Harlingen 100 Plan
The Valley Morning Star has set up this blog for readers to express their ideas and opinions about Mayor Chris Boswell's initiative for the city use of sales tax money.
Welcome
May 19th, 2007, 5:51 pm · 143 Comments · posted by Clint Bennett
Voters on May 12 approved a ballot question that allows the city to use a portion of the sales taxes collected, an estimated $1.25 million during its first year, to pay for “quality of life” projects. Some of those projects could include parks, soccer fields, an amphitheater or other types of sports and entertainment facilities.
In his “Harlingen 100 Plan,” Boswell has requested citizen participation and communication to decide how the money will be spent.
We hope that our readers will share their thoughts and ideas about the mayor’s initiative.
In addition to readers, we invite city officials to regularly check the blog and participate in this dialogue.
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We have a long way to go in three years, and I fear that it won’t be enough time to get it all started, much less done.
While I think it’s good to get the community involved (I myself have many ideas for improving Harlingen’s look and quality of life), I think we spent a lot of time and money exploring this in the 2005 TIP Strategies Plan to just let it go to waste.
Let’s take TIP’s advice and clean up our streets and entryways, force Simon to significantly upgrade our mall or sell, improve downtown with TRUE restoration projects and redevelopments, and attract a four-year college/university to retain some of our outstanding students.
I believe that it is a good idea in what Mayor Boswell wants Harlingen to be in several years. I, as beening in the group of young generation , I believe to make Harlingen a more attractive place to visit would be adding more business such as resturants and enterainment areas. I believe that Harlingen can be a better place to be at instead of traveling to McAllen or Brownsville and spend our money over there. One thing that I know about Harlingen is that there are so MANY dollar stores that actually we dont need. We are the symbol in what a lot of cities call us the Dollar Capital. Lets show them that we are better then that and make a difference for the future of this City and hope to believe and see if Mayor Boswell can make a difference in today’s world. We can all make a difference lets not wait and start right away.
Instead of improving the City’s appearance with a new makeover, the City of Harlingen, should create an Advisory Board for Veterans to address our health care needs and grievances.
I like the city of harlingen. I am not from the valley but like it very much. I think harlingen is one of the better cities in the valley. I would agree more businesses should open shop. I saw that theres going to be two walgreens which is great. If we could bring in a barnes and noble it would be great also. maybe another walmart? That would help out alot especially during the times when walmart is extremley packed and you have to park in the mall parking lot. I see that mcallen is growing by brining in businesses and new resteraunts to the valley.
Beautification should be top priority. We could have the best health care facilities, the best veterans’ services, the best parks and schools. But if the city continues to allow junk heaps on expressway frontage, slums in downtown, weedy lots and fire-damaged buildings to remain standing in highly trafficked areas of town, then it’ll be for nothing.
Harlingen should also embrace smart growth and fight sprawl. Make the city more central and pedestrian-friendly. Why are the county tax offices being relocated to the outskirts of town when things of this nature should be located centrally?
I would also like to see our downtown improvement board be more aggressive in actual restorations. A coat of paint over boarded up windows is not what I’d consider restoration. We have beautiful vintage architecture in Harlingen and it should be shown off. Maybe if the city offered to take a few buildings off the hands of certain building “collectors,” we’d have a better looking downtown.
Downtown buildings could be converted to top notch loft apartments and businesses, which would attract more foot traffic and business to downtown. This is the heartbeat of the city. Harlingen’s downtown is unique among Valley cities, but we need to help foster growth there… art incubators, live music, restaurants, cafes and shops with extended hours are what make other downtowns across America thrive.
I also agree with the statement about dollar stores. How can we expect to attract high-end retail if companies see that Harlingen only shops at discount stores?
New developments, such as big box stores and national chains should also be given strict guidelines to look less cookie-cutter and more like local developments. The last thing Harlingen needs is to look exactly like so many other suburban franchise-saturated towns.
i agree with mike perez very informative. my concern is when are these meeting going to take place, what time. many times the elite are not in touch with the real working man. we work 1 if not two jobs, coach soccer or little league and other activities. i propose a website such as this blog which input could be collected 24/7 favorable or unfavorable. i have attended city meetings at 5;30 and you have in attendance mostly the elite which get favorable treatment and placed on boards they know little or nothing about. it is facts like this that prevented the arena and outlet mall from becoming a reality. i do not live in harlingen however i work for the city so your tax base is important to me.
one more thing mike, bill debrooke was doing the whole re-vitalization thing in downtown and la plazita area. when something is done like that there are many human factors coming into place, gentrefication i believe it is called. where will the people living there go when the can not afford taxes as property values will increase dratamatically. i am not against the upscale condos and lofts but we must have a plan to relocate the people living in area currently. unlike in the past when bars were shut down solely to create this vision. your rights end when thye infringe on the rights of others, as i mentioned to bill debrooke in a letter to the editor via vms the 14th amendment. but again an example of the elite of harlingen receiving favorable treatment.
i dont understand one thing I have lived here most of my life and the city looks like crap, this needs too be a place thats gonna attract people with good paying jobs, beautiful neighborhoods, This city has lots of potential if given the oppurtunity, this city was once filled with major companies that needed too have positions filled. How are the citizens suppose too afford higher taxes if the means are not here. The vision is in the right place but, i seriously think these people should really think about the poor, the uneducated , the ones that couldnt afford too go too college no matter what the situation was. Those ugly old building gotta go, I mean who wants too look at that! Look around people the base line of the problem is the lack of good paying jobs, lets try too attract major manufacturers instead of scaring them away. What will happen too the people already here take us into consideration. lets not shut down the citywhen the winter texans leave. Just cause the majority doesnt speak doesnt mean they dont care. GOOD LUCK TOO US ALL WE NEED It! LETS CREATE A MINI MCALLEN BRING NEW LIFE TOO THE CITY! BETTER YET LOOK UP PLACES FURTHER NORTH MAYBE MORE IDEAS WILL COME . WE NEED JOBS,JOBS,JOBS, I HOPE IN 3 YRS THE CITY DOESNT LOOK DEAD ANYMORE. WE NEED PEOPLE TOO CARE , WATER LAWNS PICK UP A PAPER ON THE STREET AND THROW IT AWAY. THIS CITY DOES HAVE POTENTIAL!
Harlingen needs a makeover and a facelift. The zoning here is not to our advantage. I have been looking at towns such as Carmel, California and Kingwood, Texas. We could learn from these cities and take what will work for us. THere is no charm or visual appeal down Tyler and Harrison. Even Jackson Street looks run down and dirty with few decent places to shop. The main drags are such an eyesore when there is nothing but pavement everywhere. Investing in more green and architectural/beautification projects would benefit the city greatly. People don’t want to visit ugly places. We need to make a point of making Harlingen the most beautiful city in the valley to visit and to live. Everything else will fall into place once we have the beauty that all the other valley towns do not. Groups such as the master gardners, Town and Country Garden club, and others would love to help out on projects. Something as simple as unique signage for our streets would help. Since we want to be a birding community, why not signs that are custom made for us, with birdhouses-tastefully done of course, or something to that effect. Something like that stands out in a visitors mind.
I would also like to see an ICE SKATING RINK. Driving to McAllen is a little much and we could definitely support a rink over here. We could have a future Olympic Ice Skater in our midst! It would also attract sports and other events.
Another aspect of development to look at is going green. Take Austin and some of the other cities investing in this. For example, we could build the first solar or alternative civic center. This is something other valley cities are not ahead of the game on. Just do something different and unique.
I like the Blues festival idea and think we should expand on this making Harlingen a music and art district. Perhaps the city could support more art galleries and have a type of Sixth street/ Austin Texas kind of thing downtown going on. Another idea would be to develop a sort of San Antonio Riverwalk kind of place along Harrison/Tyler so that there would be an inner corridor, consistent architectural quality and look on the outside, and more potential to get people out walking around at these places of business.
Since I’m entering dreamland, lets also get rid of all the above ground power lines. SOOO ugly! Make Harlingen an underground utility town only with strict zoning and more gated neighborhoods, especially historical areas or neighborhoods which would benefit from this.
It is soooo ugly to see the chain link fences around our schools. CHain link fences are associated with dog pens and junk yards! At the very least make it mandatory to grow some kind of vine such as Jasmine on them. An easy solution would be for the schools to do a math/science/garden project and improve the look of the school at the same time.
I was really disappointed to see the huge and Beautiful Oaks by Applebees cut down for another auto parts store. The most attractive lot was ruined. Each of those trees was worth at least 50,000.00. The business has not replaced this value back to our city. They planted some puny trees which will take 100 years to grow to a decent size. I can’t believe the city does not provide a better incentive for busineesses to keep Harlingen beautiful.
Get that train out of here!
So much to do, so little time!
Shopping Etiquette
Hello! Am I the only one that thinks the shopping experience in the valley is that of a third world country? How can we expect people to want to shop here or bring stores here when we do not enforce ZERO tolerance for people who allow children and adults to vandalize, destroy, or just disrespect the vendors? For example, Everytime I go into Marshalls or Ross there are areas where toys, clothes, and other stuff is all over the ground or in total disarray. We need to send a strong message to the ignorant, ill mannered, and immoral that Harlingen is not going to put up with this kind of behavior. When something is broken or destroyed by your child, you need to do the right thing and pay for it. People need to realized that a product is not thier own until they purchase it. Why are these people not arrested or fined? Maybe with jail time and $5,000 plus fines for leaving your child unattended or allowing such behavior would start to eliminate it. The money could then be used to beautify our city
I agree with Sandra about the job situation and our population at large. When the majority are on food stamps and medicaid, it is no wonder that Dollar Stores are taking over. While I feel for the poor and needy, we do not want to foster a town for the indigent. I would suggest trying to attract companies like Dell or computer industry type jobs. We need a strong middle and upper middle class to boost the local economy.
Ab,
Great idea about the Barnes and Noble. I have been wanting to see a Barnes & Noble come in where the old Albertsons used to be. Its a perfect place and size for it! Great idea
I was glad to hear about the city helping out the HEB tennis center expansion. I would like to point out that you would get more people interested in using the courts if they were covered. Too much sun exposure is a high risk for skin cancer and dehydration. Perhaps the American Cancer Society would like to help us find donors for covered courts? The courts would generate more funds and membership if they were covered.
A word about our airport and ports
It would be great to have cruise ships coming into our port down here. It would bring people into our airport and town. Also, I love looking at all the travel deals, but Harlingen is always left out even on Southwest airlines. We need more deals to Disney World, Europe, etc. It is so lame to have to drive to San Antonio to get a decent flight deal. Also, McAllen is better on deals to Vegas and elsewhere. Why? The marketing for trips would be easy along the busier and busier expressway. Could someone explain to me what the obstacle in getting this done is?
As a watchdog, the average number of food stamp recipients by calendar year in Cameron County were as follows:
Calendar year Recipients/Month
2000 72,852
2001 73,805
2002 80,116
2003 92,391
2004 101,408
2005 106,740
Final Count - Medicaid Enrollment by County - May 2006, Cameron County 95,995
Roy,
thank you for the statistics. Very good point! So what is the percentage of our population on food stamps and medicaid? Percentage of total population?
roy these people would not be elgible for federal assistance if wages were better down here. it takes a mandated minimum wage increase to get many of these valley employers to give employees a raise. again federal assistance is means tested and many school district and city employees qualify for aid due to non living wages provided in the tragic valley. fact min. wage 5.15 hour x 40 hrs do the math
While the reality of not having education and skills to earn a competitive wage run rampant in the valley area, we are getting off track to focus on employess making a few more dollars per hour. This will not bring in more revenue and tax dollars for the city. We need to spend this so called quality of life fund in a way that will generate more revenue and tax dollars for the city. As the city becomes richer, so to speak, then wages can go up as businesses can afford to pay higher wages due to increased revenue.
monique thew more we make the more we spend. harlingen frowns on the living wage idea and business coming runs into road blocks which create animosity.the city is rich however the elite are the only ones enjoying prosperity. harlingen lacks a middle class. have you read the harlingen web sity under employment checl wages, 28,000.00 librarian with a masters degree.with wages like this you can not retain the educated masses we have.
