City Council seeks permanent street maintenance program
By: Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2015, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.
The Eagle Pass City Council approved unanimously to hold a workshop in the near future to discuss and review a permanent street maintenance program after the current seven year plan ends to ensure the proper maintenance of city streets and roads into the future at their special meeting held on Tuesday, June 23, 2015.
During discussion, Councilwoman Gloria E. Hernandez proposed to the City Council to begin seeking a structured plan on assuring that the funds and plans are available in the future for the maintenance and up-keep of city streets and roadways after the end of the current seven year plan.
“We have had several years of trying to handle this and I know Mr. Hector Chavez has done a tremendous job. He has a plan and when it’s accomplished and whatever is needed has been done, there is something else that I feel that as city council of the city needs to be done to get into a more permanent solution as to how we handle the street paving maintenance issue. I would like to see a plan with different proposals as to how we’re going to address that.” said Hernandez.
Eagle Pass Mayor Ramsey English Cantu concurred with Hernandez on the issue and stated that it was something that should be considered and looked at in a prioritized manner.
“Is the council amenable to sitting down and discussing this plan with public works and possibly public works giving us a formal mapped out process as to what they have done from year one to now, and of course coming up with a master plan from here on out,” said Mayor Cantu.
Hernandez noted she understood the circumstances that have occurred in the past years which have made it difficult for public works to keep up with the street maintenance problems during the past recent years due to flooding and heavier rainfall than normal.
“I think there’s a way to attack it but we do have to start at some point.” added Hernandez.
Councilman Luis E. Sifuentes summed up the discussion by stating that “we have the 7 year plan going. What is going to happen after that?”
City Council and administration concurred that they will get together in the near future in a workshop setting to have a presentation and come together on structuring a set plan to tackle a permanent street maintenance issue.
Heavier rainfall and floods during recent years and increased traffic due to the Eagle Ford Shale oil and gas boom have caused many streets and roadways to deteriorate quicker than normal and require constant maintenance and repairs.
Many Eagle Pass streets visibly demonstrate show deterioration and breakage and need to be repaired or repaved, causing local citizens and visitors automobiles damages.
