld, Jim Schriver and City Manager Kerry Sweatt; the
Foundation’s primary goal was to provide a tax advantage and entice businesses to move to Schertz. In
1998, to replace the very successful Foundation, the City Council passed an ordinance to fund and
establish the Schertz Economic Development Corporation (EDC) with Tim Swinney as the first president.
During the 1990s, the efforts of the Foundation (later the EDC), brought many businesses to Schertz, to
include: American Freightways, Ramada Inn, HEB, Bill Miller Bar-B-Q, and ECKO Construction.
The Council didn’t place all the burden for economic development solely on the Foundation; the City
also formed partnerships with other municipalities to pool resources so it would have a greater voice in
state and Federal government actions. As part of the Northeast Partnership with Converse, Kirby, Live
Oak, Selma and Universal City, Schertz entered into a grant program with Bexar County to develop an
economic development study for the entire local area. Nationally, the Federal government established the
North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA); a major program to encourage trade between Canada, the
United States and Mexico and actually referred to IH-35 as the NAFTA Highway. Local governments
formed the Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council to take advantage of potential business opportunities
created by NAFTA but Schertz was the only city in the local area to actively participate. Its participation
led to the Schertz Development Foundation’s work with Security Capital and a $6M investment in a
warehouse project in the Tri-County Business Park--an area ideally situated on IH-35.
The Council recognized the need to improve the City’s infrastructure to safeguard its progress and
increase its appeal to businesses and home developers. While most business development was focused
along IH-35, the area between IH-35 and FM 78 was still largely undeveloped in 1990. The majority of
the City’s developed properties were centered south of Live Oak Road between FM 1518 and FM 3009.
In order to facilitate growth, the City laid out many ambitious plans to improve roadways throughout the
decade. The table below shows some of those projects and the costs for those with established plans.
Years Project Cost
1992-1995
Widen FM 3009 from FM 78 to IH-35 $3.98M
Widen FM 78 from Cibolo Creek to FM 3009 $4.75M
Improve bridge for lower water crossing at Aviation and FM 78 $1.30M
Widen Lower Sequin Rd from FM 1518 to TX 1604
1995-2002
Widen remainder of Lower Seguin Road
Improve/widen Schertz Pkwy from Live Oak Rd to IH-35
Improve/widen FM 1518 from FM 78 to IH-35
Extend FM 3009 from FM 78 to Lower Sequin Road $3.5M
Extend Green Valley and Woodland Oaks to FM 1103 $1.3M
Infrastructure improvements weren’t limited to roadways, the City also worked with the Guadalupe
Valley Electric Cooperative (GVEC) to build a substation on Elbel Road to provide for electricity to
planned Schertz Parkway housing developments. Later in the fall of 1995, the Council rezoned another
property on Elbel Road at the corner of FM 3009 for public use and sold it to the County; construction of
the Guadalupe County offices began early the following year. With the expansion of housing
developments and growth of the City, the need for more schools was apparent. In 1995, Mr. Biegert
donated 12.185 acres near Savannah Drive for the site of a future school. Despite the local residents’
objections of increased traffic and children in the area, the Council, who represented the 10,000-plus
residents across the City, unanimously approved a plan on September 19, 1995 to build the Laura Ingalls
Wilder Intermediate School. A growing city also needs worship centers and in February 1991, the
Council approved Reverend Ray Brown’s
request to establish the Resurrection
Baptist Church at 909 FM 1518. After
just 5 years, Reverend Brown had a
congregation of more than 500 worshipers
and they outgrew the church on FM 1518.
In 1996, to facilitate the growth, Reverend
Brown requested the City rezone property on Live Oak Road where he built a new church (pictured here).
The Knights of Columbus Council associated with Good Shepherd Catholic Church realized a need for a
larger meeting place and held their grand opening of newly-constructed Mikulski Hall on August 20,
1994. Additionally, the City’s first responders needed bigger facilities and in January 1997, the Council
began initial conversations about a centrally located fire/police complex. In the summer of 1997, the
Council approved a resolution to issue an $8.95M bond for: a fire, police and emergency medical services
complex; a town center; new library and improvement to the pool and ball fields.
The Council’s planning foresight paid big dividends as evidenced by the many home developers who
began to build communities along FM 3009 and Schertz Parkway in the late 90s. The council held many
public hearings and listened to residents’ concerns with each development. In early 1996, Aspen Homes
planned to build Schertz’s first gated community of 102 homes at Carolina Crossings on Savannah Drive.
