By Juan Montoya
They showed up en masse at the Cameron County Commissioners Court early today to demand that the court reserve them the spaces they have occupied at the RV park at Isla Blanca County Park.
Some say that since they have occupied those spaces for years, that they ar entitled to have first dibs. And they point to the personal investment they ave made on their RV spots as evidence that they deserve special consideration.
Commissioners made no commitment to the protesters and said they would take their comments into consideration. The meeting was held at 8:45 a.am. today which means that the protesters had to wake up early and drive from the island to attend.
The county recently approved the construction of new facilities at Isla Blanca, and includes a renovation of the RV. Toward that end, they informed the current tenants that they would have to vacate the park until the construction work is done and then reapply for a space on a first-come, first-serve basis. At a recent meeting at the park, hundreds of them showed up to demand that the current tenants be given first choice to rent a space.
County Parks Director Joe Vega and County Administrator David Garcia would not commit to guarantee them anything, except to recommend their wishes to the commissioners. After that, it would be up to the court to decide how the rentals would be handled.
One woman this morning said she had been there for 30 years and had included the space to her son in her will. That prompted a meeting participant to ask the person next to him whether the woman cold produce a deed to the space so that she could will it.
Statistics provided the commissioners by the parks department indicate that roughly three-quarters of all summer reserved spots are from people outside Cameron County and that winter visitors are exclusively non-county residents. Additionally, a number of the current renters of RV spaces at the park are from neighboring Hidalgo County.
This prompted a county staffer to grumble that Hidalgo County had been gobbling up everything in sight over Cameron County.
"It's like early Texas with the squatters taking over," she said. "They seem to want everything. First they take the UTRGV-MED, then the Department of Transportation Training Center, and the district Postal Service Office, too. Now they want our parks as well?"
After the meeting the renters' group huddled outside the courthouse and planned their next strategy to protect what they consider their right to have first preference on the new RV spaces that will be constructed at the park.
They showed up en masse at the Cameron County Commissioners Court early today to demand that the court reserve them the spaces they have occupied at the RV park at Isla Blanca County Park.
Some say that since they have occupied those spaces for years, that they ar entitled to have first dibs. And they point to the personal investment they ave made on their RV spots as evidence that they deserve special consideration.
Commissioners made no commitment to the protesters and said they would take their comments into consideration. The meeting was held at 8:45 a.am. today which means that the protesters had to wake up early and drive from the island to attend.
The county recently approved the construction of new facilities at Isla Blanca, and includes a renovation of the RV. Toward that end, they informed the current tenants that they would have to vacate the park until the construction work is done and then reapply for a space on a first-come, first-serve basis. At a recent meeting at the park, hundreds of them showed up to demand that the current tenants be given first choice to rent a space.
County Parks Director Joe Vega and County Administrator David Garcia would not commit to guarantee them anything, except to recommend their wishes to the commissioners. After that, it would be up to the court to decide how the rentals would be handled.
One woman this morning said she had been there for 30 years and had included the space to her son in her will. That prompted a meeting participant to ask the person next to him whether the woman cold produce a deed to the space so that she could will it.
Statistics provided the commissioners by the parks department indicate that roughly three-quarters of all summer reserved spots are from people outside Cameron County and that winter visitors are exclusively non-county residents. Additionally, a number of the current renters of RV spaces at the park are from neighboring Hidalgo County.
This prompted a county staffer to grumble that Hidalgo County had been gobbling up everything in sight over Cameron County.
"It's like early Texas with the squatters taking over," she said. "They seem to want everything. First they take the UTRGV-MED, then the Department of Transportation Training Center, and the district Postal Service Office, too. Now they want our parks as well?"
After the meeting the renters' group huddled outside the courthouse and planned their next strategy to protect what they consider their right to have first preference on the new RV spaces that will be constructed at the park.
