Preservationists saddened by Mission CISD's actions

MISSION, Texas - Mission community and preservation activists Ester Salinas and Irma Flores Lopez utilized the public comment period of this week’s Mission City Council meeting to once again criticize Mission CISD for demolishing a nationally-listed building.Built in 1929, Roosevelt auditorium was placed on the Department of Interior’s National Register of Historic Places in 2002. That did not stop Mission school board leaders from tearing it down. They said the building had fallen into disrepair and would cost too much to fix.But, Salinas and Flores Lopez argue that if Mission CISD had provided minimum maintenance over the years the roof would not have fallen in. The community activists are also upset with Mission City Council for not having strong enough preservation ordinances in place to stop the demolition. Salinas and Flores Lopez say the school district could have secured grants to pay for the repairs.Here is an audio recording of the remarks Salinas and Flores Lope gave at the Mission City Council meeting of June 12, 2023.Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.