I understand what you are saying about making more/spending more, but we need to funnel in loads more money than wage money to the town through tourism, shopping, and whatever works. Where is the extra wage money going to come from?
Could you clarify who these “elite” people are? What kind of wages qualify as being in the elite status? I’m not familiar with the living wage index or how businesses have ran into problems with this. This city does not strike me as rich, but I lived in Austin and up by Dallas prior to moving here. Peoples idea of “elite” or rich vary. I don’t use the term elite because I believe we are all equal regardless of monetary , power, etc status. The so called elite in Dallas would be way in another league than the so called elite of Harlingen. There is no comparison, unless you are talking about one or two truly wealthy people.
Harlingen is a bargain compared to many metropolitan areas, including McAllen. Go to Realtor.com and compare housing costs in these areas. Money buys way more here in the valley. Texas is an affordable state overall. Look at housing in New York, Connecticut, California, Florida, etc.
I’m not sure what the average wage of a librarian is, but that sounds like a depressing salary. Personally, I would look elsewhere or find another career choice if that was the best I could do. Obviously there is not much demand for such a position in a modest library in a small town. Perhaps there are varying degrees of workloads/responsibilities/expertise in the librarian world? Is paying the Harlingen librarian 50,000 a year going to boost the local economy and generate more tax revenue? What if the librarian decided to live and shop in San Benito, Mercedes, or South Padre Island? We need to ensure that money spent by the city will directly generate multiple-fold revenue for Harlingen. The bigger picture needs to be addressed first.
In reply to Joe de la Garza:
I applaud Bill DeBrooke’s efforts in revitalizing downtown. However, he is one man, and he does not have infinite resources. The process of painting the exteriors of 35 buildings alone would be VERY slow going. It takes many hours and millions of dollars to properly restore just one building. Selling or possibly donating a few to the city, school district, TSTC or charities could help lighten his workload and bring fresh ideas to downtown’s restoration. There are plenty of grants available for restoration projects, too.
As for relocating the lower income people who live in the downtown area… There are many cities throughout the country, including Beaumont, Texas, that are aggressively working to revitalize their downtown districts, yet they are keeping affordable housing in the area.
Here’s an excerpt from an article I read about Beaumont and the Landmark Group:
“…The North Carolina based Landmark Group, which has won awards for renovating urban buildings, has begun interior demolition on the old Neches Electric Building and the former Antioch Baptist Church.
Both will become loft-style affordable housing apartments ranging from 700 to 1,200 square feet, renting for $450 to $550 a month to qualifying families, with 28 units in the Neches and eight units in the old church, said Paul Fitch, Texas project manager for Landmark.
“There is no rental subsidy,” Fitch said. “Each tenant pays his own rent. It’s income restricted, for families earning up to $36,000 a year.”
Landmark chose Beaumont because of the need for housing and the number of vacant historic buildings ripe for renovation, said Fitch, who hopes Beaumont will take advantage of such renovations.”
Can we bring Landmark to Harlingen? We have dozens of available spaces for renovation, and we do have a need for affordable housing. Personally, I’d prefer less Armadillo and Obra Homes, and more architecturally unique homes.
Switching gears, I agree that there is too much pavement in Harlingen. We need quite a bit of greenery in our urban spaces. We need to play up our water features, our native and tropical vegetation, and do it with a sense of style.
One eyesore I’d like to see reconstructed is the pedestrian bridge from Boggus Stadium which crosses Business 77. It’s old and ugly, and reminds me of a prison. There’s a pretty nice looking pedestrian bridge at 5th Street in Austin that I think Harlingen could use as a model.
Did anyone check out the carmel california web sites? My comments say “awaiting moderation” so perhaps it has not been posted. Do a search under Carmel California and choose stay in carmel. Go to the inns. It has several photos of architecture in that area. It is a wonderful blend of styles. Many of the buildings are older homes, but have charm due to the plants, something very simple to do. No need for architects and millions of dollars for that. Check out the roof lines, sidewalks, planters, and lampposts. I could see Harlingen making this look happen.
Mike,
I also am intrigued with what the Landmark Group is doing. Also, the housing sounds very affordable. What a great idea.
Thank you for recognizing the problem with pavement city. Look up some sites and photos of Carmel and tell me what you think. There is a nice blend of Spanish and European flair with lots of greenery and charm. Many of the houses remind me of places here in Harlingen that need the same kind of care to make it more inviting. Some of the places have no architectural interest, but with the landscaping and flowers have created a first class look. What do you think? With all the new technology for making cement look like stone/brick/etc., We could spruce up our walkways for less.
Incidentally, Monique, I happened to look up Carmel a couple of years ago. I completely forgot about it until you mentioned it here. Thanks!
It also brings up another important point. Part of marketing your city is showing the best parts to people all over the world. The number one way to do that is through a top-notch web site. Unfortunately, myharlingen.us (the city’s official site) looks as dumpy and cluttered as City Hall.
Carmel’s official site, McAllen’s official city, EDC and chamber of commerce web sites are all very well done, and help attract visitors as well as professionals. A city’s web site should NOT have multi colored text and little dancing characters. I’ve e-mailed the commission in the past about getting the site redesigned, but I received only ONE response. That was from Bobby Farris and he said he would look into it. I never heard from them again.
As much as Boswell says he wants to hear from us, I have very little faith that there will be much interaction by way of this blog space. Already it’s buried at the bottom of the Valley Morning Star’s web site, and out of the two dozen or so comments, the majority of them are mine and Monique’s. Will there be any interest from the officials? Probably not.
monique, i agree that the status of the so called elite here and that of other affluent areas vary. i lived in boca raton florida which is one of the most affluent areas in the country. harlingen is no boca it offers little if any as far as art be it visual or performance. however you do have the bubba system alive and well in harlingen. these stuff shirts will not speak or listen to anyone who is not in the club. i, as an eduducated man feel i can hold an intellegent conversation with most, however my surname prevents me from be taken serious, racism/nationalism is alive in well in your community do not be disillusioned. i am just another mexican radical who is over paid and can be replaced if i step out of boundries. if you do not believe this why is there two chamber of commerce in harlingen. what is the demographic of city leader make up, how about our educators? yes harlingen has that olden day appeal. harlingen is not enjoying the growth as other communities due to this undertone. another view was written months ago about the outlet mall by two harlingen “socialites” look it up in archives dubose/pratt. the letter sounds like sour grapes over the outlet mall in mercedes however so ethic references as mexicans being dirty were in view.
One of the first things we need to correct is our “front door”. Probably over 80% of the newcomers to Harlingen come into town via Highway 77. What a way to greet newcomers! The highway is lined with industrial sites and junk, neither of which is very appealing. You can always tell when you leave Willacy County and come into Cameron because the median is not nearly as well kept. Then as you get into Harlingen itself you have the intersection of Highways 83 and 77. I would guess that 99% of all newcomers to Harlingen go through this exchange. It is nothing short of a disaster. People probably think it is the city dump, yet this is the way Harlingen greets them. Right now this area is a constuction dumping site, but it did not look much better before the constuction. Plus the fact that this area’s ugliness is capped of by world’s ugliest tourist center along with worlds ugliest HEB just down the road. I realize the County is responsible for the median and the State is probably responsible for the interchange of 77 and 83, Someone needs to put some pressure on them to clean things up. The same goes for the businesses and industrial sites along 77. There needs to be pressure, incentives, or help to clean up and landscape along the entrance to out city. I would urge City leaders to drive to the county line and then drive back into Harlingen on 77. Look at the area as a first time visitor and think is this a place I want to bring my family. Then go through the 77/83 interchange and look at how we greet newcomers to Harlingen. It is nothing short of pathetic. When it comes to ” curb appeal” Harlingen has none.
We don’t need another McAllen. Harlingen needs to be restructured to make it a special, interesting, beautiful place to live, visit and start a business. We have many old buildings that need to be torn down or remodeled. I read a message about Ross Dept Store looking messy. This is the store’s manager’s problem. He/She is not doing their job in keeping their store in order. This can be reported online on their website.
Yes, there are many ignorant people everywhere. These persons probably did not have education or guidance from anyone.
Harlingen has alot of potential. I do expect our new city leaders to get things going. I hope to see a couple of positive changes within 6 months. It takes hard-working, caring citizens to assist our city leaders to get things started in making Harlingen, The Capital of the Rio Grande Valley.
By the way, if you see paper on the ground, don’t walk by it, pick it up and dispose of it. Set the example. People will be watching and maybe will join in. Pass it on.
well brownsville just landed t-mobile which will provide 700 jobs with salaries from 10-12 dollars per hour. on the bright side harlingen has another dollar store on rangerville and frontage south bound. you first need tax dollars to spend tax dollars and no city has ever prospered due to taxation of its citizens. harlingen need economic re-developement. ron brings new thought to the table, again i wrote a letter to editor a couple years ago remember operation buffalo? maybe harlingen could be the dumping ground for the valley after all these communities surrounding harlingen will need landfill service as their cities become beautified and asthetically apeasing.
Agreed w/ Ron Smith. The north entrance to the city is a dump.
Our main thoroughfares need to be cleaned up, as well as the properties along them. Cracks in the sidewalks and the streets, grass growing through the cracks, gravel on the roads, trash left and right. It is disgusting. And many of the businesses along these streets need to be pushed or given incentive to clean up their buildings and grounds. A lot are falling apart or just look dilapidated with weeds growing everywhere.
Downtown is a joke. The buildings there need serious renovation and restoration work. There are swarms of crickets and roaches out on the deteriorating sidewalks. The city keeps talking about “Downtown Revitalization” or “Redevelopment”, but hasn’t done anything for years. Rather than locate offices there, such as the County Annex building, they locate these on the outskirts of town. The HCISD building took over a Kroger building, when they could have been put downtown. It would be nice to see Heritage Manor and/or Blaschka Tower bought by the city and turned into condos or hotels with ground floor retail.
About a year ago, I brought a friend down with me who had never been here. As soon as he got here, he wanted to leave. Said the city was depressing. I hate to say it, but I agree.
Also, our airport needs more advertising. Brownsville Int’l advertises right next to our airport. I would also like to see more airlines at Valley Int’l, such as United, US Airways, jetBLUE, and Airtran. They offer service to cities such as Atlanta and Charlotte that Southwest does not. If we can’t get any other airlines, we need to push Southwest to have more non-stop flights to/from Harlingen. Rather than only looking at Harlingen’s airport numbers, I think it would be a better idea to provide regional numbers and where those passengers are coming from and going to.
Marine Military Academy could also use the help. Nobody even knows it’s there! It is something to be proud of. We have the Iwo Jima monument, and if you’ve never driven by it on the Loop, you won’t know it’s there, either.
There also seems to be no support for the Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum.
Nor for the Regional Academic Health Center.
Also, I don’t want Harlingen to be like any other Valley city. I want Harlingen to have a great restored downtown like Beaumont. Other Valley downtowns are dirty and have no class.
I would also like to see something done with Sun Valley Mall and Valle Vista Mall. Perhaps turn Sun Valley Mall into an ice skating rink. Valle Vista Mall needs to be renovated or reconstructed by Simon or sold to a company, such as General Growth Properties, that will do something with it.
