the the solar light itself. So, that was why we we continued going with Washington Park instead of Lincoln Park in that case. Okay. So, it was too challenging to do solar at >> going to be Yeah, it's it's too challenging to do the design and and to actually make sure that we're going to realizing all the all the sun and the generation. What What we don't want is to install solar lights and then middle of the night because we haven't charged those, we the the the residents don't have that expected life. Okay. I appreciate that explanation. Um one one other thing that I see as being a huge deal for my district and Representative Borrego's district is Hondo Pass. That has kept me up at night since I got elected to this position. There's been a lot of discussion on that. I don't know if you got in it Representative Trejo, but the people on my side of Hondo Pass cuz if you look at Hondo Pass, that's the that's the border of District 2 and 4. So, Representative Trejo has the north side, I have the south side of of Hondo Pass just to make it easier. And my constituents in that area have complained for a very long time that there's no lights on Hondo Pass between um Railroad to Diana. So, that's going to be a game changer and I really appreciate that that's being included here. Um so, I just wanted to throw that out there. Thank you. >> Yeah, we considered I remember your input a few weeks ago. So, we'll look into that. Okay. Thank you so much. Welcome. Representative Rocha. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. And thank you, Fernando, for this. I I reviewed it over the weekend and just want to make sure cuz you mentioned earlier there's about 15 lights per district and that that's it it's about right. I think 2 and 4 got a little bit more. I was looking at the percentages, but I I'm okay with that. Um my question though is more towards the allocation of of solar lights and lights at the park. And the reason I bring that up is because um from what I had seen on slide it was at the very beginning, uh slide four. Mhm. That one shows 140 streets, which streets is is uh totaling 1.427 1.428 million. And then 115 sports courts, which totals about 651 652,000. When I added up the street lights for the um for the streets, I'm sitting at 135. >> Yes. And then it's 120 for the sports, so it's like a bit of a of a savings. Is that what it looks like? >> Okay. I just wanted to make sure. So, I sat there and I was like I I I just wanted to be sure because I'm doing the math, so I didn't know if the cost was less which to my calculations based off of what was on slide four, it looked like there was about a 22,600 dollar savings if it's really 120 sports courts and 135 streets. So, I'll start with the sports courts or parks. That's a that's the typo, so it should be 120. Okay, so that one's the 120. So, is the cost for that correct at the 651949? That reflects the 120? >> Yes, and and you see that it's considerably less than the streets. And the reason is the illumination need and the and the size of the poles. It's much larger for streets, so the cost of those lights for for roadways is much more expensive. Right, I understand. I just wanted to be sure that I was looking the 651949 reflects the 120 sports court lights. >> does. >> Okay. And then the streets reflects 135. >> Yes. Okay, perfect. >> because we I mean, accidents happen. Right, I understand. >> we're going to have five in in stock just in case and that that that was a I think a smart recommendation from our team from the streets. So, if anything happens, we have five lights to replace the the damaged lights. Okay. I appreciate that. I just wanted to be sure that I understood as I was count doing my my counting practice. So, thank you. I appreciate it. Representative Trejo. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. I have a couple of questions. So, on slide three the green infrastructure, did I miss I don't know if I saw it on here. What What is the water capture What is that? >> infrastructure, if I may go to the to slide number eight. All right, right. >> So, on slide number eight, we have that example on that picture. And as you know, whenever we get rain, we we get a lot of nuisance flooding. We not only have that on our streets, but also at our parks. So, that that's a lot of stuff time and and time fixing those issues with flooding. So, green infrastructure mitigates that by capturing water and and driving that water to the vegetation. So, that way we one we we [snorts] irrigate our plants, but two, we mitigate the that flooding that happens both at parks and streets. Okay. Do you have those areas identified already or Parks has plenty of candidates for that. We'll get back to you all with a selected uh list of projects because we have we haven't gotten that far with that one. Um it's it's a lot as you see it's 264,000 dollars. So, we'll be selecting those those locations with parks. Okay. And then on slide uh five I actually had a question on what uh Representative Acevedo asked regarding Hondo Pass. When you're doing the lighting, are you looking at both sides of the street cuz we're looking at two different streets. >> Yes, I remember your question. So, we'll get back to with the We'll get back with the streets and then um we'll get back to you with an answer on that because I don't have that answer for you right now. >> And then on slide uh six, when you're talking about the parks, so they you know, looking at this all the districts are are receiving equal amounts of lighting. Uh thank you for that. Uh you know, looking at it cost savings for solar lighting in the areas where they're most needed in parks. So, thank you again, Fernando, for all that you and your team are doing and putting this together. Appreciate it. Thank you, Fernando. I'm very much looking forward to all of these lights in all of the districts all over our city. Um and just because Representative Noyer brought it up and so did the city manager, uh Alex Hoffman did a study on on the park that I put two solar lights in and the usage of that park increased by 800% after the lights were installed thanks to the study that he did. And when you look at the data uh for every day of the week, it was pretty much equal every single day of the week. So, it's impressive how much difference lighting can make for a community, for a neighborhood, and for the quality of life of our youth um to promote, you know, a healthy well-being and just usage of our public spaces. So, I'm very much looking forward to all of these lights being installed all over our city. Thank you for the presentation and for your work and for your team as well. Uh Council, we do not have a motion yet on this item, so could Move to approve. Second. Thank you. Thank you. Miss Prime, can you please call for the vote? Yes, a motion was made by Representative Limón, seconded by Representative Canales. And this is to approve the resolution on item 31. On that motion, call for the vote. End the voting session. And that motion passes unanimously. Okay, Miss Prime, let's take item number 32. Yes, item 32 is discussion and action on a resolution authorizing the city manager to sign a non-binding memorandum of understanding MOU by between the city of El Paso, the county of El Paso, and the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation in support of an opportunity to incorporate structural elements and future-proofing infrastructure to support a deck plaza downtown deck plaza over a portion of the Texas Department of Transportation Downtown 10 project. Hello, Ian. Good afternoon, Mayor Pro Tem and Council. All right. So, we're going to be walking you through an MOU uh between the city of El Paso, uh the county of El Paso, and the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation. Uh and this is concerning the uh Downtown Deck Plaza project that would go in tandem with the uh TxDOT Downtown 10 project. All right. Uh so, the purpose of this MOU is really to uh enable our partner uh the Deck Plaza Foundation uh to be able to more aggressively pursue uh private uh funding for this project and also to establish clear roles and expectations of all partners in the project. Um the goal really is to uh have this MOU in place well in advance of a an advance funding agreement with TxDOT for the future-proofing component of the Downtown Deck Park project. So, the MOU establishes uh three partners uh and their roles. The city will maintain uh lead on coordinating with Text Dot and the MPO on development and construction of the project. As such, the city will be entering into those advanced funding agreements with Text Dot and will be, as a consequence, the owner of the asset. The county will work on co-design of the project. And any future funding from the county will be subject to court approval. The Deck Plaza Foundation will be lead on the design of the amenities, and will be leading the private fundraising effort for this project. A small breakdown on how the project will play out. Right now, we are in phase one and the design component specifically. Council approved an AFA with Text Dot for that design. We are now working on the funding of the future proofing component. As you can see, the construction and and operations are are still ways off. So, there are four key operational and financial aspects of the MOU that I want to go over. The MOU establishes an operator model. It's a common model for Deck Plaza projects throughout the country. It establishes key areas of responsibility around infrastructure. It limits financial exposure, and it sets an agreement on how the how progress happens with this project. So, as I mentioned, the operational model is or the operator model, rather, is is a common model for these kinds of projects. It establishes establishes a nonprofit as the lead on maintenance and operations of the amenities component of the park. We are not asking through this MOU to finalize an agreement between the city and and the Deck Park on what that maintenance and operation role will look like. That will come at a later date, but it does designate the Deck Plaza Foundation as that potential operator. So, infrastructure responsibility. As the owner of the Deck Park asset, the city will enter into an agreement with Text Dot for the maintenance of the tunnel system and life safety infrastructure required for the the Deck Park. The Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation will be responsible for any operations and maintenance of the the park piece, the amenities on top. I want to be very clear that this is a non-binding MOU that does not obligate the city to any financial commitment as a result of entering into this agreement. The city's participation is capped at every phase. To be clear, what that means is if that phase does not complete, then the project pauses, and and it comes back to council for next steps. So, right now, we are in the future proofing part of this project. That amount is 43 million. I'll show you in a later slide where we are on the fundraising for that component. And we have a deadline that we have to meet in order to progress further beyond that that component. The long-term cost of the maintenance comes up a lot. That will be determined at a later date through a different agreement. And again, as I mentioned, any advancement beyond the future proofing will require securing further funding. Uh we are also going to be, as part of the discussion on on a future operating agreement with the Deck Plaza, there will be a requirement that there be a demonstrated financial capacity to take on those maintenance costs that I mentioned earlier. Uh there will, at every step of the way, be uh more clarifying definitive agreements that will require approval by council. That won't be covered within this MOU. So, we talked about the future proofing and the 43 million. We have identified 22.5 million dollars worth of federal funding for this project. That to activate that federal funding will require $6 million match locally. And that leaves