History made — San Benito Community Development Citizens Advisory Committee member Anna Llanes speaks during a groundbreaking for a public restroom at Landrum Park on July 31. Also on the committee are members Ester Rivera Hernandez and Iris de la Rosa. Hernandez was appointed four months ago by Commissioner Joe. E. Navarro and De la Rosa was appointed three years ago by Mayor Ricardo “Rick” Guerra. (Courtesy photo/Albert Villegas)
By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
City leaders have answered the call regarding inadequate restroom facilities at San Benito’s Landrum Park, hosting a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, July 31, ushering in the construction of restroom facilities at the popular and historic park.
Among those in attendance were members of the Community Development Citizens Advisory Committee.
Anna Llanes, who has been a committee member for six years, said this is a restroom project that should have been constructed within the past three decades, but due to what she described as past ineffective leadership, it never got off the ground.
“This was 30 years in the making. Every time the monies were being assigned and were supposed to go here to the park, nothing was getting done,” said Llanes, who was initially appointed by then Commissioner Rene Garcia, and the current Commissioner Thomas W. Goodman II.
Llanes said some adults were once children who couldn’t fully enjoy the park experience because they had nowhere to relieve themselves.
“They came out here to play, but they remember that as soon as they had to go to the restroom, well, that was it … game was over,” Llanes said. “The board had been pushing for this since the previous administrations, but they always dropped the ball. I’ve always believed, it’s not what you say, it’s what you do, and what we have or don’t have on the ground.”
A volleyball area was recently removed to make space for restroom construction.
The funding to construct the restroom came from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).
Both San Benito Mayor Ricardo “Rick” Guerra and Mayor Pro Tem Pedro A. Galvan shared the importance of using available CDBG funding from the federal government that was earmarked for San Benito.
“We couldn’t lose that money; it was for our city, and projects like this,” Galvan said. “This restroom was just right; our citizens kept asking us for one.”
Attendees remember a time when Mayor Guerra reminded them that Landrum Park once housed a public pool with accompanying restrooms. Regardless of its removal, people continued to use the park located in the 500 block of South Dick Dowling Street. Mayor Guerra said it sometimes paved the way for visiting children to ask neighbors for use of their home restrooms. Some residents who live on East Brook, South Crockett, and East Swanson streets attended the groundbreaking.
On the City of San Benito’s Facebook page, most had either positive comments about the restroom or other recreational areas that need similar restroom construction.
“Hope they stay clean and drug free,” Diana Tijerina posted.
“Let’s see how long they last,” added Frances Mendoza.
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