McAllen, TX—McAllen Mayor Richard F. Cortez and members of several community organizations, such as MFast, the Rio Grande Valley Tennis and Education Park and the McAllen Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, hosted a news conference Tuesday to inform McAllen residents about the upcoming May 8th Bond Election.
Approved by the McAllen City Commission on March 8, 2010, the May bond election includes two propositions. The first proposition is to sell $35 million in General Obligation Bonds to build a youth baseball/softball complex; to add 10 adult soccer fields at De Leon park site; to develop the Botanical Garden site into a tennis complex; and to re-develop Municipal Park into six adult softball fields.
The second proposition is to authorize the sale of Westside Park. If voters authorize the sale of Westside Park, planners said it would not be sold until the park improvements are completed.
The proposed tax increase is 3.5 cents, equivalent to $35 a year on a $100,000 home. The City of McAllen has not had a tax rate change since it lowered its tax rate from $0.4532 to $0.4213 in 1997.
"In McAllen, we're trying to improve the quality of life for all of our citizens and in order to do that we need to create assets within our community not only to benefit the people that live here but also to attract people to come live and enjoy the amenities that we have," Mayor Cortez said.
McAllen businesswoman and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board President Val Peisen also spoke in support of the bond, asking residents to vote "yes-yes" on the propositions.
"McAllen Parks and Recreation has not constructed a new athletic facility since 2005," Peisen said. "At that time the population was approximately 106,000, the current population is 140,000. The proposed facilities will serve the youth in our area as well as the adult population."
Also speaking on behalf of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, Brian Lewis encouraged voters to support the upcoming bond election.
"The children, the adults, folks across the board, across the area are going to have a huge advantage, once this is completed," Lewis said. "What a great opportunity for citizens to work with the city on accomplishing something that is for the betterment of all. We would appreciate a "yes, yes" vote during this election."
Organizers behind the proposed construction of a new tennis complex at the Botanical Garden site said they want to elevate the level of tennis in the Rio Grande Valley, hoping to provide local athletes opportunities to play at Division 1 schools. Angela LaGrange, representing Rio Grande Valley Tennis and Education Park said there is a big demand for tennis among youth and seniors.
If approved, LaGrange said the new tennis complex would preserve trees and nature trails on the site.
"We're going to keep in line with conservation efforts and make it a green park," LaGrange said. "The United States Tennis Association has designed a facility for us and they're big into green efforts and we're planning to bring them to McAllen."
Bond supporters said the new facilities will allow McAllen to bid on larger tournaments from both the State and National levels, creating a boost in tourism to the area.
For more information about the $35 million May 8 bond election, call McAllen Parks and Recreation at (956) 681-3333.