Eavesdropping on the Brownsville Metropolitan Planning Organization at the Old Park Hotel(Flores Hardware)

El Tapiz Building(Park Hotel)

The Brownsville Metropolitan Planning Organization or MPO meets on the 3rd floor of El Tapiz Building at 1150 E. Adams St.  Old-timers may remember this building as Flores Hardware, while ancients or history students may think of it as the old Park Hotel.  We have MPOs because of a Dwight D. Eisenhower initiated Interstate Highway Act finding fruition in 1962.  Lest Brownsville feel a bit smug about being identified as a metropolis, Harlingen-San Benito is included among the designated metropolitan areas having such boards.

As frequent City of Brownsville board meeting attenders, Nena and I try to get a feel for the relative efficiency, hospitality to visitors, participation and idiosyncrasies of each board.

MPO Director Mark Lund

Brownsville's MPO Technical Committee stands out as a chairman-dominated board, with MPO Director/Chairman Mark Lund seemingly doing all of the heavy lifting, probably not by design, but simply a moderation style that tends to suppress participation.(Daniel Lenz of Brownsville Metro, Manuel Alcocer of Airport Advisory and Sandra Langley of GBIC are nearly polar opposites in terms of meeting moderation style, building consensus and group participation.)  Lund inevitably turns a simple question into a 5 minute rant and tends to view a suggested tweak of one of his ideas as an attempted usurpation of his chairmanship.  Despite the above, or, in some cases, because of it, the meeting was very informative.

Adopting the minutes of the previous meeting is a routine formality with most boards, but not Brownsville's MPO.  After a brief comment clarifying a minor detail, Director Lund launched a dissertation on the MPO "not taking on any projects that were 100% rehabilitation."

"If it's just about resurfacing a road, that's for local government," Lund stated.  "What I'm saying is for us to be involved, it has to include other amenities, sidewalks, landscaping, bike trails, etc.  It's not our role to take on projects that are 100% rehabilitation," he concluded.

Ariel Chavez, representing the Port of Brownsville on the committee, had a mild counterpoint:  "Only God can be absolute.  We can't say we would never take on such a project.  We just have to consider the context."

"Well, I'm glad we had this discussion.  It's at least out there.  You all know how I feel on this and some of you disagree.  I'm certain we will revisit this issue down the road," concluded Lund.

So much for approving the minutes of the previous meeting.

Ruben Torres Blvd. 

On a project nearing its starting date, the widening of FM 803 into four lanes, Director Lund had a brainstorm:  "I met recently with the Mayor and others.  The Mayor really wants us to push this Complete Streets program.  I know the area along FM 803 is rural now, but what will it be in twenty years?  Ruben Torres was mostly rural twenty  years ago.  My thinking is, yes go for the four lanes, but add a median and, at least allow for the curbs, sewers and sidewalks that area will eventually need."

At this point, Hector Bazan of the Texas Department of Transportation, interjected: "You have to go one way or the other.  You can't  do a rural road, planning later to make it urban. The urban surface is much lower because the rural road depends on a slope to disperse the water into side ditches."

Agenda item V:  Discussion concerning proposed ranking/scoring methodologies for use in Project Evaluation of Candidate Projects.

Introducing this agenda item, Lund said it was a point system for evaluating projects submitted for approval to the MPO.  Several criteria were involved.  We were not issued a handout so could just listen, but the discussion progressed to awarding points based on the financial participation of the proposer.  Lund had a formula, but several panel members found it unrealistic.  Ariel Chavez, among others, suggested a direct factor of the financial participation to the points award by MPO. At this point, Lund passed the worksheet to Mr. Chavez:  "Ok, you sell the others on your plan.  Take a vote and, if it is approved, I will go along with it."  Chavez, didn't totally take the bait, but continued to rationally make his point.

Toward the end of the meeting, Lund turned to me:  "Jim, you've been sitting there quietly.  Do you have any comment to make?"

I mentioned something about the roads accessing the Brownsville Airport needing attention as well as the grounds surrounding the terminal.

"Oh, you mean the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport?" Lund corrected me.  "Yes, we have something in mind for FM 511 once the runway is extended to 12,000 feet.  Larry Brown, Aviator Director, has some ongoing landscaping projects adjacent to Billy Mitchell.  We normally have an airport representative here, but he was unavailable today."