The design of the proposed deck Plaza, which limits part of the Interstate 10 in the city center of El Paso, received an increase of $ 1 million on Monday, after the County Commissioners Court voted to contribute the remaining funds from previously approved debt.
After almost two hours of violent debate, the Commissioners voted 3-2 for money from the $ 59-million commitment bond, which the district had issued in early 2023 to finance a wide range of public infrastructure projects.
In contrast to the voters approved for various district projects in November, the certificates of the obligation do not have to require the approval of voters.
A channel project that was expected to cost around $ 6 million was well under budget, according to district administrator Betsy Keller. As a result, the district has a little more than 1 million US dollars on the proceeds of this bond that are assigned to the deck park.
El Paso County previously issued 1 million US dollars for the deck project last autumn when the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation -the main company of the project -who asked local governments -agree to create a scholarship application of 5 million US dollars. However, the foundation did not win this subsidy, so the district did not pay the $ 1 million.
Those who voted for the allocation – Ricardo Samaniego and the Commissioners David Stout and Sergio Coronado – argued that the deck project was a rare opportunity to create a reasonability that could promote El Paso's economy. The Commissioners Iliana Holguin and Jackie Butler, who voted against the allocation, argued that the district had more urgent needs.
The estimated costs for the development of the public part of the park are 207 million US dollars. Tracy Yellen, CEO of the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation, said that the construction of the Plaza would have a further 200 million US dollar private investments for the construction of living space on the deck.
Yellen recently said that private philanthropists had undertaken to donate 35 million US dollars for the construction of the project.
A five block long deck park, which would essentially become the central park of the city, could create more demand for living space at the core of El Paso, in which the population has decreased and related public school closures-since the residents have shifted to the outer edges of the city, said Stout.
According to Stout, the payment of construction designs will create a sharper cost estimate for the deck plaza.
“We have to join the city so that we are CO-QUAL partners so that we understand that they do not make any decisions without us,” said Stout.
Holguin and Butler wondered whether this financing could be better spent on other urgent needs, such as: B. Wastewater infrastructure for Colonia Residents.
“Commissioner Butler and I tried for years to draw attention to this topic of the (road) paving needs in our outdoor areas,” said Holguin. “Fabens Airport, we cannot even buy our T hangars because we do not have the financing for it, even though this was identified as a priority.”
In recent years, the district has instructed millions of dollars to build wastewater systems in some underdeveloped districts from the district, but tens of thousands of households are still missing the wastewater infrastructure.
“We know that people in our communities live without basic needs,” said Butler, “and just to say for us:” We will pull this at the top of the list because it is visionary and we want a seat at the table “, it is simply not with everything we did to this point.”
Both also cited concerns that a contribution of 1 million US dollars will now put pressure on the district to spend additional dollars for the deck plaza in the future.
Coronado was heated with Holguin during the meeting with Holguin and argued that the district could contribute to the deck plaza and also meet other needs throughout the district.
“The fact that we really want to invest in a positive thing does not mean that we will not work on other things and needs in the district,” he said.
The contribution comes because the supporters of the deck park have requested the financing of local governments in recent months to pay detailed construction planning of the deck.
The completion of the design is estimated at around 20 million US dollars, and the state legislature contributed 10 million US dollars to the design in the early summer. Another scholarship between the Federal Government worth 8 million US dollars is to be won, but the Deck Plaza Foundation will not know whether it has won the scholarship until October. Supporters of the project are looking for the granting of funds, so that the design is mainly paid for by dollars from outside of El Paso.
“This is money that the state was ready to bring. “For something that could be really great if we do it right.”
There is a time crisis because the construction designs have to be completed before the state transport agency begins its own project to expand the motorway in the city center from 2027. The design phase will take 14 months, said Yellen.
Samaniego argued that the contribution of 1 million US dollars for the further development of the deck park does not oblige the district to achieve further funds in the future.
“We are able to see a design that tells us whether we should go forward or not,” said Samaniego.
“I think that's a generation,” he added. “I don't think there was a deck … that does not bring any economic growth.”
Ricardo Mora, CEO of the El Paso Chamber, spoke for the Capping I-10 and the development of the park.
“The Deck Park Plaza will recapture this room and create a lively, multi -use green space in the heart of our city that stimulates economic activity,” said Mora.
Nevertheless, numerous El Pasoans asked the district officials on Monday to vote against the assignment of dollars for Deck Park.
Veronica Carbajal, a lawyer and organizer of the community, said that she rejected any state investments in the deck plaza. Instead, the financing for the deck project should be used to finance initiatives that could improve the conditions for low-income EL Pasoans.
Some examples that she mentioned were strategic tree plants to add shades and block stamens, to increase energy efficiency in houses and projects to the flood mild for low -lying districts.
If local governments were division that is necessary for the construction of the deck project, “we would only have met all of our dreams,” said Carbajal. “Most of our community members want to use their rooms. They don't want to go to the city center to use an amenability that they did not ask.”