Leonard B. Rodriguez (2018, July 6). Doubt at City Hall driving Alamo master plan opposition. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2K7FzPT
“The residents of San Antonio have trust issues with City Hall.
This distrust is unfortunate because it seems to be driving the opposition against the Alamo design plan. It is an unfortunate because the plan features a phenomenal design and is an epic opportunity for San Antonio.
It’s a shame that a world-class team is being handcuffed because community pessimism is at all-time high.
The proposed Alamo plan is a working masterpiece. If we support this superior team with what it was assembled to accomplish, the reverence paid to the Alamo will be on par with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the U.S. Holocaust Museum. This is because the plan’s efforts to reclaim the original site represent the maximum appreciation of the meaning and significance of the Alamo.
Anything contrary is inconsequential.
The buildings around the Alamo are meaningless when compared to the reverence of the site. The edifices should never have been built on the grounds, and they should be demolished. If there is a criticism to be made about reclamation, it is that the plan does not go far enough in also demolishing the Hyatt garage from the sacred battlefield.
Street closure concerns are also trivial compared to the importance of the Alamo. Vehicular traffic on and around the site is a distraction, disgraceful and dishonorable. The streets around the Alamo should have never opened. The preservation of the Alamo is of utmost importance, and what remains should not have to endure erosion from nearby traffic vibrations.
The city needs to get right with the community. The question “How can we trust that the city will listen to us and do what the community wants?” was posed to me recently by a member of the Alamo Freedom Fighters while I was facilitating an Alamo plan community meeting.”
