EL PASO TIMES
Aaron Montes of the El Paso Times lost no time in getting out a story about today’s “Arena” discussion, the first in City Council in a very long time. He writes: “Romelia Mendoza, who is one of two residents left on Chihuahua Street, where the city plans to build the arena, said she has lived in the neighborhood for 40 years and called on the council to eliminate the project. ‘The arena is very expensive and unnecessary,’ she said. ‘It is unfair that this project move forward in order to address rich people’s pet projects and I have to move.’
The Mayor said today: “I don’t know where all this D-league basketball stuff got started, but all we’ve talked about is that in the last several months that the greatest revenue generators, prior to COVID-19, at arenas were concerts […]. I didn’t realize it was such a topical item until you all brought it up. Frankly, it hadn’t been on my mind.” Didn’t the City issue a RFQ for a 15,000-seat basketball arena? How does the Mayor not know that? Never mind…
TOÑITA MORALES
Long-time Duranguito resident, Toñita Morales, who live at 323 Chihuahua Street, in the path of the bulldozers, turned 92 years old today (attached from 2017 courtesy of Paso del Sur). She refuses to leave her apartment, as does Romelia Mendoza, who lives two doors down in a home that she purchased more than 40 years ago.
The City would have to forcibly evict Ms. Morales as well use eminent domain to deprive Ms. Mendoza of her private property, so that we can enjoy G-League basketball and fancy concerts. There are an additional 70-100 residents in the Arena Master Plan area, and they would be displaced as well, to make room for parking structures and other buildings. In fact, the City’s eminent domain power includes the entire 11-acre space and not just the Arena Footprint.
Why does this not bother six members of City Council?
Max