By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
The City of San Benito literally answered the call of nature by installing a public restroom at Landrum Park, with all costs covered by the federal government. The occasion was officially marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which City of San Benito leaders leveraged through grassroots efforts.
Similarly to other municipalities across this country, San Benito receives thousands of dollars from the federal government, with the city’s current amount in the six-figure range.
Those are funds that San Benito City Manager Fred Sandoval, in this case, doesn’t want flushed down the toilet. The Landrum Park restrooms, which had their groundbreaking last July, are a prime example, he said, and the city’s Community Development Citizens Advisory Committee played an intricate role.
He told attendees that it’s important to be good stewards of these federal funds that improve quality of life. Sandoval noted that this endeavor was funded by a CDBG grant from HUD.
“I want to thank the city staff for going back because they had to work diligently with HUD to ensure we could salvage these (CDBG) funds,” Sandoval said. “Remember, these are allocations we receive every year. We want to be good stewards of the resources the federal government provides.”
He added, “The (San Benito CDBG committee) put this together because they are the voice of the community; we, as city staff, are humbled and happy to be part of it.”
San Benito Commissioner Pedro A. Galvan said that five years ago, when he was elected, there were numerous needs that could be addressed through the CDBG, but no effort was underway.
“When I started, there were a lot of unfinished projects, so I am thankful for the commission for seeing our vision,” Galvan said. “They are making sure we finish those projects.”
According to the City of San Benito, it has allocated $329,615 for citywide needs, with a portion of that funding going toward the construction of the restrooms at the park at 310 West Landrum Street.
Ideally, San Benito city staff would like to increase the allocation, perhaps to $1 million. For this to come to fruition, the city must use the CBG funds; otherwise, the purse will dwindle over time.
Some CDBG committee members attended the summer-time groundbreaking ceremony, and many in the community were eager to see this restroom open. Those who have lived in San Benito for decades remember the park having a swimming pool in the 1970s, but by the 1990s it was a distant memory, the result of demolition years earlier. Mayor Ricardo Guerra alluded to it in his groundbreaking speech.
Still, the park was a source of enjoyment for both children and adults.
One of the visitors to the ceremony was Julio Santana, who remembers bringing children here.
“There was someone who came to the park and took a picture of us here, and it ended up in the newspaper, and we didn’t have a restroom back then,” Santana said. “Those were the days. If we had to go to the restroom, that was it; it was time to go home.”
Recent Comments