MERCEDES — Bobby Sparks, board president for the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show, may have been short on words Wednesday but was filled with sentiment when describing the significance of a $2.5 million parking lot upgrade planned within the grounds.
“This is a big deal,” he said with gusto.
Such enthusiasm was shared by those in attendance at a ceremonial groundbreaking on Wednesday, which marked the start of construction for the project and joined together members of the RGVLS Board of Directors and staff, longtime sponsors, City of Mercedes leaders, representatives of the Mercedes Chamber of Commerce and the business community.
For Mayor Henry Hinojosa, the outcome of what will be an endeavor that not only increases parking accommodations at the show grounds to 3,800 vehicles but will also improves drainage and lighting is invaluable.
“It means that more events will be coming in to rent this place for concerts, festivals, you name it,” Hinojosa said. “Of course it’s a win-win situation for us. The stock show brings in 250,000 people every year — that’s people coming into our city, eating and shopping here.”
According to D.J. Wernecke, general manager for the stock show, the show grounds hosts 15 to 20 large events throughout the year, including the South Texas Balloon Festival, benefit dinners, rodeos and the Relay For Life. That number is expected to double once the project makes way for a 26-acre asphalt parking lot, which will also help eliminate the nuisance of inclement weather creating muddy conditions at the venue.
“You still might have to bring an umbrella but you can leave your rubber boots at home,” Sparks said to laughter at Wednesday’s event.
Hinojosa added, “So with more events coming in because now there will be asphalt parking, those people that come to those events will also be coming to our downtown and our outlet mall.”
Wernecke said the project took shape when an advisory committee tasked with identifying improvements to the stock show identified additional parking as a top priority.
“We came up with a solution, and decided to have a five-year plan of how we can pay it off and what we can do,” Wernecke said of the improvements, which the Development Corporation of Mercedes has agreed to grant $300,000 to the cause over five years. “The City of Mercedes has been gracious enough to be partners with us, not just to better the livestock show but to better the city of Mercedes. We’re a partner with them and we want to better the community.”
The $1.6 million in prize money awarded at the 2016 stock show, Wernecke said, goes back to the Valley community in the form of scholarships and benefits. It’s revenue that he believes will increase the more people that attend the stock show.
Still, Wernecke acknowledged that there’s more at stake with the success of upgrading parking accommodations.
“This parking lot is not utilized just for our show,” Wernecke added. “We have different special events throughout the course of the year, and we’re really trying to utilize the facility throughout the whole year. This parking lot is going to accommodate that, and we hope that it will eventually open avenues for other opportunities for us to host events.”
Longhorn Paving was contracted for the construction, which is scheduled for completion by the end of summer, corporation officials said.
