City wins state award for special needs focus

HARLINGEN — The city has won a state award for its work in knocking down barriers for children.

The Texas Municipal League has honored the city with its Municipal Excellence Award for its $1.3 million project to build three playgrounds focusing on special needs children.

The TML awarded the honor in its Public Works category for cities with populations of more than 25,000 at the agency’s annual Municipal Excellence Awards ceremony in Houston this week.

The city won the award for its entry titled “City of Harlingen, An All-Inclusive Community.”

“Congratulations to the city of Harlingen,” Rachel Pitts, TML’s deputy executive director, wrote in a letter to Mayor Chris Boswell. “The judges were very impressed by your application and Harlingen is to be commended for its efforts.”

The city became the first in the Rio Grande Valley to build the sprawling playgrounds including features such as ramps, slides and swings.

“This is a monumental achievement for the city of Harlingen that truly exemplifies municipal excellence,” Boswell said yesterday in a statement.

Boswell said the community pulled together to fund playgrounds at Lon C. Hill, Victor and Pendleton parks.

“The vision of our elected officials, the community and staff made these projects a reality,” Boswell said.

Last year, the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation, the Harlingen Sunburst Rotary Club and attorney Rollins Koppel helped fund the $500,000 playground at Lon C. Hill Park.

To build playgrounds at Victor and Pendleton parks, the city worked with the Harlingen school district to split the $800,000 cost of the projects.

In 2015, voters approved a 10-cent property tax increase allowing the school district to build the two playgrounds.

“These all-inclusive playgrounds stand to benefit not only the children of our district but all of Harlingen — a place where children with a wide spectrum of abilities can come together and have fun,” Superintendent Arturo Cavazos stated.

The district plans to use the playgrounds as classrooms for field trips to help special needs students develop social skills and build motor and sensory skills.

“The playgrounds will provide families with an excellent choice for children of all abilities to play, exercise and interact with each other in a fun learning environment,” City Manager Dan Serna stated.