Boat ramp gets a facelift, Brings families together

A smile lit the face of Lauren Stanfield, as she proudly held up the catch of the day from the deck of her grandfather’s boat.

"Look at all the fishes we caught," the 8-year-old said, as her grandfather, Gerald Haak, docked the shallow water boat at the loading ramp along Highway 48. "It was fun."

The annual fishing trip is a family tradition, said Lauren’s mother, Kathleen Stanfield.

"When I was little, my father would take me fishing," she said. This year, the trip was even more special with her daughter on board.

The group also got a nice surprise when they arrived from Houston and found that the loading ramps had been renovated and the parking lot paved. Other improvements included solar powered lights, a deck area, tables and a restroom area.

"I like what they did with the area," said Daniel Flores, who was fishing with his cousin and niece. "Before this was paved, cars would get stuck in the mud all the time. Now its very nice."

Families spending time together is the main reason why Cameron County Commissioner Sofia Benavidez fought for the boating ramp improvements, which were also what her late husband, Pete Benavidez, had fought for.

"My husband loved fishing. When he was little they would take him there," Benavidez said. "Back then, he would dream about being able to buy his own boat and go fishing there."

The area off Highway 48 was first used as a boat ramp in June 1964, according to county documents.

When Pete Benavidez became a commissioner in the early 2000s, he worked toward having the boat ramp renovated, his wife said. At the time, the area was just a boat ramp with a caliche clearing.

"He would always bug them (Texas Parks and Wildlife), ‘Why isn’t the area paved? How come there isn’t lighting?’" Benavidez said.

Her late husband worked with Javier Mendez, the Cameron County parks director, to secure a grant to restore the area and move it under the county’s care, she said.

"He (Pete) died about a month before we were notified that we had gotten it," Benavidez said.

Pete Benavidez died on October, 20, 2006 at the age of 55. 

Seeking to keep her husband’s dream alive, Sofia Benavidez teamed up with Mendez and worked on getting the necessary construction done. The project, which according to Mendez had an approximate cost of $548,000, was finished in mid-April.

A ribbon cutting ceremony is slated for Friday morning. Mendez and Benavidez will host the event.