Pharr is growing in many facets in spite of COVID-19, according to the mayor in his annual State of the City address on Thursday.
This year’s event was held virtually due to the ongoing pandemic. In a videostream shared on the city’s website, Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez touched on many of the city’s accomplishments from 2020 and what they have in store for 2021.
The state of the city, titled “Together: Honoring Our First Responders,” opened with Hernandez honoring first responders and paying tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as well as the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Little did we know then how COVID-19 would impact us here in our community,” Hernandez said as he addressed the pandemic. “As a medical professional, I had a sense of what we were up against. We live in an era with the most advanced technological scientific breakthroughs, but this miniscule, microscopic virus could still penetrate our sense of safety and security and bring us all to a standing halt.”
Hernandez also reminded that it was Pharr to declare on March 13, 2020, a state of emergency in the community — “the first mayor in South Texas to do so,” he added.
“Under the emergency order, certain emergency measures could be taken and thus allocated for our city to put up as best of an offense as we possibly could to combat the virus.”
The mayor recalled the city’s communication campaign in which the city utilized social media in order to keep the community informed about the dangers brought forth with the coronavirus and the safety measures being enacted to combat it.
The other topics the mayor reflected on included the city’s 2020 census campaign, the local economy, the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, public safety, emergency preparedness, transportation, parks and quality of life.
Regarding the economy, Hernandez said that the city saw 2.1% growth in sales tax revenue and 8.61% growth in net taxable value in 2020, the highest increase the city has had in the last seven years.
Hernandez shared many of the city’s accomplishments with the Pharr bridge including the Business Park and Distribution Center’s grand opening, and the recent presidential permit which will allow for the bridge’s expansion.
“This year has been nothing short of a challenge for us, but I think we had a good practice run, if you will, last year in 2019,” Pharr Bridge Director Luis Bazan said in reference to the 2019 immigration crisis.
Bazan said that the 2019 crisis forced the city to make adjustments to the bridge’s hours of operation, traffic and decisions as far as essential and non-essential travel.
“As far as what we have here, our toll system is a state of the art toll system,” Bazan said. “It also allows us to keep reports on things on a daily basis. It logs things in. Luckily we already had that in place when COVID hit. Fortunately for us, as far as technology is concerned, nothing has changed there.”
Hernandez added that the bridge had its best month in its 26-year history with regard to bridge crossings. He said that the bridge had over 120,000 crossings in September 2020, both northbound and southbound.
Another topic Hernandez reflected on was the hiring of Police Chief Andy Harvey in July 2020, and some of the programs that he has brought forth since then including new core values called CARE (Compassion, Accountability, Resilience, Excellence), bike patrol and a mental health unit.
“In spite of the COVID, (police) were still out there doing what they do,” Harvey said. “I think that says a lot about not only the police officers but the Pharr Police Department, and I’m very proud of that.”
Hernandez commended much of the improvements made to the parks in the northern and southern parts of the city, including the new inclusive park for individuals with disabilities, the hike and bike trail, the Hub Food Truck Park, the new cricket field at Dr. William Long City/School Park, and the grand opening of the Jose “Pepe” Salinas Memorial Recreation Center in June.
At the end of the state of the city, Hernandez announced Dr. Narciso Garcia, superintendent of the Vanguard Academy Charter School, as this year’s recipient of the Mayor Leo “Polo” Palacios Award.
He also announced three $5,000 grants awarded to Food Bank RGV, Mujeres Unidas, and Children’s Haven International.
Lastly, he announced a new recognition, the Team Pharr Awards Winner, which went to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.
In closing, Hernandez thanked viewers on behalf of himself and his city commission and shared a few words of encouragement about the state of the city.
“The city of Pharr is healthy, our economy is thriving, and our future is promising,” Hernandez said. “God bless.”
