El Paso Zoo, Pools, Rec Centers Will Remain Closed Through Summer

Even after the curve has been flattened and some form of normalcy returns to our daily lives, city run facilities will not be a part of whatever that new norm may be.

According to the city's strategic communications director Laura Cruz-Acosta, “The City will not be opening any of the quality of life facilities through the summer." Those facilities include the El Paso Zoo, libraries, museums and all recreation centers.

While lingering safety concerns related to COVID-19 is partly the reason, finances have way more to do with it. Because the city is looking at a budget shortfall of around $36 million this quarter alone due to the pandemic's effect on the El Paso economy, pretty much all of the summer activities usually provided by the city have been cut.

That means youth sports and summer camps are not happening and relief from the heat will be hard to come by – at least by way of city pools, splash pads, and air-conditioned museums as they will all remain on pause over the summer months. Those closures, Cruz-Acosta informs us, could extend into the fall and beyond depending on the the city's financial health when the new fiscal year starts in September.