EDINBURG – The Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees named Dr. Mario H. Salinas as the sole finalist for the superintendent position during a Special Called Board Meeting on Monday.
The Pharr City Commission announced that the city's Media Department has changed to the Office of City Communications and the city has hired Michelle A. Lopez to head the department as the Chief Communications Officer. "In our ever-striving effort to continue to improve the city and our city functions, we are proud to announce that our communication efforts will continue to expand and improve as we welcome a new face and voice to represent our city," said Wylie during the announcement. Lopez has over 13 years of experience in journalism, marketing, and public relations. Most recently she worked with Valley Baptist Medical Center, Brownsville Economic Development Council, Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority, and a local news outlet as a broadcast journalist. "I am ready to keep Pharr shining and keep putting this great city on the map," Lopez said. Welcome to the Pharr family, Michelle A. Lopez!
The Pharr City Commission also announced the appointment of attorney Kriselda "Kris" Hinojosa as Assistant City Attorney. Hinojosa has been the city's Deputy Prosecutor at the Pharr Municipal Court since 2018, where she investigated and reviewed Class C citations, negotiated cases and plea agreements, and conducted bench and jury trials. Hinojosa received her Juris Doctor from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, Texas. Hinojosa's previous experience includes working as Assistant District Attorney for the Hidalgo County District Attorney's Office and brings a wealth of expertise to the city's legal team.
The Pharr City Commission approved a Resolution executing an Advance Funding Agreement (AFA) with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for the Ag Lab at the Pharr International Bridge. The AFA requires the City to pay a total estimated amount of $287,200 to TxDOT for review and oversight services. In addition, the City is responsible for 100% of cost overruns. "The AFA will allow for funding of a much needed regional ag training center and laboratory at the Pharr International Bridge," said Bridge Director, Luis Bazan. "This will be the first-of-its-kind in the region and is part of our Donations Acceptance Program (DAP) projects," he continued. "We are crossing about 70% of all the nation's produce through Pharr, and we need the personnel, equipment, and the brick and mortar facilities to be able to identify the bugs and insects that can sometimes travel in the produce and potentially contaminate our environment," said Bazan. Through the program, the City of Pharr plans to partner with a university and local school district to help augment training, research, and provide internship experience to students at the university level and agricultural experience to high school students interested in entomology. This multi-partner program will also include working closely with the federal government CBP Agriculture and USDA. "We have been working on this project for years and are proud to see it come to fruition," said Mayor Hernandez. "This will also help expedite the process of trucks crossings and wait times on the bridge," added City Commissioner Ricardo Medina.
Pharr City Commissioners approved amendments to Ordinance No. O-2006-47 Standards Manual Construction and Development Guide. "This amendment will help update the city's drainage policy to include residential drainage," said City Manager Ed Wylie. "When you build a house, there is no requirement for drainage on your property," continued Wylie. "This amendment will now require that a piece of land on the property be dedicated to account for drainage (an estimated 15% of the land), said Wylie. This change will provide for the safety and welfare of the general public, mitigate flood and erosion related damages to private and public property. Another change proposed through the amendment is to expand residential roadways to accommodate emergency/transportation vehicles. Currently, the city allows parking on both sides of residential streets which can be tight for emergency/ transportation vehicles to pass through. The City recognizes that public roadways require a certain degree of continuity, capacity, and accessibility to adjacent land uses. To address the transportation and mobility needs, the city proposes that Local Right-of-Way (ROW) widths be expanded, and must now be a total of 50'ROW, 40' B-B, as opposed to the current requirement of 34'B-B.
217 W. Park Avenue
Pharr, TX 78577