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.
Lincoln Park Adds ‘El Paso’s Chicano Park’ to Name
Lincoln Park in Central El Paso at 4001 Durazno Ave. will now be named Lincoln Park – El Paso’s Chicano Park.
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to add the extension to the park’s name at the recommendation of the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. The name change was approved ahead of the annual Lincoln Park Day celebration Sunday, Sept. 20.
The event is known as the region’s largest lowrider car show and features Chicano art, classic cars, live entertainment and local food. It also highlights the city’s cultural heritage while showcasing the creativity of lowrider owners and artists alike.
The 14-acre park, also referred to as “El Corazón de El Paso,” is home to rows of murals that depict the Chicano/pachuco culture and their Mexican roots, as well as historic figures such as Martin Luther King Jr.
RELATED: Lincoln Center was spared demolition nearly 10 years ago. Today, it awaits new life.
The Lincoln Park Conservation Committee that formed in 2008 will cover the associated costs of changing the signage to reflect the name change.
Advocates of the name change said it honors the history of Lincoln Park and the school and center while adding the name it is commonly referred to.
The Lincoln Center dates back to the mid-1800s as a school for military kids of Camp Concordia in a settlement by Hugh Stephenson. It was renamed to the Lincoln Park School in the 1900s and served Mexican American and African American children when other schools did not allow them to attend. The building is now owned by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
A 2014 effort to demolish the site as part of the Interstate 10 expansion was halted following community backlash that included human chains blocking demolition crews from razing the building.
El Pasoans Can Now Adopt-A-Street Through City Program
The city’s Adopt-A-Street program is now open to the public after completing the pilot phase.
Community groups, businesses and residents can adopt one-mile segments of streets and organize cleanups through two-year volunteer agreements. The streets must be minor arterials or collector roadways.
Volunteers commit to at least four cleanups of the adopted segments during the agreement. There is no cost to volunteer for the program.
The cleanups would occur along both sides of the adopted street segment. Sidewalks and traffic lanes are to be kept free of bags or debris collected, but volunteers do not clean in the street or the medians, according to the guidelines. Volunteers are also asked to wear bright-colored clothing or safety vests.
The city provides trash bags, 10 pairs of gloves, 10 safety vests, shovels, rakes, brooms and dust pans for the cleanup groups. The shovels, rakes, brooms and dust pans are to be returned at the end of the adoption period.
The city will also install signs along adopted segments to acknowledge participants and their cleanup efforts.
The pilot program launched November 2025. The volunteer program does not replace the Environmental Services Department’s ongoing median-cleaning efforts. The Streets and Maintenance Department oversees the Adopt-A-Street program.
Program guidelines, the volunteer agreement and an interactive map of available street segments are available at ElPasoTexas.gov/Adopt-A-Street.
El Paso County Commissioners Court Approves Hospital Tax Rate, Budget
The El Paso County Commissioners Court last week unanimously approved the tax rate and budget for University Medical Center of El Paso and the hospital district, which could raise annual hospital taxes about $10 on the average-value home.
The hospital district adopted a no-new-revenue tax rate of 23.7 cents per $100 property valuation.
Property taxes make up 8% of the hospital district’s total revenue, while patient service costs make up almost half. The hospital district is budgeting in the loss of Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies contributing to $136 million in uncompensated care, as well as pay raises including a minimum wage increase to $16 per hour in July 2027.
The Commissioners Court approved the hospital district’s proposed revenue budget of $2.14 billion and expense budget of $2.13 billion in the upcoming fiscal year.
The court maintains financial oversight and statutory responsibility to approve the hospital district’s annual tax rate and budget. The court appoints UMC’s Board of Managers, though it does not oversee hospital operations or set salaries.
The post Lincoln Park adds Chicano Park to name; city opens Adopt-A-Street program appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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