Is El Paso finally selecting site for new Downtown, voter-approved entertainment arena?

Adam Powell, El Paso Times
Updated ·3 min read

The El Paso City Council is eying the Downtown Union Depot as the new site for the voter-approved Multipurpose Cultural and Performing Arts Center.

During its meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 13, City Council will decide whether to move ahead with the new site and direct Interim City Manager Cary Westin to "take necessary steps in preparation and support of the project."

The new site had to be selected following the City Council's decision last year to abandon the previous arena site in nearby Duranguito over its historical significance.

In March 2023, the City Council voted to hire Gensler, a San Francisco architectural and planning firm, to do another Downtown site assessment for the proposed project and be paid up to $25,000.

While Union Depot was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, plans to use the site do not include demolishing the historic depot and Max Gossman, whose lawsuit held up the Duranguito project for years, said he has "no problem" with Union Depot site.

The new MPC would be constructed behind the Union Depot building, though it is currently unclear if the depot will be incorporated into the project.

The latest feasibility study conducted by Gensler shows that an 8,000-seat hybrid venue, with indoor and outdoor seating, shows the project is within the voter-approved budget and should generate yearly profits.

The cost to clean the site, which currently houses Sun Metro and Greyhound equipment, is estimated to be between $600,000 and $2.7 million.

The plan calls for site preparation to begin this fall and the design process to begin in the winter.

Finding local candidates for city manager

Following its decision on Jan. 31 to back out of a plan to hire a national search firm to head up the city manager search, the City Council will vote Tuesday on a plan to recruit local candidates to take on the city's top administrative post.

With Westin rejecting the full-time position, Mayor Oscar Leeser said during the January meeting that the city "should look within" before launching a nationwide search.

Interim City Manager Cary Westin listens during the council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, at El Paso City Hall.
Interim City Manager Cary Westin listens during the council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, at El Paso City Hall.

According to the plan, the Human Resources Department will be instructed to develop a timeline for rolling out the search process, which will unfold as follows:

  • Create job posting and announce vacancy for two weeks

  • Initial review of applications by HR to ensure applicants meet minimum qualifications

  • Eligible applications will be provided to mayor and City Council

  • Mayor and City Council will be organized into three subcommittees each composed of threemembers. Appointed by the mayor

  • The three subcommittees will meet to select final applicants for the interview process

Once qualified candidates are identified, HR will finalize interview questions and provide them to the mayor and City Council. Each candidate will then be interviewed by the mayor and City Council subcommittees, an employee panel and a community panel before taking part in a meet-and-greet event.

If the search for local candidates yields no results, the City Council will move back to its plan for a national search.

Finalizing Ethics Ordinance on contribution reporting

The City Council voted in December 2023 to require additional reporting on political contributions, and Tuesday it will direct the city attorney to change a city Ethics Ordinance to reflect that directive.

If approved, the new ordinance will require candidates to provide the city clerk with a report on campaign donations, including the amount and the donor's name, by the last day of each month.

The reports will then be included on the next City Council agenda.

The proposed language specifically references "candidates," but the changes approved by the City Council in December include the following:

  • Council members must provide verbal and written disclosure of all contributions over $500 received during their term or campaign, simultaneous with any agenda item relating to a contributor or donor.

  • Contributors and donors must disclose any contributions or donations made to a current council member simultaneous with any agenda item relating to them.

  • Council members will be required to disclose all contributions and donations in an annual report.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Is El Paso finally selecting site for Downtown entertainment arena?