By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Del Rio has lost its state accreditation as a Main Street City, a former member of the city council said.
Former councilwoman Alexandra Falcon Calderon broke the news at Tuesday’s regular city council meeting during the citizen comments portion of the meeting.
Calderon told the council, “I have (learned) something very, very disturbing, and it’s going to be very much spread in the community. Did you know the Del Rio Main Street Program lost its accreditation?
“Why was this allowed to happen? The Del Rio Main Street Program, you know, is very crucial for the downtown area. The Del Rio Main Street (Program’s) performance is annually evaluated by the Texas Historical Commission, which works in partnership with Main Street America,” Calderon said.
She noted the Del Rio Main Street Program received its accreditation in July 2022.
“Now, Jorge Garza, (the city’s) Main Street Program manger, under the supervision of Jorge Ramon, the economic development director, should have completed (a report) for the year 2023, and another for the year 2024, and the year 2025 should be coming up in January,” Calderon said.
“With this poor, irresponsible performance, the city will face challenges obtaining grants. Too many failures, we’ve seen it. It’s out there. I’ve been around, to know a lot of this. That is why I freely say this. If they can’t do their jobs, they can’t be part of the Del Rio team. Simple as that.
“There is also an annual membership fee that has been paid by the city annually to be affiliated with the Main Street Program. So, keep this in mind. No accreditation, no grants. While on the council, I addressed this. It was asked if reports were being done and submitted, and he, Garza, said yes. Well, apparently they weren’t,” Calderon finished.
The 830 Time spoke to Interim City Manager Manuel Chavez about the issue Monday. Chavez confirmed the city has lost the accreditation, but added staff is working to remedy the issue and said he will provide an update during a future council meeting.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
