NEWS — City issues discussed during town hall meeting

By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times

Complaints about city facilities maintenance, questions about a drainage project on the city’s north side and markings on city streets were among the issues discussed during a town hall meeting Thursday at the Del Rio Civic Center.

Mayor Pro-tem Jim DeReus hosted the meeting, which drew about a dozen people.

DeReus thanked those who attended and said, “I like to have these (meetings) because I don’t know what I don’t know. . . That’s what this is for.” DeReus then asked, “Who wants to start?”

Civic Center woes

The first person to speak was Bea Vallejo, who said, “What happened at the Paul Poag (Theatre) is happening here at the

civic center, and we need to reinvest the money that we’re earning from these buildings in the buildings and fix them.”

Vallejo characterized the civic center as “rundown and dirty” and suggested renovating the facility in stages, room by room.

DeReus spoke about the three long-term leases the city has with different organizations for use of parts of the building, saying he believes the groups were given “sweetheart deals” and adding the three groups all pay different rates.

Vallejo asked about who takes care of the different areas outside the civic center, such as the “Urban Oasis” and where the funds raised from civic center events go.

Vallejo and Carole Cooper also complained that they have tried to contact the civic center manager, Vallejo by phone and Cooper by text, and no one ever responded.

Vallejo asked about performances, such as concerts, at the civic center.

“If that’s a fundraiser, then let’s decide what that fundraiser is for, and basically those fundraisers should be to repair the buildings that are being used,” she said.

DeReus said he is unaware of the city bringing in bands for concerts at the civic center.

Vallejo said she would like to have more information on what groups or individuals are renting city facilities and where those rental funds go.

“A lot of fees just go back to the general fund,” DeReus said.

“We need to re-invest those in the facilities,” Vallejo replied.
Del Rioan Miguel Elizondo said the restrooms in the Lions

Memorial Park along the creek are in bad shape.

“There’s no light, they’re horrible,” he said. Jake Carsten, a resident of the city’s north side, asked about the work being done on Lausen Road just north of the fields adjacent to Walmart.

DeReus said he doesn’t believe the engineering has been done on the property north of Walmart.

Possible engineering woes

Carsten said he is concerned that more concrete work in the area will back up water into the residential area just north of the road, an area called the Del Rio Hedges, historically prone to flooding.

DeReus said he would follow up and get an update on the entire project, which involves the city, the county and a private landowner.

The mayor pro-tem and several members of the audience spent some time discussing green space requirements for new developments.

Cooper had questions about street markings on Kings Way, but also said she believed there was less grass growing on city streets and felt they were looking better.

“I’ve noticed it along Main Street in particular,” Cooper said.
She also said she loved the new windows in the city transportation center.

Downtown parking

She then asked about the parking issue downtown. “What’s the status on the building that was going to be (the new) City Hall? Could that be torn down and made into a wonderful parking lot/garage?” Cooper asked.

“That is something that we have discussed, though not recently. We do need to do something with that,” DeReus said. DeReus also apologized to the group.

“I don’t think, looking back, that I did proper due diligence on purchasing that building. I think maybe I got carried away in the excitement and the possibilities, without looking at it a little bit deeper first, to realize that it wasn’t really a good option, based on the age and condition and all that,” he said.

“So right now that’s something of a pink elephant,” Cooper said.

“Yes,” DeReus replied.

“It would be a perfect spot for parking,” Cooper said.

“We have talked about a couple of different locations downtown, as far as, there’s some dilapidated buildings. Do we buy those and make parking lots? Do we do a couple-floor parking structure, that kind of thing. We are discussing that, but we haven’t discussed parking recently,” DeReus said.

Dee Money, a regular at DeReus’ town hall meetings, said she would like to see clearer street markings at South Main and Ogden streets downtown.

Cooper added the street crossing at Greenwood Avenue and Main Street is not pedestrian friendly.

Street striping

Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez, who attended the meeting and said she was speaking as one of DeReus’ constituents, said she would like to see the city place orange, raised reflective markers on Bedell Avenue. Gutierrez, who worked for the Texas Department of Transportation for many years, also said the city’s needs to recalibrate its street striping machine.

Annexing

Dr. Lee Keenen spoke about annexing areas outside the city limits.

“There are a lot of people who receive city services that are not inside the city. I think we need to work on annexing some of these areas so we can collect taxes from these people that are getting water and sewer and gas from the city. The next thing would be maintaining your buildings. You have a beautiful portfolio of buildings that are getting kind of dilapidated, the Paul Poag Theatre, this building (the civic center), the (former) beauty school downtown.

“The next thing is water connection fees for new construction. They’re rather low compared to the national average. You really need to put some of that cost onto the builder and the contractor. When you have a new connection, your fees are really kind of low,” Keenen said.

Keenen also suggested tax abatements for downtown and the San Felipe area.

Joe Ramos Ctr

Del Rioan Debbie Nieto spoke about problems she encountered with the restrooms at the Joe Ramos Center gym.

“I’ve been going to see some games there, and I actually play basketball there in a women’s league, and those restrooms are backed up. Water is coming out. . . It’s a concern because kids play there every single day, and it’s a sad situation,” Nieto said.

“It’s a mess. . . It’s something that needs to get fixed now,” she added.

Alexandra Falcon Calderon, formerly a member of the city council, told DeReus she believed it is important for the council to approve a code of ethics for its members.

“And once it’s completed, it needs to be enforced,” Calderon said.
DeReus gave everyone who attended the meeting a chance to voice questions and concerns, then thanked everyone for coming and said he had been given a lot of things to think and ask questions about.

The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com .