San Luis subdivision’s paving project put on hold

Plaza I work delayed due to lack of funds

SAN LUIS, Ariz. — Edelmira Orduño says she and her neighbors feel neglected.

And, she adds, they feel let down.

And they let San Luis officials know recently they weren’t happy that a previously announced street paving project in the Plaza I subdivision is on hold because funding for the project failed to materialize.

Orduño and her neighbors live in Plaza I, the city’s oldest residential subdivision, located east of Main Street and south of Piceno Street.

“We are very neglected,” said Orduño, a resident of San Luis since 1971. “We are lacking street lights in many places, the streets are in bad condition, and in general there’s a lot that needs to be fixed.”

Months ago, the city had told Plaza I residents it planned to upgrade streets using Community Development Block Grants funding San Luis officials expected to receive from the state.

“There was an application for a CDBG grant for about $400,000, but it wasn’t approved,” said Eulogio Vega, the city’s public works director. “We only have $190,000 that the city was going to put up as a match.”

The setback prompted Orduño and her neighbors to turn out at a recent San Luis City Council meeting to voice their frustration over what they see as years of neglect by successive administrations.

They called on city officials to pave streets and some alley ways in Plaza 1 also to add more street lighting.

Along with the CDBG money, said Vera, the city had hoped to get funding from other sources that would enable the city to repave the entire subdivision at one time at a cost of $800,000.

With the CDBG funds no longer a possibility for the time being, he said the city will continue to seek money to do the repaving in stages,

As it is, he said, the city has been able to rebuild sidewalks in some parts of the subdivision in recent months.

At the end of the council meeting, Orduño said she was pleased that city officials continue recognizing the need to upgrade the streets.

“I hope they continue to keep to take us into account in Plaza I.”

PHOTO BY CESAR NEYOY/BAJO EL SOL SAN LUIS MAYOR GERARDO SANCHEZ listens to concerns voiced by Plaza I residents about street conditions in their neighborhoods. The city’s plans to repave the subdivision are on hold due to lack of funds.