Ramiro Says About Adams Street As Part of Bike Trail: "I Don't Know Where That Came From," But Now We Do

City Planner Ramiro Gonzalez

As we've reported, concern was expressed at the city's Town Hall meeting 1/22/14 about the city using a grant to make a bike trail along one side of E. Adams Street, removing 50 metered parking spaces in the process.  That concern was not addressed at the Town Hall meeting by City Planner Ramiro Gonzalez, who moderated the meeting,  but neither was it discounted as a possibility. 

Our conversation this morning(1/30/14) with Mr. Gonzalez should alleviate some of the fears of downtown property owners with respect to losing the spaces on Adams Street as Gonzalez told us, when asked about putting a bike trail along Adams:  "I don't know where that came from. We're in the process of deciding where to make the connection, but it will not be along Adams Street." Gonzalez, after telling us that a Transportation Enhancement grant for $786,000 had been received to create the bike trail, added that no metered parking spaces would be removed for it.  The project he said would connect the Battlefield Hike and Bike Trail, that runs from Palo Alto Battlefield to Linear Park, with Fort Brown.  

Immediately after running the article about the Transportation Enhancement grant, we received an anonymous comment expressing cynicism: 


AnonymousJanuary 30, 2014 at 9:35 AM
"Guess what? They will do exactly the opposite, they are denying it just to keep the merchants calm"

Brownsville Metro Advisory Board Chairman,
Downtown Property Owner, Daniel Lenz

We also received a call from Brownsville Metro Advisory Board Chairman, Daniel Lenz, who stated that the concern that the bike trail would take parking spaces from Adams Street was not merely a rumor, but part of the Brownsville Metro Board's minutes for their meeting January 15, 2014. 

"Jim, it was definitely not a rumor.  Andrew Munoz, Assistant Director of Brownsville Metro, brought it up.  I don't remember exactly how it came up.  We were discussing parking rates for the downtown garage and Andrew mentioned this as a possibility.  I would suggest you call Andrew and he can tell you where this idea came from, what meeting he attended, etc."

Mr. Munoz did take our call and was very forthcoming.  I mentioned that downtown property owners were concerned about the possibility of losing parking spaces on Adams Street to a bike trail.  

Munoz, said that while he had not been involved in the discussions for the last six months, that, about a year ago he attended a citywide meeting of departments including Health, City Planning, Public Works, Traffic, etc. about connecting the Battlefield Hike & Bike Trail with Fort Brown.  He said a conceptual drawing and plan had to be finalized to submit the grant application.  His recollection is that Adams Street, Jefferson Street, E. 10th Street and E. 11th Street were mentioned.  He does not know exactly what streets were mentioned on the final draft.  He suggested I ask Ramiro Gonzalez for more detail, as he attended the meeting and was more closely involved in the grant request and its finalization.  

Munoz recalls, however, that it was the non-terminal side of Adams Street being considered.  When I asked him about the work completed around La Plaza Multi-Modal Bus Terminal, including the diagonal parking spaces for employees, Munoz stated:  "No, it would not have impacted that.  I believe we were thinking of the other side of Adams."

Piecing the two conversations together, it appears what was being considered was possibly a trail extending up from the end of the Battlefield Hike & Bike Trail at 7th & E. Harrison Street or Tyler to E. 10th Street, then up Adams Street, but, of course, that's conjecture on my part.  It does appear, though, based on Munoz' recollection, that Adams Street was definitely part of the conversation.  A conceptual drawing was including the proposed route was likely necessary to obtain the grant.  Grants are not issued for unspecified requests.  It must all be spelled out.

If another route, not indicating the removal of metered parking spaces, is now being considered, that will be a relief to downtown business owners, but this particular group has heard promises before.