Over the past several weeks Elpasoans have voiced their opposition against a proposed international bridge near the riverside area of the Lower Valley. Most members of the community have expressed concern over the effects that this bridge would have on the surrounding neighborhood. Some of the arguments against this planned bridge are #1) increased pedestrian and automobile traffic #2) a rise in crime which may occur since another connection with Juarez would be made, and a #3)a substantial increase in damaged roads and pollution which would result from the increased number of pedestrians and automobiles on these el paso roads (example: yarbrough drive).
There have been some influential citizens who have voiced support for the proposed bridge. Although they hide and crouch behind terms like feasability studies, long term growth, progressive growth, moving el paso forward, and intra city trade, their ultimate goal is to push el paso forward toward a city of their aspirations while ignoring the views of its own citizens. Over the past several years, El Paso has suffered under this city council. I will list several examples.
#1) The moving of the city bus transit center from LA Placita to the El Paso Library. This decision was and continues to be a disaster. I remember going to La Placita and waiting for the bus as a high schooler and graduate student. People would buy snow cones, pop corn, sodas, and generally conversate with one another. You even had various individuals who would go to the plaza center and rant about Jesus Christ. In addition, it served as a life line to many businesses which included Jack n the Box, the Payless shoes store, a number of beauty parlors, and second hand clothing stores. All this ended when Paul Foster (owner of Western Refinery) and the City Council decided that the mills building which lay across the street needed to be a centerpiece of downtown revitalization. This renewing of El paso's downtown area meant that those economically undesirable individuals who clean the homes of these same el paso governmental and economic elite should be moved to the El paso public library. As a result, the Payless shoe store stands empty , many surrounding businesses have closed, and there are no longer any jumbo jacks served in central el paso. Of course this was done to accomodate the richest El Pasoan (Paul Foster) who continually pollutes the citizens of the Ascarate area with his refinery.
#2) The selling of the international hotel to Jim Scherr and then the reselling of this same building to the Double tree hotel. Although el paso has no experience with stadium building and taxpayer robbery, we have seen the tax payer of El paso suffer under this council. If I am correct and I think that I am. Jim Scherr bought this dilipidated building, made no improvements, and knowingly forced the city council to remove this eye sore from the eyes of incoming tourists by convincing the city council and mayor to give egregious tax abatements and grants to the Double Tree Hotel and then selling this building to this 4 star hotel franchise. The result is that Jim Scherr made a huge profit and the Double Tree Hotel now stands empty of renters.
#3) The building of mass transit centers across el paso. Madison in describing his solution to factions mentioned that the colonists could disperse themselves across a wide area and be free of the concentrated population centers which were seen at the time as areas of crime and despotism. Well today's city council has placed more of an emphasis on building transit centers than on buying more buses. Any person that has taken the bus across el paso has seen the results of this policy. It takes hours to cross the city but you can certainly wait and be patient in your new transit center in the northeast.
I have brought out these examples to illustrate that Steve Ortega, Susie Byrd, Mayor John Cooke, and Beto O Rourke are leading the city to a future of low economic growth and vitality. Inherently, these people are meddlers and planners but have no experience in how a city is created. What they need to understand is that the city is created by individuals and their day to day actions. This accumiluation of actions creates businesses and residential areas. It is this dynamism and vitality that creates a community. What this city needs to do is #1) shut down Western Refinery #2) buy more buses #3) place la placita as the center of our mass transit system, and #4) involve the affected community of any major city decisions such as revitalization and proposed international bridges.
Till next time
El Paso Border Watcher
