County historical survey set to get underway

The contract for the much anticipated County historical survey of downtown has now been signed.

Commissioner David Stout said he expects it to begin in the next couple of weeks. The County approved funding for the survey 16 months ago.

The nearly $140 Million contract is with Hardy-Heck-Moore Inc. — a historic preservation firm based out of Austin.

The survey will look at areas as north as River Ave., as south as the border, as west as the Union Depot and east as Cotton St.

The contract stipulates that the survey start in Duranguito, since the neighborhood’s historical significance has been hotly contested.

Two property owners in Duranguito now have demolition permits for five different properties that are located in the proposed arena footprint, according to our news partners at El Paso Inc.

Commissioner David Stout says he hopes the owners will consider waiting until the neighborhood is surveyed.

“I don’t foresee this stopping the city from what they’re doing or maybe stopping the property owner from demolishing,” Stout said. “I want this to be done as soon as possible so that at least we know what was there. You can’t survey something that’s not there anymore.”