Senator to unveil new Mission Valley specialty license plates
December 16, 2004
Plates will help restore Socorro Mission; Press conference is Saturday at 6 p.m.
Written by Senator Eliot Shapleigh, Press Release
El Paso Mission Valley license plate.
EL PASO - State Senator Eliot Shapleigh on Saturday will unveil a new specialty license plate that will raise funds to restore the Socorro Historic Mission during a ceremony at the mission at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18.
“Our Mission Valley plates will put El Paso's Mission Valley on the map,” Senator Shapleigh said. “I hope everyone buys them to promote our missions and to invest in restoration.”
The Socorro Historic Mission, located at 328 S. Nevarez in the City of Socorro, is one of the nation’s earliest missions ever constructed and is considered to be one of the most outstanding examples of Spanish mission architecture. Established in 1680, the mission was destroyed by flood in 1829 and was rebuilt in 1843.
Since 1997, Senator Shapleigh has been working with the Mission Valley Steering Committee to raise money to completely restore the mission. More than $1.4 million have been raised and the money needed for the final touches will be raised from the proceeds of the specialty missions.
The El Paso Mission Valley license plate design features an image of the mission on the left side of the plate with the words “Mission Valley” running along the bottom. The plates are now available for passenger vehicles and light trucks and cost $30 annually, plus $40 if personalized, in addition to regular registration fees. Of the $30 annual fee for each plate, $22 will be used by the Texas Historical Commission to fund grants for preservation and rehabilitation efforts for the Socorro Mission.
Applications for the specialty plate are available at the county tax office, on TxDOT’s Web site www.dot.state.tx.us), by calling the TxDOT Help Desk at (512) 465-7611, or TxDOT’s Fax-On-Demand forms line at (888) 232-7033. Customers requesting orders for specialty license plates through the fax service should enter the code 0999 to receive the form for the license plate they are ordering.
TxDOT started its specialty license plate program in 1965. Today, there are more than 100 different plate designs, many of them benefiting a particular group, organization, college or university.
A ceremony and press conference to unveil the license plates and to tell people how to order them will be this Saturday.
Press conference details:
Who: Senator Eliot Shapleigh, City of Socorro, Mission Valley Steering Committee
What: Unveiling of new Mission Valley License Plates
Where: Socorro Mission, 328 S. Nevarez in City of Socorro, adjacent to Socorro Road
When: Saturday, December 18, 6 p.m.
Related Stories