-Editorial
Members of the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, Local 619, along with the Calexico Volunteer Alliance Group,, spent the weekend working to revitalize Rodriguez Park. The community-driven effort, led by union members and local volunteers, aimed to repair and improve key sections of the park, but progress was hindered due to delays in material delivery from the city.
Victor Diaz, a representative of the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, Local 619, emphasized the importance of the project. “We’re here with our members, volunteering our weekend to make sure Rodriguez Park gets beautified and improved,” Diaz said. “This is our community. This is where we live, where we grew up, where our families and kids live. We want to make sure they have somewhere safe and beautiful to go. Our kids are the future, and we want them to see that their community cares about them.”
The carpenters, many of whom are Calexico residents, were ready to make significant progress. However, according to volunteers, the city’s failure to deliver necessary materials caused delays.
“We came to improve our park because it’s a park for our community,” said Fabian Martinez, a journeyman carpenter with the Southwest Carpenters Local 619. “We live here, we support our town, and we want people to know we’re here. We live here, we work here, and we want to make sure things in Calexico are getting improved. A lot of people have pushed it to the side, but we’re here to emphasize that progress needs to happen. As someone who grew up in Calexico, I want our young students to have better opportunities. We want to help the younger generation see that they don’t have to stay stuck in Calexico — they can rise up and build a better future.”
The efforts included dismantling old structures near the concession stand and restroom area, with plans to replace the roof. The carpenters requested two things from the city: power to be shut off for safety and a dumpster for debris. While the Calexico Volunteer Alliance secured a donated dumpster from Republic Waste Management, delays in securing materials from the city stalled the project.
Juan Solano, president of the Calexico Volunteer Alliance, expressed frustration with the city’s inaction. “The city has had $150,000 allocated for this park since March, and nothing has been done,” Solano said. “Within 48 hours, we coordinated with electrical and carpenter unions, got a dumpster, and had volunteers ready to work.”
The union carpenters arrived as planned at 7 a.m. and began the demolition phase. “If the materials had been here today, we would have made significant progress,” said Solano. “If the city moves fast enough and provides the materials, we’ll be putting the roof on (Next) Saturday. If it doesn’t happen, it won’t be because of the union members or me — it’ll be due to the city’s delays. The public works director needs to step out of her comfort zone.”
Solano called on the community to take action. “If the community stays quiet, nothing will change. People need to call the city council, call the public works director, and call the city manager.”
Despite the setback, community pride and determination were on full display. Solano praised Local 619 and the volunteers for their dedication, saying, “These guys are local members. They live here, but they have to commute to work outside the city. Now, they’re giving back to their community. They didn’t have to be here on their day off, but they are. That’s what true community service looks like.”
Rodriguez Park has been a special place for many of the volunteers, including Fabian Martinez, who shared his personal connection. “I grew up playing here,” he said. “My brother lives around the block. We’d play ball on this field and play basketball with friends at the courts. This is our community, and we want to make it better for the next generation.”
As the volunteers wait for the city to provide materials, the community is being urged to speak out and demand action. “If you want change, be part of it,” Solano said. “Stop complaining and start calling. We have volunteers, we have workers, we have plans — it all depends on how fast the city moves.”
A few miles away from Rodriguez Park, three dedicated volunteers, led by Jessica Gonzalez, gathered to paint the fence surrounding Calexico City Hall as part of an ongoing effort to beautify the city’s public spaces. The initiative is part of a broader community-led effort to improve the appearance of parks and public areas in Calexico.
Gonzalez, a key figure in launching this volunteer-driven movement shared the motivation behind her involvement thar started with a dream. “I left Calexico for a few years. I was in Arizona, and I came back, and I saw Calexico was in worse conditions than it was when I left, especially the parks. At the time, I was the treasurer for Calexico Little League, and I saw the conditions of the parks and thought, ‘How has no one sued Calexico?’ Not that I want Calexico to be sued, but the conditions were so deplorable, it was amazing that no one had been hurt and no one had sued.”
Gonzalez’s observations sparked a call to action. “I thought, hey, there are big cities, even places like Brawley, that have legal language allowing people to adopt a park or do volunteer work to improve city conditions. So I thought, why can’t Calexico have the same thing? Why must we have a $2 million liability insurance requirement?”
With support from other community members such as Jesus Solano, the proposal gained momentum.
“I showed them examples of legal language from other cities, and Mr. Solano ran with it, took it to the city council, and he became the stronghold behind this program,” she said. While she remained active behind the scenes, the recent opportunity to lead a cleanup effort reignited her passion. “As soon as I saw the time and opportunity, I definitely wanted to run one of these days where we could all come together and beautify a park for our kids. I think it’s important that our kids see their play areas or common areas being respected. Hopefully, one day they’ll be inspired to also care enough about their city to do something.”
The December 14 effort was part of a broader plan that includes cleaning up parks, removing graffiti, and refreshing public areas. “Last week, I had students removing graffiti from benches where we could clean it without painting. Mr. Solano was able to get donations for paint, and part of the plan was to make everything around the area look pretty,” Solano said. “The idea was to brighten up the fence, the kiosk, and other elements, and hopefully soon, we’ll come back to paint a few of the trees. We want everything to look clean and presentable so people can take pride in their common areas instead of being ashamed of them.”
Gonzalez also praised the leadership and support of Solano in advancing this volunteer-driven program. “Oh, he’s wonderful at it. There’s no better person for the position, I’ll tell you that much. He’s accessible, open, a critical thinker, and a problem solver. He embodies what this program is about.”
“I feel pretty good. I feel motivated,” said Ivy Rodriguez, a Calexico resident and volunteer that helped Gonzalez. “I like serving our community.”
The volunteer group will continue helping next Saturday morning painting the rest of the city hall fence for anyone interested in joining.
