City more than halfway finished with 2012 bond projects
The city of El Paso is four years into carrying out the projects paid for by the Quality of Life bond approved by voters in 2012.
The signature projects — the children’s museum, the Mexican-American cultural center, the arena and the prolonged renovation of San Jacinto Plaza downtown — are getting the most attention.
However, more than half of the $473.2 million is being spent on smaller projects that are creating or renovating city parks, libraries and the zoo.
The Richard Burges branch of the El Paso Public Library on the northeast side of town is in the midst of a $1.4 million face-lift. It’s one of the more expensive voter-approved library improvements, and one more “proof of performance” by the city, but it isn’t finished yet.
“The Burges library should be finished by early 2017,” Javier Reyes, the city’s engineering division manager, told ABC-7.
Of the 70 projects, 37 are finished and 33 are in various stages of progress.
“One of the more important phases to make the project successful is the planning phase. It’s very important that we have a plan,” Reyes said.
One bond-funded project that will be finished this year is the Irving Schwartz Library in East El Paso. Judging by the exterior, construction is complete. A marquee outside the entrance said the library would be open by fall 2015. However, Reyes told ABC-7 that the $2.1 million expansion is expected to be complete in April and that it will take months after that to restock the shelves.
Reyes doesn’t let the delay discourage him about the future of other bond projects.
“We don’t want to put the cart before the horse. We need to do the planning first,” he said. “That does take a few months to accomplish.
“As soon as we have the stakeholders’ wishes and their desires, then we win their confidence, and then we can proceed with the design and we can give them what they want.”
The city wants input on the design and features of the remaining projects and plans to hold community meetings in the next 2 to 3 months to gather those ideas.
On ABC-7’s Good Morning El Paso on Friday, anchor Stephanie Valle will focus on the voter-approved improvements at the El Paso Zoo, the city facility with the highest concentration of bond projects.
Good Morning El Paso airs from 5 to 7 a.m.
