Parks & Recreation Board Member Describes Lincoln Park's Nature Center, Trails as "Irreplaceable"

Growing bed at the Nature Center, Lincoln Park

"When children see the butterflies hovering around the flowers, get an understanding of how things grow and get the balance of nature, that's what makes the Nature Center inside Lincoln Park such a unique feature," spoke a member of Brownsville's Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee.  

The board member said he had observed buses of seniors come to Lincoln Park, do a bit of low impact zumba, then walk down the nature trail.  The member recalls groups of Boy and Girl Scouts using the garden center to understand planting, cultivating and the growing process.  

"You know, Jim, my parents were raised on a farm, but I wasn't.  I want my children to understand where grown food comes from and how nature works." 

The Nature Center and the Nature Trail are integral parts of the city's Lincoln Park, located on E.

Nature Center gardens at Lincoln Park

Ringgold Street.  We've been told the City of Brownsville is on the verge of transferring the multi-purpose park to the ultra-rich University of Texas system, who plan to demolish the park's recreational features and construct buildings on the property.

"Were the university to preserve the integrity of the park, the nature center and trail, allowing students to sit on the benches under the trees, accessing the wifi, I could understand it, but to destroy the park for buildings makes absolutely no sense," continued the board member.  "There is plenty of undeveloped property nearby to leave the park undisturbed.  UTB even owns tracts across the interstate where they plan to put soccer fields."  

The person who likely should be out front on this issue is District 1 City Commissioner Ricardo Longoria, whose constituents make up the majority of those using Lincoln Park, which sits just to the west of Southmost.  To allow Lincoln Park to be demolished and replaced by buildings is unconscionable and certainly not protecting the long-term interests of District 1.  Once gone, Lincoln Park is not coming back.  

The spin that will be put on this dumber-than-dumb transaction will be that some of the amenities of Lincoln Park will be added to Gonzalez Park, but that's simply not the reality. Gonzalez Park cannot accommodate what Lincoln Park now offers, does not have the room or the parking to replace two softball fields, an amphitheater,  a nature center, two walking trails and picnic sites with metal grills.  This is an unnecessary giveaway to UT, but a horrible ripoff for District 1, Southmost residents.  Who will stand up and protect their interests?

Portway Acres Park Dedication

This past December, Commissioner Jessica Tetreau-Kalifa cut the ribbon on a greatly enhanced Portway Acres Park.  Local citizens were there to celebrate a new canine section, a water geyser slip-n-slide feature and other amenities.  To refurbish Portway Acres Park, but then to lose Lincoln Park is one step forward, three steps back.  Commissioner Tetreau-Kalifa, who knows how much local citizens use their parks, should stand up and stop the takeaway of Lincoln Park.  

We did contact Park Director Chris Patterson for an interview.  He suggested calling his office Monday afternoon, which we did twice, leaving a message both times.  We told Chris via Facebook inboxing, that we had no desire to involve him in political entanglement, but were just seeking details about Lincoln Park.  Perhaps, Chris will return our call tomorrow.  

Lincoln Park's Nature Trail

Two commissioners recently showing courage, John Villarreal and Debbie Portillo, placed an item on the 1/21/14 City Commission agenda to learn how much had been spent from the AEP Texas $3,060,000 settlement and to insure careful use of any remaining funds.  Both commissioners can again demonstrate leadership by protecting against the loss of Lincoln Park.  The fact that both commissioners signed a resolution February 2013 to include the park in two tracts of land designated for transfer to the UT system, does not tie their hands.  

Many things have changed in the last year.  First of all, the new UT-RGV Brownsville campus will not include the downtown buildings purchased by the City Commission.  UT's regents had zero interest in any of the 11 third-tier buildings Tony and the City Commission purchased with taxpayer money.  Additionally, there is plenty of available land for the satellite campus without destroying a Brownsville city park. 

Lincoln Park's Nature Center

Should the City Commission foolishly decide in executive session February 4 to turn over a unique, irreplaceable city park for demolition, the $6,000,000 of recovered funds have to be carefully monitored lest they fall into the manipulative fingers of Mayor Martinez or Rose Gowen.  Since it is District 1 and Southmost losing their recreational heritage, the monies must be reserved for some kind of replacement park in District 1.  District 1's children can ill afford to lose butterflies, greenery, nature trails, a garden center and ball fields in exchange for blacktop and CO2 emissions.   They deserve better than that from the City Commission.

Children's Garden Education Center at Lincoln Park

Children's Garden at Lincoln Park