This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics across El Paso.
UTEP New $102 Million Student Housing Complex to Address Growing Need
The University of Texas at El Paso expects Miner Crossing – a planned residence hall on the north end of campus – to address the growing number of students who want to live on campus, officials said at a groundbreaking event Thursday next to Kidd Field.
The five-story, 155,500 square-foot complex will include a fitness center and dining hall. It has a budget of $102 million and will accommodate about 500 students. Most occupants will be freshmen, but UTEP said it also will house athletes.
It should open in August 2028.
UTEP President Heather Wilson said that the campus has needed a new dormitory because the requests for on-campus living has surpassed the 1,000 beds available for the past few years. She mentioned that the number of student applications has increased from throughout Texas as well as southern Arizona and New Mexico. As a result, there already is a waiting list for the fall 2026 semester.
Wilson spoke before a crowd of more than 150 that included UTEP students, staff and alumni, elected state and county officials, and business leaders.
She said officials selected the name because it seemed to fit the location.
“It’s right at the crossroads,” she said, adding that classrooms, labs and athletic facilities were readily accessible.
The complex, which will have single- and double-occupancy rooms, also will contain an activity room, study room and lounges. The exterior will use UTEP’s signature Bhutanese architecture.
A UTEP spokesman did not have the price students would pay to live at Miner Crossing, but said it would be a little more than what is currently charged for campus housing.
Construction will cost $69.4 million, according to the cost breakdown in a November 2025 University of Texas System Board of Regents meeting agenda. Additional expenses include $11.5 million for site preparation, $6.3 million for design and $2.7 for furniture.
El Paso City Leaders to Host Binational Meeting with Ciudad Juárez
The city of El Paso will host a binational meeting with the municipal government of Ciudad Juárez on Wednesday, June 3, at the El Paso Convention Center.
The meeting is part of a collaboration between the two neighboring governments. It is the third time in nine years the city and Ciudad Juárez meet to collaborate.
Elected officials, leadership and community stakeholders from both sides of the border will discuss ways to continue cooperation on issues like the economy that affect the Paso del Norte region. The meeting begins at 2 p.m. at the Judson F. Williams Convention Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza.
A sister cities agreement was first signed in 2005 and again in 2018 to promote commerce, tourism and industry in the region.
Mayor Renard Johnson and Juárez Mayor Cruz Pérez Cuéllar said in a joint news release May 24 that the meeting will reinforce the long-standing relationship between the two cities and strengthen dialogue and regional partnerships.
Ciudad Juárez will host a reception after the council meeting at approximately 5 p.m.
The meeting and reception are open to the public.
CASA Auto Group Pledges $1 Million for Deck Plaza Dog Park
The owners of CASA Auto Group this week donated $1 million to the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation to fund development of a dog park at the proposed plaza that would sit atop Interstate 10 in Downtown.
The donation from the Lowenfield family marks the first private donation toward the deck park, which would span 6.5 acres over five city blocks. The Deck Plaza Foundation’s leaders have said private philanthropists have committed a total of $35 million to the project, which is estimated to cost around $207 million to construct.
The Texas Legislature allocated $10 million in state funds for the deck park, the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization has committed $25 million and just over $3 million in federal funds has been secured by U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso. El Paso County has also pledged $1 million.
However, El Paso’s city government will have to decide by October whether to contribute millions more to advance the project. The Texas Department of Transportation is widening I-10, so the deck park’s backers are trying to match the deck project timeline with TxDOT’s work so that TxDOT can build retaining walls during construction to bear the weight of the deck.
El Paso County Hosts Free Pool Party in Fabens
Families are invited to make a splash at the Fabens Veterans Pool on Saturday for a free pool party.
The party will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 30, at 526 N.E. G Avenue in Fabens.
There will be swimming, food, beverages, ice cream and entertainment. The party is free and open to children and families from Fabens and surrounding communities.
The event, in its sixth year, is hosted by the El Paso County Parks and Recreation Department, County Commissioner Iliana Holguin and in partnership with Lower Valley organizations such as the Fabens Neighborhood Association, the Fabens Independent School District along with State Representative Mary Gonzalez, Constable Javier Garcia, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, Fabens ISD and Fabens Quick Lube.
The post UTEP breaks ground on $102 million dorm; deck plaza gets donation; El Paso to host Juárez leaders appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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