City Rep: Let Voters Decide Downtown Arena Fate

The same bond approved funds for a downtown multi-purpose arena. Twelve years on, they’ve failed to break ground, or even select a site for the facility.

Now, a group of City Council members are saying what I’ve been saying for at least five years: hold another vote and see if it’s still something people want…or would they rather cut our losses and move on.

In an Op-Ed in today’s El Paso Times Representative Chris Canales suggests exactly that.

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“Joined by Councilmembers Brian Kennedy and Art Fierro”, Canales writes, “ I placed an item on the agenda…to ask voters if they want to revote the city’s authority to issue bonds for the …Downtown arena, effectively ending the project”.

Canales said that City Council has the authority to scrap the project themselves but, “I feel it is appropriate to ask El Pasoans how they want to proceed”.

My guess is that voters would OVERWHELMINGLY vote to scuttle the downtown arena pipe dream. The city has already burned through millions of dollars in feasibility studies, legal fees and yet more feasibility studies (all done by out-of-town firms, of course).

Also, this project has been delayed for SO long, there are now numerous new options for an arena/stadium/venue.  City leaders are itching to sign a tens-of-millions dollar deal with a company, Notes Live, to bring “at least 40 premium acts” to an indoor-outdoor amphitheater at the site of the old Cohen Stadium in Northeast El Paso.

Also, UTEP has come asking the city to help them with about the same amount to upgrade the Sun Bowl stadium.  Some city leaders favor the Cohen plan and others are leaning toward the Sun Bowl stratagem.

If the long, disappointing and expensive wait for the downtown arena is any indication, I wouldn’t hold my breath for any of it to happen.