SAN ANTONIO – Tx — News of NIOSA being canceled next year has stunned San Antonians. Abbi Power and other members of the Conservation Society of San Antonio which hosts the 4-day party fear that the party is over for good.

“We found out from a city source that the city received a letter from Betty Bueche, not only canceling the 2027 lease, but the wording in the letter the city provided us, it says she canceled the remaining 9 years of the lease,” Power said. “To me that doesn’t say pause, it says canceled.”

Betty Bueche is the president of San Antonio’s Conservation Society. Power and other members of the Conservation Society are concerned that a letter Bueche sent to the City of San Antonio terminates a nine-year agreement with the city. They say this means NIOSA would not only be paused in 2027 but canceled indefinitely.

Power believes that the lease termination is retaliation against a petition signed by more than 40 members of the Conservation Society requesting transparency.

“This cancelation of the lease was delivered within days of us demanding information regarding holding NIOSA in La Villita,” Power said. “It’s very suspicious.”

Christopher Celis also feels the NIOSA lease with the city was canceled out of spite. He says some Conservation Society members were recently scolded by Bueche for speaking up about NIOSA.

“She quoted bylaw as she can be the only one who discusses any decisions, any findings that the Conservation Society comes forward to,” Celis said. “She’s the only one who can talk to the news. My thing is if you’re going to follow the bylaws you need to follow them to a “T.” We know there have not been some things not followed correctly by the bylaws by her. “

Celis claims the executive board vote to pause NIOSA was a violation of the bylaws. He says that vote was supposed to be made by Conservation Society members.

We asked Bueche if the cancellation of the multi-year lease with the city means NIOSA is gone for good.

She replied with a statement

“The request to cancel the license agreement is required by the license agreement when the event is not going to occur.”

Bueche says if the Board of Society would like to use La Villita in the future, they would need to apply for a new license.