As for retail…we should be different. We should give people a reason to come to town. Why open a Sam’s Club when Brownsville and McAllen have one? Instead of Sam’s Club, Costco. Instead of Lin’s Grande Buffet, a Benihana. Instead of Rudy’s Barbeque, a Saltgrass Steakhouse.
Our old Alberton’s grocery store building could be used to house a Whole Foods or a Central Market. It could work due to the surrounding neighborhoods’ incomes (Treasure Hills and Water’s Edge and all the upcoming subdivisions).
I would also like to see something like an arts/restaurant/bar/club/entertainment district. If not downtown, then by Home Depot where there is land or by the Hampton Inn. Exposure to people on the busy roads and on the freeway.
It would also be nice to bring in a branch of a 4 year college system to town. Such as Texas State University or a UT or A&M branch.
That’s all I can think of for now. Sorry it is so long. I’m very frustrated.
And another thing. Back on retail…
Yeah, okay, retail is fine and all, tax money into the city coffers, etc. But retail is also low wage and low skill.
In addition to focusing on bringing more retail into Harlingen and keeping our dollars here, we should also focus on bringing in more high pay and high skill jobs, such as more doctors, engineers, etc. Something that will actually contribute to the quality of life in Harlingen. If we can at least do that, the retail will follow where the money is.
Ha, okay, one more thing…
There should also be more activities in town that do not require spending money. Brownsville, McAllen, etc are all about getting more stores and restaurants, yet there is nothing to do in either town. I would like to see some of that same aggression with our museums, theater, the arts, education, parks, bars and clubs, festivals, etc.
Okay okay, last one. I promise! (I hope!)
I’m ticked off that the city coughed up thousands of dollars for the TIP Strategies research…and then SHELVED IT! What is that all about!!!
And another note on downtown - it would be nice to see it redeveloped as a pedestrian mall, too.
I would also like to see Harlingen push for a Veterans’ hospital. Congressman Ortiz recently submitted a bill to Congress that would put a Veteran’s hospital in “south Texas”. A lot of people got riled up and attempted to get him to change the wording to “Rio Grande Valley”.
Since we have VBMC and the RAHC and the new veterans’ clinic, it would make sense to get up and do something to try to get the VA hospital in town, too.
Also, the city needs more police patrol. Or at least increase their coverage. Crime seems to be spreading to areas it didn’t used to happen as much.
It’s kind of a joke that the police want more pay. I had to call them 3 times when some kids were running over a guy…and it took them 1.5hours to get here. And I live by Harlingen High, so I wasn’t out in the boonies. And then the police actually did arrive, the guys were gone. So all the cops did was just drive down the street ONCE and then didn’t come back again.
Graffiti also needs to be taken care of.
Streets need to be better lit.
Alleys need to be cleaned up.
More sidewalks need to be built for pedestrians.
I’d also like to see something like a city bus system. Not everyone has a vehicle, and not everyone wants to drive everywhere.
With these insane gas prices a city bus system would be smart. I would like for all the alleys to be paved. Lining nice palms trees along Al Conway Blvd(loop 499) would be cool.
Valley International Airport should should put up billboards and ads around parts of Mexico and other parts of the state (if they don’t already, but I’ve never seen one and I get around). And perhaps some northern cities and states by Minnesota, seeing as how we have non-stop flights to/from Minneapolis via Sun Country.
Or maybe add Air Canada to the airline roster…all the Canadian winter Texans.
I think. I know the mayor has some say in this. Seeing as how he can appoint people to the board. So I’m not totally delusional.
Okay, I always think of other things after I hit SUBMIT.
Our VTC station on Monroe also needs to be redone. Either tear it down and build a new one or renovate it or move the bus station to a better location.
I was coming down to Harlingen once on the bus and some woman asked in disgust, “This is Harlingen?!?!” That came after the bus took us down Commerce and left us at the bus station.
A lot of people see that trashy part of town and crumby bus station! A LOT! And usually, that’s the ONLY part of town they see!
Blues On The Hill…I’d like to see that more often…year-round rather than only summer when it’s HOT out.
And I’d also like to see Blues On The Hill cover more genres of music, such as more local music and indie rock/pop…rather than only expanding it to Tejano/Conjunto. Everyone does Tejano/Conjunto.
Our RioFilm festival could also be banked on.
RioFest is also a bore. It’s too family oriented. Yeah, okay, families are cool, I don’t mind that it is family themed, but gee whiz, not all teens want to cling to their parents every second of the day. And not everyone has kids or a family. There are a lot of DINKs (dual income, no kids) and singles in town, too. And a lot of bored youth that want to get out of the house and away from mom and dad for a few hours.
Alot of great ideas. Wonder if Mr. Boswell is looking.
I really would like to see the amazing amounts of trash in the city taken care of. Bringing more entertainment or retail opportunities are only going to bring more trash. I have been amazed in the short time that I have been here how little citizens care about what their city looks like. I have watched people throw their receipts on the ground after dinner, mattresses in the brush pick-up piles for months, parents letting kids sample at HEB and then throw the sampler cup on the ground. Then you have the winds that just swirl it all around into the lovely mess called Harlingen.
RioFest was disgusting. Walking over the half eaten corn and turkey legs, trying to wash your hands in the sink that people used as a trash can and that was on Saturday mid-day. I can only imagine what Sunday looked like.
If this is the way citizens treat a city that is trying to provide them with entertainment, then I think it is just not needed.
More time and money should be spent in beautifying so businesses will want to be here rather than trying to bribe them to be here. Fines for citizens and businesses who litter, education programs for schools, additional funding for programs like Harlingen Proud, whatever it takes.
Sad, sad, sad. Such a beautiful city trashed by its people. I’m a recent transplant from So.Cal. and while I hated the $ and people there, at least it was clean…..perhaps instead of an “H” and star we can lobby for an “H” and a dumpster as our logo…..
One way to help clean up Harlingen is better
management of the fleets of Shopping Carts in the local stores..
One company has solved the problem to a large extent—ALDI Grocery , a German-owned grocery chain with stores located in the Midwest..
They have fitted the carts with a small, simple coin receiver/lock , on the handle and a short chain with a key…
when the carts are nested in the Cart parking space, the chain/key will reach to the next cart, and lock them together…thus, the entire fleet can be locked together ..
When the customer wants one, they deposit a quarter in the coin slot, which releases the key, and the cart is free for use…when customer returns the cart to the parking area, and nests the cart into a parked cart , puts the key/chain into the slot , releasing and returning
the quarter in the coin slot…
Works GREAT !! you don’t see carts sitting around loose in their parking lot..taking up parking spaces, and damaging cars, or sitting in a nearby ditch..
And ,with this is operation, they have ‘recruited’ the kids of the neighborhood to return loose carts to the store for the quarter in the slot..
While alot of people have great ideas, which ones are very realistic?? Powerlines underground?? Chained Grocery carts?
We need to focus on the more realistic projects that would make Harlingen stand out. I agree that we need more large chain stores, a Barnes and Noble would be excellent. On the West side of town by N. Stuart Place, there is a HUGE need for a large grocery chain. This is a booming strip that needs attention. Wonderful homes, great schools.
Jackson street is trying so hard, really they need to be given props. The market days is a great event and gives the local small businesses great opportunities to sell. They have some neat little shops tucked in.
The Winter Texan Visitors love the people here. And you will not hear them complain about the town. Havn’t you seen some of the great letters they have written to VMS? They are easy to please.
People are real quick to hate on Harlingen. But it’s your negative attitude that makes it so sad.
I have an idea of how to use this tax money: Give it back to its rightful owners. Taxation is theft.
Many of you have nice ideas about how to make Harlingen better. If you want to pursue these projects, then fine. Please use your own money and quit taking mine at gunpoint.
I wonder if Mr. Baub ever heard the old addage, “The only two things in life that are certain are death and taxes.” No one has you at gunpoint, Mr. Baub. However, if the city were to give you back your tax money, exactly how would you spend it? Or more importantly, where would you spend it?
It distresses me that people consider these criticisms “hating on Harlingen.” In fact, it’s the people who live outside Harlingen who put our city down, while our residents are forced to defend it. I assure you, everyone here loves Harlingen. I was born, raised, and educated in Harlingen — it’s my home and I’ll defend it ’til the day I die. But no one wants to live in a place that’s just good enough for a part of the population who is easily pleased. That just means we aren’t doing our best to make the city a great place for everyone. We all want to live in a city that we can be proud of, and encourage people to come and visit or maybe stay for good.
Harlingen’s biggest challenge is getting people to see that it’s a great town. Why move to Harlingen when everything they need is in McAllen or Brownsville? Why stay in Harlingen when other parts of the Valley offer equal or better services, education, jobs, atmosphere, and entertainment? What sets Harlingen apart and above the other towns in the Rio Grande Valley? We need to give people a reason to come, and a reason to stay.
When Mayor Boswell and the commissioners replied to this blog in the Valley Morning Star, they said that they have no control over which retail stores come to town, and that they have no control over private property (when it comes to downtown building renovations). Simple solutions for this would be to offer tax breaks/incentives for major restorations and redevelopments, and strictly enforced codes for architecture and design. Make a city ordinance that new businesses must build according to certain style guidelines. Just like some subdivisions only allow stone or brick homes, the city can mandate that buildings in certain areas of town appear in a certain style.
And finally, city owned public buildings NEED to be cleaned up. City Hall looks awful. The landscaping is overgrown to the point that you cannot see the building, and the front entrance is water stained and horribly unattractive. The clock is disintigrating before our eyes. The parking lots at Casa de Amistad, the municipal auditorium and the WhiteWings ballpark are crumbling away or nonexistant, and Casa del Sol is a crusty shell of its original beauty.
The museum, as has been noted numerous times, is too far away from the city’s center. I’m unsure of the structural integrity, but maybe the city could buy the Harlingen Cold Storage building that burned in 2005, gut it, restore it, and relocate the museum there and on surrounding properties. It’s a grand building close to Fair Park, but it’s just sitting there collecting filth and graffitti.
i believe these comments are all designed to improve the community. i may not live in harlingen but i work for the city. i put the city first before my family, so i would like the city to prosper. when a hurricane strikes, or any other crisis i will be there as a true civil servant. the recent rains prove that the infrastructure needs to be addressed. obra homes had to sue the city to begin construction yet dollar stores appear everywhere. yes tax breaks and a grant writer should be addressing the downtown area. urban sprawl is here and the valley is growing, many of the old guard do not want to see this growth and prosperity. we all have good posts and ideas brainstroming they call it. in these times we need to look at budgets differently we need to see what we can do with the 85% as opposed to what we need to cut from the 15%. there are many books which should be required readings for commissioners such as reinventing government by osbourne and hutchinson also the price of government. another thought might be single district so you can have representation from all parts of the community and serve all parts of the community.
Alright, I’ll admit my last entry was one out of frustration…..but when is littering going to be enforced??? I was at a park last weekend when a women who bought McDonalds for her children let all the napkins fly away without an effort to catch/collect them…..small example…but purvasive in this town….If you truely want to bring folks to Harlingen, offer credits/ discounts to merchants who want to open business’ on Jackson. Why in hell would you want to open a business on Jackson when there is new construction everywhere? Where is the incentive? Barnes and Noble? How about some ice cream shops, etc. to attract families? And by the way, I work for a volunteer group to help beautify Harlingen….how ’bout you?
