EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — When El Paso County voters head to the polls for the Nov. 5 general election, they could see a multi-million dollar bond proposal should El Paso County commissioners approve project recommendations from the County’s Bond Advisory Committee.
However, according to county agenda documents, the current proposal doesn’t include improvements to UTEP’s Sun Bowl Stadium.
Commissioners heard the committee’s recommendation on Tuesday, July 9 for a $295 million bond proposal that includes $188 million in projects that would be funded with certificates of obligation. Commissioners Court will narrow down the final project list before formally voting in mid-August whether to order the bond election.
There are about 100 projects included in the plan, but the Sun Bowl stadium didn’t make the cut for now. The proposal calls for new County facilities such as a far Eastside animal shelter, improvements to Ascarate Park and the El Paso County Coliseum, expansions to the juvenile justice center, as well as water, wastewater and flood control projects across the County.
UTEP President Dr. Heather Wilson proposed a $99 million project to upgrade and improve the Sun Bowl in May, which the university says is “needed to attract more and bigger touring shows and increase local jobs and tax revenue to the community while doing so.” To fund the project, UTEP is asking El Paso County officials to add the “Sun Bowl Uplift” project to a proposed quality-of-life improvement bond so they can attract A-list acts. UTEP estimates an annual economic impact of tourism, tourism retention, and retail spending of $2.06 billion over the life of a 30-year bond.
While it still remains a possibility the Commissioners Court could discuss and consider the project before calling for the bond election, multiple commissioners have expressed their unwillingness to include the Sun Bowl on the November ballot, saying their main priorities are parks and infrastructure. Despite the pushback, El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego remains one of the project’s advocates.
“I particularly feel strong that it (Sun Bowl Uplift project) could be a great revenue source for the for the community and it could be a quality of life,” said Samaniego. “It could bring a lot of people into El Paso. We can have huge concerts because of the new venues and what they’re trying to accomplish.”
Commissioners would have until Aug. 19 to call for the bond election, which would be held in conjunction with the general election in November.
KTSM 9 News reporter Tirza Ortiz attended Tuesday’s commissioners court and will have a breakdown of the individual recommended projects.
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