AARP Texas presented the City of Brownsville a $20,000 check for the “transformation and activation” of the 14th Street Plaza during the city commission’s regular meeting Tuesday.
The grant, which was a part of the $1.6 million that was distributed to fund 159 quick-action projects across the country, will help transform the plaza by “installing wayfinding, adding creative placemaking elements that support local artists, providing seating options for people of all ages, and adding landscaping elements,” according to the AARP Community Challenge 2019 Grantees webpage.
Miriam Suarez, downtown district manager, said the project was a collaboration between AARP, the Planning and Redevelopment Services department, Main Street Brownsville and the Parks and Recreation Department.
“Our goal with this project is to leverage our existing assets and utilize them to establish an authentic sense of place by creating places where people want to be,” Suarez said. “14th Street Plaza is a busy pedestrian corridor that serves as the entrance and exit to our community, and we want to provide our residents and visitors with a vibrant, inclusive, safe and clean public space.”
She said an important component of the project includes the installation of art murals.
The deadline to submit proposals for the murals is Sept. 16 and the call is open to artists from Brownsville and Matamoros.
The grant is part of the AARP Livable Communities initiative which supports the “efforts of neighborhoods, towns, cities and rural areas to be great places for people of all ages,” and believes communities should “provide safe, walkable streets; age-friendly housing and transportation options; access to needed services; and opportunities for residents of all ages to participate in community life,” according to the AARP website.
Commissioners also voted to amend the Code of Ordinances, repealing and replacing in its entirety Chapter 2, Article 2, Section 2-26 to comply with House Bill 2840.
The amendment would allow the public to speak on items on or off the agenda during the public comment period. Prior, attendees were not allowed to speak on items on the agenda during the public comment period.
“This time, the citizens will be allowed to speak on an agenda item during public comment whether it’s on the agenda or not,” said City Secretary Griselda Rosas.
In other business, the commission:
–appointed Daisy Zamora to the Ethics Commission board. The decision for the second member to be appointed was tabled;
–appointed Jason Wolfe and Sandra Duran to the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation Board;
–adopted resolution 2019-067 denying the AEP Texas Inc.’s requested increase to its electric transmission and distribution rates and charges within the city;
–acknowledged the financial statements and cash investment report for Brownsville for the third quarter ended on June 30;
–authorized the city manager to sign an agreement between Texas Southmost College and the City of Brownsville/B-Metro to provide transportation services for students, and the general public. The annual agreement will start on Aug. 26 and remain in effect until Aug. 28, 2020;
–awarded a contract to Gignac Inc. in the amount of $64,151.63 for architectural consulting services and to surveying/geotechnical services in the amount of $17,150 for the B-Metro Eastside Transfer Station project.