Mr. Perez, if you doubt the existence of the gunpoint, then try keep your whole paycheck. Try to sell or buy something with paying sales tax. As you encounter various government agents who ask for the money, just consistently refuse to give it to them. Also refuse to go to jail when they tell you to. Very soon you will see the gunpoint.
If Harlingen, or any town in the country for that matter, really wanted to stand out as a beacon of enterprise, freedom, wealth, and opportunity, all we would have to do is remove as much local government as possible. No taxes. No zoning. No meddling. No “Big Grand Ideas” politicians. The best and the brightest of the world would beat a path to our doors. Simply lose the parasites at City Hall and let people be free.
oops: I meant “withOUT paying sales tax”
Wow! I’m glad to see so many responses. I thought I was the only one with a plethora of comments about ways to improve our city. lol
After reviewing all the comments, I think there is an overall agreement that beautification by way of architectural landscaping would make an agreeable difference to most. It is also more affordable than building/construction costs. Perhaps the city could hire a master architectural landscape artist or have a contest on redesign for the main drags of Harlingen. Because a few million is not enough money to do major overhaul, this seems like a more realistic alternative.
I am also glad to hear that others would like to see an ice skating rink come to Harlingen. I think the idea mentioned about putting it at one of the malls is a great idea. The new rink in McAllen has a great summer camp for kids and lots of activities always going on. There are even competitive ice skaters, ice hokey players, etc. This would be a great addition for our youth and would bring people in wanting to watch the ice hokey competitions and such.
I am an optimist and believe there is definitely hope for Harlingen. Our city has great potential and just needs some tender loving care in meticulous planning/zoning with implementation. There are worse off places the have evolved into beautiful places to live and visit. We can do it Harlingen!
Edna,
I noticed your opinion about department stores- that it is the manager’s responsibility to maintain it. This is true. However, I am trying to point out the obstacle in doing so when people do not put things backs as they found them, or worse yet, allow kids to wreck havok in the toy section. Just imagine that your house was open for visitors everyday. The visitors would come in and turn all your silverware on the floor, take off dozens of shirts/pants/etc. off the hangers, break a few expensive collectibles in your china cabinet, leave crumbs and empty soda cans throughout the house,and then stop up the toilet leaving half a roll of toilet paper on the floor. You get to come home after a hard day of work and clean up some more on top of all the other things you have to do when you’re off of work. It is not easy to maintain the department stores when this is going on. One manager from a local store said the messes made could take up to 3 days to clean up. It is such a sad shopping situation. It is not wrong to expect a basic foundation of respect from shoppers.
Harry,
The shopping cart idea made me laugh I have to admit. It is interesting though, and perhaps worth a try. It could be tested out on one store to see how well it would work here. Are they really doing this somewhere?
I too am tired of the shopping cart ordeal. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to get out of my car to move a cart or had a cart hit my car. Personally, I think HEB makes enough cash off all of us, that they could hire someone or have a teamwork approach at keeping the carts where they should be. Not only that, its not standard anymore to have someone help you out with your groceries. Is it really that much more costly to do these simple things?
Mike,
Bullseye on the website. It is so important as marketing is everything. I’m sure Harlingen will catch on to this at some point. We have so many beautiful things to highlight from various bird species, bouganvilla, sunsets, and more. We need to show it off a bit more.
Where’s the mayor? Where’s the city commissioners? They said in the paper on Sunday that they were looking at this. Why aren’t they joining in?
Robby,
I’m glad to see you like many of the same ideas. I would be thrilled to get a Whole Foods Market, but I don’t know that there is enough money in Harlingen to support it. Whenever we go to San Antonio, we buy groceries for the road home. It is probably too pricey for those using the Lone Star Card. Maybe a scaled down, smaller version to see how it flies would work.
You’ve got a great brainstorm going on, and I also sense that you are young and single. This makes a good point too. Harlingen needs to consider both the family life as well as the singles and more youthful.
Salsa dancing anyone?
Bioscience and technology
I think the city will do well to do everything it can to bring in this arena of business. This would be a big plus for our town as it would bring in higher paying jobs and educated individuals.
I think the city needs to give the dumpy trashy building owners an ultimatum-clean up/repair/tear down or we(city) will and send you the bill/attach lien to property or take away thru eminent domain. A zero tolerance law for graffiti/gang slogan tagging-you get caught painting walls, you spend 50 hrs community service painting over the graffiti and cleaning up the streets of trash. Start a ymca/ywca exploratory committee to build a center for the city. Plant thousands of new trees thruout the city along the boulevards. Tear down that old burnt down motel on sunshine strip. Build more parks in various neighborhoods thruout the city. Quit being a magnet/safe haven for all the illegals coming across the border who clog our welfare offices/jails/hospitals and break our budgets. Demand that Matamoros put out the garbage fire that burns 24/7 and causes health problems to our citizens and tourists. Treat the winter texans better-quit raising their taxes on those old mobile homes or you will kill the golden goose and they will go elsewhere. Don’t believe me-ask anyone if they think the winter texan numbers have went down the past few years. I could think of more and will write again.
Carlos
Check out the outdoor skating rink with PALM TREES in California. In the search bar, type in San jose outdoor skating rink. Wow! So beautiful lit up at night. Couldn’t you see this at our mall parking lot for everyone passing by on the expressway to see? It would also fit in with all the palm landscapiing. Note that it is a movable rink as well. Too cool! We have so much lost space at the mall parking lot. This would be a great attraction for Harlingen.
What Harlingen really needs is a 4 year college, to attract younger people & new money to the town. There are too many old people in harlingen. Right now harlingen is like a retirement community, and its a fact that old people are cheep. Also Harlingen should give tax breaks and grants to small businesses, because any small business that makes it in this town should be rewarded!
I recently had dinner with some friends and the subject came up about Harlingen’s future and what we would like to see happen in Harlingen by the time the city celebrates it’s 100th birthday. Here is what was discussed:
- A public transportation system, we have a commissioner who used to own a bus company and is still it’s president. Why hasn’t this resource been tapped in order to start a public transportation system?
-Develop a curbside recycling program.
-Bring an entertainment/convention ctr. to our area. At the moment we do not have a place to host large events or concerts. Work together with neighboring communities and the county to accomplish this.
-Create a new arts/museum district in or near downtown. The people that visit Harlingen go to Jackson St., therefore an arts district near Jackson would compliment the area and bring in more tourism as the current location doesn’t promote the museum at all. Somewhere between Jackson St. and the city lake would be ideal therefore visitors can tour the museums, Jackson St. and the lake area/library.
-Currently it seems that the downtown area discourages the entry of bars & clubs to the area, therefore why not promote the area west of downtown (near City Lights, Buffalo Wildwings, Chili’s & Applebees) and give it a new name in order to create an entertainment district for bars, restaurants, pubs and clubs to thrive. Some examples are Houston’s Rice Village, Dallas’ Deep Ellum and Austin’s SoCo.
-With the success of Blues on the Hill, the city should think of expanding it to bring in other types of music or start a music festival of our own. Riofest caters to children and families, the Birding festival caters to birders, but there is no festival that caters to the younger crowd here in our area.
-More sidewalks and bike trails to promote outdoor activities.
-For the city’s centennial, it would be good to commemorate it with the dedication of a park, central plaza with fountains or some other open space in the center of town where people can gather for public events.
Richard, you have some great points. So many of us that are between the ages of 18 and 32 find Harlingen very dull. There aren’t a whole lot of us who enjoy antiquing or birding. This demographic enjoys concert venues and places to socialize. The commission did the citizens a great disservice by taking no action on the arena project a few years ago. We should have had the option to at least vote on it, instead of them deciding it was best for the city.
I agree that Harlingen needs some sort of public transit system. If a city like San Marcos can have one, why not Harlingen (note: San Marcos’ public CARTS system recently merged with Texas State University’s Bobcat Tram system). This would bring vehicle traffic down and increase pedestrian activity, while reducing pollution. Instead of getting rid of our existing railroad tracks after the rail relocation, why not create a cross-town trolley system? So it may not be cheap, but it’s cool and different!
I’m all for the creation of an additional museum. Maybe it could be a downtown annex of the Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum. Something with a contemporary feel. Maybe a full restoration and redevelopment of Casa del Sol and the Harlingen Community Center. This would give the city a reason to build NEW public event centers that don’t reek of 50-year-old tobacco and mold.
This area is within view of the lake, which could be a great draw for tourism. More lake ideas could be adding a fishing pier and permitting conoeing and kayaking.
A new High School, thats whats needed. I think when a high school needs two lunches inorder to feed everyone thats time to build another one!
I also think if schools were just one building that would look so much better than a huddle of portables.
Mike,
I love your trolley system idea. That sounds way cool.
The fishing pier idea is interesting also, even for Pendleton Park area. If you have ever been to Telluride, they have a really neat park that has a trout pond, soccer field, multiple really nice play systems for the smaller kids that are desingned like castles all in one area. It was a very impressive park for the town and visitors. We spent considerable time there and my three year old caught her first rainbow trout. Neat!
Okay,
By now everyone knows I’m way biased toward the ice skating rink idea, but I think its a win-win addition for Harlingen. Imagine Christmas. All the palm trees off the expressway when you drive through Harlingen are lit up and as you look down at the parking lot of the mall you see this olympic size rink with skaters. Wow! Imagine 4th of July. All the Palm trees with red, white, and blue lights, skaters on the ice, and a fireworks show that tops the islands or Disney World. You don’t have to go all the way to Padre for a great show and patriotic fun. Its right here in Harlingen. Throw in a few more restaurants at the mall parking lot and the traffic will increase. In turn, so will the shoppers, etc. Add a trolley so the kids can skate while mom goes antique shopping, and
you got a good thing going on.
I think this could generate significant revenue to Harlingen.
Any thoughts on this?
Richard,
You are right about recycling. I’m surprised Harlingen has not done this yet.
Hopefully, there will be enough revenue to build a really nice convention center. Have you seen the new one in McAllen/Mission? Its awesome.
I too have thought about the same area of Harlingen that you did for clubs and such-much like sixth street in Austin. While I’m not a clubber/bar hopper, there is no doubt that this brings in money and people to the city. It would definitely appeal to the younger crowds in the valley.
I love art and music, so anything adding galleries, live bands, and so forth to downtown Jackson would be great to me. I would also like to see a Farmers market like the ones in the mountain towns I’ve been to-high quality.
I notice Harlingen does not have much going on for kids or at least the information is scattered or hard to find. McAllen has some great examples such as that at Quinta Mazatlan.
It will be intersting to see how all this unfolds. Harlingen really has loads of potential, but the catalyst to progress has not yet sparked.
Ladies and Gentlemen, all of your ideas and business plans for the city of Harlingen are excellent, and each of you should be commended for your spirit and desire. However, the reality of it is that Harlingen will never be on par with the rest of the Valley……not as long as it continues to be controlled by a handful of conservative, right wing families. I grew up in Harlingen and graduated in 1980. It’s a disgrace to go back home to visit and see how very little has actually changed. Harlingen is never mentioned when people around the state talk about the Valley…it’s always McAllen and Brownsville….Brownsville!!!! You know you’re in trouble when Brownsville is mentioned ahead of Harlingen (not to knock the good people of Brownsville!)….Look at state tourist maps…Harlingen is not even mentioned. We are light years behind McAllen…how did this happen? Harlingen’s conservative families refused to allow economic progress over the last 25 - 30 years in order to keep Harlingen as their own little town…sure, they would throw a bone here and there….I love my hometown, but unfortunately it is what it is. Michael Gonzalez / San Antonio
I agree but only to an extent. Harlingen is in fact mentioned on Texas tourist maps. Every town that has a tourist bureau is listed and noted. The fact that Harlingen has not flourished is as much the fault of the lower & middle class residents as the wealthy. Through our pessimism and “Harlingen will never change” attitude, we’ve allowed the people controlling the purse strings to keep this town from expanding.
