EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — City Council members unanimously voted Tuesday, June 11 to approve a multi-agency task force to address public health and environmental conditions in the Chamizal neighborhood.
Residents raised concerns after a recycling plant at Paisano and Coles caught fire and burned for more than 24 hours in late May. The fire was one of the largest in El Paso history, with more than 200 firefighters responding to the call.
Residents of the Chamizal neighborhood protested at the June 4 council meeting, expressing frustration over the recycling plant and concerns about the fire.
Initially, the deadline was to return to council within 30 days with proposed remediation recommendations, but Fire Chief Jonathan Killings requested 120 days to appropriately coordinate an informed decision.
Council members agreed with the extension and stressed that they will take what they called “a cross-cutting solution” where multiple departments will work together to find the best way forward to ensure the safety of first responders and Chamizal residents.
“We want to look at making sure that we don’t leave any stone unturned. We want to make sure that it’s something that we can come to a resolution, that doesn’t villainize or punish the property owners as well. They’re trying to do business within the city and they’re trying to do business within the current ordinances. So, we want to be able to come up with a solution that’s mutually beneficial to all the parties involved,” Killings said.
Read: Read More