San Juan EDC approves $1,000 donation for Green Middle School event, hears tournament and grant requests

The San Juan Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors on Saturday approved a $1,000 donation to support a middle-school sports event hosted by Green Middle School and heard multiple community sponsorship and grant requests.

Tiffany Valdez, special education teacher at Green Middle School, told the board the program brings "approximately 200 students to attend" and asked the EDC to provide shirts and lunch for participants and student mentors. After a motion was offered and seconded, the board voted to approve a $1,000 donation to cover event costs.

Why it matters: The donation is intended to defray student participation costs and support mentor involvement at a civic-park event. The EDC’s support of local youth programming was a recurring theme in the meeting; several presenters described how sponsorships feed directly into student accounts for meals and equipment.

At the meeting, Thomas Salzella, a team chair/coach at PSJA Southwest, invited the EDC to sponsor the fifth annual PSJA Southwest Football Golf Tournament on June 13, 2026 at Tierra Del Torres Park. Salzella described tournament logistics and fundraising goals and outlined sponsor options, saying a three-man-team entry can be paid for approximately $400, a host sponsorship is $200, or both for $500. He said proceeds pay for pregame meals and equipment that the regular budget may not cover.

The board also heard a report about a 5K run/walk scheduled for May 9, 2026 at the San Juan Sports Complex; the presenter said the event was sold out and that proceeds have supported charitable causes in prior years.

Small-business request: David Gomez, identified in the record as owner of Sunrise Cafe (627 South Veterans, San Juan), asked the EDC to consider the $5,000 small-business grant (the program maximum) to help attract customers and support a future grand opening. Board members asked staff to follow up with the applicant; no open-session motion to award the grant was recorded in the transcript.

Financial housekeeping: The board ratified several previously issued checks — including check numbers 1520 (PSJA advising course), 1521 (San Juan Frank Stoppers) and 1531 (Liberty Middle School perfect-attendance carnival) — after members noted the checks were prepared because submissions arrived after the April meeting and approval was needed.

What’s next: Staff agreed to follow up with the small-business applicant and to provide sponsorship materials for the PSJA tournament. The board did not take final open-session action on the tournament sponsorship during this discussion.

Quotes used in this article are drawn from the meeting transcript; attributions use the names and roles stated in the record.