From the Senator's Desk...
July 6, 2006
Senator Shapleigh's notes and observations will keep you updated on what is happening behind the scenes in Austin and El Paso.
Written by Senator Eliot Shapleigh, www.shapleigh.org
Building a Better Community
What is government? Basically, government does essential things that we can’t do alone. Back in Africa, the village chief really had only one job to do—keep the road open to Kabala and Yiffin.
Some years ago, we launched ‘El Paso Pride.’ The idea was to use highway projects to move people and product and to make us proud too. Why not use paint, plants and award winning design to make the project reflect the community?
Since then, El Paso’s highway district has become the most innovative design district in the state. Last session we wrote ‘aesthetics’ into the highway design process as one of the several steps needed to build a Texas highway.
Here are some photos of the Mesa Median Project. Mesa is on the state road system. The Westside El Paso Pride group selected this project to build a better community some four years ago. Great leaders like Tracy Yellen and the owners of MIMCO raised matching funds which TXDOT and the City then matched to plant the desert willow and Afghan pines, buy the Franklin Mountain Red (boulders) and make Mesa the “Great Street” it ought to be.
Building a better community is what the best public servants do.
Keep the faith!
Those Who Visited:
Senator Shapleigh presented Texas Senate Resolutions honoring the 82nd Airborne Division.
Upcoming Events:
Music Under the Stars:
Pandemonium (Steel Drum Orchestra)
Pandemonium was formed in August 1996 as a collaboration between the UTEP Departments of Music, Metallurgy, and Physics. Under the direction of Professor Larry White, Pandemonium has achieved international recognition through journal articles and performances across the United States and world.
When: Sunday, July 9, 2006 @ 7:30 PM
Where: Chamizal National Park
