El Paso Rhinos, coliseum, county commissioner oppose proposed port of entry expansion

El Paso County Commissioner David Stout, the El Paso Rhinos hockey organization and El Paso County Coliseum representatives are among those opposed to a possible expansion of the Americas Land Port of Entry at 3600 E. Paisano Drive that could mean demolishing the coliseum and adjacent venues, including the skating rink.

Stout said he and others expressed their disapproval at a federal Bridge of the Americas Land Port of Entry stakeholder information meeting April 4 at the Chamizal National Memorial. Those in attendance heard about three proposals, which would compromise the property where the coliseum is and bring more commercial traffic into the South-Central neighborhood.

The proposed expansion would be from 2028 to 2031 and would be funded by a $600 million fund made available by the Biden administration's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in fall 2020.

"There are so many questions that are unanswered," Stout said Monday. "It was really hard to tell from the presentation where they are going to be pushing the traffic once it goes through inspection. ... I don't think the community ‒ when it was presented with the proposal ‒ was happy at all.

"It's very disappointing and I'm really going to be pushing the county to write letters and communicate with the General Services Administration and with Congresswoman (Veronica Escobar's) office to make this project the least detrimental as possible," Stout said.

On April 5, the Rhinos organization sent an email informing supporters and users of the skating rink about their concerns with the possible expansion and asking for support.

"Two of the three options include demolishing the rink. The third alternative entails property removal that would prevent the Rhinos and El Paso Hockey Association from expanding," the Rhinos email stated.

"Since 2021, the EPHA and the Rhinos have been finalizing plans to add another sheet of ice within two years. Any version of the bridge expansion proposal would end all plans to expand the rink," the email continued.

The email noted that the discussion and plans are preliminary. However, the Rhinos said they feel it is important to show support for the rink by filling out a comment form and emailing the General Services Administration at daniel.partida@gsa.gov.

In an email, a spokesperson for General Services Administration, stated the public scoping process will begin this summer and will include another meeting where they will formally solicit public comment on the project.

According to an El Paso Times story in 2020 about the project, the funds would not go the bridge itself, which is owned by the International Boundary and Water Commission and was updated in 1998, but to the port facilities that are in need of a major upgrade.

"Many of its buildings are decrepit: The roof leaks into blue trash bins near the pedestrian line and in the room where Mexican nationals seek travel permits," according to the El Paso Times article. The goal is to modernize the port of entry, which could include building vertically and putting in some parking and a pedestrian crossing and a fly-over bridge.

Stout said he has listened to his constituency, and they are not interested in the bridge being used for semitruck traffic and would even like it to be removed from that port of entry.

"We have the Tornillo-Guadalupe and the Marcelino Serna port of entry that the county helped build and it's pretty much not being utilized for commercial traffic at all. We are waiting for the Mexican authorities to finish the highway that would take the truck traffic through that entry," Stout said.

Antonio Rodriguez, director of Events and Communications for the El Paso Sports Commission, said in an email that coliseum representatives also gave their feedback at the County Commissioners Court meeting Monday.

“We are looking forward to May as we have three sold-out concerts (Feid on May 10 and Grupo Firme on May 12-13) in one week, and that is just the beginning of our summer series of concerts and events. We are focused on working with County Commissioner David Stout along with the other commissioners and County Judge Ricardo Samaniego in hoping that their voices to the GSA will seek to look at other alternatives that don’t impact the County Coliseum, the Events Center, and the residents of the south-central community.”

Stout said he will stay on top of the issue to see what the options are since the coliseum and adjacent venues are county property. It is a historic building that was used as a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II, was part of the Bracero program and has featured some memorable and famous performers, including the Jackson Five and Duke Ellington.

"I don't think there's any amount of the money that the federal government could give us that would be able to replace what we have there," he said.

For more information on the proposals, the General Services Administration has provided for information at www.gsa.gov/about-us/

María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150, mcortes@elpasotimes.com and @EPTMaria on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso Rhinos, coliseum, Stout oppose port plan that could kill rink