us with a $14.5 million gap that we are still identifying funds for. We recently submitted for another community project funding request that was selected by Congresswoman Escobar. That's for an additional 3 million. We're also in the process of working on a $25 million rider within the state legislative agenda. And we continue to explore other sources of funding that could fill that gap. One of the key constraints, as I mentioned, is we are working to identify these sources of funding before October, when we anticipate we will be coming back to council with that advanced funding agreement for the future proofing component with Text Dot. Quick explanation of the future proofing. So, what do we mean by future proofing? So, what it does is it really just enhances components of the current downtown tech 10 project, specifically deepening columns, uh thickening walls in order to be able to support that that cap structure, as opposed to just supporting the bridges that are anticipated to come down and be rebuilt as part of the original project. So, once again, we're asking council to take action on a resolution authorizing the city manager to sign a non-binding MOU with the county of El Paso and the Deck Plaza Foundation to continue work on this project. I'm happy to take any questions. Thank you, Ian. Representative Canales. Thank you. I make it a point to explain any and every vote that anyone asks me for an explanation of, and also to explain publicly my opinion on anything or any topic, I guess, that is of any particular public interest. I I wrote an op-ed published in El Paso Matters almost exactly a year ago in April of 2025. Um El Paso Matters still has that online. It's available on my website as well. So, anybody who wants to know my full opinion, I will spare people today, but they can read it there. I I would imagine that the the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation may at times view me as a bit of a thorn in the side of of their work, because I've openly spoken about the challenges associated with the project, and and not just the benefits. I I think we owe that explanation to our constituents. And I want to be clear, I voted against some funding for the Deck Plaza in the past, and then I've also voted in favor of other aspects of the project at other times. I am going to read just brief, just one quick excerpt from that op-ed that I wrote a year ago that was true a year ago, and I think it's true now. And it reads as such. I want to be clear again, I'm not advocating against the Deck Plaza, but I do believe strongly that if it continues to be advanced, it must only be done in a way that is realistic, responsible, and sustainable. That means every level of government involved in this conversation has to proceed with eyes wide open to the tradeoffs involved, and also has to be willing to acknowledge that the most responsible course of action may may ultimately be not to do it at all. A lot will depend on where the puzzle pieces fall outside of our control. So, if the Deck Plaza is to proceed, I believe that that it will rely very heavily, if not entirely, on both state and federal funding, um outside grants, as well as as private philanthropic contributions. And this MOU allows for that possibility. So, I I still maintain the position that I've held from the start that this would be a very good, very nice public amenity, if the burden for it doesn't fall on El Paso taxpayers. So, I'll keep my comments short there, but I do want to close with some rapid-fire type questions for you to make sure that everyone who's watching is completely clear on what the MOU is and what it isn't, and what the MOU does and what it doesn't do. It will repeat some of your presentation, but I think it's important to lay it out as simply as possible. The the memorandum of understanding we're considering today is non-binding. Is that correct? That is correct. Okay. The MOU is primarily about outlining the roles and responsibilities of the of the different entities moving forward, including coordination of design and future operations and maintenance roles, so that everyone is on the same page. Is that accurate? That is correct. This agreement does not commit the city to spend any money. Correct? That is correct. This item does not propose using any local taxpayer funds for construction of the deck plaza, correct? That is correct. Uh, under the framework in the MOU, the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation would be be responsible for raising uh, private funds for construction and future phases, correct? That is correct. Uh, the expectation is that philanthropic contributions along with potential state and federal grants would likely be the primary funding sources for the project, is that right? That is correct. Uh, the the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation would also fund and perform park operations and maintenance, is that correct? >> Yes, that is a key feature. Uh, the city's financial participation is capped for current phases and subject to future approvals uh, by the council, is that correct? >> Any future commitments will require council approval. Uh, there's a timeline consideration for for TxDOT's uh, separate highway project. So, if funding for support structures is not secured by October 2026, the the deck plaza would likely not be able to move forward because TxDOT needs to know whether they're incorporating the future proofing into their planning, is that accurate? >> We are operating under that assumption today yes. >> Okay. Uh, the the MOU makes it clear that advancement beyond the the current phases requires secured funding uh, demonstrated financial capacity from the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation, and then execution of the the required agreements in the future for actually obligating the money, is that correct? >> That is correct. Um, approving the MOU doesn't obligate the city to fund or construct any uh, deck plaza infrastructure at any point in the future, is that correct? >> correct. Okay, and then one more that's kind of separately from the MOU specifically, but I think is important to clarify. For whatever reason, I hear time and again this notion out there, it's floating around that there was a bond election at which voters declined to approve funding for the deck plaza. Um, bond funding has never been considered by the city council, so to put it as clearly as possible, this issue has never appeared on the ballot in front of El Paso voters, is that correct? Not to my knowledge. Okay. Um, and lastly, we heard from a few public commenters this morning that nobody supports this project. We then heard from other commenters who did support it, so I think that the the that already uh, is is not true, but some of my constituents who are who are not in support, they don't believe me when I say that I hear from kind of a mix of people who are in support and uh, who are in opposition. So, I'll start with the disclaimer that like social media doesn't reflect the the will of the whole world, but uh, FitFam, which I think I can safely say is El Paso's largest uh, social media account and kind of a decent indication of El Paso sentiment, uh, shared really great accurate information last night with the public. And they put out a poll to their 662,000 followers asking, do you support the Downtown El Paso Deck Plaza? Um, from 3,701 responses as of a few minutes ago, the the results came back as follows. Uh, yes 42% yes, but only if local taxpayers don't fund it, 25% neither for nor against it, 5% and no, 28%. So, that's a total of 67% support if the project isn't funded with with local taxpayer money and about 28% opposition. Um, of course, that doesn't mean that those in opposition have an invalid opinion, but I think they need to realize that we as uh, representatives of everyone in our district have to listen to all of our constituents when we're when we're making a decision. Um, and that there's no single opinion of the community on this project. Uh, opinion is split and at least on this forum, there is uh, pretty significant support for for this project. Um, uh again it's important for us to be realistic about this, but I I think the MOU is a step that helps us to uh, reach a project that uh, ultimately is a a good way to uh, proceed with a deck plaza that doesn't burden the taxpayer. Um, if it doesn't work out, then it doesn't work out. Um, but this MOU doesn't bind us to anything that uh, would lead directly to uh, the taxpayers being on the hook for anything, is that is that correct? >> That is correct. Okay. Um, and so I I do plan to support the MOU today. Uh, I think it's uh, fairly simple ask of the council to enter into this kind of agreement so that we have uh, clearly uh, defined roles and expectations among the different parties who are uh, collaborating on the project. Thank you. Representative Fierro. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. Ian, thank you for um, patiently and very detailedly going through this with the MOU. Uh, I just have couple who real quick questions. If today we support the MOU, we vote it through, how much are we committing to committing from the city? There is no financial commitment within the MOU. Today the MOU, there's no financial commitment from the city. That is correct. Isn't it quite um, the opposite? Aren't we adding another resource or partner or are there already partners, but somebody else is going to help us raise the the that $14 million that we're we're short? Yes, it formalizes the partnership with the Deck Plaza Foundation. So, so now there's three partners working together to find the the resources to put this together. That is correct. Thank you, Ian. Representative Acevedo. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. Ian, um, thank you for all the work that you've done, Ms. Mack, your team, Omar. I know it's been all all hands on deck. I'm not mentioning everyone, but I just wanted Ms. Niemann, your team, everyone has been working on this diligently for months now and um, I have a a few questions that I think are very obvious answers in terms of definitions, but I still want the public to fully understand what they mean. And I I kind of wanted understand what non-binding means and if Ms. Niemann could give us the the legal term on terminology on that, what what exactly does that mean? The use of the the term non-binding means that it doesn't bind the city to commit to any funds or any actual specific performance like a traditional contract would. Okay. I'm also happy to read the exact part of the MOU if it's helpful, it's really fast. >> Yeah, thank you. >> it describes the non-binding effect of the MOU. The MOU does not create a binding obligation to fund, construct, operate, or maintain the project. All binding commitments shall be set forth in separate definite agreements approved by the applicable applicable governing bodies. Okay, thank you for that, Ian. Thank you, Ms. Niemann. And future proofing gets thrown out a lot and I know you you threw that out there and there's some nice little drawings in the presentation. Can you just give me what that means in layman's terms? Sure. So, so as I mentioned in the presentation, uh, the the project to to widen I-10 through downtown is going to require uh, a certain set of activities and and maybe Joaquin can describe this better, but just very quickly, uh, they're going to have to build um, higher bridges and support structure for that, which requires uh, support columns and and walls. You want to add to that? Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. Joaquin Rodriguez with Capital Improvements. So, future proofing refers specifically to changes to the TxDOT project, which will accommodate the weight of a future deck. So, thicker walls, deeper drill shafts, and added depth of the bridge structures. Okay, and so that's why October 2026 is an important deadline cuz that's kind of when they're getting everything ready to do the expansion, correct? Correct. Future proofing are all elements that are already associated with the widening project. So, that all of those construction activities would run concurrently with TxDOT's existing project. Okay. I I appreciate that. And I think if you look at just the the history of highways and how that was built and believe it was Eisenhower has the the whole prize for creating the highway system in in the country. I I think about how many people were displaced during that time and across the country, not just in El Paso, this feels like a way of getting that back to the community in terms of making them go under something, giving them a park and connecting communities and I think that's something that I've seen um, throughout the project being said in terms of we're connecting the city's core back to the neighborhood that was taken at the time, right? And now we're getting a park in in this if everything falls in line and we're meeting all the different milestones throughout. One of the big components that's important to me is what this does for housing. And in terms of the MOU today, that's not a component that we're looking at just yet, right? That would be different cuz what you said earlier is components would be coming before council as they proceed. >> correct. Okay. And I do see Nicole and Tracy here, so I don't know if there's anything that you can share right now on future housing plans for the deck on what that would what that what that would bring? I'm sorry to put you on the spot, Tracy. Good afternoon, uh Mayor Pro Tem and all of council. Thank you to Ian, uh to Deion, to Karla and the whole team, Omar, for working on the project and for all of you for taking the time today to consider the item. Um the project as described in the MOU includes 6 and 1/2 acres of park, and which is over the cap, and then 1.7 acres of right-of-way that could be potential future future housing. So, we would need permission from TxDOT and an agreement with the city for the right to be able to develop that uh that space into about 1,700 units that have been estimated, you know, three, four, five-story mixed-income, mixed-use housing. So, it supports very much the housing plans in the Uptown Downtown plan, and also the city's more recent work on uh housing needs, that kind of 28,000 units uh that we need in our community, and of all range of housing, but including affordable housing. That's great to hear. I I hadn't heard the exact amounts of what you were thinking, so I I really appreciate you sharing that. And in terms of asking for permission from TxDOT and the city, when that comes to fruition, there's already precedent that has been set in other cities in Texas, right? So, that permission will probably be be granted to do something like that. >> We have a an understanding that there is a precedent of of TxDOT uh contributing right-of-way to a public entity in another community uh in around a project like this, and so this would be something that we would uh pursue with the legislative delegation for the permission to do something similar. Okay. Perfect. Thank you so much. Um I think that's all I have. Thank you again to everybody that's been working on this. Representative Trejo. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. I was going to say Mayor. Uh Ian, I have a few questions. Uh And a lot of this has already been asked, but I just want to ask for clarification or you know, make record of this as well. Is Is this vote on building the deck plaza? I'm sorry. Can you repeat that? >> This vote that we're taking today, is it No. to build the deck plaza? >> a relationship with the Deck Plaza Foundation. Okay. Does this opportunity exist because TxDOT is doing an extension of I-10? Yes. Okay. Uh does this at any future step, especially during the construction or funding, does it need to come back to council for approval? Any future agreements, any future funding requests will need to come back to council. Okay. Um Thank you. Those are the only questions I have. Representative Rocha. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. And thank you, Ian, for the presentation. Um you know, this is this uh I'm excited about the project. I I share a lot of the sentiments that Rep. Canales does as well. You know, I don't want it on on the taxpayers' backs at all. I'm a taxpayer. So, I want to make sure that we provide something that's very thoughtful without having to burden any taxpayer with any of that. So, I'm I'm really for, you know, looking for all the additional monies through the federal grants, philanthropy, anything like that that we can do. Um I will say that that one of the things that that excites me about the project, last year I had Senator Cesar Blanco at my at a community meeting of mine. And he reminded me of of the separation of what took place when I-10 was originally built in the '50s and '60s, and how it separated and really segregated a lot of our communities. And so, to have an opportunity here to be able to reconnect that again is absolutely exciting to me. Will I see it in my lifetime? I hope. But, you know, I don't I I have to give it every shot that I can. This is a wonderful opportunity because there is no cost to it, correct? That's right. >> cost to doing the MOU, and it allows you to work with those additional stakeholders to identify additional money um that that state delegation has been out trying to to get, and that the federal delegation, Congresswoman uh Escobar and Congressman Gonzales, are both being reached out, as far as I know, to to provide some type of grants um for the the deck park. With that being said, um I I do have a question so this may not be the appropriate time to ask it, but the monies that were spent that you shared on your on your um deck, no pun intended, um that's only designated for the deck park. Can it be designated for something else since it's been provided to us by the federal and state legislative So, any any >> groups? grants that we receive for this project in particular can only be used for this project. I and I want to that bears repeating again, Ian, because I think that there's a there there may be an understanding at some point that we can reallocate this money to do something else within the city of El Paso. But, my understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that it can only be used for this project. That is correct. And And what I would like to add is we we pursue federal and state funding for a number of projects. Right. Um this project has has been a successful one for us to to obtain federal and state funding for, but once that that use has been identified for the funding, that's what it needs to be used for. Okay. Thank you. And And real quick, um I I received a a message from a constituent that wanted me to read something into the record. Miss Prime, I sent this out. I know you shared it with the rest of council. Um however, he'd like for me to read it, so I'm going to use my time to read it at this time. Uh my name is Andrew Bustamante. I am a father of three young children, and I was raised in El Paso. After living in San Antonio for 7 years and Denver for another 7 years, seeing the recent downtown improvements is a breath of fresh air. I work downtown and would like to see future-proofing our city. Our family goes to church downtown, and it would be fantastic to have an area for our family to be with other families after services, instead of having to find an area outside to meet. Thank you. All the best. And with that said, um you know, I I I want to thank Representative Canales. I know you did a a really thorough job of putting it out on social media posts, in addition to what you shared last last year in El Paso Matters. It was extremely thorough, and and it explained exactly what the MOU indicates and what the purpose of it is today. Um I would like to also use my time, Miss Prime, to show that video, please. Yes, IT will be bringing it up. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. As our community prepares for TxDOT [music] to reconstruct I-10 in downtown El Paso, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do more than rebuild a freeway. The Deck Plaza will cap the freeway with a 6.5-acre park that will attract over 1 million visitors annually from across El Paso and beyond. Imagine [music] a vibrant destination filled with celebrations, farmers' markets, local art, sports, and everyday moments that showcase our region's heritage and culture, all in the heart of our city. This is more than a beautification project. With an estimated $1 billion in economic impact, this public-private partnership has the potential to transform, reconnect, and spark new growth for El Paso. From mixed-use housing developments and job creation to environmental and health benefits, let's create a new signature public space for all to enjoy. By acting now, we can shape a future that reflects who we are and what we want to pass on to future generations. Let's elevate the 10 and begin building our future today. Learn more and be part of what's next at downtown deckplaza.org. Thank you, Miss Prime, and thank you, IT. Uh and with that, I just want to, you know, bear an another repetition that I don't want to burden my child my children or my grandchildren with paying for this at all. But, I think it there's a great opportunity in this MOU to be able to go and give you all the tools that you need to go and look for that potential. So, thank you, Ian, for for um coming and and bringing this to us today. I think it's a great opportunity for us to be able to just formalize the arrangement that that the city can have with the other stakeholders for this project. Thanks. Uh I appreciate that you brought up Senator Blanco and and Congresswoman Escobar. Uh the funding that that obtained for this project wouldn't have been possible without their assistance. So, thank you for bringing them >> Absolutely agreed. Yes. Representative Nino. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem, and thank you, Ian and Ms. Mag again for all the work that has taken into account to put this presentation together. I echo a lot of the sentiment that my colleagues have also shared. I don't think any of us want to put a further burden on the taxpayers. I know a lot of families are struggling. Um I would like to ask you, Ian, if you could read section 1.2 one more time of the non-binding effect. I'll try not to garble it this time. Uh this MOU does not create a binding obligation to fund, construct, operate, or maintain the project. All binding commitments shall be set forth in a separate definitive agreement approved by or agreements approved by the applicable governing bodies. Correct. >> And then there's also another section towards Let me see. Section 10, where it says no obligations. And it can you kind of read a little bit on that one as well? Bear with me for a second. Yes, this MOU does not create an obligation or future appropriation obligation for any party. Nothing in this MOU shall be construed to create joint and several liab- several liability among part- among the parties. Each party shall remain solely responsible for its own financial commitments as approved by its respective governing body. Great. So, this is a vehicle to navigate those conversations of what is it that we could essentially do and secure additional funding. Is that correct? >> That is correct. Great. Now, um I do have another question. I think that, you know, essentially could create also um misunderstanding in regards on slide number 11. It talks about local and sponsor funding required. And it says required local match. And I know that you've said that this MOU does not create any allocation of funding um for the construction of this project. Can you share a little bit more about this $6 million where it says local and sponsorship required local matches? Sure. So, because this is federal funding, federal funding traditionally requires a 20% match. Uh and so, that's why that that $6 million is there. It does not mean that that automatically comes out of the general fund. It just is something that we need to assign funding that could come from us, it could come from the county, could come from the Deck Park Foundation. Yeah, and and I think it's important to highlight that because I know that you shared that it doesn't mean that the $6 million is coming from the general fund of the city of El Paso. Is that correct? >> That is correct. Okay. Yeah, thank you for clarifying that. I know that um again, it's it's the partnership and us working essentially with the foundation or the county could help bring that 20% requirement in order for us to seek those grants. But again, I just wanted to make it clear that on this specific presentation, that $6 million does not mean that it's coming from the general fund and it's not an expenditure that's coming from this We're not voting on that. That is correct. That's why you'll see in parentheses pending approvals. Perfect. Okay. I have no further questions. I just wanted to clarify that again for the public that when they see this presentation, it doesn't mean that we're allocating the $6 million and we're not taking a vote today on allocating funding for the actual project or construction or commitment to constructing the project. That is correct. All right. Thank you, Ian. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. Representative Limon. Relax. Take a deep breath. Thank you, Ian, for the presentation. I have a whole lot of questions, so I'm going to try to stay in line. Starting off with page number four, who does what? When it says um the city is responsible and keeps tunnel and safety responsibilities, is that true with or without this Deck Park? Or is it only if there is a Deck Park? >> Only if there is a Deck Park. Very good. Do we have any any idea the cost related to keeping a tunnel and safety responsibilities if there is a Deck Park on board? Uh so, I don't know that we have an exact number. The only number that we looked at was actually comparing another municipality and not what would be uh created here. We were looking at Dallas, and when we called to verify those costs, they were at about $3.8 million. $3.8 million? Correct. To keep the tunnel and the safety responsibilities, and that's for a year or for a lifetime? Annually. Okay, thank you. Um as I look at the County of El Paso, there's absolutely no indication of funding at this point in time. Right? Is that correct? So, I I believe they've committed $1 million to the project. We haven't confirmed where that will go yet. Okay, they committed, but I don't believe that that is in place that they would even have uh be able to support it. Future proofing is $43 million. Um it's interesting how on page six, the operational and financial points, there's an indicator here that financial exposure is limited when it comes to perhaps the part of the city. And yet, we just realized that there could be a $3.8 million expenditure on an annual basis. On page seven, if fundraising goals are not met, the City of El Paso retains the option to switch operators. How difficult or how easy is it to find an operator? Uh I don't believe we've done this kind of project before, so I'm not well equipped to say. Okay, hard to say. Um page eight, the City of El Paso will maintain long-term obligations independent of the park operators. This seems this um statement seems to come up. This will be like the third time that it shows up. And it says, of course, the city will be responsible for the tunnel systems and the life safety infrastructure. Three times on the MOU, or at least what we're seeing here as far as that. I want to go to page 11 because I really want to understand this. So far, the city has secured $2.5 million through community project funding. And the MPO has allocated $20 million for the future proofing of the project. Is that correct? That's correct. $22.5 million or there. And like Representative Rocha stated, this money is non-transferable. In other words, it couldn't be put to another project. It remains solidly for this. If it's not used, then it's retained back by the MPO. That is correct. Correct. The required local match is $6 million. Um Has that been raised already? The $6 million, the local match? Uh so, it's still pending approval. So, we would come back to once we identify a source. Okay, so right now >> money has been committed by TIRZ 5. So, do we know how much? Uh I believe it's $250,000 for the first CPA. $250,000 out of $6 million. That is correct. Correct. Do we have a deadline for when this local match needs to be reached? Yes, that is October when we need to enter into an advanced funding agreement with TxDOT. Okay. Um probably earlier than that. No, because we would need to come up with a a response probably a little bit earlier than that. Okay, then we go into additional sponsor contribution. You said that uh Congresswoman Escobar has committed to $3 million, and then you said there was also a rider. Is Would that equal $14.5 million? So, the rider that we are pursuing is for $25 million. $25 million. When would we get a response or a um a decision on it whether it was obtained or not? That would be in May of next year 2027 at the end of the legislative session. So, really, we can't even count on that money. In the sense that our deadline is October. That's 6 months away. What I'll say is that it is our understanding that if we identify a different source of funding for the gap, if we do get that rider, we can swap the funds out. Okay, if we get that. But without even looking at that, we are $6 million short, and we have 6 months in which to raise that money. That is >> It would be a simple way. And then beyond that, we need it says here another 20 million dollars um that are needed. Is that to fully fund the construction of the deck park? No, just the future-proofing component. Just the Okay. What is the total price or the total cost estimated on the deck park? Um no. 207 million for the pan. We don't have a cost until we actually go through the design. So, we've been very hesitant to publicly have those discussions and conversations as we talked about earlier in this presentation. We've begun the design for the structural piece. We're trying to secure the funding for uh the amenity design. Once the amenity design is done, I think that that gives us a good sense of what those costs and expenses are. I think that throwing around numbers that we're not sure of, I don't want to have council believing that anything other than the numbers that would be um hard and fast to the construction documents would be the number that we would be working towards. Thank you because the number surely has fluctuated out in the community from 207 to possibly like 415 million. We don't know. We won't know until much later on. What happens if we do not enter into an MOU? If we do not enter into an MOU, then uh it becomes more challenging to coordinate with our partners on this project. Are we driving the bus or are the partners driving the bus? In other words, who's >> the purpose of the MOU is to establish that we're all working together. Okay, but in in in essence, who is the city the one that's saying this we must have, this is our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it's now or never, we deserve it, is the city saying that or is someone else saying that? So, what I would say is that council always has the option to stay in this project or or leave the project. Council would never be taking direction. Okay. That makes sense. So, really, in order for this project to in order for the city to undertake this project, it would take a council that would support this fully understanding the financial burden that it could bring to the community for future years. That is correct. Thank you. Thank you. I think I've almost run out of time. I'll come back the next round. Thank you. Thank you, Ian, and uh I also have a couple of questions. I think my question's going to be more for Ms. Mack unless you're uh able to answer it. Ms. Mack, I I understand that you've had several meetings regarding this project. Is that correct? Yes, ma'am. And there's been a lot of commentary. There was some this morning that talked a little bit about this project specifically benefiting only a small amount of people in our city. Has it been your opinion in all of those meetings that you've taken that this project is solely to benefit just a handful or a few number of people in our community? No, and we included um in our most recent community survey just some analysis understanding how people are enjoying our current downtown. And so, people see our downtown as one of the areas that promote entertainment and a cultural uh benefit for the entire city. And so, just based on how we're seeing people utilize, I think we can uh certainly conclude that if we were able to achieve this project, that people would certainly see it as a benefit and an add to the quality of life. I think most of the discussion, as as most of you know, is about how do we get there in terms of terms of funding it. Uh the action that council did take previously was to direct staff uh to pursue uh funding for this project on the federal and state level, and so we've continued to do that work. And earlier on a different agenda item, we talked about lighting and how it affected the usage of a park. And I know that you also collect data on different events that occur downtown. Can you maybe talk a little bit about what that data shows? Sure. So, what we're seeing is um huge growths in the amount of participation that we're seeing in our two existing parks in the downtown area. Um our preliminary information that we're seeing come out of our parks master plan is showing that our larger park areas that we're we're calling community parks are really considered our gathering spaces and are really um almost over-utilized in terms of people being able to interact and engage and take uh advantage of our wonderful weather. So, our assumption is if we had additional parks and areas or parks that were well-lit and available to people uh throughout our city, that they would take advantage of that. And for example, in Winterfest, um I know that we saw record numbers of people attending that event throughout the the weeks that we um had it. And I know that we also determined where those people were visiting from. Do you recall what areas of the city people came to Winterfest from? We have it by zip code. I know we had participation for almost every zip code. I don't have the detail with me now. Okay. I remember seeing something like that because I know that some people said that this park would really only benefit the people that live close close to downtown, but I believe that in Winterfest, we had visitors from all over the city of El Paso coming downtown to enjoy that that festivity. That's correct, ma'am. And and you know, I talk about that because uh I know that other uh colleagues here on council have have touched on this that you know, um our city is growing, it's very big, and there are people that want to enjoy different parts of our city for different reasons. We have families, uh we have people that have moved back to our community from bigger cities, um and and we are also in the process of expanding our downtown convention center. Um there's a just a lot of things that are happening, and this is an opportunity just to see if this project could come to fruition. Um so, we want to give this a chance by um you know, going into this MOU and seeing if we can fundraise the money without burdening the taxpayers as many of us have already stated on the dais today. So, this is uh the intention of seeing where the funding could come from, uh allowing others to know that we could partner with them without burdening taxpayers. So, thank you, Ian, for the presentation. I will now go back to District 3 Representative Rocha. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem, and only cuz you asked about the attendance, um uh according to the data that I have, uh Southwest University Park season had about has about 282,000 visitors per season. The highest zip codes come from 3638 and 12. Winterfest brings about 448,000 visitors, and they have the same area codes that come from um those area codes to Winterfest. And then opening night for Winterfest is a little under 55,000 visitors, and that includes 3638 and 24 area codes or zip codes, excuse me. So, I just want to um just share that since you're asking. Thank you, Representative. You're welcome. Rocha. Representative Fierro. Thank you so much, and and thank you for sharing those numbers. I was going to I was going to read some of them, but note, what's amazing about those numbers is Ian, and please correct me if I'm wrong, that doesn't include any Mexican visitors, people who come over here from Juarez to come to enjoy all those great events that Representative Rocha just brought up. I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with the numbers. I'm very familiar with the MOU. The answer is no. The answer is it does it. I was trying to shake my head. The answer is no. Those are additional numbers that that we are at this time are unable to to count. So, the these are huge numbers, and and it's an opportunity for us to even increase them more by by by someday having the opportunity to have a deck park. I Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. Representative Niño. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem, and I know someone briefly asked about some funding. Again, this MOU is not about specifically allocating any funding towards a project, but I know it was mentioned that there was some allocation of fundings in a previous discussion on a TIF. Can we Ms. Mack, can someone explain a little bit of what a TIF is for the public? And I think it's just key and important The reasoning why I'm asking this is, for example, in District 5, there was a TIF, TIF number two, that helped the development of a park in District 5, the Eastside Sports Complex. It's a 16 flat field complex that all of El Paso gets to use. And now it's a destination, a place where a lot of families come and use, and um you know, we whole host tournaments, and we have different groups all across the nation and even from uh other countries come and use this specific facility. But um it wasn't on, you know, the back of the taxpayers of El Paso. It was on this specific boundary, the TIRZ that helped fund phase two of the completion of this project. So I just wanted to see if Mr. Cortez, can you briefly just mention what a TIRZ is? And um I know I brought up the the boundary of the TIRZ number five, which is what essentially helped in the previous conversation that we helped that we had. And it's specifically within the downtown area. So even then, no funding has been allocated from the entire city of El Paso. Correct. So we have several tax increment reinvestment zones, which is a TIRZ, which you referenced. We also have one existing transportation reinvestment zone, currently still that is in the northeast part of town. Two separate things, but both work pretty much the same way. Um when they're created, um so for example, the one you referenced in the far east side, for that project or for that particular TIRZ that was created, there was a specific project. We knew there was going to be a large housing development that was going to go up. We knew there was going to be future property valuation growth. And we knew we had a a project that needed to be funded. So what ended up happening, city council approved the boundaries for that zone. And so what ends up happening is it's at the time of the creation that becomes the base value. Every year as you see growth either through new development, new houses, increased values, the incremental value is what stays within the zone. So the existing, the base of what was there before, comes to the general fund. All of the incremental growth, thus the name tax increment reinvestment zone. All of the increment stays within the zone, is reinvested for specified projects approved at the time by the city council. So for the one you're referencing, there was um specific projects. Um as you mentioned, the fields that we did and then also um some different additional infrastructure and such is the case. The downtown tax increment investment zone, I don't know the year it was created. I believe it was the first one has the downtown boundary. There have been several properties that have been excluded from that boundary as we've done different economic incentives for those particular um properties. Um but essentially they capture the downtown area. So that additional, again increment is what stays within the downtown area. It's reinvested into the downtown area through various projects. Uh facade improvements, downtown cleaning. There's a long list of how that funding is used. Um so that's I guess pretty simply. And so we have multiple of those. Again, I think the purpose varies uh depending upon the location of those TIRZs. So we have um several of them. We have the one in the downtown. We have one in the far northeast, which was done as part of the master plan community that's going up. We have one at the airport, which um again is sort of a forward-looking TIRZ that we created based on the growth of the advanced manufacturing district. You're going to catch me off guard. I'm going to leave one out, but I believe we only have four or five in place at the time. Thank you for that. And I did research. It was uh TIRZ number five was created in December 2020 2006. It's about 288.29 acres. Um and I think it's important to highlight that, right? Because I know that previously the council took action formally asking the TIRZ number five board to take a position of um supporting the development or or or the conversations of this project. I know Rep. Canales asked specifically to get that position statement. Can you share a little bit about what the position of that TIRZ was? So the item did go back to the TIRZ board and they were supportive of using funds from that um fund, the TIRZ number five, to go towards the project. And again, specifically that TIRZ is within the downtown boundary, correct? Okay. I have no further questions. And thank you, Robert, for for answering that. Thank you, Ian. Thank you, Robert. Um council, can I get a motion on this item please? Um we don't have a motion and a second before public comment. Can we get a motion? >> I move to approve. Second. Thank you. And I know we have public comment. Yes ma'am. Uh the first person is Bruno Vasquez, followed by Wesley Lawrence, Robert Palacios, Matthew Guzman. Good afternoon. You have 3 minutes. Thank you. Good afternoon, uh Mayor Pro Tem, uh city representatives, and fellow El Pasoans. My name is Bruno Vasquez. I am an architect working in private practice in El Paso. I serve on local, state, and national level positions within the American Institute of Architects. But I am here today as a private citizen, a taxpayer, and a design professional committed to making El Paso a better place for all. I have spent my career harnessing the power of design to transform spaces and make communities better places to live. Not just more beautiful, but more functional, more economically resilient, and or more attractive to investment. This commitment drives my position today. I support this MOU because it does something as straightforward and important. It establishes, in general terms, clear lines of responsibility should this project move forward. Like many of you, I have watched El Paso struggle to hold on to our best and brightest and attract investment. The answer always comes back to quality of life. For too long, El Paso has been told and has sometimes told itself that we don't deserve the quality investments that other cities profit from. But the absence of progress is expensive too. When a community fails to invest in itself, it signals to its own residents and to the world that it has stopped believing in its future. So your actions today will speak uh loudly. When I sit down with a client to talk about their project, the conversation about funding and construction cost is always the hardest. I am concerned that El Paso taxpayers could end up carrying the weight of a multi-million dollar project. But we need to be honest about what the alternative looks like. Because contrary to what some believe, this is not a binary project. It's a way to grow our city's economy. Without a structured public-private partnership, without local governments showing up as credible, committed partners, there are no state dollars, no federal grants, and no private investment to pursue. This MOU is the foundation that makes fundraising possible. And this is not just rhetoric. We have seen what happens in El Paso when a project gets derailed before it gets off the ground. We're still having this conversation years later, still wondering what might have been while we look at partially demolished buildings in Duranguito, my uh business neighborhood. The I-10 widening project is happening. We're going to endure years of construction with or without the deck plaza. We have a responsibility to take advantage of this opportunity. I encourage you to move forward with this MOU, not as a leap of faith, but as an action plan rooted in sound urban design principles, supported by a serious feasibility process, and now being advanced through a governance structure that asks the right questions about responsibility and accountability. Thank you very much. The next speaker is Wesley Lawrence. Mr. Lawrence, dial six, please, to unmute your telephone. Wesley Lawrence. Good afternoon. You have 3 minutes. Yes. Okay. Thank you. Good afternoon, council. Um I'd also like to start by saying thank you, Representative Limón, for probably being the only city representative who understands what's going on and is keeping taxpayers um fiduciary responsibilities in mind. Um you know it's clear, Democrats, independents, Republicans, and the everyday El Pasoan all can agree that we do not need a downtown deck park. And I think for the most part, we can all agree that a lot of us in this community feel like this MOU will eventually somehow turn into an IOU. We do not want a deck park here in El Paso. What we do want is our city to focus on the priorities that have been put in place. Fixing our dilapidated streets, investing in economic development for small and local businesses that feel like they've been left out of the equation by our city government. We want our animal cruelty problem addressed. We want to make sure that we have safe and complete streets that do not redline members of our community. But most importantly, I think we want a government that we can trust. And that is something we've been lacking for quite a while now. I think if the oligarchs really want this downtown deck park, then they should pay for it. And we do not need an MOU for these rich people to try to take advantage of our city. Let them do it. If they think they can afford it, great. Put their money where their mouth is, just like everyday working citizens here in El Paso are doing. Struggling to pay their sky-high property tax bills, struggling to put food on their table, struggling to put gas in their gas tanks. And yet, here we are again, talking about a deck park. Again, just thank you, Representative Limón, for your hard work and dedication in ensuring that seniors and hard-working El Pasoans are not put last. And to everyone else, I hope that if this deck park comes into fruition, that taxpayers do not forget that this debt that you're going to burden onto us somehow, maybe not with this MOU, but that council's is to say, "Let's spend millions and millions of dollars on these projects or let's take over maintenance. Hopefully we can find it cuz that is where we're heading. Thank you. The next speaker is Robert Palacios. Robert Palacios, if you're in the queue, star six. I don't see that number in the queue. Matthew Guzman, star six, please. Matthew Guzman, go ahead, sir. You're You