HARLINGEN — Community members met Saturday for the city of Harlingen’s first Quality of Life Forum to begin brainstorming for specific ideas to improve the city.

Mayor Chris Boswell hosted the event, which was held at the Harlingen Community Center, and was the first step toward coming up with projects to be funded with 4B sales tax quality of life funds, Boswell said.

“I’m very pleased with the turnout and I’m really very impressed with the work the community did,” Boswell said. “It obviously shows that they put a lot of time, effort and thought into creating good, concrete ideas.”

At the meeting, some residents expressed concerns that their ideas would never become reality.

“Rest assured that this was not an exercise in wasting everybody’s time,” Boswell said at the conclusion of the meeting. “This is an exercise in getting as many people as possible to get together and come forward with plans — simple, measurable, attainable plans.”

Three committees, including the ad hoc Harlingen Image Committee, Parks Strategic Plan Sub-Committee and the Downtown Improvement District Board, presented their ideas to more than 100 forum attendees.

The presentations included short-term and long-term ideas with estimated costs for projects.

After each presentation, attendees broke into groups of three to five people, discussed the presentations and wrote comments on a form to return to the committees.

Then a representative from a few groups would summarize their group members’ opinions of the presentations, including what they agreed with and suggestions, by addressing the entire forum.

Afterward, there was an open microphone discussion to allow attendees to share their thoughts with the entire group.

Residents stressed the need for city officials and community members to support plans to improve the city.

Others stressed the need to come up with definite timelines for the projects to ensure they are completed, unlike other city projects in the past.

“I think it’s time to take an idea and just do it,” Harlingen resident Lupita Gutierrez Garza said during the open microphone session.

Boswell said he will ask the committees to meet at least one more time before the next forum, scheduled for Sept. 9.

The committees will be responsible for reviewing group responses and considering other ideas presented at the forum, Boswell said.

Then, each committee chairperson will meet with Boswell and they will convert the ideas into a prioritized plan, Boswell said.

The committees will then present their final ideas to community members, Boswell said.

“In the next 30 to 60 days, we’ll have plans with goals and objectives with people responsible for those plans,” Boswell said.

GET INVOLVED

Harlingen residents can submit their quality of life ideas to harlingen100plan

.freedomblogging.com/ or harlingen100@myharlingen.us.