Poll: are you now for or against building the arena in Durangito?

[NoNCAAWinsSince1992]

You do know that only 1 building in the arena footprint is not already owned by the city. I am just talking about those buildings the city already owns. I would be willing to be there would be plenty of people to help with legal fees too.

Doesn’t matter. Someone still owns it, whether it’s a city or a single person. Ok then, you’re right, go hypothetically bulldoze the buildings. I will hypothetically go protest outside of Jim Senters office, naked, and will also have plenty of supporters. See you at the 2021 UTEP National Championship parade!

 

[utep2step]

That is not a bad idea, especially given the legal mess they’re in. Unfortunately the city will probably have to issue another bond to cover the differencenow that it will probably cost more to build. The only problem is that the city is probably going to be facing an enormous budget shortfall due to this shut down and it would probably make more sense to allocate all future monies towards getting the city budget under control. The more I think about it this pandemic probably puts the final nail in the arena’s coffin.

Ay dios mio! Another twenty five years?!

Money was set aside.

 

[UTEPMiners8106]

Ay dios mio! Another twenty five years?!

Money was set aside.

I want that arena, just like a lot of you guys on this board. But the reality is that this pandemic is probably a blessing for Grossman’s bid to stop the arena from being built. I don’t agree with him trying to stop construction based on the fact that Duranguito was some magical/historical area that we should care about. Whatever money that was set aside will not cover what an arena will cost in 2021 and beyond. Will voters agree to another bond to cover the additional costs? Especially when we will have WAY MORE pressing matters economically.

 

[NoNCAAWinsSince1992]

I want that arena, just like a lot of you guys on this board. But the reality is that this pandemic is probably a blessing for Grossman’s bid to stop the arena from being built. I don’t agree with him trying to stop construction based on the fact that Duranguito was some magical/historical area that we should care about. Whatever money that was set aside will not cover what an arena will cost in 2021 and beyond. Will voters agree to another bond to cover the additional costs? Especially when we will have WAY MORE pressing matters economically.

Why do you want the arena? What events will be held there that can’t be held at the Don or Coliseum?

 

[kickballpro]

Why do you want the arena? What events will be held there that can’t be held at the Don or Coliseum?

I asked that question long ago to Joe Muench. And he told me that the Don Haskins Center does not have the configuration to have a large capacity for the end stage set up. He gave me an example of another arena in Texas that had a smaller total capacity but a larger concert capacity (Loredo?)

However, he also said that for a new Arena to survive it needs a tenant. This was a while back and Joe was talking about Arena Football and Ice Hockey.

Will this new arena be able to fill enough dates to be worthwhile? Because the Colliseam, the Don, and the Sun Bowl can support alot of the tours. You have to wonder if it's really worth building for the % of tours we miss out on.

 

[NoNCAAWinsSince1992]

I asked that question long ago to Joe Muench. And he told me that the Don Haskins Center does not have the configuration to have a large capacity for the end stage set up. He gave me an example of another arena in Texas that had a smaller total capacity but a larger concert capacity (Loredo?)

However, he also said that for a new Arena to survive it needs a tenant. This was a while back and Joe was talking about Arena Football and Ice Hockey.

Will this new arena be able to fill enough dates to be worthwhile? Because the Colliseam, the Don, and the Sun Bowl can support alot of the tours. You have to wonder if it's really worth building for the % of tours we miss out on.

The large stage setup and unmovable rows of seats are for sure an issue for some concerts. Is it a reason to build a brand new arena though? Metallica, Cher, Britney Spears, TSO, and other big shows have found a way to play the Haskins Center.

The biggest arena football league went under and even then they play like 10 games or less at home. You think minor league hockey and G-League teams are going to be successful? Again, I do not see the point of it at this point in time. 7 years ago, different story.

 

[JCorona]

When’s the next concert anyway?

 

[NoNCAAWinsSince1992]

When’s the next concert anyway?

