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	News Chamber compiles Christmas wish list By William Hoover Anvil Herald Correspondent The directors of the Hondo Area Chamber of Commerce have been as busy as elves this month helping the city celebrate the start of the Hondo Municipal Airport’s major maintenance project and preparing for Christmas festivities. The Chamber staff is also helping with the planned arrival of a technical school sponsored by the Southwest Texas Junior College. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday for the $6.4 million runway rehabilitation project at the airport. The project is being funded with a 95% grant from the Texas Department of Transportation’s Aviation Division. The City of Hondo will only be required to contribute 5%, or $320,000, to extend the life of the airport infrastructure for up to 40 years via the rehabilitation and repair of the airport’s concrete runways and ramp areas. The popular Christmas Cards on the Parkway tradition, which was preempted this year and last because of the TxDOT Hwy. 90 widening project, was also discussed by the chamber. Following several meetings between the city of the Hondo and the Chamber’s Economic Development Committee, a decision was made to erect Christmas cards, or signs, on either side of town. The Chamber’s EDC is sponsoring the display of holiday signage and is also encouraging businesses in town to place Christmas signs in front of their buildings to create a more festive holiday atmosphere. The Training School Committee has met several times since November. At the most recent meeting, on Dec. 9, Chamber officials, by consensus, decided the Hondo Convention Center should be refurbished. City Manager Robert Herrera agreed to work with the chosen architectural firm to obtain cost estimates for the renovation as soon as possible. Chamber officials expressed hope that City Council would approve allowing the Hondo Economic Development Corporation to contribute money from the half-cent 4B sales tax monies it collects to help fund the Convention Center renovation project. Chamber officials have also attended several meetings between the City of Hondo and the Texas Archeological Society. The latest meeting was held in Hondo on Nov. 23, with city representatives Jimmy Dixon of the Medina County Fair Association, Tad Wooten of Community National Bank and Evelyne Barbutti of the Chamber of Commerce. The TAS is scheduled to visit Hondo from June 11-19, 2010 with several hundred participants anticipated. The TAS and up to 500 volunteers, students and amateur archeologists will be coming to Medina County to perform an archeological excavation in the Tarpley area.
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