City Council votes to take any legal steps to stop Lincoln Center demolition

Story updated 9:55 p.m.

El Paso City Council voted during an emergency meeting at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday to give the city attorney authority to take any and all action – including legal action – to stop the demolition of the Lincoln Center.

The City Council chambers were full with dozens of Lincoln Center preservationists — many of them part of that protest at the center earlier Tuesday. There were even tribal dancers outside City Hall. Their beating drums were audible in City Council chambers.

Many who feel passionately about saving the center voiced their support, several of them choking up as they spoke about their memories, experiences and the significance of the Lincoln Center.

And the city representatives who were in attendance — Ann Morgan Lilly, Dr. Michiel Noe and Cortney Niland were not present — agreed.

Representatives Emma Acosta, Eddie Holguin and Lily Limon told the crowd they were compelled to act because they felt TX-DOT had reneged on a deal to give council and preservationists a year to come up with a plan to save the building — only to move toward demolition seven months after that deal was forged.

The supporters cheered and chanted, “Si se puede!” or “Yes we can!” when City Council voted to ask the city attorney to file any and all legal paperwork to help preserve the center.

“Whatever we need to do — whether filing an injunction, going through a lawsuit, whatever it takes,” said District 7 City Rep. Lily Limon. “Because when people give their word, we take it at face value.”

“This community desperately needs a Hispanic Chicano cultural center,” District 6 City Rep. Eddie Holguin told ABC-7 when asked what he’d want to see happen with the Lincoln Center if the demolition is halted. “El Paso has some rich history and culture that needs to be preserved.”

Lincoln Center supporter Laura Lopez told City Council her story — how she spent many an afternoon at the center as a child, and how taking lessons from the iconic dancer Rosa Guerrero and attending numerous events there helped shape her life. She said she believes the location of the building, in a section of town with as she described, “low socioeconomic standing,” doesn’t mean the center has no value.

“I think we all have to stand up and say this is our culture,” Lopez told ABC-7. “And even though it’s a building of brick and mortar, it means a lot to a lot of people.”

“This is a courageous act by the mayor,” State Sen. Jose Rodriguez, a supporter of saving the Lincoln Center, told ABC-7. He also thanked Mayor Oscar Leeser for taking action.

Cemelli de Aztlan, an advocate for saving the Lincoln Center, said she’s glad City Council is listening to them.

“Now it’s a matter of getting TXDoT to listen,” de Aztlan said.

Earlier today workers attemped to put a chain link fence around the building but were interrupted by protesters.

El Paso Police were called out to the scene.

Protesters held hands to form a human chain to prevent the rest of the fence from going up.

View photos of the protest at http://bit.ly/1pa4kYJ

Protesters asked the workers if they had a permit for the work they were doing and would be doing.

Javier Camacho, Interim City Development Coordinator,told ABC-7 there a demolition permit is has not been filed for the Lincoln Center.

He also added that a permit is not needed to put up a construction fence.

A TxDOT spokesman told ABC-7 last week that they would begin the initial phase of the demolition of the Lincoln Center by the end of the month.

The first phase will involve the removal of asbestos and mold from the building and is expected to take a few weeks to complete.

Camacho said a demolition permit is not needed for asbestos removal and that an asbestos inspection and report is needed in order to complete a demolition permit application.

“We intend then to move forward with our plan to tear down the structure,” TxDOT spokesman David Glessner said in an email to ABC-7 last week. “During the initial phase, we will keep open the dialogue with Rep. (Joe) Pickett, Senator (Jose) Rodriguez and other elected officials regarding the disposition of the Lincoln Center and any options that may be offered.”

The demolition company told ABC-7 Friday afternoon that the demolition will occur in two weeks.

Glessner cited safety as the reason for the demolition of the Lincoln Center.

“There have been many unfortunate instances where vehicles have crashed and driven off of overpasses falling onto the ground below,” Glessner said. “Our goal is to prevent such an occurrence in El Paso.”

View some examples of vehicles falling off overpasses onto the ground below at http://www.kvia.com/news/26023730

At a City Council meeting in October, the agency said it would give the city and supporters of the Lincoln Center one year to come up with a plan to finance and renovate the property.

But now TxDOT says the center has to be demolished.

El Paso’s Metropolitan Planning Organization voted unanimously May 3 to move forward with plans to alleviate congestion on I-10 near U.S. 54.

Two of the 13 proposals included potentially demolishing roughly five homes, and a couple of warehouses, in addition to the Lincoln Center.

TxDOT engineer Bob Bielek told ABC-7 May 3 that choosing a plan that doesn’t affect the Lincoln Center area could inconvenience 10,000 to 15,000 people a day.

The MPO didn’t approve any specific proposal May 3.