Luckily, people have seen the potential that this town has, and we aren’t going to let any opportunities pass us by. This is why we post here… because we want to see our ideas come to fruition in one way or another. At the very least, we’d like them to be considered.
It’s just disconcerting that our commission and mayor still haven’t taken part of this blog, not to mention that they don’t exactly represent a good cross-section of Harlingen’s population.
I just read on the Harlingen website that the downtown board have been in talks with people from “higher education” about the future of Heritage Manor. This was in a message from Cheryl LaBerge in April.
I encourage everyone to support this endeavor, if this is in fact an opportunity to bring a college or learning annex to downtown Harlingen. I would love to see this space become a specialized culinary or art school. Perhaps the Art Institute? This would bring students and life downtown.
Please contact Cheryl LaBerge to show your support!
I guess I’m confused about the “quality of life” project and how the proposed sales tax revenue will be spent. It does not seem feasible to spend money on bike trails, trolley systems, concert halls, and art museums if more than 75% of Harlingen’s population is either unable to afford these venues or have very little interest in them, and not because they lack social graces, …they just have more important things to tend to…like keeping food on the table on a daily basis. Keep in mind, cities thrive economically and socially based on the income and spending habits of the majority of the population. Harlingen is regarded as a retirement community. Is it feasible to spend $200k on a bike trail that maybe only 1% of the citizens will use?? And 1% is being generous. Annexation and job creation will lead Harlingen out of the dark ages. Every major city has grown through annexation and the ability to attract major employers. Harlingen as a tourist attraction? Not today. Except if you’re a winter tourist…and then we are supposed to feel grateful that a tourist from Ohio comes to spend his social security income in our community. That is not the way to grow. Where are the Cameron County Commissioners? What is their 10 and 15 year plan for this county? Bexar County was able to attract Toyota simply because the county commissioners worked together with city council to pressure state legislators to listen to them. Cameron County commissioners need to stop throwing the great pachangas and giving the free chicken thigh just to get elected…..hold them accountable on their every move.
Stop burning all of our yard waste. Did you know that all those palm fronds and tree limbs that pile up beside the street are incinerated at the landfill/transfer station? This is an outrage! What could be turned into compost or mulch is being turned into smoke instead. Ecologically, this is absurd. I think everyone should have a compost pile like I do and save all the soil-building organic materials from your yards. Barring that, the city could shred and compost the materials. Give or sell it to the public. I realize that the mulch pile fire a while back is the reason for the current incineration policy, but does it make sense to burn everything to avoid the (slim) possibility that everything might burn? And the possibility of fire is avoided completely if proper composting methods are used. Soil is life!
>
Does it matter how he would spend it or where?!?! It’s HIS hard earned money! No one should force you to spend your sweat-earned money on something you have no use for or care for or belief in. If he wants to buy a keg of beer and get drunk, GREAT! If he wants to give it to charity, EVEN BETTER! The point is that it’s his money to do with as he pleases, regardless if anyone else thinks it’s worthwhile, especially *the city*.
Additionally, death is certain, but taxes are not. Taxes only exist because we allow them to via our government. And, YES, governments will hold you at gunpoint if you refuse to pay. Read up on Edward Lewis Brown who has refused to pay his income tax — I believe they’re getting SWAT teams ready for him.
Previous is a reply to this…
**Mike E. Perez Says:
May 29th, 2007 at 5:23 am
I wonder if Mr. Baub ever heard the old addage, “The only two things in life that are certain are death and taxes.” No one has you at gunpoint, Mr. Baub. However, if the city were to give you back your tax money, exactly how would you spend it? Or more importantly, where would you spend it?**
**It’s a disgrace to go back home to visit and see how very little has actually changed.**
I have to disagree… I left for college in 1999 when there really wasn’t much to Harlingen. I returned to Harlingen in 2005 as a third-year medical student at the RAHC — I never saw that coming; Now I’m a new doctor who’ll be doing residency in Harlingen… big changes for a small city if you ask me! … in addition to higher education, we’ve even gotten some more stores and restaurants along the way; not tons, but I think with time and the influx of students used to the ammenities of bigger cities, things will change even more.
** Harlingen is never mentioned when people around the state talk about the Valley…it’s always McAllen and Brownsville…**
Au contraire!! If you’re in the medical field, and I am, more people than you think know about Harlingen. Harlingen’s been a training site for residents from San Antonio and Galveston for years. Talk to them and they’ll tell you some of the best hands-on experience they’ve had was found right here in Harlingen, not McAllen or Brownsville. That says alot about the quality of people we have here…it may not be the tourism you’re used to, or the “oh yeah, Harlingen is the coolest place I’ve ever been” you might be hoping for, but to me, it means much more.
**We are light years behind McAllen…how did this happen?**
Quite frankly I’m glad we’re light years behind the crowded, messy, often superficial environment of McAllen. Sure the mall is nice, and the finer dining is a plus… but all in all, I’m happy McAllen is a place to visit, and not where I live. Harlingen has a more relaxed, homey feeling to it that I would hate to trade in for busy streets and retail. Plus, Harlingen has a great opportunity with the RAHC in town to establish itself as a place of higher education, something McAllen really hasn’t done. Also, attracting more doctors, nurses, etc to the area is a plus… it not only brings in educational opportunities, it provides more resources for health care in an area that is so very underserved.
With the recent announcement of the Harlingen Corners development, which will bring Kohl’s, Academy, Best Buy, Old Navy, Bed, Bath & Beyond and Logan’s Roadhouse among others; I have to wonder about the future of Valle Vista Mall. Will stores already at VVM (like Famous Footwear) relocate to Harlingen Corners and vacate their current location? Will there be a mass exodus of retailers from Valle Vista to Harlingen Corners? If so, what is Simon going to do with the property?
As noted in the Tip Strategies’ Harlingen First plan, the city NEEDS to put pressure on Simon to redevelop, renovate and recruit for this property. Simon has built and expanded throughout Hidalgo County. Yet, they seem to have thrown Valle Vista to the proverbial wolves. Each day, we are losing thousands of dollars in sales tax revenue to our neighboring cities because of this poorly kept mall.
In reply to D. Martines:
You’re talking about one profession (medical) that is hardly the model for economic vitality. This is the problem with Harlingen…you state your personal views of what you want Harlingen to be like, not what is best for the majority of the population.
I’m hard pressed to believe you saw a major economic shift in the short 6 years that you were away. It takes half this time to build 4 miles of a highway!
Harlingen will never be a place for higher education. We missed the boat…first of all the student base is not there to support the need for a university or even a junior college…there are only 2 high schools in case you haven’t noticed. I don’t believe students from McAllen or Brownsville would be willing to drive to Harlingen for an education, especially when they already have higher education in their back yard.
As you state, you want Harlingen to remain as “a relaxed, homey feeling”…well, don’t worry…at the rate it’s going, it will remain as such…empty streets and dilapidated buildings and all.
Here’s the deal, as I stated in an earlier post, annexation is the key to job growth….it’s a shame when a mayor of a much smaller city recognizes it…here’s a quote from the current mayor of La Feria:
“The city will continue its annexation drive within its extraterritorial jurisdiction, pushing east and south, Brewer said.
“It’s the only way a city can grow and gain revenue for more infrastructure,” Brewer said.
So you see my good doctor, it’s not about what the 10% of the population wants…it’s what is the greater good for the other 90%…those that work hard and want to see their city grow and prosper…for the future generations to come….but then again, I’m sure they taught you that in medical school.
Harlingen has such great potential! The entire campaign for 4B brought to life (again) the quality of life issue in this city. I do believe that we must attract new business and restaurants to this city, but we must first and foremost clean this place up! There are so many eyesores around that it detracts from the nice places that we do have. I walked at Harlingen Lake a few weeks ago since we had so much flooding down on the Arroyo Trail, and I was happy to see that the lake and Liberty Gardens are being kept up so well. But in the surrounding areas…well, you know. Perhaps there needs to be a city wide trash bash held once a month where businesses, churches, and other civic groups come together to focus on specific areas that need help.
The storefronts on Harrison and Tyler are in terrible disrepair. These two streets must be revitalized. We need to give financial incentives to property owners on these streets to make them more attractive.
Simon Properties must do something about Valle Vista Mall. I can recall attending the grand opening when I was a child, and I remember what a showplace it was then. When I walk thorugh the mall now, which is rare, I feel as though I have been transported to 1980’s Brownsville. My father visited recently and was absolutely shocked at how awful it was.
Mayor, let’s put some plans in place to scrub this city down and at least make what we do have more attractive first. Then let’s work on relocating the rails, attracting new business, building new green spaces, and implementing a simple, easy to use public transport system.
Then let’s invest in the arts - give more grants to the Harlingen Performing Arts Theatre and to the Municipal’s Spotlight Series so we can increase the number and quality of entertainment options for Harlingen and the rest of the valley. Wouldn’t it be great if we could attract folks to shows from the upper and lower valley rather than vice versa? Look at what Cine El Rey in McAllen is doing!
I would love to see the Blues on the Hill idea expanded to other types of music - for instance, “Bluegrass on the Hill” in October or November - imagine the draw that would have on the Winter Texans! (And locals.)
I love this city, but I know it can be so much more. Let’s move forward quickly now that 4B is in place to make being “Harlingen Proud” a true possibility!
We need new business opportunities and growth in our community. We have areas of town that look defunct or potentially seedy although I know we have many fine individuals all over town. Personally I voted for ways to encourage new business opportunities to our area, I’m not opposed to increasing “quality of life” but the primary wording we voted on was to use the funds as incentives to entice new business. Restaurants and retail, while we need both, both there are many opportunities Harlingen is missing out on, let work on bringing in diverse businesses to strengthen our community. How about having the city offer paint and supplies to local organization and encourage citizen participation in enhancing our civic image to all parts of town.
Different Note: Hurricane season is officially here; I have a concern that our city officials and employees have let the out growth of trees in our area into the direct line of power get out of hand. In a major storm or high winds we could lose power for an extended time. Why aren’t home owners, businesses, and govt. & city offices being asked for their cooperation to trim back their trees so that we aren’t in further risk and delays?
I want to express my thanks to all of you who have contributed your ideas and comments over the last month to this blog. I think many of the concerns and ideas expressed are right on target. When I announced my candidacy for Mayor, I said that as part of the community strategic planning process (now the “Harlingen 100 Plan”), I hoped that the community would adopt as a centerpiece of the plan ways to improve our appearance as a community, to make it as inviting and appealing to outsiders and insiders as possible.
Here’s what I have charged an advance committee to do in anticipation of our August 18 Public Forum:
1. Identify short-term, mid-term and long-term projects or initiatives which will improve the appearance, look, visual impact and cleanliness of the City to Newcomer and Insider alike. Provide time lines.
2. Incorporate ideas from the 2006 TIP Strategis Plan and the 2003 Tourism Plan–Gateways to the City, improving perennial unsightliness, medians and landscaping.
3. Identify the partners and City Departments necessary to carry out the Plan.
4. Identify new policies, procedures or ordinances which should be studied and implemented to create a Sharper Harlingen.
5. Estimate the projected costs associated with the short term projects and goals which would provide the most significant, immediate improvement and visual impact on the City.
6. Describe the benefits associated with such a plan for the community.
7. Be realistic, positive and forward thinking.
I will also include a request that members of the committee review this blog. Other charges are being submitted for the Downtown Improvement Board and the Parks Subcommittee.