Nobody knows. At least El Paso doesn’t have an arena sitting empty for an extended period of time.

 

[MistaBinks]

When’s the next concert anyway?

 

[Autograph Boy]

There are concerts scheduled in the fall.

 

[UTEPMiners8106]

Why do you want the arena? What events will be held there that can’t be held at the Don or Coliseum?

It’s like KickballPro said, a modern day arena with proper rigging and configure able seating is appealing, especially when it comes to bigger touring events like The WWE and major concerts. The economics of it all really does say it’s not worth it if there is no tenant and I totally understand the argument against it now. Especially if we’re trying to bring in trash G-League basketball or something to that effect. Now given that logic it also isn’t worth building a soccer arena for 2nd division US soccer.

 

[NoNCAAWinsSince1992]

It’s like KickballPro said, a modern day arena with proper rigging and configure able seating is appealing, especially when it comes to bigger touring events like The WWE and major concerts. The economics of it all really does say it’s not worth it if there is no tenant and I totally understand the argument against it now. Especially if we’re trying to bring in trash G-League basketball or something to that effect. Now given that logic it also isn’t worth building a soccer arena for 2nd division US soccer.

The soccer stadium is dead too. There’s no way they’re building that. The soccer team would only be able to fill it like 20 times a year. Foster can build his own stadium. EP isn’t going to pay for a stadium for the Locomotive

 

[kickballpro]

It’s like KickballPro said, a modern day arena with proper rigging and configure able seating is appealing, especially when it comes to bigger touring events like The WWE and major concerts. The economics of it all really does say it’s not worth it if there is no tenant and I totally understand the argument against it now. Especially if we’re trying to bring in trash G-League basketball or something to that effect. Now given that logic it also isn’t worth building a soccer arena for 2nd division US soccer.

I would love to see a new downtown arena be the Home to UTEP Mens Basketball. I know it doesn't make sense for UTEP to lease that space, but I think it would makes sense for UTEP basketball to be a local hot spot again.

 

[UTEPMiners8106]

The soccer stadium is dead too. There’s no way they’re building that. The soccer team would only be able to fill it like 20 times a year. Foster can build his own stadium. EP isn’t going to pay for a stadium for the Locomotive

And it should be. Anyone that likes that team, God bless. But they don’t deserve a stadium. I too wouldn’t mind a joint venture with UTEP, but that would only work in our minds and not in the real world. UTEP has the market cornered on hosting major arena events so why would they go play at a new arena that would take away business from them?

 

[NoNCAAWinsSince1992]

And it should be. Anyone that likes that team, God bless. But they don’t deserve a stadium. I too wouldn’t mind a joint venture with UTEP, but that would only work in our minds and not in the real world. UTEP has the market cornered on hosting major arena events so why would they go play at a new arena that would take away business from them?

Exactly. UTEP wants to keep their revenue and the city wants to get their own too. Oh well, El Paso will get the shaft anyway. The taxpayers will just be taxed more, like always

 

[UTEPMiners8106]

Exactly. UTEP wants to keep their revenue and the city wants to get their own too. Oh well, El Paso will get the shaft anyway. The taxpayers will just be taxed more, like always

I wonder if the city will put it to a vote in the future. Just propose another bond to cover the cost of the arena and see if it passes. I have always had the sense that a lot of people don’t read what the ballots call for or they don’t understand that these proposals increase our tax liability.

 

[JCorona]

It’s unfortunate the way this entire scenario played out. The arena should have been built by now.

I can’t help but think that if the arena had been built on time it would have been of to a horrible start. One of the first big events it would have hosted would have been the cusa tournament. Imagine outbidding Frisco only to lose that investment. Just our luck, in 2019 we didn’t qualify for the tournament and in 2020 it would have been canceled cuz of the virus. That could have put a nail in the coffin to the city ever taking a risk of hosting the tournament.

