The Chapala government is spending 1.75 million pesos out of its own coffers to totally refurbish the two-block length of Calle Mr. Crowe and the pedestrian staircase where it comes to a dead end.
The hefty expenditure will cover the substitution of underground water and sewer mains, resurfacing with cobblestones set in cement, new sidewalks and repainting all house fronts in bright colors selected by property owners.
According to Chapala Public Works Director Rodrigo Paredes, the completed project will directly benefit about 250 inhabitants occupying 40 homes.
But what’s in it for the taxpayers and visitors, who will get nothing more than a flashing glance of a pretty little street-to-nowhere tucked away two blocks east of the Hotel Montecarlo as they whiz past it, peeking through the windows of cars and buses?
It seems an odd spot for a costly fix-up considering the deplorable state of heavily traveled main arteries in central Chapala and Ajijic that are riddled with potholes and slipshod patch jobs, and in many cases lined by treacherous sidewalks.
Paredes justifies the decision, noting that Mr. Crowe is viewed as an emblematic street in the Barrio de Lourdes, making it an appropriate choice for the ongoing campaign to polish the city’s “urban image.”