I will continue to study your comments. If you can continue to be specific–where, what, how–that would be great! Thanks Harlingen.
Mr. Boswell,
I believe the best thing we could do, to give Harlingen a
sharper image, would be going GREEN. Helping the Earth is becoming a trend that’s spreading all over the nation. It’s sad to say that Texas is probably the only state that has two cities, on the top ten list, of being least green! Just imagine how we could not only be helping Harlingen but helping Texas look better. By being environmentally friendly we could lead the other cities in the valley by example. We would stand out, not only because its trendy, but because its the right thing to do.
What Harlingen could do:
1.) Update our recycling center, as well as giving out literature on how to be eco-friendly.
2.) Planting more trees in parks, and putting large canopy/tents over the children’s playgrounds and basketball courts. (Since its so hot during the majority of the year, this will help to increase the use of our parks.)
3.) Curb-side recycling program.
4.) Public transportation to help reduce fuel-emissions.
5.) Wind generators or solar panels to give electrical current to anything we can.
The following suggestions are not about being eco-friendly but are about potential business’ for healthier alternatives. Lets face it, being healthy is something almost the whole valley lacks. If we want our city to completely differ from the southern region, we should bring more markets and restaurants to help cater to a healthier life-style.
Such as:
1.) Farmers markets/whole food stores. To my knowledge Sun Harvest (in McAllen) is the only store in the valley that sales mostly organic foods, vitamins and just much more of a variety for healthier living.
2.) Bring healthier restaurants to Harlingen. Such as: Samurai Sam’s, which is a healthy type of fast food restaurant. Pinkberry, an ice cream parlor that only uses natural organic ingredients. As well as possilbly opening a locally owned healthy restaurant.
Though all this sounds beyond Harlingen’s budget, maybe by doing one or two of these suggestions, it will catch on and have a snow ball effect. The valley has always been known as being out dated, this can help us break away from that stereo-type. As well as secure our future as one of the leading, well respected, and successful cities in the state.
Mr. Boswell I hope you take these suggestions into deep
consideration, for it will guarantee Harlingen’s appearance, look, visual impact and cleanliness!
I would like to see this blog list each committee member and his or her qualifications. It would be helpful if the committee has persons who are involved in the arts, landscape design, architectural field, etc. Furthermore, I’m hoping the participants have either lived out of the valley at one point or are well traveled. This will help bring in fresh perspective. It would also be helpful if the meeting minutes were posted to this blog for the public to comment on.
Thank you Mayor Boswell for your efforts on this project. We look forward to seeing Harlingen Blossom.
Eric,
good points made, and I would love to see a Whole Food come to town. The San Antonio Whole Foods makes the best Migas I’ve ever had by the way.
When you talk about going green and alternative power sources, I have to wonder if there are not some serious grants Harlingen could get a hold of to convert or produce certain buildings, etc. We need someone at the city who is good at applying for grants. It could mean millions of dollars for Harlingen.
American Masterpieces grant.
Whoever is in charge of grant applications for the city may want to look into this on the US government grant site.
It’s time to stop relying on Winter Texans and catering to them as well. The numbers are down because the industrial fabric of the country has changed. Very few people work for a big corporation for their entire lives anymore and then retire with a nice pension. Didn’t anybody put two-and-two together with the recent buyouts in the auto industry in Michigan. How may Winter Texans are retired from major manufacturing concerns that either don’t exist anymore or have been cut in size?..
For a long time, Harlingen hasn’t wanted to admit it is 25 miles from the Mexican border and as a result as missed out on taking advantage of the fact that Mexicans have money to spend.
Visual stimulation is what gets cities noticed. When you do not have high rises, you implement a low to the ground, eye catching manuever.
I have lived in Harlingen for five years and I hate it. Harlingen refuses to allow credit to go to Mexico for the revenue it receives and wants to maintain its “BEDROOM COMMUNITY” status at all costs. It’s time for all the white, hypocritical community members to give credit, where credit is due. There is too much hate towards Latinos to allow them to help the city grow.
My Hometown is Brownsville and it has grown so much, so fast. Their Chamber of Commerce works closely with the City to scout and spend money to bring new business to their area.
When people drive into Harlingen, what do they see? A lot of Cement, a few palm trees, some old, drab looking restaurants that haven’t seen a good paint job in years and horrible landscaping. The only nice building is the Tourist Center, how sad and Ironic.
This “new”committee better have some really strong ideas on how to improve this city. We need Billboards set up in the regional, mexican border cities and allow expansion of Land.
People that own Expressway property where they live (homes) , need to be offered a substatial buying price, so we can expand and add business on the Expressway route.
I also wanted to know if there is any truth to the Sale of Valle Vista Mall to TSTC?
Every year that passes, it remains the same. My hubsnad and I travel to other cities to shop, eat and do business because of the Complaceny that we see in the eyes of the older generation white business owners here.
We see the hypocrisy, we hear the racial slurs and we feel the push to get us out of their stores.
Please do something before Wal-Mart decides to add another store.
Funny how I keep reading about the Arts. Hm? HPAT was established for the citizens of Harlingen that had no access to Arts and Culture, mostly lower class and poor students who couldn’t afford to attend Plays in Brownsville or McAllen.
Over the years I have heard about HPAT’s board meetings where the Fee to see a play, goes up and up and up everytime. What happened to the Vision of the original founder and of course the Mission Statement..have any of you ever read it? I have, and it specifically states that monies donated to HPAT will allow poorer students in Harlingen to attend these plays at a much substantially lower fee than a regular ticket. The neighborhoods sorrounding HPAT are a testament to that.
Who do you see attending these plays? People with money to spend, and of course the Board Memebers and their cronies.
I was saddened to see the neighborhood kids, yes the Barrio, stand around watching cars fill up the parking spaces and wacthing with those wondering eyes. So sad.
We’re feeding an ever enlarging belly of the beast as far as I am concerned.
The money they have should be spent on new costumes, better security, better facilities (it’s too small) and more pay for the Directors (who deserve it, not free loaders) that direct these plays, instead of paying someone an annual salary to monitor a small office regularly, and they are never there!
Why not get someone to VOLUNTEER their time to mann the office! Yeah, there’s an idea! We’d be saving thousands every year.
Also, we keep seeing the same directors, that demand a paycheck to perform duties they never accomplish, and you know who you are. Nine hundred, sixteen hundred dollars later, we have a soppy children’s play and a watered down version of whatever….get it done, get the sales in and that’s it. Gimme my paycheck.
I thought this was a volunteer service, to come in and help establish, produce and direct a play for the community at no cost.
What happened?
This might be a minute issue, but deserves some light shed on it, nonethless. If abuse is happening above, believe it, it’s far worse at the bottom.
I just read the front page of the VMS announcing our mayors public forum. The article announces the creation of 3 committes and sub-committies that the mayor wants to suggest ways on how the city can improve the quality of live in Harlingen.
As the the President of the Harlingen Pony Girls Softball League and a life long resident of Harlingen, I am disappointed to see that our mayor did not reach out for ideas from any of the administrators of the youth programs of Harlingen. I believe these administrators are the people who can accurately identify the needs of our youth organizations and provide ideas on how these organizations can stimulate to our local economy through the use of our sports complexes.
I did notice some of the committee members are soccer parents and at least one of the committee members has softball/baseball interests.
I have made several appearances in our City Commission meetings advocating for the 300+ female softball of the City of Harlingen. Our playing facilities, Arroyo Park, are severly inadequate and do not provide for the safety and health of our children and elderly. The city started a project and never finished it and that is a poor example of good fiscal management. I recognize that the city’s soccer program has needs and I support that program but softball does also especially the young girls of our community. But yet, our girls are ignored and treated like second class citizens.
Mr. Mayor if you really want to make a difference on our Parks Stratefic Plan appoint some local leaders of our youth organizations to advise you on the real needs of Harlingen’s youth.
whether it’s an arena, theater, medical facilities, or a fancy mall, it has to be better than what already exists in surrounding cities. t has to be something that people will want to leave their towns and say “let’s go to Harlingen”. i don’t see a need for a panel or commitee to decide what to spend the money on. citizen participation is good but the overall decision should be left up to city leaders. that is why they got elected. the only thing that i can think of that no one else has in the region is a theme park. of course this would not work at the moment because Harlingen does not have enough hotel accomodations to handle large numbers of people.
by the way, the proper way to phrase your spam checker is “please add 2 plus 5 not please add 2 and 5″ if you add 2 and 5 to the blank area it will say 2 (space) 5.
If there is an underlying theme to the comments that are on this blog, it is that Harlingen needs to ‘present’ in a better light.
There is not one entrance to this community that one can look on with pride. The first entrance from the north confronts the visitor with an array of embarrassing signs. Most of them are from churches but there is plenty of shame to spread around.
The other entrances are no better.
We have a sign ordinance but it is virtually non existant. The section of Sunshine Strip between the arroyo and Ed Carey creates a perfect picture of how signage can destroy a streetscape.
How many times do you drive down the street and see homemade signs on telephone poles. They are illegal. Do the community a favor, take some of them down.
Trash in the streets is another problem. If it is not your problem and mine, whose problem might it be? The city cannot do everything. We as citizens must help make Harlingen cleaner. Alleys in this town are like second hand stores. If you need a used couch, don’t bother shopping, just drive down an alley. Same holds for tires, friges and stoves.
The idea of a monthly trash bash makes good sense. If you see someone dumping in an alley call 427-8787. That is the police dispatch number and they would be happy to ticket the person.
The city has a full time graffiti person painting it out. Some days he paints the same wall he painted yesterday. Call Keep Harlingen Beautiful (probably should be called ‘we would like Harlingen to be beautiful) and volunteer to help with graffiti control.
The chain stores we would like to have in town will come when our demographics meet their criteria. However they might come sooner if they thought Harlingen represented the kind of community they want to be in. By the way when you are shopping in Brownsville and McAllen and the cashier asks for your zip code, give it to them. That might bring that store sooner.
If Harlingen is going to be the community we all want it to be, we all have to volunteer to help make it happen. Whether it is on an advisory board of the city, a sports organization or an arts group, volunteers make the difference.
In 1962, we had the GO HARLINGEN plan. In the late sixties we had another plan. In the 80’s we had the 20 20 plan. in the 90s we had another plan. In 2004, Mayor Rodriguez had the strategic economic plan that included an arena, which Chris Boswell struck down. In 2005, we hired TIP strategies to come up with a strategy. Yup, we paid them, but what nobody is telling the citizens is that the TIP strategies plan has a 20 year time frame. I will be 72 in 20 years. Who is going to call TIP strategies back in 20 years and tell them we want a refund because their plan did not work? Consultants sure know how to play the game.
Now we have Boswells 100 plan and he set up his supporters on committees to say nice things at the public forum - or is it a PR forum?
Harlingen will only change when the small group of wealthy families lets the community take control of its government. Harlingen has to change from the inside out before it can reach its potential. All this is just fluff.
To all,
I have to agree with Dorthy, I have met the brownsville Chamber of Commerce President and this man (who was anglo by the way) was the most progressive and forward thinking man who realized that he needed to expand and annexx land in a logical way( Alton Gloor anyone?) Also he realized that he had to attract paying customers and cater to that target demographic.. (When I go to Circuit City in brownsville I see and hear the mexican clientel come in and buy everything in site and they know how to shop. Any plan to attract new buisness must seek this new demographic and present the best plan to keep them here and to spend real money here in Harlingen…
(man I wish we had a Best Buy here!!!)
