Dear Sir,

I applaud Chapala Mayor Gerado Degollado for all his efforts on behalf of beautification and tourism for the Lake Chapala area, but ...

I would like to know how much money and how many projects are earmarked to “shore” up the infrastructure.  How many codes are being developed or enforced to prevent the flooding that has been occurring this rainy season?  As “pretty” as San Antonio is now, I am sure that most folks, and especially the business owners, would rather not have the water rushing into places that it has never rushed before.  As a shopper, I can assure you that I would rather have the parking spaces.  Also, whoever planned that area did not think about how large trucks and buses are supposed to make the turns out of the north-south streets.  I have personally had to back up to allow a bus to pull out across both lanes in order to make his turn to Chapala.  Even I could have figured that one out.

I live in the Lourdes area and the road up the mountain is a disgrace and frankly dangerous.  There are potholes that trucks can fall into, ruts large enough to hide a good size pony, constant water leaks, and the one half of the road by the new 7-11 Store is not even usable. My electricity went out for three consecutive Saturday nights at 11:30 p.m. and was out for hours.  The last outage on July 12 was for over 16 hours.  As I write this, I have no water because the Comision Federal de Electricidad apparently has a transformer problem and has cut off electricity to the city pump that supplies this entire neighborhood.  A water truck is expected today, if it can avoid falling through the road. 

My question then is what good is tourism development if we do not have the infrastructure to support those of us who live here, let alone those who come to visit?  The Capilla de Lourdes, little blue chapel at the top of the mountain in Lourdes, should be, itself, a tourist destination, but you would break an axle getting to it.  Even so, cars are parked from top to bottom there every weekend for services, weddings and quinceañera celebrations. 

And, by the way, our trash has not been picked up for two weeks.

Pat McQueen