THE REST OF US WILL PAY FOR RIO VIEJO EXCLUSIVITY

By Juan Montoya
Even before the local daily glossed over the story abut themore than $6 million that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has given the city to to help construct three community safe rooms, or domes, we had told you about the need for a local share because the fine folks over at Rio Viejo wanted one but "Not In My Neighborhood."
 FEMA awarded hurricane-prone Brownsville the $2.4 million grant Wednesday for one of the safe rooms – enough to pay for 75 percent of the $3 million project. The other two grants for $1.6 million each for two more safe rooms were awarded to the city within the past several weeks.
Yet, no one is talking about the fact that in order for the city to pitch in its local share for at least one of the three domes, it had to include a $600,000 item in the Certificate of Obligation issue that was approved on second reading Tuesday by the city commission.
Another thing no one is talking about is that the Fist Baptist Church on Boca Chica had agreed to build one of the domes on their property to provide shelter to city residents who did not have a safe home to withstand hurricanes and other natural disasters.
The local daily did report that according to the dome requirements, the shelters should be able to withstand 200 mph winds and wall penetrations by large debris. Emergency power should also be provided. The domes can accommodate 800 to 3,200 people.
What it didn't report was that when the nearby residents of the Rio Viejo silk-stocking neighborhoods around the church were notified of the temple's plan to build the shelter there, they raised a hue and a cry to keep out the rabble from their neighborhood.
"Apparently, they didn't want an influx of certain people into their neighborhood even if it was to be for a day or two or until the danger passed," said a city officials who witnessed the protests. "The city had its finance office include the $600,000 local share into the COs. As a result, the rest of us had to pay that money instead of having the church doing it themselves as they had been willing to do."
The city is already building two shelters, but the refusal of the neighbors around the church dictated that a third one be built elsewhere. Plans are now to build one perhaps at the Sports Park or near another city facility.
As defined by FEMA, a community safe room is basically a domed hurricane shelter for at-risk populations that are not easily evacuated during hazardous weather, such as tropical storms and hurricanes.
The city reported that at least one of the Brownsville domes will be 25,000 square feet.
The city has 24 months to get the domes built. When they are not used as safety shelters, they can be used for other events such as indoor basketball games or volleyball games, said City Manager Charlie Cabler.
Apparently, the last thing Rio Viejo residents wanted was a bunch of poor people seeking shelter at the church, or – God forbid – playing pickup games of hoops or volleyball within hearing or smelling distance.