Boerne City Council reviews Fire Station No. 2 design
The design of Boerne’s second fire station was presented to City Council on June 24, highlighting the next steps before the new facility can be constructed.
The station will be located on Esperanza Boulevard just off Highway 46 and will serve the eastern portion of the service area.
Fire Chief Manny Casarez said the new facility will be multifunctional, including a community room, a museum room and a library kiosk. For firefighters, the facility is constructed with amenities to make overnight shifts and long stays more comfortable.
Casarez said staff wanted the building to be future-proof, leading to the inclusion of environmental design elements. This includes supporting the One Water initiative, which views all water as a unified resource, promoting sustainable practices to meet current and future water needs, according to the city website.
$9 million authorized for Boerne water storage tank, pump station
Funding for a new storage tank and pump station was approved by Boerne City Council on June 24, moving the process forward for a facility off Ammann Road near Fair Oaks Ranch.
The storage tank and pump station project is one of three interrelated projects to distribute additional water from the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority Western Canyon Project.
The facility will be a 1 million gallon ground storage tank and a pump station facility with three high-service pumps, with space for a future fourth pump.
Alongside the facility construction, a GBRA-delivered pipeline is planned to bring water to the site, and a planned city pipeline will deliver water from the new facility to the easternmost point of Boerne’s potable water system, according to agenda documents.
After design, city engineers projected a project cost of around $7.7 million, but the lowest bid came in around $8.91 million.
Utilities Director Michael Mann said some features of the new facility could be reduced to lower the cost, but those cuts would save around $200,000.
City Council authorized $9 million for the project, which is to be awarded to Pesado Construction. The project is funded through water impact fees and will not require the acquisition of debt.
Fair Oaks Ranch implements Flock Safety Cameras
Flock Safety Cameras are being installed across Fair Oaks Ranch, adding nine license plate readers at city entrances.
While not fully functional or live at this time, the system is being installed and tested, with the expectation to be operational in August.
Flock Safety Cameras are license plate reading devices that capture an image of a vehicle's plate as it passes. According to the business website, the cameras do not capture any identifying information about the driver or passengers in the vehicle, and the cameras do not record video.
If the cameras identify a license plate that is within a law enforcement database, an alert is sent to the Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department. Cameras will not be used for issuing traffic citations, and captured photos are stored for 30 days unless part of an active investigation.
Quinten Scott resigns from Boerne City Council
Boerne council member Quinten Scott on July 8 announced his resignation from City Council. Scott said his reason for leaving was due to moving to a new home, which would require resignation to be in line with the city charter.
During the meeting, Mayor Frank Ritchie said City Council will consider the approval of the resignation during the next City Council meeting, scheduled for July 22.
Following approval of the resignation, applications will open for potential candidates to fill the District 3 seat. Per the city charter, potential candidates must have lived in the district for at least six months.
Scott was most recently elected in 2024, and the candidate appointed to the seat will finish the remainder of the term set to expire in May 2026.
“I’ve been happy to serve, but those days are kind of coming behind me. I am appreciative of all the members of the council that I have served with," Scott said.
Meckel named interim fire chief of Bexar County ESD No. 4
Douglas Meckel was named interim fire chief of the Bexar County Emergency Services District No. 4 following the resignation of Chief Craig Ramon on June 23.
According to a June 28 news release, Meckel brings more than 35 years of public safety leadership experience, including 16 years as fire chief for the city of Boerne.
Bexar County ESD No. 4 covers around 67 square miles, from Babcock Road north to the Bexar County/Kendall County line, and Ralph Fair Road west to Toutaunt Beauregard Road.
Alongside serving the incorporated area in the northwestern part of Bexar County, the city of Fair Oaks Ranch has an interlocal agreement with the department to provide emergency services to the city.
Before working with ESD No. 4, the city worked with the Leon Springs Volunteer Fire Department, which was absorbed by the ESD in 2024.
Meckel will serve as interim chief until the ESD appoints a permanent replacement for Ramon.
The ESD board has launched a national search for a permanent fire chief, which is expected to be filled within the next three to six months, according to the release.
