Tax payers not responsible for Golf centers damages

A portion of the city's Brownsville Golf Center was damaged when a cement truck drove through a fairway Saturday on its way to a residence on San Marcelo Blvd., but taxpayers' will not be paying for the damage, city Manager Charlie Cabler said.

Instead, city assistant engineer Doroteo Garcia Jr., whose residence was being accessed through the fairway, is responsible for the damages.

"He took responsibility," Cabler said. "They (Garcia and the cement company) started working on it immediately Sunday (and into Monday). It is something that Mr. Garcia will have to fix."

An estimate of damages was not immediately available.

Cabler said that he was told that golf center supervisor Jaime Rivera gave Garcia permission for the truck to drive through the fairway because the truck could not access Garcia's property through the front.

"The truck was heavier than they thought. My instructions were that they repair the damage immediately. Everything should be fixed and ready to go," Cabler said.

Rivera was not immediately available for comment.

Golfer Robert Gracia said Monday that about 250 yards were damaged and that dirt from three to four inches deep was poured into the trenches that the truck created.

"It's terrible," Gracia said.

He fears that rainfall would create a mess.

"You need to use common sense," Gracia added.