That means diversifying and catering to everyone not just Harlingenites! As for Beautifying downtown, I agree more than paint, make Jackson street a Six street area with steakhouses( Like Ruth Criss Steaks) and renovate and restore Realto Theater and have matinees that show the new releases… plan for parking and offer mass transit linking resturants and a museums and shopping all together.. Detoxify the Arroyo and make the park a tubing area like the one they have at San Marcos and New Braunsfels.. Give us something to do around here….
I agree. I believe one of the city’s biggest challenges is that there are too many people who think these ideas are impossible or unrealistic. We have to aim high to make things happen. We need to pull our resources, communicate and cooperate.
An arena in Hidalgo seemed laughable in the years before its construction, but look at how well it’s done. While naysayers state that it’s only marginally profitable, the reality is shows are constantly being sold out, the public always has something to do, and there’s increasing potential for pro sports teams moving into to Hidalgo County.
A couple of years ago, I picked up a Harlingen downtown news insert that quoted the DT board members. Each of the five or so members had a different vision for Downtown. One wanted to make it similar to Rockport-Fulton, another wanted it to be like Sixth Street in Austin. We need a unified and progressive vision for downtown and all the other parts of Harlingen. Maybe we need to focus on making Harlingen unique, rather than a mish-mash of better-known tourist attractions.
Remember, board members and committees… Think BIG! There are so many ways we can set ourselves apart from other cities around Texas and the Valley.
Dori Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 8:49 am
While this is not the forum for us to discuss the issues, I would like to discuss the issues you have brought up regarding the HPAT theatre. I ask you to please contact me and lets me to clarify the issues. Perhaps you have some positive suggestions that could benefit the theater in the long run.
I look forward to hearing from you.
The community has expressed there is a need for quality of life in Harlingen. Quality of Life will be equated to what is available in Harlingen on a daily basis for families and visitors. Quality of Life screams for parks, plays, dances, scenic attractions, festivals, doggie parks, boating, walks, etc……
I was shocked the last few times I visited Harlingen; there was a lot of graffiti and unkept properties. The Council needs to make code enforcement and neighborhood revitalization a priority. If these aging neighborhoods continue to deteriorate, things are only going to go from bad to worse.
Once this is fixed, things should start improving from there. Remember that quality of life is a key factor for businesses/corporations moving to a particular area. They want to make sure their executive/management team will be able to relocate to an area that has nice homes, parks, and recreational/entertainment opportunties.
Agreed with Oscar Carmona.
Harlingen looks like it has fallen into even more disrepair with each visit I make.
Who would want to locate into a city that doesn’t look like it cares about itself?
^^^ Much less the quality of life of its citizens.
But since there is no major movement to get things done, the citizens also appear to not care. Yet another strike on Harlingen’s record when being evaluated.
Harlingen does not have an adequate auditorium for the performing arts, we need to replace our old one with a completely new large modern facility that will attract major tours and events.
Too bad San Benito is going to beat us to the only new idea in the valley–an amphitheater. Harlingen should build a huge one right off the expressway at the arroyo, with seating on one side of the water and the theater on the other “cliff”. Traffic to and from upper and lower valley would see how great it is and attend events.
Let’s get a couple of dozen more of those red light cameras, what a great way to make loads of cash for the city!
While we’re at it, implode that crumbling downtown area and make it a parking lot for the football stadium, with shuttle buses every 5 minutes to the stadium. Put the new city bus service, police station and city hall there, too!
Yet again, I thought of something after I hit submit!
Harlingen should bid to host the 2011 US Congress Bowling Championship. Corpus Christi had phenomenal success by hosting it before. According to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, bowlers pumped $85 million into the city, a 170-to-1 return on the investment. Harlingen should bid for this. Bowlers would spend money on hotels, restaurants, shops, airport, etc.
The US Bowling Congress website is: http://www.bowl.com
Yikes!
I forgot to say that by hosting the bowling championships, the city and its businesses will not only profit, but first time visitors will be brought into the city, old visitors brought in again, the media exposure by the championship will provide Harlingen with free advertising via multiple media.
Although - Robby you might think McAllen is a suburban mess, we can learn a thing or two from them about attracting business, growth, and quality of life. Look at the nice linear parks all along Col. Rowe Blvd and Bicentennial Blvd. The impressive new Convention Center is a site to see. They host the ONLY public ice skateing rink (RGV Ice Center) in the valley. El Cine Rey is host to not only indy films but cultrual and social events nightly. Their Quinta Mazatlan is a great example to attract tourist (money) to the city. Goes to show the leadership in McAllen is obviously doing something right. Something Harlingen needs.
I hate to have to travel out of Harlingen to enjoy all of the above and the large variety of shopping and dining they have to offer only helps - no wonder the hotel occupancy there is always full.
I want to spend my money in Harlingen where it belongs.
Alright, alright already!
I forgot to mention, I know that I have harped on this before, but I think it would be a nice idea for the city, if it won’t do this itself, to seek out someone that will buy Heritage Manor that will turn it into a hotel or condos or apartments. Perhaps give Blaschka an offer, as well. The more people there are downtown, there more demand there will be for services, restaurants, stores, etc. Retailers will note the demand and locate there. I hope! Or maybe someone will turn Heritage Manor into a UBS or HSBC. Drury Inn did a great renovation of an old building in downtown San Antonio. Perhaps Hotel Indigo (a hip, business oriented hotel) could buy Heritage Manor and flip it. http://www.hotelindigo.com
Also, Harlingen has a largely untapped, large arts community. Perhaps a program to locate all art galleries downtown, and museums, could be implemented. This will give all of them more business, as people won’t have to drive all over the city to go to each individual business. Along with the art galleries would come museums, restaurants and other businesses that would want to be associated with being “upscale” or “fine” by being associated with the arts just by being near them. It would be an awesome sight to go downtown and see art galleries left and right, restaurants, better shopping options, and Heritage Manor and Blaschka put to good use, and revitalized, before the wrecking ball takes them down. We already lost the Wittenbach building, we don’t need to lose another.
The arts could bring in people from elsewhere, providing Harlingen with greater adaptability and ways to do things. Different ideas will provide us with better businesses, should they choose to open any. These same people will also pump money into the city.
Okay, I think I’m done!
Great, Richard. I forgot about films. I know the theater by Gutierrez Park is empty, from what I recall. I don’t remember the name of the theater, but perhaps it could be bought or maybe the owners persuaded into restoring the theater and opening it back up again. I wish. I doubt that will happen, but it’s a nice idea. But nice ideas don’t get anything done. Taking action does.
Christ, Harlingen is getting bad.
Relevant
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I tend to agree with you, Eric, but only because you display the mentality that I’m sure the majority of Harlingenites would. I suppose San Francisco is a haven for gay rights and events, but other cities in Texas like San Antonio, Austin, even as close as South Padre host pretty big gay events. However, Harlingen has been historically conservative and right-leaning for a long time. I doubt it would change anytime soon. By the same token, the Rio Grande Valley is a rapidly growing region, and the gay community is pretty sizeable, along with the Asian, Middle Eastern and African American communities. It’s a shame there are very few events to celebrate such diversity in the Valley.
the entire valley has a opportunity to bring a v.a hospital to the valley. i know everyone of you i interested in economic growth of the community and this will benefit please go to
the petitionsite.com search veteran and find rio grande valley vet hospital thank you all
sorry about errors in grammer and spelling i am on my laptop
On a recent visit to Harlingen I was slightly perturbed as to how the supposed powers that be in Harlingen decided it was a good idea to install those STUPID red light cameras. First of all, how much of the $37.50 per violation has been used to purchase an ambulance for the EMS in Harlingen. This was a waste of time and money that could have been used to fund other desperately needed services and projects. In San Antonio, the municipalities that considered using these cameras have dropped the idea altogether. In case you didn’t know, “under the new law, cities must conduct traffic engineering studies before installing cameras at an intersection. All results will have to be reviewed by a citizen advisory committee. And half of all the money collected will go towards funding trauma facilities and emergency medical services. ”
Harlingen should be more concerned with cleaning up and maintaining the property values. For instance, what is the deal with the burnt down shell of the Sun Valley Motel. Why has this not been demolished and cleared? Tear it down, clean it up, then bill the owner. Where is code compliance?
I understand wanting to keep Harlingen a nice quiet community, however, you can still have a nice community with up to date amenities and conveniences.
I hope my next visit will show some improvement.
Clean up the third world war zone known as F Street, as well.
HAVE NO CLUE WHO ROBBY IS BUT MAN IS HE WAY OUT RIGHT ABOUT SO MANY THINGS, I DISAGREE WITH ONLY A FEW. SIR JAMES HAD GREAT IDEAS, AS DID JOE D.L.G.
I JUST WISH I COULD MEET THESE HERE BLOGGEROOS.
AS FOR THE GAY COMMUNITY, WERE HERE, WERE QUEER, AND WE ARE INCREASING IN NUMBERS, JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER MINORITYS. GET USED TO IT AND DROP YOUR HATEFUL INTOLERANCE.
I have noticed the last few times it rained there was flooding in town. I think more work on the city’s drainage system would be helpful. I don’t want Harlingen to be the next city on CNN with water running over people’s houses.
I AM SORRY TO SEE THE ANNUAL JACKSON STREET JUBILEE ABANDONED. I ENJOYED GOING AND I WILL MISS THE FALL “TOWN PARTY”. NOW WE ONLY HAVE RIOFEST. I GUESS THE POWERS THAT BE WILL DEEM THAT AS HAVING OUTLIVED ITS’ USEFULNESS, TOO.
Is anyone attending the upcoming meeting? I think we should all attend and reinforce many of the ideas on this blog.
Get rid of high maintenance grass and use native, drought tolerant ground covers. Wow! What a difference that could make. I think the Master Gardners group ought to do a project at the entry of Harlingen. Take out all the grass and plant something that does not require frequent mowing. It looks really tacky when the grass grows tall, but you can get away with less maintenance on ground covers. Also, there are plants that would be food sources for butterflies, birds, etc. that would help support our image as a birding community.
Want to be a master gardner? Contact the Texas Cooperative Extension through the Texas A & M University System.
Robby,
You have many great ideas! The renaissance fair, adopt a median, grouping certian businesses/art/museum, architectural heritage, big events, etc. We must be soul mates. lol. We need your perspective on the committee. Thank you for supporting the ice skating rink idea. Did you check out the one on the San Jose city website?
Hope you can make the upcoming meeting.
I would attend meetings…if I was in Harlingen. I’m originally from Harlingen, but I live in Austin now (school). That and I work, so I rarely go down to Harlingen to visit my family anyway. But when I do, Harlingen looks like a disaster. And this is how many out-of-towners see it b/c it hits them all at once. But if you live in Harlingen, you get used to it b/c it’s gradual, so it’s always there.
I’m so jealous. I lived in Austin for many years while attending UT. What a great town.
Yes, it is a gradual adjustment. It took me about two years to become immune. I had a severe case of culture shock upon my return.
I’d like to know why my comment from over a month ago, which contained several VERY informative links was never approved by the administrator.
Mike,
I also posted several that were never approved. Maybe no one is paying attention.
I wonder how the first meeting went? I was hoping to attend, but had other commitments. Did anyone get a chance to attend?
Is the money available to help sports? If so, spend some of it at Tony Butler Golf Course. TB is owned by the City but IMHO is ignored when finances come into play.
I emigrated from the United Kingdom in 1993. The Valley, specifically Harlingen, has been and is my home since 1995. I first played/hacked golf at TB in 1996. Back then it was a beautiful, well maintained course and the price good value for money. Fast forward to today…
Good value for money but now a semi-beautiful and poorly maintained course. 1996 I would hack and miss the fairway. 2007 I play and still miss the fairway more times than I would want. The difference? Back then I could FIND my ball in the first/second cut of rough. Today, I miss the fairway and frequently CANNOT find my ball, even in the first cut. Why? Because the maintenance of the course has gone down! Weeds adorn the first rough, 8-12″ of weeds/grass adorn the wider areas of my misses. Until recently it was almost impossible to find a ball from an errant shot even one that missed the fairway by inches, not feet or yards.
