(July 13, 2007)

ROBSTOWN--A Robstown city park, which was a frequent target of vandals, now has a new look after a day of hard labor by a group of Boy Scouts.

Residents said the city park had graffiti and looked run down. They complained it was no place for a child to play, but after a visit from a Boy Scout troop, there's a new outlook.

Avalon Park in Robstown has some color back in it, but that's not how it looked one day earlier. Some residents said area gangs left their mark on the park.

"You could do with the fade paint, but all the graffiti that was on there, the gang markings on there," Ram Alejandro, a teen living in the area said. "That was bad for the park."

Alejandro said they were upset about what they saw in their neighborhood park. So he and members of his Boy Scout troop went to work and neither scorching heat or vicious mosquitoes could stop the scouts.

"While to help out the community and to help this park look nice," Alejandro said. 

Boy Scout leaders said it's nice to see this bench looking nice again. They even tell us they recruited some kids from the neighborhood to help them out. They hope by doing this, it will stop vandals from coming here again.

"I hope they don't vandalize again," said Alejandro, "because we put our hard labor in here."

"We wanted to beautify it and involve kids in the neighborhood," said Raul Elizondo, who is the Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 10. "They might be less likely to vandalize it, if they're the ones taking care of it."

While the volunteers worked hard in the park, many neighbors drove by, giving them a thumbs up sign.

"It's been an eyesoar," said Rose Fernandez, a resident who has live in the neighborhood for more than 20 years. "So with this, it's a major difference. It looks like a brand new park."

The Boy Scouts hope it stays this way, so kids can enjoy Avalon Park once more.

--Manuel De La Rosa, Area 3 News