City Rep, residents want something unique for Cohen Stadium redevelopment

For many people who live and work in northeast El Paso, the dilapidated Cohen Stadium has become more than just an eyesore.

To some, the property is a reminder most of the city’s big development and redevelopment projects are happening in other places.

“The canopies, I was just noticing, they are not there. They are all destroyed,” said Northeast El Paso resident Lydia Jacques.

Jacques and fellow Northeast resident Frank Ibarra described the stadium as depressing. “The wind seems to tear it up all the time,” Ibarra said.

City officials have taken notice as well. District 4 Rep. Sam Morgan is inviting the public to a community meeting Monday. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the El Paso Community College Transmountain campus.

People are being asked to “re-imagine Cohen Stadium.” City officials plan to share some ideas for the 50 acre-plus site, but they are also hoping to hear suggestions from the public.

Jacques would like to see a development unique to El Paso.

“I think a big entertainment facility would draw a lot of people. And people are just looking for something different to do,” Jacques said.

El Paso resident Robert Garcia also has a vision for redeveloping the Cohen site. And neither he nor Jacques have a problem with the city tearing down the existing facility to make room for something new.

“We need a water park here. People drive all over the place just to enjoy the park over there in Anthony,” Garcia said.

The City of El Paso has been working to try and come up with a long-term plan for Cohen Stadium.

“At one time, it was the shining jewel of the community. Once we lost the Diablos, it just fell into a state of just ruin,” Morgan said, referring to El Paso’s former minor league baseball team.

But how and why did the city allow Cohen Stadium to become so dilapidated?

“Those are questions that we are looking into. When I got into there were not any real answers for it other than you know, it’s a leadership issue,” Morgan said.

A windstorm further damaged the shade canopy structure again this past January and repairs are still needed.

The city gave temporary control of the stadium to Destination El Paso back in 2014. The agency was asked to access the immediate critical needs of the facility, make recommendations for short term repairs and bring events back to Cohen Stadium.

City officials said an insurance company is willing to pay $500,000 to repair the canopies, but that is not enough to prevent future wind damage.

Back in June, deputy city manager of Public Works and Transportation Khalil Zaied told City Council and the mayor the city has yet to identify the funding needed to complete the project.

“So I want to make that very clear that the funding is not there right now. Even with the insurance claim, even with the insurance amount that we have, we will not have the entire amount of money that we will need to complete the project,” Zaied said.

Rep. Peter Svarzbein believes repairing the canopies is not the real issue.

“There needs to be a much larger conversation about how to sort of master plan that space, whether it is an auditorium or something else,” Svarbein said.