Mayor Trey Mendez spoke to about 300 attendees on the future of the city during his address last Tuesday and afterward said bringing additional assets to the Brownsville campus is something that concerns him.
“That’s really something that concerns me because the enrollment of [Texas Southmost College] is higher than the enrollment of UTRGV Brownsville,” Mendez told The Rider after the State of the City address. “I think some resources are missing and some classes are missing in UTRGV. I’ve met with Guy Bailey on this issue and I’m going to try and engage the Athletics program as well but, really, I think it’s more about them wanting to make an investment in our city than us wanting them to be here.”
At-Large “A” Commissioner John Cowen and District 1 Commissioner Nurith Galonsky also spoke about the city working with UTRGV in Brownsville.
Asked what the city can do to bring more things to the Brownsville campus, Cowen replied forming focus groups, similar to a meeting hosted by Galonsky last Wednesday.
Galonsky added she and Cowen are going to try to figure out how the city can help the situation for the college-student experience in Brownsville.
“It’ll be an opportunity for students to voice their main concerns,” she said. “What are the issues first and then prioritize them and then we’ll try to see where can the city help. There will be some following meetings. … It’s really just to hear out the students. We’re not going to influence anything.”
The State of the City address was held at the Brownsville Event Center.
Mendez first spoke about the accomplishments the city has made this year, which include:
–the implementation of First Friday, an immersive music-and-art experience in downtown Brownsville;
–the reactivation of 14th Street Downtown Plaza, thanks to a $20,000 check given to the city by AARP;
–the opening of the Brownsville Performing Arts Academy, which offers a dance studio and rooms for music lessons; and
–the opening of 27 new businesses in the downtown area.
Mendez said the city needs to be innovative in this new era and to work harder and smarter.
The public can expect a Crossroads Interactive Festival in February 2020, the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation’s launch of a Starter Texas Grant, according to the mayor.
Mendez also said he is working with U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas) on the transfer of the Fort Brown Golf Course into a national park service and a national park system.
He said access to broadband is going to be something that determines the city’s future. He said the future is digital and Brownsville needs to move forward if it is going to be competitive in the new environment.
By May 2020, the city should have a Strategic Broadband Infrastructure plan in place, he said.
Because of the RGV-MPO merger, Mendez said the East Loop is closer to becoming a reality and is months away from approval from the Texas Transportation Commission to allocate $64 million for the East Loop project.
He said the Code of Ordinances is something that is already benefiting the city.
“We’re revamping our entire codes [of] ordinances to make it easier for people to open businesses and make it easier for people to interpret what the codes are,” Mendez said after the address. “So, for me, it all starts with making it easier, making it streamlined, making it digital so that people can move faster, open faster, create jobs faster and we start bringing back revenue for the city faster.”
He said the unofficial slogan for the city is “On the Border, By the Sea, and Beyond,” and for him, the “Beyond” part is the most important.
After the address, Cowen said the reestablishment of the Audit and Oversight Committee allows the commission to have transparency and accountability, which is already benefiting the city.
Asked about his thoughts on the path Brownsville is on, Cowen replied it is positive.
“I think we have this really dynamic leadership now at the commission level and at the city management level and new ideas, new energy,” he said. “We’re going in the right direction.”
Cowen said a future plan that would most benefit the city is bridging the digital divide.
“I think that providing more resources for our kids will always benefit us in the long term,” Cowen said.
Mendez said he is excited for what next year has in store.
Galonsky said the city has good momentum and hopes they can keep it up.
“There’s a positive future and we need to work together as the mayor said and, so, I think we’re each doing our part,” she said. “That’s why I’m really happy to be a part of this commission, because I think we’re all aggressive in a different way and so we’re going to try and get things done.”
