Wearing “Save Ebony Hills Green Spaces” T-shirts, the Edinburg City Councilmembers met last Tuesday and discussed with residents future plans for the golf course.
Mayor Richard Molina addressed false rumors about Ebony Hills Golf Course.
“We’ve heard some of the rumors out there that continue to be spread by people who are not a part of this council and know nothing about the business that the city conducts,” Molina said.
He said some politicians took the people’s honest concerns about Ebony Hills and turned it into their latest political platform to gain support at the polls.
“That is just unacceptable,” he said. “… That is wrong, and we’re going to put an end to that right now.”
Molina said the city council would conduct a special meeting last Friday to rescind Ordinance No. 2018-4236, which would have declared the golf course as surplus property for sale.
“You’re more than welcome to come and see us rescind that motion,” he said.
The council approved the appointment of nine residents to the Ebony Hills Ad-Hoc Committee. The committee will help the city look into future options for Ebony Hills. The members are Mark Peña, Bill Carlson, Jack Wallace, Pete Diaz, Ray Chavana, Katherine Brush, Leo Cadena, Bobby Chavana and Dr. Gary Miles.
“This is a very good day,” Carlson said. “I woke up this morning with an email saying, ‘Look at City of Edinburg Facebook.’ And so, I had the opportunity to watch [Molina] with Mark Peña. … And I thank you all again for committing yourself to Ebony, and as my mother used to say, ‘You are really able to stir the pot’ in this community. We banded together. We wanted to show you our commitment to this property, and I’m here to say that I’m committed to doing the best I can for this committee.”
He said the residents are on the same page and want to make Ebony Hills into something memorable.
During the meeting, the mayor also said that last week the council officially presented the UTRGV School of Medicine with a $1 million donation from the city.
The donation will be made in installments, according to Sofia Hernandez, chief of staff of the School of Medicine.
“We were glad to be a part of a very nice ceremony at the university,” Molina said. “And we had the opportunity to meet and speak to a couple of medical students. We truly believe that investing in the medical school is an investment in our community, and we look forward to the continued partnership with UTRGV.”
Hernandez said the money will be spent on the students.
“Part of our medical education program includes supporting student wellness initiatives, the curriculum, admissions, so all of the infrastructure and … support services for students,” she said.
Hernandez said interviews for future medical students are underway. The School of Medicine plans to accept 59 more students. Approval of the official number is pending. Once the school has 59 students, it will be at its full complement.
“The funds, once they come in to the School of Medicine, they become part of our operating fund, and so it is one component of our operations,” she said. “It gets distributed within the student support services and other areas where support is needed.”
Hernandez also said partnerships are what help build the School of Medicine programs and services. The school is proud to have 110 faculty members.
“The City of Edinburg has been incredibly innovative and visionary about that, knowing that what they contribute today towards the School of Medicine has a return in the form of increased economic activity for the city,” she said.
Hernandez said the university also contributes by educating future physician leaders who will help provide care in the community. Today, about 32 percent of admitted students have ties to the Rio Grande Valley.
“Then, when we look at the residency training programs, which is what happens after you finish medical school, you finish your training at a hospital,” she said. “We have, today, 170 residents training in four area hospitals. And of those, we’re finding that about 65 percent are staying in the community to deliver care.”
The school is looking to increase the number of admissions in 2021 to 110 admitted students per year. Approval to double enrollment is also pending and will not happen until after the first class graduates in 2020.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming our fourth class in July of 2019,” Hernandez said.
