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County and residents thank WESLACO ISD for fence enabling trail link to Border Avenue
Summary
A Hidalgo County representative thanked WESLACO ISD for cooperating on a fence and access that will allow a county walking trail to extend to Border Avenue; county paid for the non-scalable fence and expects a privacy screen to be installed within a week.
A Hidalgo County official told the board the county and school district worked together to close a gap in a planned walking trail that will connect a city park near 18th Street through the area behind Memorial Elementary to Border Avenue.
"When we were putting in this trail, we realized that, behind Memorial Elementary, we had some conflicts with land, usage and ownership, and we thought it belonged to the irrigation district," David Fuentes of Hidalgo County Precinct 1 said during the public-comment period. He described a compromise in which the county funded a non-scalable fence to improve student safety and meet TEA compliance requirements; Fuentes said a privacy screen was scheduled to be installed within about a week.
Fuentes said the longer-term vision is to extend the trail system so that it will ultimately connect the West City Park and Border Avenue, with a potential eventual regional connection that would link to neighboring cities and trail systems. Board members thanked the county and district staff for collaborating on the safety details and for the on-site coordination that enabled the compromise.
Why it matters: The connection would improve active-transportation options and recreation access for students and residents while highlighting coordination between local government and the school district on safety and compliance requirements.