During the first public hearing to rezone the property and extend Savannah Drive all the way to Schertz
Parkway, some citizens objected to a gated community because they believe it suggested the City was not
a safe place to live. Despite the objections, the Council eventually approved the rezoning but ensured the
developer complied with City ordinances with respect to streets and sidewalks. It was just a few months
later during another public hearing when the Council again took residents’ concerns under advisement as
they discussed rezoning for the Forest Ridge gated community. The greatest concern was the single
entry/exit onto FM 3009 because Weiderstein Road wasn’t improved yet. Initially, the Council
disapproved the rezoning because they were concerned if they approved rezoning from Commercial to
Gated Residential they would have no input on the approval of the subdivision. In September 1996, once
it received developer assurances of compliance with City ordinances, the Council approved the action.
As a result of citizens’ concerns during many discussions of development along both FM 3009 and
Schertz Parkway, the City passed an ordinance in September 1997 to require all property developers, both
residential and commercial, to build sidewalks from their property out to and
alongside the right of way. Today, Schertz is a wonderful walking community
because of those wise decisions of the City Council in response to citizen
participation.
It was in the midst of the City’s development when disaster struck. On
Saturday, October 17, 1998 many people had no idea that within a few short
days their lives would be changed forever. The day began with heavy rains
that saturated the soil over a large part of the river basin. At first, it appeared
that rainfall runoff would develop into a typical central Texas Hill Country
flood with limited coverage. With the soil already saturated, rainfall from the Major flood crests marked on the Seguin water treatment plant on the Guadalupe River show the record level of the 1998 flood.
intense storms quickly accumulated in creeks and rivers within the basin. The heaviest rains were
concentrated along the storm tracks over southern Comal County, Hays County and northern Guadalupe
County. Since the upper Guadalupe Basin consists of fairly steep terrain, especially between Canyon
Lake and Seguin, the Guadalupe River experienced flash flood conditions. Damage in this area was
characterized by the explosive nature of the flooding due to unusually high velocity. Many homes were
completely washed off their foundations in New Braunfels, and severe structural damage to homes and
businesses occurred downstream through Seguin.5 Following the epic event, so many volunteers came
out daily to help victims, the City administration was concerned they might have too many volunteers!
Schertz residents proved themselves to be wonderful neighbors following the 1998 flood.
Undoubtedly, the greatest decision of the 1990s Schertz City Council to assure the City’s future
growth and progress was the development of water rights in the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer in Gonzales
County. In November 1994, the City Council began discussions on alternate water sources because they
believed it was in the City’s best interests to pursue their own solutions. Rather than continuing to work
with the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority to solve the City’s potential future water shortages, the City
sought State and private advice. Two years later, at a public hearing, the Council listened to a
presentation from Crockett Camp, a water attorney from Austin and representatives of the engineering
firm Hennings, Durham and Richardson (HDR)of Austin. They discussed a potential groundwater supply
from an aquifer which ran from the Louisiana border to the border of Mexico and held 10 to 20 times the
water supply of the Edwards Aquifer. Getting the water to Schertz would be no easy task and would
require up to three 1,000’ wells and more than 30 miles of 36” water pipe at a cost of nearly $9M!
The plan had such promise, the Council agreed to spend some money for the engineering studies and
partnered with Seguin to form the Schertz/Seguin Local Government Corporation to further the Carrizo-
Wilcox Aquifer exploration. In July 1999, the Corporation entered an agreement to purchase 1,158.512
acres of land in Gonzales County in the very heart of the best water table. The land acquisition assured
not only the location of one well and over 2,000 acre-feet of water per year, but established a substantial
block of property to prevent exploitation of the area by others. The City’s share, subject to
reimbursement, was $649,999.55.6
On December 7, 1999, Mayor Baldwin introduced and the Council approved a resolution to authorize
the Schertz/Seguin Local Government Corporation to issue a $10M bond to provide for a regional water
supply. City Councilman Greenwald justifiably described it as “one of the most significant actions the
members of Council will take in their lifetimes.”7
All levels of government action made lasting changes during the 1990s and the local Schertz City
Council was no exception. It was not only the dedicated citizens who served on the Council, but it was
also the City administrators and the many residents who exercised their civic rights, and in fact their civic
duties, to participate in open City Council meetings to assure the 1990s was a decade of progress for
Schertz.
5 Internet Source; Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, Staying Safe…a Guide to Flooding in the Guadalupe River Basin,
http://floodsafety.com/texas/documentaries/1998/GBRA_Staying_Safe/index.htm
6 Schertz City Council Meeting minutes, July 14, 1999
7 Schertz City Council Meeting minutes, December 7, 1999