Jonathan Nolte
Staff Writer

Controversy continues to blaze as Frey Street residents addressed the Boerne City Council on Feb. 26 with their opposition to the construction of the Hill Country Pregnancy Care Center in their neighborhood.

The issue had been tabled at the previous council meeting after a mixed crowd of supporters and opponents filled council chambers beyond capacity. Major issues of concern to the residents are the appropriateness of the facility in a residential neighborhood, the HCPCC’s tactics for informing the neighbors of their intentions and an alleged conflict of interest concerning Councilman Jacques DuBose’s status as a HCPCC board member.

Jan Alexander said she thinks the zoning ordinance that might allow the center to be located in her neighborhood was a big mistake. She fears that the land occupied by the proposed 6,000-square-foot building can never be reverted to residential use.

Scott Evans said the issue “snuck in on us” and “should never have gone this far.” He vowed to attend every council meeting for the next six months, if necessary, to make sure the issue is not re-introduced without his knowledge.

Janis Maxymof asserted that DuBose should “serve only one master: the public interest.”

Mayor Dan Heckler assured the audience that the HCPCC has requested that the issue not be revived in council for up to six months and that he would personally make sure that ample notice would be provided on the city’s Web site, local newspapers, and by a mailing to all neighbors within a 200-foot radius of the proposed site at 507 Frey St.