Good News on Open Space Acquisitions

There was one good piece of news that came as a result of last week's PSB meeting. During the discussion on stormwater and other budgets, I addressed the board and pointed out that, with the exception of the Palisades and a couple of other minor purchases, the portion of the stormwater fee set aside to purchase open space was being used for parks and ponds - shrubs and sod was the way I put it. (I had previously blogged about the issue HERE.) Having been on the Open Space committee and then Board for 5 years, I am well aware of this issue. The EPWU spokesperson would come to OSAB meetings and discuss EPWU interest in a piece of land - but it was always just talk. (That person btw was Rudy Valdez. He's a great guy and was only passing on information. My mentioning a spokesperson to the Board was not meant to be a criticism of that person just of the emptiness of the EPWU's message over 5 years.)

It turns out that the new person in charge of acquisitions at the EPWU is none other than Lupe Cuellar.  Now that's the good news! The conservation community can have confidence that Ms. Cuellar will be more diligent and focused on open space purchases.

There is a caveat of course. The mere announcement of interest in a section of private land can drive up the price. There not only has to be a willing seller but a seller willing to be reasonable and even civic-minded. 

When I voiced my concern/criticism at the PSB meeting, CEO Balliew did point out that negotiations in the past had not worked out not because of the EPWU but because of unwilling or unreasonable sellers. I'm sure that has been the case in many instances. However, five years of nothing except the Palisades and parks and ponds tells me that there has been a lack of focus and willingness on the part of the EPWU. After all, the political will in the City has been biased toward park ponds. The purchase of parks and ponds is something City reps can point to proudly. It's pork in El Paso. That money included shrubs and sod although Balliew mistakenly told the Board otherwise. I'm afraid that he left the impression with some of the more reactionary members that the EPWU was innocent regarding the slow pace of purchasing open space. On the other hand, the fact that some members wanted to know the reason for the slow pace reveals that they do want to see natural open space purchased. It will be helpful to keep asking the question. The proof, as I told John Balliew after the meeting, is in the pudding - with open space, with pipelines to the Rio Bosque and so forth. Talk is cheap.

It is true that the ordinance which created the 10% of stormwater money to buy natural open space (which has stormwater function) included the purchase of park ponds. It was the only way politically to pass the measure. However, it seems that reps continue to find ways to spend that money for park ponds. El Paso Engineer Alan Shubert let slip at a Council meeting not long ago that the City was looking at more land for park ponds. That was before he found himself overseeing the stadium project on behalf of the City. Of course, there was the Johnson Basin boondoggle - the purchase with open space money of a vacant lot with a paved asphalt parking lot. It has been decades since any natural arroyo existed in the area. It has long been residential land dominated by William Beaumont Hospital below a busy thoroughfare, Alabama Street. (Pacemaker bioengineer and PSB Chairman Schoephoerster [PSB has something to do with water not hearts - right?] said, you will recall, that it looked like natural open space to him. (See video HERE and more HERE and HERE.) God I hope Dean Schoephoerster had nothing to do with the pacemaker inside of me!)

Anyway - good news. Lupe Cuellar is in charge of open space acquisitions at the EPWU.