CITY: HEARING WILL RUBBER-STAMP LINCOLN PARK SALE

By Juan Montoya
Judging by the front-page story in the local newspaper today, there is really no reason for city residents to show up at the hearing Oct. 30 to give their comments on the "proposed conveyance of Lincoln Park" because it is already a done deal.
Just as the city held a sham public hearing in the case of SpaceX FAA Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and the raising of the parking rates, this, too appears to be merely a chance to get the public to rubber stamp something that had been decided long ago by the city commission majority led by the United Brownsville trio of Mayor Tony Martinez, commissioner Rose Gowen and Girl Friday Debbie Portillo.
In fact, included in the city's response to the UT System's Request For Proposals (RFP) for real estate dated October 15, 2012, is the offer of Lincoln Park.
Not only was it signed off by Martinez (and the city commissioners), but also by the usual suspects such as Texas Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., his son State Rep. Eddie Lucio III, State Rep. Rene Oliveira, and Texas Southmost President Dr. Lily Tercero. In fact, Lincoln Park is the first "permanent campus property cards" parcel mentioned. http://issuu.com/jtirsun/docs/cob_rfp_no.reo_09_04_2012_bor
  While the public notice speaks of "propose conveyance" of the park, the comments from the city officials are speaking of it as a done deal.

They are dangling the $6.5 million offered by the University of Texas System for the 48-acre facility that relocated there as mitigation for taking the 20-acre park and allow the extension of US 77-83 (now I-69 after the erecting of new red-white-and-blue highway signs).
To city planners and spokespersons, the meeting is not planned to hear the opinion of city residents, merely a venting forum so they can express their suggestion on how to carry out the fiat of the city commission to abandon the property and start building another park afresh.
Spokeswoman Patty Gonzalez is quoted in the daily saying that the hearing is "an opportunity for residents to be involved in the creation of the new park, which she noted could even warrant a name change if the citizens voiced their displeasure at the dedication of  a third Lincoln Park."
In other words, the conveyance of the park to the UT System is not what the city wants discussed at the hearing. The input they want – contrary to the public hearing announcement – is the planning of the new park.
And Irv Downing, vice president for economic development, chimes in that the UT System will not interfere in how the city spends the $6.5 million on the new park. My, isn't that ahem, awful wh...nice of them?
But wait, isn't this hearing abiding by Chapter 26 of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code that stipulates what a municipality must do when it takes away public park land?
"Sec. 26.001. PROTECTED LAND; NOTICE OF TAKING. (a) A department, agency, political subdivision, county, or municipality of this state may not approve any program or project that requires the use or taking of any public land designated and used prior to the arrangement of the program or project as a park, recreation area, scientific area, wildlife refuge, or historic site, unless the department, agency, political subdivision, county, or municipality, acting through its duly authorized governing body or officer, determines that:
(1) there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the use or taking of such land; and
(2) the program or project includes all reasonable planning to minimize harm to the land, as a park, recreation area, scientific area, wildlife refuge, or historic site, resulting from the use or taking.
(b) A finding required by Subsection (a) of this section may be made only after notice and a hearing as required by this chapter.
(c) The governing body or officer shall consider clearly enunciated local preferences, and the provisions of this chapter do not constitute a mandatory prohibition against the use of the area if the findings are made that justify the approval of a program or project."

According to the city mavens, everything about this move is "gratuitous."
It'll be close to the East Loop, will allow for an adjustment of the levee and border fence to make other land accessible to the city for its use, and the new park may "duplicate" the East Brownsville Little League fields.
Remember when the UT System people came down and they were offered a part of the land proposed for the new park? They recoiled at the stench of human excrement emanating from the sewage treatment plant across the East Avenue.
So, it's not desirable to have the stink so close to the deacons of higher knowledge and education, but it's OK for Brownsville kids in the Little League teams to draw in the stench deeply into their lungs as they circle first and head for second, or chase a fly ball deep to left?
Parks and Recreation Department Director Chris Patterson told the paper that he is "excited" about the possibilities of the new park but that he is working to "sell" the public in its role in the process.
Why don't these city officials just come out and admit that there was never any role for the public to have a say-so in the matter? Why don't they admit that the sale of the park will  be rammed down their throats – as was the parking meter rate increase – because when they submitted their RFP to the UT System, both the parking meter increase an the transfer of the park was in the Christmas stocking Tony and his Crew put together for their beloved UT? 
For the uninitiated, here was how Tony, Rose, Irving, and now Gonzalez sold us down the river. In the city's RFP, they not only offered to sell huge tracts of publicly-owned land to the UT System at "fair market value," but also offered them other "incentives." Some of these were as follows:
* Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation - $2,500 to $5,000 for every University job associated with UTB's location downtown
* Brownsville Economic Development Corporation - BEDC will contribute tax revenue from increased sales, mixed beverage, and parking meter taxes to UTB for public realm improvements downtown
*Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation - BCIC will provide funding and/or subsidies for "quality of life" projects, including cultural and athletic amenities in greater Downtown Brownsville
* Brownsville Metropolitan Planning Organization and BCIC - MPO and BCIC will increase bicycle infrastructure, including the extension of city hike and bike trails to better connect the UTB facilities with surrounding downtown neighborhoods and amenities
* Public Utility Board - PUB will provide reduced utility rates for new UTB buildings that are built to LEED accreditation standards
* Brownsville Metro - Brownsville Metro will increase their bus coverage area to better serve UTB's campus and to increase service frequency to UTB campus facilities.
So what's a piddling 48-acre public park in comparison to these goodies?
No big shakes, right Tony? As long as the smell doesn't waft all the way to your homes far removed from that side of town, things will be just fine.