EDINBURG — The city of Edinburg saw continued rapid growth in 2007. And 2008 should be no different, Mayor Joe Ochoa said during his state-of-the-city address Thursday.
Expansions are set to begin along Sugar Road, Jackson Road and other streets this year. A new City Hall and expanded police station are scheduled to be completed by the spring. And expansions to the city’s water treatment system are set to be finished by the summer.
But some of the growth has brought challenges, the mayor noted.
Take the intersection of Canton and Sugar roads, which has had problems with stinky drain water backing up into the street during heavy rains. The city has worked to fix the problem, Ochoa said.
“The bubbling at Canton and Sugar has finally been addressed, and through sanitary line cleaning … this area will become odor-free,” he said. “We haven’t had these heavy rains yet, so we haven’t been tested, but I am counting on our engineers that this was a solution.”
And with a new J.C. Penney store and other shops set to open at the The Shoppes at Rio Grande Valley along U.S. 281 in August, the city is on its way to creating a clear distinction from neighboring communities.
“We must stop comparing ourselves to neighboring communities and step up to the challenge,” Ochoa said.
