Green goal

Brownsville officials are encouraging residents to nominate the city for the “Meet Me at the Park” contest for a chance to receive a $20,000 grant.

The “Meet Me at the Park” contest is sponsored by the National Recreation and Park Association, the Walt Disney Co. and ESPN. It seeks to “help fund local park improvement projects across the country,” according to the news release.

Interim City Manager Michael Lopez said the city is participating in the contest to obtain more funding for Brownsville’s parks.

“The city is always looking for collaborations. We’re always looking for funding,” Lopez said. “We’re always looking for great ideas to bring to the city through national funding, such as this.”

Brownsville, along with big cities such as Houston, Chicago and Los Angeles, is trying to get nominated to advance to the voting phase of the competition.

The nomination period continues until April 30. Although the date of the voting phase is to be determined, the city has already put some thought into how the grant would be used.

“All 37 parks are in consideration [for the grant], again with the goal that we get the citizens out there to engage and vote to get us nominated,” Lopez said. “All our parks have different items or activities for individuals, so I’m sure that we’ll get use out of it.”

If the money is obtained, a lengthy process will follow before any purchases or actual renovations will begin, according to Lopez.

“Our idea is to get the community engaged, to get nominated,” he said. “Once we get this money, then we can look at the parks where we can get this readily available. Again, it would require some bureaucracy and then some purchasing.”

Community Engagement Coordinator Christina Garza said in order to raise awareness of the competition and to involve residents, the city established the #MeetMeAtThePark campaign, where residents post pictures of themselves in their favorite Brownsville park using the hashtag.

“Basically, we have our city social media campaign #MeetMeAtThePark,” Garza said. “That’s to engage our community and let them know that the opportunity is out there for them to nominate Brownsville.”   

Additionally, Brownsville Mayor Tony Martinez said he looks forward to the opportunities the contest presents to the city.

“Green space, which is what a park is, is very essential to all of us,” Martinez said. “I think the more we get out, the more green space we have, the better off we all are. I’m a big exercise nut, so you know, I love to be outside and strongly advise everyone to enjoy.”