By PATRICK ALCATRAZ
Editor
McALLEN, Texas - No one would argue with any American town or city wanting to bring its residents a taste of the Big Apple. New York City is spectacular, a city many would wish to emulate. This Texas-Mexico bordertown wanted to give it a shot with its own Central Park. It even hired a Big City developer to get it there. But something happened on the way to the dream: Tough times intervened, the developer blinked and McAllen city leaders canned the idea.
McAllen has lost $270,000 in payments it disbursed for the developer, and, now, it is going back to the drawing boards.
As Mayor Cortez, a pro-business politician, put it: "He had a chance to do something and he didn’t." Cortez did acknowledge that the current economic woes played a part in the decision to cut ties with the Miller company.
Still, the City of Palms is living large these days.
Its population is rising rapidly to the point that city officials say the next census will show McAllen has eclipsed the 200,000 range. A slow, but steady influx of drug war-fearing Mexicans have moved in, helping real estate revenues stay ahead of the national curve. Once-rare million-dollar homes are now part of the local geography. A certain giddiness lives at City Hall, although some have thrown a bit of dust onto that scene, with many wondering what will come after the new Mexicans return to their country.
Central Park was to propel the city into another social realm. Cortez pushed for it hard during the past three years, making the project a centerpiece of his annual State of The City speech.
Left to be seen was whether Central Park would even work at that questionable location. It would have been flanked by the airport, a cemetery, a sprinkling of old, frame houses from another era and, a bit farther west, fast-food joints and used car lots. Not exactly the same environment one finds while enjoying Gotham City's Central park.
"It was a gimmick idea," said one resident recently. "The city wanted a street like Austin's 6th Street so it built the Entertainment District. Then we wanted Central Park. I guess we'll go for an Eiffel Tower next."
A city on the move will always go for the gold. It will unfold wild dreams, and it will be more than glad to look at even the outlandish and the ridiculous.
Central Park in McAllen would be ridiculous.
Why not, for once, come up with an original name for an idea you push as being grandiose?
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33 comments:
Interesting. I like much of waht McAllen is doing, but it is weird sometimes. Hope it all works out for them.
Good post, the city of McAllen does well, I do agree, they need to be more original.
But Mr. Editor, there is nothing original in the Valley, most of the ideas come from elswhere.
They do need to change Commissioners often, otherwise they get stagnant, speaking about goverments.
I saw the Hidalgo county goverment on channel 10, speaking about egos. In particular the guy who replace Handy. Handy in Blue jeans.
AT least they are dreaming in McAllen. We're dead in Browntown.
another exellent story. Yes, McAllen gets all the action. But some people in the little towns are happy, so who cares, right?
hey, what's happned to Robert Leftwich. Not a peep from that city commissioner. Do something, Robert! And he wants to be mayor? NOT!
So McAllen got in on Harlingen's Bass Pro Shops deal? Interesting. You would think a Harlingen construcion company would win the job. Oh, well.
They submitted bids, way to hi then the McA company, which was a lot less. But then, look, Harlingen can't even provide water to out laying areas, how can Harlingen compete???
There is a commission meeting tonight at Harlingen, pretty routine. Never mind that over the week-end the town was burining.
Hey, the Harlingen blogs are dead, and as soon as baseball season begins, they will deader. Jerry and the whitewings, and t/c and the rag line blog. HEEELLppppppp!!!
Jerry Deal is going on 79 so what's the mystery? And Tony chapa doesn't have the smarts! Of course they're ging to go down. Only the Tribune can fly high. They know it and you know and I know it. Why worry about it?
hey, did you know the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings may owe the city of Harlingen rent on use of the stadium? And Jerry Deal is not sayinga word about it. He is losing credibility. But he is the PR man for the team, so that's why he may ignore it. Deal is blowing it fast.
Jerry Deal hasn't always been honest on his Blog. He used to write his own comments and say they were from "newcomers," and now he ignores the Whitewings renta money for the stadium. MyLeaderNews has gone down. Too bad. And Chapaneco is still addicted to press releases. Oh, boy.
I know Jerry is up on years, everytime I see him, he carries around a dog. And a note pad, Champnanego, doesnt gon out anymore. He uses some spies, to do the dirty work and report. None of the flunkies he uses can write.
Help us, help usssss, we are sinking in the titanic.
The Whitewings are minor league baseball, but Jerry Deals acts like they're the majors. Go to a game. it's a sorry excuse for baseball. Low rent stuff. Players who will neve rmake it to the big leagues. then he brings Jose Canseco the drug user to the Valley. Puro pedo.
Eddie Lucio is proposing taxig soday drinks, 1 penny for ounce. Eddie Lucio is a moron, he was chosen as one of the worst legislators, Texas Monthly.
Next he will allow sodas to be bought with food stamps. Pendejo.
I meant, Taxing soda drinks, sorry about the misspelled wording.
Chapaneco, has no life, he spends 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the rag line blog. Jerry, has other things going, and he is kind of old.
Lucio putting a tax on cokes, what a bummer, what can we expect from Lucio, nada.
There was a time when we expected a lot from Eddie Lucio. Now we just expect him to go away. He's been a big zero as a representative of his people. Just another border politician.
The Tribune has a certain way of reporting that I like. The stories are real stories and they are well-written. Most of the news media here in the valley are not as good. Sorry but they are not.
So Eddie Lucio doesn't know what an abortion is? Is that for real? I am never amzed by the stupidity of our elected officials. Lucio is about done, isn't he? Is there a replacement? Anyone else is better than this clown!
Not even his district likes Eddie Lucio.It's that Machine that gets him elected. Yeah, the pinche politiqueras. Bloodsuckers always mess with our elections. eddie Lucio has done nothing for our area and he's been in office longer than Elvis was alive.
Hopefully, Klements or Ryan will write a good article on Lucious. And exposed them for what they are, Charlatans and nothing more. As far I am concern, they are worthless.
Hey, that girl that got beaten to death, was charged in 2005, with agravated robbery.
Poor little gal, died at the hands of her living boyfriend. Que mala suerte.
Lucio doesn't know what an abortion is, wants to tax sodas, so what else can we expect from this idiot.
Eddie Lucio? If you ask me I'd say he's a total disappointmnet and a disgrace to Hispanics. Es un cara de culo. Sorry.
My wife and I shop for our family needs in McAllen and although it's a 40 minute drive both ways it's worth it. If it's reaching too high well maybe the otehr Valley towns should do the same. Most are dead.
EVERYBODY goes to McAllen when they need quality food or clothing. that's no secret. Harlingen and Brownsville hAVE nothing but Dollar stores. Pobres
those amateur Harlingen blogs have thrown in the towel. They have nothing again today. Press releases boring as Hell and nothing more on Jerry deal's blog. what's up with these two guys? One is too old and the other is not so smart.
Taxing soda, as State Sen. eddie Lucio proposes, is a silly idea. We're taxing our food? What kind of fools are we? Wow!!!
Toni Chanpaneco, has 20 stories and about 8 comments today. If you total all his comments, he has about 23 comments, that is 1 comment per story.
Jake and toni write some of those comments.
The Tribune and Jerry are eating his lunch, he even quiet b/s people about all the hits.
Jerry is milking the fire hydrant story, but it has been getting comments for the last 3 days. The other stories average 3 to 6 comments.
Who cares.
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