San Antonio's new World Heritage Site...the Spanish Colonial Missions, are badly in need of repairs, and a measure introduced by U.S. Rep Will Hurd would not only free up the money to do that, but it would allow all National Parks nationwide to engage in new ways of collecting private funding, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Hurd's Heritage Act seeks to free up money for renovations, repairs, and upgrades to National Parks nationwide. The four Missions on the South Side are part of the San Antonio Missions National Park. The fifth Mission, the Alamo, is owned by the state.
"The Missions alone have almost nine million dollars worth of backlog," Hurd said following a tour of the Missions.
He says when older structures like the 18th Century Missions begin to deteriorate, that deteroiration is only going to get worse.
"More parts of these Missions can be opened to the public, but also so we don't see a degregation in these great treasures," he said.
Hurd says National Parks in Texas alone are in need of more than $150 million in repairs.