Take Me Out to the Ballpark . . . and the Arena

Mayor Cook’s Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee on PSB Land Management met yesterday. You can read my post on what happened.  That post includes the complete presentation on land management given by Pat Adauto. It’s an education. It also includes the resolution proposed by the PSB and passed by the Committee as that resolution was finally amended. Finally, the good news: the Committee rescinded its earlier proposal which in essence stripped the PSB of its land management role especially determining inexpediency.

The ballpark issue remains controversial. This evening several City Council representatives are giving town hall meetings to discuss that issue.  City Representatives Steve Ortega, Dr. Michiel Noe, Cortney Niland, Ann Morgan Lilly, Emma Acosta and Susie Byrd will host these meetings from 7 to 8 p.m.  The purpose of the meetings was announced this way: “City Reps. want to ensure that the public has the correct information on the downtown ballpark project.”

Meeting locations are as follows: 

• Mission Valley Regional Command - 9011 Escobar Dr. (Ortega & Noe)
• Westside Regional Command - 4801 Osborne Dr. (Niland & Lilly)
• Nolan Richardson Rec. Center - 4435 Maxwell Ave. (Acosta & Byrd)

Get more information online as well.

Whether you approve or disapprove the new ballpark or tearing down City Hall and the Insights Museum (and these are emotionally charged issues), there seems to be a common perception that the deals went down in the dark of night without citizen input or involvement. What adds to the alarm is that these issues are coterminous with the Quality of Life Bonds and in the context of an economy still hurting which translated means that people are still hurting. One of the Quality of Life bonds is titled “MUSEUM, CULTURAL, PERFORMING ARTS, AND LIBRARY FACILITIES PROPOSITION”. Hidden in that is the downtown arena. I for one am having a hard time justifying building an arena/performing arts facility when we are building a ballpark, HOT tax notwithstanding.

Finally, and this is what has bothered me the most and keeps bothering me – there is a persistent rumor that the City Manager’s undisclosed plan is to tear down the Abraham Chavez Performing Arts Center (and, of course, Convention Center) and replace it with that “arena” per the bond. Symphony lovers have long complained about the acoustics of the Plaza theater and have indicated a preference for Chavez Center. Unfortunately, the very powerful El Paso Community Foundation insists otherwise. Talk about colonialism.