Border Patrol Citizens Academy Day1

Tonight I had the opportunity to participate in the first of six sessions at the Border Patrol Citizens Academy.   The information presented was very interesting.   We learned about the history of the organization and the rigorous training they go through.  There are many things they do in their everyday routines, that we are not even aware of.  I walked away with a great feeling of pride and respect for these agents and I am really looking forward to learning more about what the Border Patrol Officers do.  Next week we will get a river tour.  Can't wait!

Laredo's National Night Out 2009

Wow! What an amazing night we had last night.  National Night Out was a great success.  The community really enjoyed getting to meet our local law enforcement officials.  The kids were even allowed to try on some of the gear and get on the equipment.  The non profit agencies were also very informative and even offered treats along with their information.  And I can't leave out our performers and mascots.  They did an outstanding job!  The Mascot Dance Off was very entertaining.  I never knew those mascots could move so fast!  They have some good moves. I hear they're already practicing for the rematch next year. (Customs and Border Protection Officer P.A.T. won 1st place).  I would like to thank everyone specifically, but fortunately, we had so many participants , the list would be too long for this blog.  I will post it as a seperate entry.  However, I would like to thank our sponsors:  The City of Laredo, BMP Radio, Southern Distributing, TARGET, South Texas Food Bank, Judge Hector Liendo, Judge Oscar Liendo, Power Car Wash and Kike's Too.  The event would not have been possible without their support. I hope you were able to join us and that you had a great time and learned a lot, and if not mark your calendar for next year.  October 5, 2010.  It will be bigger and better!

6/29 Workshop

• Tonight's City Council Meeting was short compared to others, however we only had 4 items on the agenda. We discussed the proposed Convention Center and re-approved the Downtown location, we also approved to have the feasibility study updated and to go out for RFP's on a possible partnership with a hotel for the Convention Center.


• The Municipal Golf Course project is moving forward. Developers and City staff have 60 days to finalize the contract. I know there are many golfers looking forward to this development.


• Downtown parking will be free for the first hour at 3 city parking lots until Sept. 30Th. We hope this will ease some of the complaints from downtown shoppers. The main complaint is always parking. Truth is - there is plenty of parking, shoppers just haven't had any incentive to use the parking lots available and they keep wishing they had more store front parking spaces.


• Also at tonight's meeting we discussed the Solid Waste Dept. Changes are going to have to be made to reduce costs and increase revenue. FYI-Comparing Laredo to other Texas cities, we offer the best services for far less cost to the customer. With fees the way they are right now, the city loses money with this department. So something has to be done. I have suggested for staff to look into purchasing Solar Powered Big Belly Trash Compactors for downtown. This will reduce the times the trash collectors have to collect in the d.t.area. I also asked that if fees do need to be increased that we look into excluding the over 65 population from the increase. Other suggestions were made and I know we will find a way to make this work without having to inconvenience the customer too much. I will keep you posted on this issue.

Bartlett Avenue Extension Project

There will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the Bartlett Avenue Extension Project this morning at 9:30 at the corner of Jacaman and Bartlett. This is a much needed improvement to our City. As you all know, McPherson gets very congested and this is going to help everyone with the traffic flow in the area.

First blog

I had been thinking of starting a newsletter for constituents and friends letting them know about what's going on in District 8 and in our City. I just have not had the time to organize it and by the time a newsletter gets printed and mailed, it's usually old news. So I have decided to post what would have gone into a newsletter on this blog. It will serve the same purpose, save money, and hopefully reach more people. I have also started twitter. You can find me at twitter.com/Laredodistrict8. Twitter is o.k. However, there are times when I would like to keep writing and I have no more room. So, I will try to update this blog as often as possible and will include info on important city issues as well as recaps of events and meetings I attend.