Interlocal agreement between Guadalupe County, Cibolo helps improve road, infrastructure at automatic transmission plant

Seguin, TX, USA / Seguin Today

Cindy Aguirre

(Cibolo) – Guadalupe County has signed off on an interlocal agreement with the city of Cibolo to help build and improve the infrastructure in and around the construction of the new AW Texas development off Interstate 10 and Santa Clara Road.

The walls of the automatic transmission plant, a subsidiary of Japan’s Aisin AW Co, are currently on their way up next door to San Antonio Raceway.

Thanking Guadalupe County for its support of the project during a regular meeting of the commissioner’s court was Cibolo Mayor Stosh Boyle.

“We just received an award from the Texas Economic Development Corporation for this project. The city manager Bob Herrera and I made a video thanking the Texas Economic Development Corporation for the award, a very prestigious award. I know these developments go up pretty regular in Seguin and Schertz and the other communities. This is our very first and we are excited about just the size and scope. The first phase is over 900 jobs and the economic benefit is over $400 million dollars. That is for phase one and I’m very proud to say we are on schedule. We will be opened up next year for production and everything has gone really well and it’s a very big part of what you have done and helped land this project and the continued support that you have with this project,” said Boyle.

Guadalupe County Judge Kyle Kutscher says the agreement allows for the entities to team up for the costs of a highway project – a project that will help better develop the 159.5-acre tract on the county’s west end. He says the infrastructure improvements will assist in the construction and ultimate operation of this new manufacturing plant.

“We’ve talked about it a lot of times and I just don’t want to kind of gloss over this. So, this agreement is the county’s commitment to the city of Cibolo for $750,000 that are budgeted funds within fiscal year 20 budget for the upgrade to Bolton and Santa Clara Road in connection with the AW Texas or Aisin AW Transmission Plant. I know there are a lot of compliments back and forth but I think it’s hard to truly understand unless you are in the middle of all those meetings and conversations – how much time some folks in the back of this room spent and some of the folks up here sitting beside me spent just going through planning, trying to negotiate talk – working with TxDOT, all the way up to the highest level of government trying to make things just fit within the box and it got done,” said Kutscher.

Kutscher says ever since Texas Governor Greg Abbott was in town to make the announcement, the county has been hard at work with Cibolo and the rest of its team.

“You think about it. Most projects like this don’t ever happen. People dream about them. People talk about them. When you talk about like you said Phase I, Stosh, mayor of being $400-$500 million dollars and 900 jobs and they plan on doubling those numbers in a handful of years, a lot of those things are just pipedreams but it happened here because a team including the county, the city, the state, the EDC – all these people came together and compromised and put any differences aside and said how can we truly not only be a partner today but forever as long as you are in our community and I think that is what really carried through in that message. It was about communication, partnerships and people working together. I think if everybody can remember that no matter what we are working on, then great things can be accomplished,” said Kutscher.

Supporting the efforts of Cibolo was Commissioner Judy Cope. Cope says the economic impact goes well beyond the walls of Cibolo.

“I’d like to say thank you too also because a lot of things that aren’t looked at when we talk about economic development is the impact that it is going to have on our school system that is in that area and that happens to be the Marion ISD which is a small system over there. They’ve done well but they’ve really have had to struggle because due to not having the economic encouragement from that area so I would like to say thank you very much because I know this is going to help them out tremendously also. Thank you,” said Cope.

Boyle agrees with Cope and says although this is an economic breakthrough for the city of Cibolo, everyone around, stands to benefit.

“I have been in contact with the mayor of Marion, the mayor of New Berlin, the mayor of Santa Clara, the mayor of Schertz, the impact is not just local but it’s a regional impact that it has made and I know sometimes the city lines – everybody wants to be defined by the city lines but the lines are really blurred on this project because the impact is for everyone here so thank you,” said Boyle.

Complete roadway improvements include a two-lane roadway from I-10 to Bolton Road including a left turn lane into an employee parking lot, the construction of a “T” intersection at Santa Clara plus many other safe routes entering and exiting the multi-million dollar transmission plant. Next month, marks a year since the plant was announced by Governor Abbott. The plant is expected to officially begin operation next year.

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