By Juan Morrow
Starr County Correspondent
Rio Grande City, TX — In an effort to improve the limited entertainment options available, city officials have announced a 20-year lease agreement with the city school district to convert the long-closed Fort Ringgold Pool into a water park. The park will include a car wash and a Dollar General, a growing trend in the RGV, while an unmarked building appears inside the park that officials are calling an entertainment hall.
The heart of the park will be a 24-hour car wash, the third one in a city of only 15,000 people. City officials said that this business will be cash-based, with high revenue projections.
“We listened closely to the voices in the community,” said Genaro Garcia, a city spokesperson. “What we found is that you need extended hours to wash your car and have a relaxing time in our other building in the back.”
The second business located in the park will be a Dollar General, the fourth one in a half-mile radius of Fort Ringgold. “Dollar General will remain one of the strongest partners in the development of the city,” the spokesperson continued. “What else can be said about the jobs that Dollar General brings, and we’re looking forward to more Dollar General stores in the city.”
The third structure, an unmarked warehouse-type building that appears to already be in operation, features blacked-out windows, reinforced doors, and guards standing by the main entrance. “This is what we like to call a recreational space for the grownups, where they can relax while they click away and stare at a screen,” Garcia added. “Very popular in the RGV, you know the type.”
When asked about the similarities with other buildings that offer electronic machines for entertainment, better known in the region as “maquinitas,” the spokesperson immediately changed the subject. “We must focus on what we’re bringing to the community,” he said, climbing into his F-250 and driving away in a cloud of dust.
Margarita Estrada, a local resident, appeared confused over the plans for the park. “I thought that this would be a water park with pools and water slides,” said Estrada, who stopped by the parking lot of the facility to have a look at the construction. “When I asked one of the construction workers about the pools, he pointed to the car wash building and walked away in a hurry.” Estrada added, “Do we need another car wash and Dollar General?” Pointing to the unmarked building in the back of the park, she said, “It looks like one of those buildings that I’ve seen on the dark back roads of the county.”
At press time, several city workers could be seen building a fence and a gate around the mysterious unmarked building in the park. When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the city stated, “The grand opening will be held at the Dollar General,” adding, “Don’t worry about the other building in the back, maybe in the future the pools and water slides will be added.”
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