My post is not to highlight the weaknesses of my game. If it was it would last for…. too long. What it should do is highlight the deficiencies of funding for one of our city’s attractions. All year round the course is heavily trafficked but when Winter comes double or even treble the Summer traffic.
Winter Texans spend a lot of money on golf - believe me! We should have a course that gives THEM the best. We do not. If I were one I would most likely choose another course which would give me a better experience at a higher cost. Lose them and the city loses a LOT of money.
Compare this to watching a film. If I want the best I watch a film at the Cinemark by the expressway. If I want vfm I watch at Sun Valley.
I do not place blame on the staff of TB, they do what they can with the funds they have. I place blame on our City Government.
Now, where to eat? Golden Corral or…. Brownsville/McAllen.
OH, FOR PETE’S SAKE! FORGET THE SPORTS JUNK AND SPEND ALL THE MONEY ON A NEW CIVIC AUDITORIUM. OURS IS OLD, SMALL, HORRIBLY INADEQUATE. ALSO ADD AN OUTDOOR AMPHITHEATER, AND SMALLER CHAMBERS FOR EMSEMBLES, RECITALS, CHAMBER ORCHESTRA’S, AND SOME CONVENTION FACILITIES. MAKE HARLINGEN THE CULTURAL AND BUSINESS MECCA OF THE VALLEY. AS FOR THE GRAFFITI, DOWNTOWN HAS TOO MANY MURALS, IT JUST LOOKS LIKE SO MUCH LEGALIZED GRAFFITTI.
AND GET RID OF THAT BLACSHKA TOWER OR REPAIR IT. I AM SO TIRED OF SEEING THE MISSING WINDOWS AND TATTERED CURTAINS FLUTTERING IN THE BREEZE ON THE UPPER FLOORS. ALL THAT MONEY SPENT ON DOWNTOWN HAS GONE DOWN THE DRAIN.
MR. MAYOR, HAVE YOU ACTUALLY READ ANY OF THIS STUFF?
OR IS THIS JUST A CHAT ROOM FOR MONIQUE, MIKE, ROBBY, ME, ET.AL.?
Yes. I have read all of it. I’m sorry some of you could not attend last Saturday. Did any of you? The Committees did some great work and we are moving forward.
Chris Boswell
Both Robby and myself are students away from Harlingen, so unfortunately, we were unable to attend the forum last week. I attend Texas State University and Robby is a student at UT in Austin. However, both of us have kept up to date on the latest happenings in Harlingen.
I don’t want to speak for Robby, but I am happy that the citizens’ views are being taken into account. Especially after certain projects seem to have been in direct opposition to voters’ wishes. There are plenty of things I would like to see be done differently, but I believe things are progressing decently in Harlingen. I understand things can’t be accomplished in a day, but I would like the Harlingen commission to focus on being more aggressive when it comes to drawing people to town.
The Valley is no longer that sleepy little haven for farmers, winter visitors and spring breakers. Every city is vying for top spot as the best in the Valley, and Harlingen needs to boost the amenities to prove our community is the greatest.
MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR REPLY. I DID NOT ATTEND BECAUSE FINDING TRANSPORTATION FOR ME AND MY WHEELCHAIR IS DIFFICULT. I HOPE TO ATTEND NEXT TIME, EVEN THOUGH MY HEALTH MAY NOT PERMIT ME TO STAY THE ENTIRE TIME. AGAIN, THANK YOU.
To begin with, all Harlingen businesses and citizens need to show some pride and decency in maintaining their homes and properties. I’m not in favor of more govt. regulation but people that keep crap piled in their yards and weeds at waist to head high need to have some type of accountability. Not sure if this can be addressed with this money but a citywide campaign should be launched. Publish photos of people’s homes. Keep it anonymous but maybe they will be shamed into cleaning up when they see their home in the newspaper’s hall of shame.
I doubt that anyone would disagree that we are in need of a variety of businesses; from a potential investor prospective will the community support their endeavors…it is a two way handshake? Let’s get our local realtors and financiers working more closely with our two chambers to help draw new business into our area. We need more dining, shopping opportunities as well as larger industries in our community. We have lots of talented and caring folks in our community; it’s time to show others what we have to offer. What is the city offering as standard or typical economic incentatives to potential business owners, corporation, today?
Harlingen Beautification - we have more areas than downtown that need assistance. Why not work on several fronts to help advance our city. How about the city begin a 1-3 year campaign combining efforts through out the city working with volunteers from our schools - TSTC down to our elementary schools, various service organization and churches to help clean up & beautify multiple areas our community at the same time. The city could easily be divided into different areas slated for improvement. A small portion of the tax money could be used towards the cost of supplies such as paint, plants, etc with local citizens providing the man power.
One major thing the city could do to promote more growth is to do whatever it takes, incentives, tax credits, etc, to get a Walmart on the north side of town. The north side is woefully lacking in retail businesses. If Walmart came in others would follow and the city would become more balanced because more housing would follow. If you stop and think about there is very little retail activity on the northside. One outdated HEB and a Kmart being th only majors in the area. Kmart can’t be long for the world as the entire company will self destruct in a few years. The land is available all along Loop 499. I wrote Walmart concerning this and received an interesting, non form letter reply which tells me that they could be persuaded to come into this area. The city leaders need to actively pursue Walmart. I could think of no one other thing that would bring more development to Harlingen. If nothing else everyone who reads this should Email Walmart asking for a store on the northside.
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Have you seen the new garden fountains?
Totally agree Ron. The north and northeast sides of the city are ripe for retail/commercial development. Since buying our house in this area we have seen many more housing developments arise. Personally I think the city missed the boat with Lowe’s. All I do now, if I have a major home improvement purchase, is travel the short distance to Home Depot from Lowe’s, check prices and buy at the best price. If Lowe’s had been constructed further away from HD I doubt I would.
For development to increase in the areas mentioned easier access to the Loop needs to be addressed from Expressway 77. Take out the stop-lights and railroad tracks. Build an intersection to allow a smooth traffic flow. Upgrades to the Loop have made a big difference, do the same for the initial access point from 77.
VIA is in this area. Where is the nearest marketable hotel? Let me think? Hampton Inn on Ed Carey. It is not far away I know but would not a hotel closer to the airport be beneficial? Especially if there are retail/commercial outlets close by. Would not the residents who live in the N/NE area of Harlingen visit those enterprises? Yes they would - or at least I would - if the enterprises were more than, and in addition to, the city’s usual, for want of a better term, “Mom and Pop” businesses.
Imagine I am an out of town visitor. I arrive at Harlingen either by plane landing at VIA or driving down 77 which has a nice new interchange with Loop 499 and arrive at the general area I am describing, the area around N/NE Harlingen and the airport. I have a choice of hotels - or at least more than one. I book a room and rent a car (if flying in). I have to eat - look there is, for example only, an Outback or a Texas Roadhouse or a Johnny Carinho’s - cool.
After my meal I return to the hotel. Damn, I have no deodorant/no book to read. No problem I walk/drive to Walmart/Barnes and Noble/Walgreens/whatever store. Darn, my laptop battery died - no problem - BestBuy/Circuit City/Radio Shack is around the corner.
Imagine I am a Harlingen resident in the N/NE side of town. I want to eat out - where? Drive to the west side of town. Deodorant and book? HEB and K-Mart have a variety. Laptop/PC problems? Drive to Office Depot - and then only to find out they cannot offer help.
The city needs to look into the growth of the city that is occurring. It needs to look at the impact this city has on air travel within our region. It should not ignore the N/NE area and VIA. Look at McAllen.
McAllen is a larger city. History dictates that and I accept it but look at what it as a city has done. Access to restaurants, retail and commercial outlets is relatively easy whether one flies in or drives in. McAllen Miller International Airport is a stone’s throw away from major outlets - the mall and restaurants. To me this is a major reason as to why airlines choose McAllen before Harlingen - easy access to commercial ventures for their customers. Add into the equation regardingairline’s airport fees and it becomes a no-brainer. Harlingen/VIA is fortunate to have SWA as a loyal customer.
I say develop the area around the airport. Try to bring in major businesses to this area. If this happens N/NE residents will support them. If they do then perhaps VIA will drop the charges passed on to the airlines. And maybe we will have more airlines service VIA.
To me, this seems like a win win situation, but then again I am I mere resident of Harlingen.
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I FEEL THERE IS MUCH TO BE DISCOVERED ABOUT THE WORKS OF THE WATER WORKS, AND THAT THE SCHEDULED INCREASES IN RATES ARE NOT NECESSARY, UNLESS WE WANT TO CONTINUE THE CORRUPTION OF FORMER ADMINISTRATIONS. I ALSO THINK THERE ARE SUSPICIOUS EVENTS IN MOST ALL THE CITY SERVICES, SUCH AS NEPOTISM, RESTAURANT HEALTH INSPECTIONS, CODE ENFORCEMENT INEQUALITY. IF I COULD AFFORD TO I WOULD DRIVE AROUND HARLINGEN AND TAKE SOME PICTURES OF BLATANT VIOLATIONS OF CODE ENFORCEMENT VIOLATIONS AND HPD UNENFORCED PARKING VIOLATIONS. WERE I A BUSINESSMAN WANTING TO LOCATE, THESE THINGS, AS WELL AS THE GRAFFITTI AND GENERAL TRASHYNESS WOULD SEND ME SCOOTING. WHEN HARLINGEN BECAME “SMOKE-FREE” TOO BAD IT DID NOT INCLUDE CITY OWNED VEHICLES. I GUESS CITY WORKERS AND OFFICERS HAVE IMMUNITY TO DISEASE, OR GREAT HEALTH INSURANCE.
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I agree with Mike, regarding the need to improve the city’s image. First and foremost, Harlingen should concentrate it’s efforts to attract a 4 yr College, university that will keep students in the Harlingen - Valley area. Get a diverse commission to concentrate on getting more industry to the city.. Opening dollar stores and retail is not going to help better the community, but good decent paying jobs will not only pump dollars into the community, but will in fact get the economic development program back on track. Retail stores will pay very little compared to any industrial or commercial firm.. that will not only bring tax dollars to the community but decent paying jobs. Retail is good, but if people don’t have jobs.. what good is a retail store for. All retail stores run on part time help. and pay minimum wages.
The only way that Harlingen is going to do better is by attracting industrial and commercial plants.. then you can think of beautification of the city.. Beautifying the entrance of Harlingen is good, but it is and should not be priority.. if people are going to come to Harlingen let it not be for pretty trees and landscaping.. it should be to live and spend money .. that will help the community.
Looking for anyone who may have seen my lil sister age 18 who ran away 6 months ago. I know she is in the Harligen area allegedly living with a man named dale zavala her name is Tracey. I just want to know that she is ok and looks healthy.
Thanks for any help
The city really needs to concentrate on cleaning up the public areas of the city. For example the medians on Bus. 77 look horrible! The palm trees are not clean and look like they havent been maintained in years. You go to San Benito and their medians are nice and clean. I dont understand why the city cannot maintain these areas and the parks better. Also the arroyo area looks very bad, this is a beautiful natural asset that Harlingen has and it needs to be maintained better. Why cant some new landscaping be added near the arroyo every year? I would like the mayor to address this issue at the next meeting he holds for the public to attend.
Thanks
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