Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is included in the Bond Propositions?: There are two propositions included in the May 8th election. The first Proposition is to sell $ 35 million dollars in General Obligation Bonds to build (1) Youth Baseball/Softball Complex; (2) Add 10 Adult Soccer Fields at De Leon Park site; (3) Development of the Botanical Garden site into a tennis complex; (4) Redevelop Municipal Park into 6 Adult Softball fields. The second proposition is to authorize the sale of Westside Park.
2. How much will these athletic facilities cost?: The total cost identified in the Bond Election is $ 35 million dollars. The monies will be paid back over a 20 year period and will include acquisition, design and construction costs.
3. When will Westside Park be sold?: Westside Park will be operational until the new Youth Baseball/Softball Complex has been acquired and built and the renovations are completed at Municipal Park.
4. Will taxes be raised to pay for the new athletic facilities?: The proposed tax increase will be approximately 3.54 cents, equivalent to $35 per year on a $ 100,000 home. Currently, the City has a tax freeze for citizens 65 and older.
5. Where will the people park?: All the new facilities are being designed to include added parking and drop off sites.
6. Will we be able to host State and National tournaments?: The new facilities will allow McAllen to bid on larger tournaments from both the State and National levels. This is for all sports – baseball, softball, tennis and soccer.
7. When will the new facilities be under construction?: Once the bonds are sold, consultants will be hired to develop the final plans and construction drawings. The De Leon Soccer Expansion will be designed by the Park and Recreation Department which will allow for construction to begin in Spring 2011. The Tennis Center Gardens and Youth Sport Complex qualify for Texas Parks and Wildlife grants, which will be submitted in July 2010 and January 2011. These projects will not be under construction until 2011 or early 2012. Municipal Park will not be under construction until the completion of the Youth Baseball/Softball Complex is completed.
8. Will there be an increase in operating cost and maintenance for the athletic facilities?: Yes there will be. As the new facilities come on line there will be increases to the General Operating budget of the Parks and Recreation Department. It is anticipated that the Parks and Recreation Department will manage all the new facilities.
9. Who will operate the new facilities?: The Parks and Recreation Department will manage all the new facilities working with local nonprofits, leagues and associations to conduct programming.
10. When will the bonds be sold?: The bond election is scheduled for May 8, 2010. Once the election is complete and the voters give their approval the City of McAllen will be working with a bond consul to sell the bonds as quickly as possible so that design and construction of the projects can begin.
11. Will there be growth in sports based on the new facilities?: It is anticipated that there will be some growth in all sporting events based on the new facilities. This does not mean that additional fields and courts will not be necessary in the future.
12. Will these be league and tournament fields or can they be used for practice?: The new complexes for baseball, softball and soccer will be for league and tournament play. The current league and tournament fields will be available for practices by the leagues.
13. How can I support the athletic facilities bonds?: Education of the community as to what is included in the Bond Election is important so that all questions can be answered prior to the election. Community residents can speak to friends, neighbors and family to educate them as to what the bonds are for and what they mean to the community.
14. Why should the public vote on the athletic facilities?: McAllen Parks and Recreation Department has not constructed a new athletic facility since 2005. At that time the population of McAllen was approximately 106,000. The current population is 140,000 with a large percentage being young families with children. The proposed athletic facilities will allow for expanded programming for area youth, reduction in childhood obesity and assist with the growing diabetes problem within the community.
15. Are official youth softball fields such as skinned (dirt) infields part of the plan for the proposed youth sports park?: The fields at the sports park will be for both baseball and softball. In many of the new complexes that have been built recently all the fields have skinned infields with adjustable fencing to accommodate the maximum number of participants, ages and sports. At this time the final design has not been completed; once an architect has been hired the concerns of both softball and baseball will be considered at the time of design.
16. What is the park's master plan?: The master plan for the proposed tennis center at Botanical Gardens is estimated at 236,547 square feet (sq ft) of tennis courts, sidewalks, playground, and buildings, divided by 43,560 (sq ft) or 5.43 acres. It will consist of 70 heritage trees with 20 inch caliper that were located by the city’s urban forester. We estimate 11 trees will have to be relocated or built around. The tree total does not include palm trees. According to the parks master plan in 2007 the total area is 22.1 acres.
17. Are the Botanical Gardens a natural native forest?: What we call the botanical gardens was once a plowed field and could now be considered a second-growth site. Anything that has grown up at this site was what we call a volunteer. There probably is no “native forest” or “old growth” forest, (200 years or older) now in McAllen. There are good reasons to save as much landscape as possible because it will provide wind breaks for the tennis courts and allow nature watching to continue at this site.
18. What is “Tamp thorn Scrub”?: The Reference to “Tamp thorn scrub” is to an ecology region stretching from the Coastal Plain to the Chihuahuan Desert and occurs on either side of Rio Grande River.