Photo: The family of the late Ramiro Lopez and Mayor Rick Stopfer unveil the new "Ramiro Lopez Way" street sign.
The City of Irving unveiled a new Ramiro Lopez Way street sign during a ceremony on March 4 at Briery Yard, the city's service center, located at 128 N. Briery Road. The signage honors the late former Assistant City Manager Ramiro Lopez, who served Irving for 12 years focusing on public works, including the Capital Improvement Program, Traffic and Transportation, Water Utilities, Solid Waste Services and Fleet Operations departments. Before coming to Irving, Lopez worked for the City of Dallas for 35 years.
“Ramiro’s heart and soul was in the public works departments, especially in Fleet,” said Irving City Manager Chris Hillman. “He worked hard to keep the public works divisions and infrastructure projects moving forward. He did a wonderful job and left a lasting impact on the community. Naming the entryway to Briery after him is a very appropriate way to recognize his contributions to the City of Irving.”
During his tenure, Lopez helped solidify DART Rail Orange Line transit through Irving, established the Road to the Future program, worked with the Green Advisory Board and the North Central Texas Council of Governments, and streamlined clean fleet policies and procedures, which resulted in several awards for the proactive measures. Additionally, Lopez was instrumental in environmental initiatives, energy negotiations and fuel procurement and management.
“Former Assistant City Manager Ramiro Lopez was one of those people you could depend on and lean on because he always figured out a way to get the job done,” said Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer. “He had so many experiences in Dallas that he knew how to cut around the red tape and really make things happen. It was amazing to see how he could work through the issues the city was dealing with, and how he was always able to mend and build bridges. In a city that has been involved with numerous projects throughout the years, we are so proud that Ramiro played a vital role in seeing those projects to fruition and helping shape the Irving we see today.”