The Guadalajara Reporter

Advisory committee works magic

In the five months since since Ajijic Delegado Hector España pulled together a mixed group of residents to guide him in setting an agenda to better the community, folks are starting to appreciate small changes that make a big difference.

Gaping pot holes in village streets have disappeared. Sidewalks have been patched up. Ramps have been built into street corners to ease access for persons with physical handicaps. New greenery is thriving in the waterfront park and in roadside planters. And work on the unfinished remodeling of the central plaza has finally been resumed.

All of the above has been accomplished through the gestures of España and members of his dedicated Citizens Advisory Committee who have established an agenda of concrete tasks, lined up public support in cash and kind donations, and elicited backing from city hall with most of the needed manpower. 

“Hector’s original idea was to set up two parallel committees, one made up of Mexican inhabitants and the other formed among English speaking expats. As a businessman, his intended purpose was to make Ajijic a more attractive tourist destination,” observes committee chairman Harry Bublin.

But both of those concepts evolved as España settled into his job. The two advisory groups merged into a single body of native and foreign residents who represent the different geographic sectors where they reside.

The committee had defined its overriding aim to be improving the quality of life for the Mexican community.  Since that’s a rather abstract idea, Bublin says the group decided to set its sights on more tangible goals, focusing on the implementation of actions that fit in with the qualification standards of Mexico’s Pueblo Magico program.

“The projects we undertake are geared not so much to earn the Pueblo Magico designation per se, but to preserve the village’s charm, add to its appeal for tourists and resident retirees and better the lot of the native people,” he explains.

Bublin considers street and sidewalk repairs and the green area plant-in campaign to be works-in-progress. Plaza renovations will forge ahead step by step until completion.  “As long as we have money, we’ll keep working,” he says.

Meanwhile, the group has developed a short-term initiative to partially resurface the sections of Calle Revolucion and Guadalupe Victoria where the tianguis street market sets up every Wednesday. The plan calls for installing a two-meter wide swath of adoquin stone pavers down the center to create a safe pathway where shoppers amble. 

The project is on hold until sufficient funding is assured to get the job done. So far the committee has pledges to cover 70 percent of the estimated cost, with more than half to come from a single Mexican donor.  Hopes are that proceeds from this weekend’s Texas BBQ will be sufficient to make up the deficit.