Beauty, nature, and the great outdoors are all elements, activists said, that could be lost if two bonds are passed this weekend.
"It won't work,” said Sue Syll. “They're also talking about clearing the brush. That's what makes the habitat. Otherwise it becomes trees on a lawn."
The City of McAllen is pushing for voters to pass proposition one and two.
Proposition one asks voters to approve the sale of $35-million dollars in general obligation bonds.
The money would then be used to build a youth baseball/softball complex, add ten adult soccer fields to De Leon Park, and develop the Botanical Garden site into a tennis complex.
Proposition two would authorize the city to sale Westside park.
Both have come over strong opposition.
"This is the only thing we have as an example of what the Valley used to be like," said Syll.
McAllen mayor, Richard Cortez, addressed the community Monday to clear up some misconceptions…
The mayor told Action 4 news the city is not looking at bulldozing over the beauties these parks hold, but simply offer the citizens of McAllen more when it comes to outdoor activities.
"It's to improve the quality of life and put us in a better situation to attract tourism in other areas," said Cortez.
But at what cost?
Some said there was already a plan in place that is not being shown to the public.
The plan allegedly includes getting rid of the Botanical Gardens entirely.
We asked the mayor…."The truth of the matter is everything is conception,” said Cortez. “No map is an officeal map and no decision has been made by the city commission on anything. Step one is get authorization to issue the bonds and sale the parks. Step two is how do we do it?"
Mayor Cortez said this bond election has gotten out of hand. He said, instead of going against one another, McAllen needs to unite and decide what is best for the citizens.
"We all live here together and how we make these decisions is important. At the end of the day we all want to do the right thing. that's why I’m here today to make sure that everyone is well informed...once they're informed them everyone can make their decision."
Cortez also said this bond election is a learning lesion for them. He said, the next time, they need to introduce the bond to the public and make sure they understand it before moving forward.