have 3 minutes. Well, there's a lot of people um in El Paso who choose to type in all caps online and when they approach the microphone at these city council meetings, um you know, they they come in hot yelling at everyone and it's because they're passionate uh passionately in opposition of the Deck Park. Um but they're the same people who were in opposition of the ballpark and all the previous quality of life projects. Um but I want you all to know that there's a lot of us who are equally passionate and we're in favor of it and we also want to feel heard. Um as a resident of Sunset Heights, um I want to share something that I heard from one of my community members just yesterday uh when we were having a discussion about the Deck Park and other quality of life projects. He said, in a quote, "If I look back at El Paso in the 1980s and 1990s, I'd much rather live in the 2026 version. And when I try to envision what the city will look like in 20 or 30 years from now, it's clear that many of the things people once resisted are now the very things we value most." I wanted to share that uh because I think it's so true. You know, that this city is going to outlive all of us and if we can't leave future generations something more than paved streets and filled potholes, then in my opinion, we will have failed as a society. Surely we're capable of dreaming bigger than that. Surely we can promise a little bit more to the children of El Paso. I'm on the steering committee for the Para Niños uh group. It We're We're dedicated to obtaining the UNICEF Child Friendly City designation for El Paso and at our last meeting some data was shared where children under the age of 18 were asked what they wanted to see from city leadership and interestingly, they put quality of life as one of their top priorities for our city. They want a city that's both livable and enjoyable. They even named green walkable spaces as one of their desires. The youth of El Paso are telling us they want more. They want us to invest in our city and if we're not building something for them, what are we doing? We have no other major quality of life projects in the works and we relied on the projects from 2012 uh from the 2012 bond to make our city more attractive to residents and outsiders. And lucky for us, those leaders had vision and were able to execute on most of it even as they faced plenty of opposition along the way. So now we've got a downtown that's become begun to come back to life and if we let that progress stall, it takes a long time to get the wheels of progress rolling again. So I plead with all of you to approach your jobs with a sense of urgency. We all know it's an election year and everyone's going to be afraid to rock the boat. The future generations are relying on you all and your leadership. They're relying on us to envision a city with more to offer than just filled potholes. So as these projects come to the forefront, let's envision a better future for them and let's build something better for our kids. Thank you. The next speaker is Monique Pasinger. Monique Pasinger, if you're in the queue, star six. I don't see that number in the queue. Nicole Reese, and Ms. Reese is a final speaker on this item. Good afternoon. You have 3 minutes. Thank you. Good afternoon, Mayor Pro Tem and city council representatives. My name is Nicole Reese and I have been leading public engagement efforts for the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation. And so we've been at uh we've been meeting the community where they are at and we've been going to Chalk the Block. We were at Miner Palooza. We were at Winterfest. We were at El Paso Marathon's Health Expo. We were just at Flor Fest this past Saturday at UTEP and El Pasoans are signing up to support this project. And so I'm I'm here I'm standing here today to speak on their behalf. Again, hundreds of El Pasoans are signing up to support this once-in-a-generation opportunity. Um we just recently launched the Elevate the 10 campaign uh and um to continue the momentum to reclaim 6.5 acres of public space and turn it into a free, highly activated public park for the community to enjoy. Uh yesterday you saw county commissioner's court, they took action to approve this MOU. Um for most of my career in the public sector, um seeing the collaboration among our federal partners, our state delegation, the city, the county, the El Paso MPO and the private sector is truly incredible. Um and I we can accomplish so much if we work together. So thank you for your time. That concludes public comment. Thank you, Ms. Pryne. We have a motion and a second and no further discussion. Excuse me, Representative Limón. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. It It's always interesting to hear um comments and how how especially difficult it is when numbers are twisted around. We just heard a conversation about Winterfest bringing in 448,000 people. But we don't equate it to what the Deck Park is asking for. The Des- Deck Park is asking for a park um and so the numbers that we've shared are not in sync with what's being asked today. I had the opportunity to meet with my community and we developed a strategic plan months before the city developed our own plan. And when we discussed quality of life, quality of life means what it looks like when you open your front door, your sidewalk, your streets, safety lighting. Those to my community is what's important. We have been blessed with some beautiful parks that are extremely well maintained. And so the idea that the community needs to leave their community to find a green space is outrageous. And I would think that there are similar parks throughout the city because Parks and Recreation does an outstanding job of maintaining our parks. It saddens me that here the idea that there's nothing to do in El Paso and yet if you would only look at the weekly notices that our public information office puts out, there are weekends where there are so many things to do that we just can't make it to all of them. We are blessed in this city to have that variety. And if the goal is to entertain a small group of people, that's not what we're in the business for. I am really concerned with this. I can read the votes. This is going to be a seven to one vote. No doubt about it. But I have listened to my community. I don't rely on social media for numbers. But I will tell you that I have yet to find one person, one in my community that has come and spoken to me or sent me a message. Not one that would be in support of this. Person-to-person communication, whether it be before mass, after mass, at breakfast, in the community, wherever. And the comment is consistent. We don't need this. We don't want this. We don't want our tax dollars to go up. We don't want our utilities go up. This is a community that's looking at quality of life, the quality of life that's right outside our front door. This is not a community that's saying, "Entertain me. I want to have fun. I want to do things." This is a community that has worked very hard and I have lots of young people in this community, but there's many, many things to do in our city, many, many things to do in our community. This MOU may not bind the city financially today, but it binds us to a naive, unrealistic dream. This gives the taxpayers a message that we are willing to gamble their hard-earned money on something that needs a miracle to work. $6 plus all of these other fundings plus $20 I'm sorry, but I cannot in good conscience support this. And with the message with the passage of this MOU, this council is writing a blank check for future councils to carry the financial responsibility for years to come. And so my vote is a resounding no. Representative Rocha. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. And And I'm I'm only going to Um and And I appreciate your comments, Rep. Limón. But I But I will say that um we share a uh neighborhood association in Cielo Vista Neighborhood Association. I did receive a letter of support from the Cielo Vista Neighborhood Association, which is also part of your district. So I just want to be sure I I know that they took part in your strategic plan, but that is still part of your your district, if I'm not mistaken. And so I did receive that letter of support from them. Just [clears throat] Just for the record. Yes, ma'am. Ms. Prime, please call for the vote. Yes, a motion was made by Representative Canales, seconded by Alternate Mayor Pro Tem Fierro, to approve the resolution on item 32. On that motion, call for the vote. In the voting session. And that motion passes 7 to 1, Representative Limón voting nay. The remainder of council voting aye, the motion carries. Thank you, Ms. Prime. Let's take item 33, please. Item 33 is discussion and action on the award of task order number 10A-1 for solicitation 2025-0087, horizontal on-call Cedar Grove improvements to Amstar LLC for a total estimated award of $1.6 million. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Uh Javier Acosta. Good afternoon, Mayor Pro Tem and City Council. Good afternoon, Javier. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you. >> Good seeing you all. Um Javier Acosta, for the record, from Capital Improvements. Uh there we go. Can I get a motion on this item first? Move to approve. Second. And then we'll see your presentation. Thank you, Javier. IT, will you bring up the presentation for item 33, please? Okay, we're ready. Good afternoon again. Uh good to see you all. Um I'll be going over this project. This is a one that Ms. Yvette Hernandez had spoke about earlier in her mid-year review. This is the Cedar Grove improvements. Uh this project uh location is a Cedar Grove subdivision in District 3. Total budget is $1.8 million. Funding sources are the 2013 street infrastructure investment interest fund, the 2017 capital plan interest fund, and the 2018 capital plan in investment interest fund, and also, as Yvette mentioned, El Paso Water funds. So the project details, uh it's very well documented that there's deteriorating roadway conditions um in that area in those specific areas. Surface depressions, uneven pavement. Um the Geotech report did uh verify this uh with heavy clay soils in the area that were attributed to these failures. Cameras also revealed these failures within the storm drain systems as well that contributed to these roadway issues. The project location is in the Cedar Grove subdivision. The nearest uh major intersection is Midway and Loop 375. Uh Riverside High School is uh south of this area. So there's those four locations located there in green. There's uh pictures of the existing conditions of the roadways, South Carolina Drive and Aspen Road. The scope of work uh includes storm drain repairs, uh which would be storm drain inlets, manholes, uh soil remediation, pavement and base course repairs, uh replacement of ADA sidewalks and driveways. And the procurement method would be uh through task order under item 10A through the horizontal on-call construction contract. And the recommendation is to award the construction contract to Amstar in the amount of $1.6 million. Uh the construction schedule started summer 2026 and the end of fall 2026. That concludes the presentation. Thank you, Javier. Representative Rocha. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. And Thank you, Javier, for the presentation. I'm very grateful this is finally coming to to this point. This is something that the neighborhood has been expecting. Obviously, there's a lot more down in that in that neighborhood that needs to be reconstructed, unfortunately, but this is a a heck of a start. I will say I'm very happy that the dip on Carolina and Aspen is getting fixed. I drive that every week delivering the pet pantry food to Vaquero. Vaquero off of 375. And the neighbors always have something to say about about that particular dip. So I'm really looking forward to this. Um I I thank you for bringing it to council today. And And I hope that we can get everybody to approve the award. