After more than a week of heated wrangling over the most desirable method to refurbish Ajijic’s central streets, the verdict is in. Municipal authorities have prevailed in their plan to resurface four blocks of roadway with cobblestones fixed in concrete, providing temporary jobs to 40 unemployed local construction workers.
Following a series of public rallies that pitted neighbor against neighbor and exposed repeated waffling on the part of city hall officials, the final decision was announced late Tuesday, November 4 at a public meeting held at the town plaza.
Speaking on behalf of Mayor Joaquin Huerta, Property Registry Director Juan Carlos Pelayo stated that he had just finished a private meeting with the faction of residents campaigning for traditional cobblestones set in sand during which the group reached a “consensus” to give up resistance and let the project proceed to avoid further conflict in the community.
Last Saturday, the cement adversaries attracted a crowd of about 100 supporters to a rally at the plaza. Pelayo appeared at the event and, in an attempt to satisfy demands for conserving Ajijic’s historic atmosphere, offered a compromise to maintain the old style cobblestones on Calle Marcos Castellanos and Parroquia, while going ahead with cemented rocks on the two blocks of Colón that will be fixed up during December.
But that posture came as a harsh blow to construction workers who were counting on the short term jobs. They were told that workers with expertise in traditional stone-laying would have to be brought in from outlying towns for the initial phase of the project. The news prompted the men to hold their own public protest on Monday night, only heightening animosity between opposing sectors.
During an interview with reporters the following morning, Huerta was still holding back on a final call, insisting that the matter had become so overly politicized that compromise was practically impossible. He pointed out that the entire length of Colón had been resurfaced with fixed stones seven years ago without objection from the townspeople. He also stressed that the new project entails finishing the streets to mimic artisanal style stonework, enhanced by artistic details.
Later in the day he apparently gave Pelayo the thankless task of acting as his stand-in to deal with the outraged residents on both sides and reveal the final decision.
With Ajijic town administrator Hector España standing at his side, Pelayo pledged to avoid future turmoil by establishing a town commission that will allow citizens to consult and advise on public work projects proposed by the municipal government. It remains to be seen whether or not that tactic will hold water with the new administration coming into office next year.