Harlingen will pay $22,500 to join Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation's Blue Zones readiness assessment

The Harlingen City Commission on Nov. 19 agreed to join the Blue Zones readiness assessment run by the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation, voting to provide 15 percent of the $150,000 assessment cost — $22,500 — to fund the city’s portion of the study.

Gabe, the city manager, described the program to the commission and said Blue Zones assessments look at diet, physical activity, social connections and other factors tied to longer, healthier lives. He said the assessment would take about seven months and that the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation would cover the remainder of the cost.

Gabe told commissioners the program has been introduced in other Valley communities and that the city’s contribution would help produce a readiness report and recommended activities. “So it’s a really good program,” he said, describing the Foundation’s role in coordinating the assessment and subsequent recommendations.

Commissioners discussed the program briefly and then voted to approve the $22,500 commitment by voice vote without dissent.

The approved assessment will produce a report staff can use when considering programs, parks, and community-health initiatives; the commission did not authorize additional funding beyond the readiness-assessment contribution at this meeting.