Historic Pflugerville Colored Addition to get major improvements

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas - The Colored Addition in Pflugerville is a plot of land designated in 1910 as a place for African-American workers to live. They could not live in the same parts of town as their white counterparts. However, in 2020, Pflugerville is a different place.

“There's not a black area of town, a white area of town, there’s not a Hispanic area of town. Everyone lives interracially together,” said Rudy Metayer, city council member.

Metayer said the Pflugerville Colored Addition is a piece of history that needs to be not only acknowledged, but maintained. He believes that for too long the area has been neglected, with much that needs to be fixed.

“Frankly speaking we are talking about the actual asphalt. We are looking at the width of the roads, we are looking at the gutters, the water lines. Nothing was up to what was enumerated by us and code regarding the health and safety of our citizens in this area of town,” he said.

Last week the city council gave the green light for engineering and consulting company Halff Associates to come and improve the area. The project will cost $233,890. Metayer said for years, the residents here were not being listened to.

“It frankly took a lot for us to make sure we actually, listened to the people who lived here, listened to the stakeholders, listened to our community leaders, listened to people at St. Mary's,” he said.

The past can't be erased, but the leaders and residents of Pflugerville can still mold the future.

“What we can do it make sure the future here in this area, a historic area for not only Pflugerville but the State of Texas, is treated with respect and the reverence it deserves,” said Metayer.