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you once again, Javier. Ms. Prime, we have a motion and a second and no further discussion from council. Can you please call for the vote? Yes, a motion was made by Representative Maldonado Rocha, seconded by Alternate Mayor Pro Tem Fierro, to award the task order on item number 33. On that motion, call for the vote. In the voting session. And that motion passes unanimously. Ms. Prime, I think we've made it to our last item, number 34. That is correct. Item 34 is discussion and action on a resolution that the city manager or designee be authorized to effectuate a budget transfer to number one, allocate quality of life investment interest for the zoo portfolio, identify projects to meet Association of Zoos and Aquarium AZA standards, Asia Forest Complex and South American Pavilion, and transfer from project savings for sea lion exhibit upgrade. Number two, to allocate quality of life investment interest to Armijo Library, Clardy Fox Library, Doris Van Buren Library, Memorial Park Library, and Sergio Troncoso Library. And number three, to transfer project savings to Doniphan Drive and Byrd Avenue, and Doniphan Drive and West Green Avenue traffic signalization projects. Can we see the presentation? Uh good afternoon again. Thank you, Javier. Javier Acosta, for the record again, Capital Improvements. This is another good example of the collaboration with uh Robert Cortinas Group as far as getting some of these projects and being strategic about how we use our funds. Um agenda item 34 requests approval to reprogram existing dollar investment interest and document project savings without incurring new debt. These transfers focus on community-facing assets and safety-critical infrastructure aligning directly with our strategic plan pillars. The first item on the budget transfer request is for the El Paso Zoo, which aligns with the infrastructure pillar, enhancing community pride through cleanliness maintenance and beautification of public spaces with the focus area of maintaining what we have first. So the zoo portfolio uh will be included in this is a sea lion pool repairs, the Asia Forest Skylight roof replacement, the South American Pavilion improvements, and the zoo-wide improvements with the AZA requirements. The sea lion pool repairs, the reason for the budget increase is to cover construction costs for and also for procuring material testing, and also for our CID construction managers and inspectors to oversee the project throughout for throughout the construction phase for quality control and assurance. The general scope of work is to remove the existing concrete coatings and repair concrete cracks in the sea lion pool areas with a flexible component epoxy membrane. The repairs available budget is 84,000. The budget increase request is for 62,000, and the new total budget is 146,000. Uh all of these are in District 2 for the zoo, and the funding source is a quality of life project savings. I I did hear what Mr. Acevedo said about the project budgets on these, and and we'll make sure to verify these uh once we get back to the office and get we'll get you those verification on those. Um he brought it up before. I thought he would. Yvette Hernandez, uh City Manager's Office. Um so the difference, sorry, I didn't do the math quite quickly in my head up here. Um so much to your point, Representative Niño, on the mid-year, we do not report out projects that were completed. So, what you saw was the budget for South American Pavilion phase two. It didn't include phase one. Since we're doing a budget transfer into this project, we reported both phase one and phase two in this budget transfer. That was the difference. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Yvette. Um here's a look at the existing conditions for the sea lion. And I did confirm with uh the assistant zoo director Longsworth that there is a separate holding site for the sea lion, so they should have a a place where they are at while this is doing construction. The Asia Forest skylight roof replacement, the reason for this budget increase is additional funding due to increased construction costs exceeding the original construction budget. The scope of work for this is a fiberglass translucent roof system including gutters and downspouts, a new fiberglass translucent roofing panels and gutters for that roof, and also paint for the existing structural metal framing and the louvers. The available budget for this 691,000. The budget increase request is 220,000. The new total budget is 911,000. Here's a look at the translucent roof existing conditions and also that metal frame that's going to have uh paint on the louvers. The South American Pavilion improvements, the reason for the budget increase for this is the additional funding required to provide aquatic life support and filtration system components required for the proper operation of both aquariums. And the scope of work uh rainforest themed aesthetic upgrades, lighting and signage improvements, drainage enhancements, and exhibit modifications including updating updated that tank systems and removal of outdated structures. The available budget is 2.1 million. The budget increase request is 206,000. And the new total budget will be uh a little bit under 2.4 million. Here's a look at the existing conditions, the tank equipment, the aesthetic features, and the existing structures. For the zoo-wide improvements and aquariums for the AZA accreditation, the reason for the budget increase is the funding required for the improvements to the facility infrastructure to meet the standards of the AZA accreditation. The scope of work zoo-wide improvements and include earthwork site grading, asphalt pavement, replacement of exhibit guardrails and handrails, and modification to bridge approaches and concrete work. So, the available budget is 43,000. The budget increase will be 805,000. The new total budget is 800 and 50 just a little under 850,000. Here's a look at the existing conditions for the pavement. And the request for action is that the city manager designate be authorized to effectuate the budget transfers from the zoo balance and project savings investment interest funds in support of allocating additional funds to the the four projects, the Asia Forest roof, the sea lion exhibit, the South American Pavilion, and the zoo-wide improvements. And that concludes my presentation. Thank you, Javier. Representative Canales. Um is there a separate presentation about the other budget transfers? >> Yes. Yeah, that's those will be a separate presentation following immediately following this one. Okay, I don't have any questions about the zoo. I I think we're taking one vote for all the budget transfers, is that correct? >> so. Yes. So, I'll I'll come back to you, Representative Canales. I'll go to Representative Acevedo. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. I I do have questions on on the zoo. Um Yvette, thank you for the clarification. I think just a little bit more feedback on that. Um there there's two phases on there. So, if we could just break it down to how much was phase one and how much was phase two, so we have that clear understanding. I know it's one project for the same place, but kind of like what we've done with Muleshoe, it gives us an understanding of what phase one was and what phase two was. So, just wanted to say that. Overall, I'm I'm happy that we're taking these steps. It's It's really been a long time coming. I see that the AZA improvements for our road to AZA accreditation again is really getting the the largest transfer um about $800,000, which is really needed. I'm I'm hoping that we can get more of a comprehensive overview of what we're doing at the zoo. Um getting background information, documentation on what we've done prior cuz this this has been the most comprehensive um allocation that we've done to date. I think what we did with HVAC in the fall was reactive and it was absolutely needed. But now I'm seeing us going toward a path of saying, "Okay, we're tackling this issue, this issue, this issue." I want to know what we've done and what is coming, what we have left, just so we have an understanding that we have that commitment to the zoo, and we know what we're spending cuz overall I did some of the of the math and with um the allocations, we're doing about 1.3 million dollars that we're adding to these different four different projects. And so, the total that we have at hand is about 2.9 million after we add these new allocations, we're going to go to 4.2 million and that's big investment for the zoo and we should be telling the public that this is what's happening, you know, especially in light of losing our accreditation. This shows that we're committed to this and and I want to have that. So, I just wanted to throw that out there, so I appreciate that. And just looking at these images on the on the pool repairs, I I've heard different things from the community that this is just in really bad shape and I'm really happy that we're going to get this to a better place, especially for our sea lions that really deserve to have a good place. So, thank you for that and I'm very appreciative to everything that we're doing today. Okay, Javier, can we go to the next presentation? >> Yes. Thank you. IT, can we have the presentation on the budget transfer? Thank you. So, for the second budget transfer request is for the El Paso libraries, which aligns with the infrastructure pillar enhancing community pride through cleanliness maintenance and beautification of public spaces with a focus of maintaining what we have first. The investment interest streets and maintenance for city departments prioritizes its resources for service calls that address critical building systems. As a result, some maintenance needs within library facilities may be deferred to ensure high priority operational issues are addressed first. CID is requesting city council approval to use investment interest accrued from the quality life bond proposition two. These funds will support maintenance and repairs that extend facilities useful life and help maintain welcoming spaces for the community. Due to savings, we revisit these library projects, identify the highest priority items, and apply the funds that will give the greatest benefit to the residents. These improvements are made at no additional cost. The library portfolio that I'll go through is the Dorris Van Doren, the Clardy Fox, the Memorial Library, the Sergio Troncoso, and Armijo Library. Dorris Van Doren Regional Library, the budget increase is 182,000. This one's located in District 1. The funding source is the 2012 quality of life investment interest. The general scope of work is exterior stucco repair throughout, paint exterior metal surfaces including the doors and frames, the exterior louvers, the window edges, the metal gates, and the bollards on site. Here's a look at the metal frames and the stucco that will be painted. It'll be metal the metal will be painted uniform throughout. Here's another look at the conditions of the stucco in the front door entrance. For the Clardy Fox, the budget increase will be 286,000 located in District 2. Again, the funding source will be the 2012 quality of life investment interest. The general scope of work is to remove and replace the four existing door thresholds and weather strips, improve drainage on site, and remove and replace the storefront. Here's a look at the storefront that will be replaced. And here's a look at the drainage issues. You can see the runoff going from the landscape into the sidewalk. For the Memorial Library branch, the budget increase request is 463,000 located in District 2. Funding source is the 2012 quality of life investment interest. The general scope of work is to remove and replace the existing rooftops, the metal flushing, and curb perimeter, and remove and replace the entire roof tile. Here's a look at the units to be replaced. And the roof tiles that will be replaced. For