SAN BENITO — For about 10 years, organizers of the city’s museums worked to build a cultural heritage center aimed at showcasing San Benito rich history.
In 2018, the city completed construction of the $1.7 million San Benito Cultural Heritage Museum, a 7,000-square-foot building funded through a $1 million grant whose application stated would house the San Benito Historical Museum, the Texas Conjunto Hall of Fame and Museum and the Freddy Fender Museum.
But when the building opened, the city did not let the three museums in.
Last week, organizers of the history museum called on city commissioners to let them move into the building.
“For years since its completion in 2018, we have waited to move into the building that was built with a grant specifying that it would house the San Benito Historical Society, the Conjunto Hall of Fame and the Freddy Fender Museum,” Sandra Tumberlinson, a museum organizer, said.
Now, some commissioners are considering the organizers’ request.
“We definitely are interested in somehow coming to terms with your group so that you can be in co-existence in our building because as city commissioners, mayor, we’ll always have the fiduciary responsibility of all assets, buildings and funds of the city of San Benito,” Commissioner Rene Garcia told organizers during a meeting Tuesday.
Garcia said he would meet with the museum group to consider their request.
“It was never the idea to keep you out of that building,” he told organizers.
During the meeting, City Attorney Mark Sossi told commissioners the museums’ entry would make the building subject to taxation.
“If they took over the property, ad valorem taxes would be owed — it wouldn’t be used by a governmental entity,” he said. “So who would be responsible for paying those taxes? Would the museum be willing to pay those taxes or would the museum want the city to pay those taxes, which it can’t do.”
In response, organizer Olivia Rivas told commissioners the group would work to try to move into the building.
“We’ll work with the city to find the answers to the questions that the city attorney has put before you because we don’t know the answers either,” said Rivas, president of the Friends of the Museum Association, representing the three museums. “Let’s work together to find these answers but let’s start with the premise that you want to find a way to put us in there.”
On Friday, city officials did not comment on the amount of taxes the building would owe.
Meanwhile, Mayor Rick Guerra and Commissioner Pete Galvan said they support the museum organizers’ request to move into the new building.
“If its possible to get them in, let them in,” Guerra said during an interview. “There’s room for everybody.”
Galvan described the group’s request as a “viable option.”
“I don’t know why they can’t co-exist with anything we have going on there now,” he said. “The group has been around a long time. They’ve put in a lot of sweat and tears. Let’s give them the opportunity. They might surprise us all.”
After years of waiting to move into the new building, organizers of the conjunto museum decided last month to take the city’s offer to move into the historic Aztec Building.
As part of the agreement, the city has also offered the history museum and the Freddy Fender Museum the chance to move into the city-owned building, Galvan said.
