Special to El Rrun-Rrun
A unanimous board of the Brownsville Independent School District heeded the pleas by numerous district and city residents and voted to approve allowing Superintendent Jesus Chavez to enter negotiations with the City of Brownsville to sell the former Cummings Middle School campus to enlarge the Gladys Porter Zoo.
According to supporters of the plan, BISD would move the Career and Technical Education (CTE) program currently located at Cummings to another location. The BISD has several abandoned schools and real estate elsewhere, they say.
Currently, Cummings hosts career and technical education. They have 9 classes, 250 students in the morning and 250 students in the evening. That number can be increased but the CTE program is currently at capacity and have a waiting list of students to the point where they are turning interested students away.
In turn, the city has offered to purchase the building. The building is appraised at $14.5 million and the city is offering $16 million. For the record, Longoria Elementary was sold for $1.2 million to UTRGV. And the district is $20 million in the red as a result of legislative and tax code changes.
The CTE program has alternative options to be replaced elsewhere such as the 2 closed campuses, ITECC (TSC is ready), or building a new campus on the Morrison lot. The CTE has options, the zoo doesn’t.
Gladys Porter Zoo is an economic driver of our community. With 450,000 visitors a year, multiple world renown conservation programs, and over 1,000 animals, it’s a no brainer that the zoo is a primary tourist attraction in Brownsville. However, the zoo is in serious accreditation issues due to being land locked and not able to provide the required acreage to house animals.The zoo has already lost their elephants and sea lions for this reason.
31 comments:
Who cares!!! Every fucking ant hill sand slide is NOT the end of the world, Montoya. Get a life, dude!! This does not affect me, Guey.
This is very short sighted. I do believe everyone is acting in good faith. The city should use the money to start buying up the land towards Palm Blvd. The Cummings deal is a mistake. It does nothing to enlarge the zoo in a meaningful way.
The Zoo has killed so many sting rays.....human error.
If the zoo after decades in existence can’t support it self without tax payer money than either privatize it or get rid of it all together. Has there ever been an independent audit of the zoo? This is just another wasteful pet project of the city, at a great expense to tax payers. Fix our streets and drainage issues. Who ever is in favor of the zoo can fund it.
Whose making money from this deal?
juan, sell sell sell, $2 million dollars extra is a good deal, save the zoo and save BISD. dale gas, by the way dont the BISD Taxpayers need to vote on this? just asking? Chuy.
The City of Brownsville has no money for that kind of spending. The BUS has a 1 million over budget and the City and the Commissioners could not help. So the poor of Brownsville have to cover the overbudget of the BUS. If the City spends that money or finds that kind of money, Brownsville residents have to demand 1 million for the City to give to the BUS or take the Mayor to court.
Maybe downsize to a mini zoo, Just regular homeless cats, dogs and people. Nothing exotic or endangered.
August 22, 2024 at 8:04am
take are of your mother estupido anda en las cantinas llevantado blacks como tu idiota...
close the dam sue down its been there 60 years and can't take of themselves CLOSE IT DOWN I see lots of monkeys every where it its FREEEEE. fire all those doctors that are making millions of bucks . CLOSE IT DOWN!!!!
Juan this reasoning makes no sense. You state that the Zoo is LAND LOCKED. Cummins school is across the street from the zoo and across Ringold St. How do you expect the Zoo to house animals where Cunnims is at? The city wants to build a HOTEL for the Mitte Cultural Foundation. They will share the parking. I can't beleive you all fell for this. They are suckers born every minute. The City of Brownsville is going to flip the property for a profit.
Sell Cummings and give teachers the pay raises they have earned!!!
The City paid Galonsy $2.3 Million for the Casa de Nylon. UTRGV paid BISD $ 1.2 Million for Longoria campus. We need an accountant and a real estate agent to figure this out.
It isn’t a done deal…if it’s a hotel they want. Then the vote to seell could be impacted. Trustee Elizondo was smart demanding transparency and setting parameters. He was very clear….for the zoo expansion and children or give it back to BISD . Watch the video. Trustee Elizondo should be in EVERY meeting regarding this project.
@ August 22, 2024 at 8:04 AM
I understand Mr. Montoya has dedicated a lot of time trying to publish articles that may meet your interests, but is has been futile as you choose to post comments anonymously. Kind a hard to ask you directly what your interests are.
IF THAT RATA FOUNDATION IS INVOLVED THEN ITS CRAWLING WITH RATAS....
spending tax payers funds is easy to do they are never held accountable they will spend more than 3 or 4 million dollars just to move that shit department to another empty school, one that is the far far away.
Yes we need a raise!
Or else
We will go work at ...
So will they close Ringgold street to expand the zoo towards Cummings or build a bridge over Ringgold street to cross to the other side of the future zoo expansion?
It would be sad to see Cummings be demolished. I think the city should at least save the Cummings Main Building and Gym and turn it into a Boy's & Girl's Club within the park, like many cities that have their Boy's & Girl's Clubs within their parks. The Main Building could serve as the club's gameroom and library, while the gym can be used for the club's sports.
Any newer expansions and portable buildings that were added to Cummings later on could be demolished since they are not part of the original school, and that space along with the football field should be given to the zoo. It would be a win win situation. The city gets a Boy's & Girl's Club and the zoo gets a bit of extra space.
in the end they'll do what gives them the most lana to keep for themselves....
I am all for benefits for teachers but use some other source of revenue.
the one in blue dress and brown shoes the one with blue lines and brown chanclas, the one in pants with black shoes and the last one in all black dress todas chulonas everybody else, UGLY!!
Yes, pendeja, I agree you need a raise but not with the money of Cummings.
Now, people know that size doesn't matter. Malls are closing because they are big. Houses are becoming smaller. The zoo is big enough, just keep it clean, remodel it and make it affordable. What properties are next to, behind, on the side of the zoo? Maybe that is what needs to be added to the Zoo. When I go to the zoo, it is very sad to see all the animals there....they should be free to live their lives...
fire the doctors they are making millions to give a headache pill to monkeys...
August 22, 2024 at 8:04 AM
You don't like it LEAVE simple pendejo idiota and take your mama with you pinches par de mariconas
the end of la llorona she walks across that resaca from the zoo to the park every night at 12 midnight I saw her once...
all the ladies in that pic are pretty, FACT
If this article does not affect you, keep your mouth shut.
I did not know that BISD could sell their school, which currently houses the CTE program for BISD students, with a simple vote from the Board Members. Juanito, can you research if BISD needs to put this to out for a vote for public approval. Also can you investigate if they let the charter schools know that they are selling a school campus which will no longer be used to educate BISD students. BISD has a tendency to hide things from the public. There is something fishy about this, and remember that Carlos gentleman and that Mike Hernandez gentleman that wanted to build a hotel. Looking at the zoo posters they show a hotel in the photos. Guess those two guys are finally getting their hotel built. Only in Brownsville do people get taken advantage of, by those with money in their pockets looking to make more money. Only in Brownsville do theses type of fishy things occur.
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