Central El Paso Retention Pond Almost Complete
Nearly five years after that massive storm dumped record-breaking amounts of rain on the area, the city is nearly finished with a water retention pond and park in a neighborhood hard-hit by flooding during Storm 2006.
Work on the Saipan and Ledo Pond/Park project is still under way. The nearly $5 million project involves constructing a more than 390,000-square foot retention pond. But it’s not just about fixing the flooding problem in that neighborhood.
“We’re basically doing a full reconstruction of the area,” said Sam Rodriguez, the city engineer in charge of the project. “In addition to the park and pond amenities that not only will address the drainage issues, but we’re also adding two new soccer fields and a jogging path in the whole area.”
It will be a big change for the small neighborhood south of I-10, where homes sit next to warehouses.
“It should turn out to be a very good project for the neighborhood itself,” said Rodriguez. “Obviously there are some pains as we get through the construction. But it should be a really, really great project.”
Those pains include road closures and detours. Crews are also improving the roadways of Durazno Ave. from Raynolds St. to Boone St. and Manzana Ave. from Radford St. to Bowie St. In addition to that, workers are also improving sidewalks to make them ADA compliant.
The project is set for completion in June. To learn more about the improvements, a meeting is planned for Saturday, April 9 at 10:30 a.m. at Silva Health Magnet High School’s Auditorium, 121 Val Verde. A shuttle will take those who can’t get to the meeting themselves starting at 10 a.m. from the Lincoln Community Center. Call 541-4684 for information on the meeting and the project itself.