The Don is a fine venue but it looks like it was built in the 70s. Pumping a few million into it might be a temporary less expensive solution. Until the city can put another bond up for vote with the all loopholes closed this time around.

 

[Autograph Boy]

It’s unfortunate the way this entire scenario played out. The arena should have been built by now.

I can’t help but think that if the arena had been built on time it would have been of to a horrible start. One of the first big events it would have hosted would have been the cusa tournament. Imagine outbidding Frisco only to lose that investment. Just our luck, in 2019 we didn’t qualify for the tournament and in 2020 it would have been canceled cuz of the virus. That could have put a nail in the coffin to the city ever taking a risk of hosting the tournament.

The Don is a fine venue but it looks like it was built in the 70s. Pumping a few million into it might be a temporary less expensive solution. Until the city can put another bond up for vote with the all loopholes closed this time around.

I would rather pay those millions for good coaches.

 

[JCorona]

I would rather pay those millions for good coaches.

A renovated Don Haskins is for the entire city. As it would help attract performances that might have skipped the city before. A good coach comes with a risk. He might do good he might be Floyd. If he does good it’s only for the 6-8k that show up and all 17 of us arguing on the internet. There’s a lot more to life than a coach that might win 4 extra games.

 

[Autograph Boy]

A renovated Don Haskins is for the entire city. As it would help attract performances that might have skipped the city before. A good coach comes with a risk. He might do good he might be Floyd. If he does good it’s only for the 6-8k that show up and all 17 of us arguing on the internet. There’s a lot more to life than a coach that might win 4 extra games.

It's not just going to be a few million. It's going to be tens of millions of dollars. The Pit's renovation costs were $60 million. Pan Am was $20 million.

I would rather pay a few million and get a good coach, go to the Big Dance on a regular basis, and win consistently.

 

[Autograph Boy]

A renovated Don Haskins is for the entire city. As it would help attract performances that might have skipped the city before. A good coach comes with a risk. He might do good he might be Floyd. If he does good it’s only for the 6-8k that show up and all 17 of us arguing on the internet. There’s a lot more to life than a coach that might win 4 extra games.

El Paso needs an amphitheatre. That would attract many concerts.

 

[Autograph Boy]

A renovated Don Haskins is for the entire city. As it would help attract performances that might have skipped the city before. A good coach comes with a risk. He might do good he might be Floyd. If he does good it’s only for the 6-8k that show up and all 17 of us arguing on the internet. There’s a lot more to life than a coach that might win 4 extra games.

If we have a good coach at least 10k are showing up.

 

[JCorona]

[

It's not just going to be a few million. It's going to be tens of millions of dollars. The Pit's renovation costs were $60 million. Pan Am was $20 million.

I would rather pay a few million and get a good coach, go to the Big Dance on a regular basis, and win consistently.

20 million is a lot less than what the arena will cost. The voters would never approve millions for a UTEP basketball coach. Nmsu has shown us we don’t need to hire a million dollar coach to go to the big dance and win constantly. You can’t buy wins. Ask the blue blood programs.

Back then we used to get 10k to see old wac rivals and some of the older CUSA programs that left for the AAC. Ain’t no one care about our current conference teams. Some have suggested they would enjoy playing Cal Baptist, Rio Grande, and Orem Utah instead. This season before it went down the hill we were undefeated hosting a one loss rival. We only got 6k to show up. The days of 10/40k are Dead. Winning will bring back some fans but Imo our future is 8/24k.

 

[Autograph Boy]

[

20 million is a lot less than what the arena will cost. The voters would never approve millions for a UTEP basketball coach. Nmsu has shown us we don’t need to hire a million dollar coach to go to the big dance and win constantly. You can’t buy wins. Ask the blue blood programs.

Back then we used to get 10k to see old wac rivals and some of the older CUSA programs that left for the AAC. Ain’t no one care about our current conference teams. Some have suggested they would enjoy playing Cal Baptist, Rio Grande, and Orem Utah instead. This season before it went down the hill we were undefeated hosting a one loss rival. We only got 6k to show up. The days of 10/40k are Dead. Winning will bring back some fans but Imo our future is 8/24k.