the Sergio Troncoso Library, the budget increase request is 462,000 in District 7. The funding source is a 2012 quality of life interest and the general scope of work is to remove and replace the existing roof throughout the facility, remove and replace the roof hatch, and paint the parapets including surface preparation. Here's a look at the roof and the and the parapet. Again, another look at the roof conditions. For the Mitchel Library branch, the budget increase request is 250,000 located in District 8. The funding source is the 2012 quality of life interest. The general scope of work is a restroom renovation to comply with ADA standards to include design services for demo, replacement of plumbing fixtures, rerouting plumbing infrastructure and toilet accessories, upgrading light fixtures, and interior finishes. Here's a look at the existing bathroom conditions. And the request for action is the city manager designate be authorized to effectuate the budget transfers from the 2012 quality of life investment interest to the libraries mentioned in this presentation. And that concludes this presentation. Thank you, Javier. Representative Canales? Not yet? On the whole thing. Okay, we have one more presentation then and then we'll go to him. Thank you. Representative In looking at some of these images, um is there like a maintenance department for fac- these facilities that can do uh minor repair as a year goes along? Yes. Because I saw like some areas that need to be repainted, but I mean, a door that needs to be repainted, that doesn't seem like an object that needs to qualify inter- under something as big as this. So, I'm wondering if there is some maintenance money and some in the process for that. Correct. So, there is um we have a maintenance department. I think they do an incredible job. Um as you know, we have 250 facilities. Um what we have been allocated over the last couple of years is about $4 million or 4.4 million. And what we have been allocating those towards have been primarily um roofs and HVACs for right now. So, the list that I had most recently saw, like almost all of our senior centers are listed there, you know, major restrooms and ADA um issues. The minor issues in terms of paint and those type of things, the team certainly take um advantage of some of those opportunities to get those things done. What happened with libraries is that most of these projects were um underfunded because we had so much deferred maintenance on a lot of these projects, we ended up spending a lot of the capital dollars on a lot of these infrastructure pieces. And so, I think this staff very conservative in addressing all the issues because we had to get through all the projects. And so, main library, as you know, reopened last year. And so, now the team is going back to say, "What are the other things that would um add life to these projects that we know would be critical for the team?" Uh we have uh 4.4 allocated this year. I think the team actually has another 3.3 million dollars in projects that couldn't fit within the dollars that we have. We have about 66 million dollars of deferred maintenance projects that we would need to address um that I'm aware of based on the last assessment that we've done. Is there um like a work order system? There is. So, there's a work order system and the teams prioritize that, but I think as we said, what generally happens is that it becomes a life safety, something's not working, the air conditioner is broken, the you know, the uh sewage system is backed up, and those becomes the projects rather than some of the aesthetic things that like paint that we think are really important for some of our facilities. We were able to build some internal capacity. I don't I don't think that Randy's here, but we've been trying to ensure that we're um adding some of that capacity to our own team. And so, we brought roofers on last year. So, we're not always having to go, you know, outside for some of that, but I think the capacity versus what we need across the system still is pretty high. And so, they fall under streets and maintenance. And so, streets is one group separate from the maintenance team. >> almost five units with with Randy. So, he has um the fleet. Uh we have a whole facilities team that's also within um his area. So, they take care of all of our buildings as well. Uh we also have traffic management system. >> Right. Uh you have the the street engineers like we talked about the system um in terms of updating that across the board. Uh the street reconstruction pieces is also that team. Uh the fleet management for the entire system is also within that department. Probably leaving out something, but it's mostly what's in his area. And I know there's there they tend to be spread pretty thin, but I I'm concerned when deferred maintenance gets to the point where we have to allocate a huge amount of money to take care of things. And so, as a And and you know, Dione as a librarian, a head librarian, you ultimately become responsible for the building, for the everything that's in your your domain. And the importance of of getting perhaps those work orders out and and raising the alarm of, "Hey, we need to have this done." could potentially um lead to not having to expend thousands and thousands of dollars for some of those projects. Gen- Generally, what would happen with these type of projects just from when I was library director, we we didn't have a way to be able to repair any of these. And so, they would end up in the annual CO. So, I mean, we were paying interest on it. So, any of the projects that couldn't be done by the team locally, we would end up, you know, offering doing some type of CO for those type of projects. And so, I'm really proud that the team took advantage of existing dollars, which allows us to leverage the other 4.4 that you graciously um helped us to restore some of in our last budget to really start to get to a pattern where we can address all of these issues. A couple years ago, we did do a project um we called paint and shine. And so, we went out and did a lot of the painted all the the playgrounds. And so, we're always thinking about things like that that we can do to enhance within the dollars that we have, but there's a lot, ma'am. There's just a lot. I I I like that, paint and shine. Um because when we don't we don't take care of our facilities, then they go down and down and down. Um as a campus administrator, the last day of schools when the kids were don- were gone, it was to walk out the front door and walk the entire building and look at everything that needed to be done, go into every single classroom and put those all on a list and and and try to get those done. You can't get them all done um because the priority are going to be your clean, waxed floors for the first day of school, but those items were maintained. And as the year went by, we would tackle each and every one of them um to get them to the point um the pride of a campus is walking in, shiny floors, uh good smelling campus. And so, um that's what we were doing. And I know that's what you do with with the libraries as well. So, thank you for what you're doing, and we'll continue, and maybe we can do a paint and shine project pretty soon. Thank you. Javier, can we please see the last presentation? Yes. Thank you. The third budget transfer request is for the Donathan traffic signals, which aligns with public safety and infrastructure pillars with the focus on key transportation planning and traffic management. So, the reason for the budget increase for this one is the BNSF uh traffic control requirements working with the railroad tracks including associated fees. So, here's a an overview of the current budget setup and the budget increase and the total project budget. So, for Donathan and Bird, the current budget is 917,000. The budget increase request is 454,000 for a new total project budget of 1 million. For Donathan Drive and West Green Avenue, the current budget is 1.1 million dollars with the budget increase request of 173,000. And the new total project budget of 1.3 million. And again, the District 1 and the funding source is the 2018 CO PCP bonds. And you see that high cost for the traffic signals, and you see the large scope of work that goes into this, which involves demolition of the existing sidewalks ramps landscaping installation of the traffic signal poles and the assembly mast arms, the traffic signals themselves and the foundations, the day- ADA ramps, the ground boxes, the sidewalks, signage and striping, excavation, conduits, and of course, the preemption with the coordination with BNSF. So, the request for action is the city manager designee be authorized to execute the budget transfers from the project savings fund PCB bonds in support of allocating additional funds to Doniphan and Byrd and Doniphan and Green traffic signals. And that concludes this presentation. Thank you, Javier. Representative Canales. Thank you. Uh couple of things. So, the both of these traffic signals Doniphan and Byrd and Doniphan and West Green uh these were in District 8 in 2018 when the when the COs were approved. Um and I remember rejoicing from the ne- you know, a rejoicing response from the neighborhoods. Uh they were very excited particularly about Doniphan and Byrd. Um and I know that was initially held up by the pandemic and then um I'm you know, I've then it was no longer in District 8 so I I I lost track of it a little bit. Um do we have now a an updated timeline? And again, I don't want to step on your toes uh Mayor Pro Tem. Uh do we have an updated timeline for the neighborhoods there on when these projects can get rolled out? They've waited quite a long time. >> Yeah, I'll make sure I get you a timeline for those. Okay. Um probably to me and to Mayor Pro Tem as well. They're her constituents now. Um but every once in a while I see one of them at the store or something and they still ask me about the Doniphan and particularly the Doniphan and Byrd signal. They're very focused on that one. Um I think it was very anticipated by by the neighborhoods. Um and then just I I noticed the item is listed only as District 1 and District 2. It's a tiny thing but Ms. Prime, can we please reflect in the minutes that the projects are in District 1 District 2, District 7, and District 8. Yes. Um and then the Sorry, I had one additional question and I lost it. That's okay. We're at the end of the day. I don't need to ask my question. Thank you very much. Thank you, Javier, once again um for your presentation and for sticking it out with us till the very end. We appreciate it. >> whoever put me at the end. So, thank you. Thank you. Okay, Ms. Prime, I think we have a motion and a second. Yes, a motion was made by Representative Limón, seconded by Alternate Mayor Pro Tem Fierro to approve the resolution on item 34. On that motion, call for the vote. And the voting session and that motion passes unanimously. Approved up to haha It's been a long day. Make a motion to adjourn. There's a motion and a second. >> Mayor Pro Tem, I I have one one quick question before we do that. Um without a without objection, I'd like to ask that a transcript of my comments on item 32 be added to the meeting minutes. Ditto. Yes, please send those transcripts to my office so we can include that with the minutes. We will. Thank you. And before we adjourn, I just want to thank everyone for your cooperation these last two days in absence of our mayor. I know we wish him well in his graduation at Bloomberg. Um and we look forward to seeing him back on council soon. So, thank you all. Thank you, Ms. Mack. Thank you, Josette, and to the entire uh legal team as well. Thank you. And you did a great job presiding. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. There's a motion and a second to adjourn the city council meeting. All in favor? I. I. Anyone opposed? And the city council meeting for Tuesday, April 14th, 2026 is adjourned at 5:24 p.m. Thank you, council, and thank you, Mayor Pro Tem.