Improvements coming to Upper Valley park after controversy
A small park became the source of a big controversy last year. Now, some significant changes are coming as part of an agreement involving El Paso Electric.
Esmeralda park is off Artcraft, between Upper Valley Rd. and Westside Dr. in El Paso’s Upper Valley. Residents in that area were in an uproar last year when El Paso Electric installed huge utility poles there.
The utility relied on an existing property easement that homeowners say they never knew about to install the poles right next to homes and through the neighborhood park.
Ultimately, the poles remained in place, despite rumblings of legal challenges. Utility officials went before city council Tuesday to announce the donation of $170,000 for park improvements including a gazebo, more trees and playground equipment, even a hummingbird garden.
El Paso Electric is calling it a win-win, with necessary infrastructure being installed and residents getting park upgrades. Residents ABC-7 spoke with said the poles are still an eyesore, but El Paso Electric’s commitment softened the blow.
“It is a little bit of an open sore,” said one resident. “But if they’re actually willing to make the neighborhood better, I think overall it’s a good situation, a win-win situation.”
According to El Paso Electric, the park’s features were designed with community input. The project timeline puts completion of everything in September 2015.
