LaredoBuzz.Com

Courtesy Jessica L. Newsome,

Productive Dialogue, Definitive Next Steps On Projects

 On its first day in Washington, the Laredo delegation divided itself into three teams: public safety, environment, and transportation infrastructure.  Below are reports from the three teams. 

 Public Safety

 The Public Safety team comprised of Mayor Salinas, Mayor Pro Tempore Johnny Rendon, City Manager Carlos Villarreal, Deputy City Manager Cynthia Collazo, and Police Chief Carlos Maldonado met with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.  Mayor Salinas explained, “We had two goals for our meetings.  First, we were there to explore funding support for Laredo’s home town safety and border security initiatives and to talk to the border agencies of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) about trade initiatives we are rolling out in Laredo and the need for their continued support of such efforts.  We were also moved by the love shown for Special Agent Jaime Zapata of ICE.  His photo adorned every corridor in the ICE building and reminded all of us how much our public safety officials face every day.”

 The Public Safety Team also met with Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Director Bernard Melekian, whose department funded 22 police officers in Laredo for the next three years.  City Manager Carlos Villarreal stated, “The COPS award was one of the highlights of the year, and to have confirmed that funding for the 22 officers is safe is very rewarding.”  Chief Maldonado added, “It was also great to hear that we are still eligible for additional funds.  The Director provided us insights into what could render our application most competitive and we plan to follow his guidance.”

 Environmental

 Assistant City Manager Horacio De Leon shared, “We were pleased that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) views Laredo as exhibiting best practices in partnerships.” He cited the Dia del Rio and tire management programs to emphasize.  The City delegation was also pleased to learn of EPA’s commitment to the Border 2012 program and the development of its successor program.  The City was invited to submit for a new grant program specifically geared towards improving environmental literacy and education and there was high level conversations on the Rio Grande low water weir, the river vega project, the Chacon Creek interceptor project, colonia water funding, and water delivery infrastructure improvements.

 Laredo cooperative efforts were also cited by the Army Corp of Engineers (ACE), despite little to no progress on the Chacon Creek watershed project recently.  “There is a way to get this project moving again and that would be through authorization from your members of Congress, specifically the Senate,” said Sandy Gore, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Southern Division head.  Utilities Director Tomas Rodriquez ensured Ms. Gore that the delegation was meeting with Congress on Wednesday and that this was one of the top mentions for that meeting.  

Transportation

 In a meeting with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the Laredo delegation discussed downtown improvements and beautification projects such as implementing “quiet zones” around the railroad in the most heavily populated areas downtown, as well as a bus processing facility, and renovating San Bernardo Avenue and Laredo’s all important riverfront.

 “The trains blow their whistles at all hours of the day and night, but even worse, the vibrations from the trains are causing property damage—windows and house walls are cracking,” Council Member Cindy Liendo-Espinoza, District VIII, emphasized.

 Council Member Jose A. Valdez, Jr., District VII, continued with a possible solution, “We would like to treat abatement for train and airplane noise similarly. With federal funding, we are able to purchase noise easements from property owners near the airport, and we are able to purchase damaged property and relocate homeowners. We would like to see a federal program to help us do that for houses close to heavily used train tracks.”

 “A lot of great businesses are relocating to Laredo, and in order to encourage shoppers, we want to be able to present an attractive place for everyday patrons to wait in between arriving and shopping. We want to make the downtown shopping experience memorable, comfortable, and “worth writing home about,” Cynthia Collazo, Deputy City Manager said.

 The Laredo delegation will continue its mission of advocating for Laredo’s future Tuesday and Wednesday of this week in meetings with several more federal agencies and legislators in D.C.

 (Pictured) Horacio De Leon, Jr., Assistant City Mgr.; Council Member Cynthia Liendo Espinoza, District VIII; Council Member Jose A. Valdez, Jr., District VII; Riazul Mia, Environmental Services Director; Tomas Rodriguez, Utilities Director; Feliciano Garcia, El Metro Gen. Mgr.; Council Member Esteban Rangel, District I; Council Member Alex Perez, District III; and Louis and Maruca Jones representing Dannenbaum Engineering.