By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
A Del Rio resident has urged members of the city’s international bridge board to think about how the city will pay for a proposed second international bridge and to consider what that money could buy instead.
Del Rioan George Solis, a retired federal law enforcement agent, has spoken to the bridge board and city council before, asking both to reconsider current plans for the construction of a second international bridge northwest of the city, as well as the construction of roads connecting the planned bridge with area highways.
Solis on Tuesday spoke to members of the city’s international bridge board during the citizen comments portion of the board’s meeting.
Solis told the bridge board, “One of the things that I wanted to bring up when I found out that the bridge was going to cost $200 million, and I don’t know if that’s the price or not, it’s sounds like it’s going to be the ballpark price, but when I was an emergency manager, one of the things that I had to build into my plans was the funding and costs of an operation, and I had actually built plans, not just on a state level, but all the way to the national level, for mass migration.
“But one thing, you guys are this far into the plan for building a bridge, how are you going to fund this thing? Who’s going to pay the $200 million or whatever it’s going to cost us? I think that’s something that needs to be released to the public, without us having to do a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request,” he added.
Solis said he had spoken to a member of his church who told him that in Pharr, Texas, “they were going through the same situation until they finally moved the bridge to a rural area, and then Mexico paid for that bridge down in Pharr.”
He told the board an individual is paying for the construction of an international bridge in Eagle Pass, Texas. Solis also wondered aloud if Mexico could pay for the planned second bridge here, since, he said, most of the bridge traffic originates in that country.
Solis also asked the board to consider other worthwhile expenditures the city could make instead of paying for a second international bridge.
“. . . For $50 million, we can pave 100 miles of roads in Del Rio. For $25 million, we can fix the drainage in Del Rio. I saw two cars with water up to the tops of their windows at Wendy’s, at Rudy’s, on Main Street. Those are safety things. I thought the government was responsible for life and safety?
“And that’s been like that since I’ve been here, for 25 years, but for $25 million, you could (fix) that. That’s not even $100 million yet. Sewage treatment plants. The city is growing, and for $15 million, you could put in two or three more sewage treatment plants,” he said.
Solis said the city could also spend money on giving raises to city employees.
“Another thing we’re seeing, with (mass) immigration going on, there might be riots on the bridge, and even more important, with just $5 million, you could give each of your (police) officers a $15,000-a-year raise. Not only would that bless those officers and be better for our community, but it might attract people from the outside that want to work here and stay here,” he said.
“For $5 million, you could give every single city employee a $15,000-a-year raise. I think that would affect the city better, and that’s not even $200 million. That’s within the $100 million, and I have to ask this, why am I thinking of these things and not the city? And maybe the city is, I don’t know, but if this is on my radar as a citizen, it should definitely be on yours, instead of this (second) bridge, going and taking people’s homes. Do the right thing. Fix the things that need to be fixed,” Solis finished.
None of the bridge board members present at the meeting commented on Solis’ presentation.
Reach the writer at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
