Councilmember Melissa Cigarroa holds first townhall meeting for District 3

LAREDO, Tx. (KGNS) - Several topics have been brought up in our recent district town hall meetings from speeding to flooding.

On Tuesday evening, it was Melissa Cigarroa’s first town hall meeting as councilmember for District Three.

Cigarroa believes hearing directly from the residents is the first step in knowing what her district needs.

“I will not know what the needs are until I go out and ask people what their needs are,” said Cigarroa.

Neighbors gathered at the Villa Del Sol Park and participation was rather quick to start.

Residents mentioned issues such as a lack of fire hydrants in some neighborhoods.

Just like every townhall meeting so far, representatives from each city department are there to quickly address those concerns.

Laredo Fire Chief Guillermo Heard eased the concerns of some residents who were concerned about what would happen to their homes in the event of a fire.

“To every fire that we go we have three fire trucks go. So we have three thousand gallons at every fire on the trucks,” said Heard.

Other concerns that were brought up were the foundations of the homes saying that they are starting to move or having to pay for flood insurance.

Councilwoman Cigarroa said there’s a lot of work coming for District Three.

“I know that there’s some empty lots here, so illegal dumping usually occurs when there are empty lots unfortunately, people need to be a little bit cleaner,” said Cigarroa.

But for a very diverse district, a big project is in the works to invest in District Three’s green areas.

“I’m hoping to share some information about a regional park that’s being developed a little bit farther south from here. But, this neighborhood has the great benefit is that it connects to the Chacon Creek Trail system, and the idea is to connect that regional park to Chacon Creek so it’ll be a great amenity to this neighborhood,” said Cigarroa.

Councilwoman expects to hold these town hall meetings every few weeks saying each neighborhood has a different and unique need.

Former parts of District Two now are part of District Three after the redistricting.

Melissa Cigarroa’s next town hall meeting for District 3 will be in the Concord Hills area.

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