UPDATED AT 1:54 P.M. FEB. 15, 2019:
The Ebony Hills Ad-Hoc Committee will submit three proposals for the golf course during an Edinburg City Council workshop next month, its chairman says.
Due to the different perspectives from committee members, three proposals are being developed, Ebony Hills Ad-Hoc Committee Chairman Mark Peña told the City Council during its meeting last Thursday.
One consists of leaving the municipal golf course, popularly known as “The Old Muny,” as it is but creating a schedule with times for the public to use for walking, running or cycling.
The second proposal calls for the “heart of the city,” as Peña called the golf course, to become a family-oriented park.
Peña said the third proposal, which he believes is the best, entails transforming the 66-acre property into a multi-use park.
“It cost the city over $4 million to purchase the golf course,” Peña said last Friday in a phone interview with The Rider. “They purchased it in 2014. It makes sense that the property needs to serve all the citizens, not just golfers, but everybody.”
The City Council appointed nine residents to the ad hoc committee last October after rescinding an ordinance that declared the golf course as a property for sale. Councilmembers decided not to sell the property after many residents attended the Sept. 21 city meeting in support of saving the property.
During a committee meeting Jan. 24, about 50 residents suggested what to do with the land, some of which Peña shared with the mayor and councilmen:
–walking/jogging/bike trails
–dog park
–disk/Frisbee golf
— inclusive playscapes
— basketball/volleyball fields
–amphitheaters
–ponds for fishing, kayaks
“We are excited, and we want to move on,” Mayor Richard Molina said in response to the committee’s update.
Councilmember Gilbert Enriquez said, “I’m not shy to make a decision,” in response to Pena’s presentation.
In other business, the Council authorized City Manager Juan G. Guerra to submit a payment in the amount of $33,886.40 to Magic Valley Electric Cooperative for the installation of streetlights on Trenton Road, between Jackson and McColl roads, and between Interstate 69C and Closner Boulevard. Streetlights will also be installed in the Vista del Sol and Tierra del Valle subdivisions.
“Yay! Everybody wants streetlights,” Molina said while reading the item.
“Slowly, but surely, we are adding more,” Tomas D. Reyna, director of Public Works, said in response to Molina. “They should be here within two weeks, and we will start installing all the LED lighting all along [State Highway] 107.”
Molina recognized Rolland Hugh Pursley for his 44 years of service with the Edinburg Fire Department.
Pursley became a volunteer firefighter on March 3, 1975, and served for 31 years as lieutenant, captain and assistant chief, as well as secretary/treasurer of the Volunteer Firefighter Pension System.
On Jan. 31, Pursley retired after being deputy chief of the department for nearly 13 years. He was named Firefighter of the Year of the Edinburg Fire Department 1984 and 2011.
After expressing their gratitude, the mayor, councilmembers and the audience rose to applaud the man of the hour.
“I do plan to continue my service with the city and remain as a resident of the city, so thank you very much,” Pursley said in response to his recognition.
“I just want to thank you for everything that you do,” Molina said. “It’s a thankless job, sometimes, and we know that you bust your tail out there. But, I just want to say that we are really, really proud to have you as part of the Edinburg team and for many more years to come. Thank you for your service.”
Fire Chief Shawn Snider also praised Pursley.
“There’s not too many people that are left that have the cog like R.H. … where you can give them something broken and [they can] make something happen, and so, that has always been the case,” Snider said. “We have worked with [limited] levels of resources. We tried to stretch a dollar over these years. R.H. has been one of the people who has helped me day and night for the past 20-plus years to make this happen, what we are doing today.”
