CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — At Tuesday's City Council meeting, the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 could lead to job cuts at Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve Learning Center.
"Part of what is being proposed is to cut all of the staff except for maintenance so the grounds will get mowed, but again it may not be managed habitat," Sara Jose the former preserve manager said." "There isn't another facility in the city of Corpus Christi that does this kind of work."
The learning center opened to the public in 2016. It offers programs like ' Growing Up Wild', which is an early childhood class. The facility also served the community through school field trips and summer camps.
The facility focuses on serving the entire community and getting people aware of natural resources.
Sara Jose, the former preserve manager, said the entire park is maintained by only eight employees.
Under the city's proposed budget six of those positions are at risk of being cut.
"So much happens here and so many people in this community have connected to the space and would be ashamed to remove all of that (...)it deserves a chance to keep going," Jose said.
She added that all activities will stop if the proposed budget approves the recommendations given at Tuesday's meeting.
"They (the two remaining positions), will just mow the grass and they will just pick up trash. That is what will happen if the community does not speak out," Jose said.
Kristina Espinoza brings her two girls to the park at least twice a week for over 5 years now and she said the cuts would be devastating.
"I just really wish and I hope and pray that this does not happen. I want a lot more people to be involved to making sure that these aren't done specially somewhere like this that's so meaningful to us," Espinoza said.
KRIS 6 News spoke to Parks and Recreation director Robert Dodd and he told KRIS 6 News that decisions like these aren't taken lightly. There is a process that they have to do in order to make tough decisions.
But he wants to let the community know that it is vital to attend upcoming budget input sessions.
"We appreciate all the feedback we've gotten in and again this is just a proposal nothing is final yet but you know it's still under review and we still have some time before it's finalized," Dodd said.
The city's fiscal year starts on Oct. 1.
Community Input Session Schedule:
Additional Proposed Budget Cuts:
This week, the city proposed additional cuts including to solid waste services. That proposal to balance the budget calls for reducing brush and bulky pickup from four times a year to two.
It also calls for the elimination of nine positions.
Six positions could also be cut in recycling compliance and two from the Litter Crew.
The proposed budget would also cut five officers from code enforcement and eliminate grass abatement and demolition funds.
There is a recommendation to close the Garcia Library, which is located on the Kaffie Middle School campus.
On Thursday, KRIS 6 News asked the city if the proposal to close this library has been removed from the budget proposal.
In response, a spokesperson for the city said, “The budget proposals are still under review. The City Council will explore alternative options as the proposals are not yet final decisions. However, the community’s ongoing involvement remains essential as we progress through this process. Community members are encouraged to attend or view the upcoming proposed budget council workshops or participate in the seven input sessions scheduled this month.”
The potential closure of this library has angered some parents who said they depend on services offered at the library.
Parents told KRIS 6 News that they have started making phone calls, sending emails, and started an online petition to let the city know how important the Garcia Library is.
Andrea Reyes said when she heard the city’s plan her heart dropped and then she jumped into action.
“We want them to hear us,” she said. “For a lot of our families, this is one of the few, if not only public spaces that we actually have on the Southside and so it’s very important that we keep this open. Our children, they thrive in this type of environment and for some, this is all that they have so keeping this library open is extremely important.”
Mandy Alsop said the Garcia Library is one of the most utilized libraries in the city and the only library on the Southside.
“It’s so important for us to have the Garcia library,” Alsop said. “Our children come here to learn to read, have access to books on a regular basis. We can’t always just hop on Amazon and order books and we want to make sure our kids are ready to read by the time they get to kindergarten.”
