City Council asked to take proactive stance to save natural oasis from destruction by proposed extension of Springfield to International Blvd.

By Luis Antonio Zapata

It is interesting to see how sometimes people regress to non-productive ways of thinking and don't have an idea on how to prevent problems. This is the case with the proposed extension of Springfield Ave. in North Laredo . What is now a beautiful area consisting of several acres full of birds, native vegetation, and invigorating scenery and fresh air is destined to soon be demolished to create a road extension that at its best will not be what its proponents envision. All the signs of failure are surely written on the wall if the Laredo City Council continues its proposed desecration of one of Laredo 's environmental jewels.

The area of land currently being examined by the City Council and some business interests for extending Springfield lies nestled between the North Creek shopping mall to the west, housing developments to the north and east, and Del Mar Boulevard to the south. The land is prime and better suited for building a recreational park with walking and bike trails rather than using it as a stretch of land to extend Springfield and create another environmental and traffic backlog nightmare for Laredo . The reasons are obvious to the layman and can be confirmed by experienced civil engineers familiar with this area.

What City Council is promising to be progress is doomed to create additional flooding in an area which currently gets flooded when heavy rains permeate the soil in a housing area of Del Mar subdivision and Mary Help of Christians school. Haphazardly winding, a piece of road not suitable for this small stretch of land is surely begging for more flooding in that area due to the elimination of grasses, trees, and other vegetation that hold the soil in place and effectively manage water from the heavy rains. Mesquite trees with diameters which classify them as trees to be preserved according to the newly created Green Spaces Preservation Ordinance will be permanently removed, thereby creating another stretch of asphalt road that will funnel unwanted water into nearby houses, businesses, and school. All trees serve a purpose and those currently there -- if left undisturbed together with some other vegetation -- promise a peaceful recreational and environmental retreat in the form of a park for all Laredoans to enjoy. An additional problem is the apparent traffic bottleneck and hazardous conditions for vehicles that will be created with the proposed road. The serpentine design of the road with its sharp turns will create maneuverability difficulties, and high rates of speed by irresponsible drivers will definitely create traffic accidents in a densely populated area.

City Council members need to take a proactive stance on this matter and throw away the logic that the road must be built because it was envisioned before the new Green Spaces ordinance was approved. This reasoning has the potential for adversely affecting the residents of the area with traffic problems, accidents, environmental problems, and additional flooding in an area that already suffers from frequent flooding. Flooding problems that occur in several other areas of the city often result from designs by man and are not a slight of Mother Nature's hand.

I encourage citizens and constituents to voice their concerns on this issue to their respective City Council representative and the entire council. As citizens, “if we snooze -- we lose.”

(Luis Antonio Zapata, First Sgt/MSgt, USAF (Retired) is a board member of the Río Grande International Study Center .)