Thank you for pointing out that it will be more than a few million.

So what is NMSU doing differently?

If UTEP went to the Big Dance on a regular basis I promise you average attendance would be well over 10k and there would be sell-outs.

 

[Autograph Boy]

[

20 million is a lot less than what the arena will cost. The voters would never approve millions for a UTEP basketball coach. Nmsu has shown us we don’t need to hire a million dollar coach to go to the big dance and win constantly. You can’t buy wins. Ask the blue blood programs.

Back then we used to get 10k to see old wac rivals and some of the older CUSA programs that left for the AAC. Ain’t no one care about our current conference teams. Some have suggested they would enjoy playing Cal Baptist, Rio Grande, and Orem Utah instead. This season before it went down the hill we were undefeated hosting a one loss rival. We only got 6k to show up. The days of 10/40k are Dead. Winning will bring back some fans but Imo our future is 8/24k.

The people voting to pay add to the athlete fees are UTEP students.

 

[unihorn]

The city is not going to fix up The Don.

 

[JCorona]

Thank you for pointing out that it will be more than a few million.

So what is NMSU doing differently?

If UTEP went to the Big Dance on a regular basis I promise you average attendance would be well over 10k and there would be sell-outs.

Hiring the right coaches. Culture.

They probably would but UTEP will never be the nmsu of CUSA. No program in our conference has been able to sustain success for more than a few seasons at a time.

 

[Autograph Boy]

Hiring the right coaches. Culture.

They probably would but UTEP will never be the nmsu of CUSA. No program in our conference has been able to sustain success for more than a few seasons at a time.

Pretty sad that a school with less revenue that pays their coaches and administrative staff less can have a better culture and hire the right coaches.

I am not saying going to the Big Dance every year , but every 2-3 years. If UTEP did that, plus went to the NIT in between, beat ranked teams, won conference championships, attendance would be spectacular.

 

[unihorn]

City council voted 6-2 Tuesday to not suspend arena and Mexican American Cultural Center projects.

Foster is fully supportive of the arena.

 

[Cube Jack]

I just want to see that dump leveled

 

[Randaddy Miner]

Doesn’t matter. Someone still owns it, whether it’s a city or a single person. Ok then, you’re right, go hypothetically bulldoze the buildings. I will hypothetically go protest outside of Jim Senters office, naked, and will also have plenty of supporters. See you at the 2021 UTEP National Championship parade!

No matter how many personalities you come up with you only count as one

 

[utep2step]

Ancient remain discovered in SA. Moving forward but respect for our past (archeology).

https://www.ksat.com/news/local/202...park-during-city-archeological-investigation/

 

[unihorn]

Ancient remain discovered in SA. Moving forward but respect for our past (archeology).

https://www.ksat.com/news/local/202...park-during-city-archeological-investigation/

If they dig around here and find some old Chinaman’s bones, just add a little Chinese section to the Hispanic Cultural Center of the World they’re building — maybe with a little Covid interpretive center.

 

[Cube Jack]

If they dig around here and find some old Chinaman’s bones, just add a little Chinese section to the Hispanic Cultural Center of the World they’re building — maybe with a little Covid interpretive center.

after watching Ozark I wonder if anyone would be skeptical of those bones

 

[Cube Jack]

So there's a protest downtown tomorrow. Maybe they'll burn down this dump.

 

[utep2step]

Texas Supreme Court decides not to rehear.

https://www.ktsm.com/local/el-paso-news/texas-supreme-court-declines-to-rehear-duranguito-lawsuit-case/ ( Sent from KTSM 9 News )

 

[Autograph Boy]

Great news!

 

[TXPrepMiner02]

Texas Supreme Court decides not to rehear.

https://www.ktsm.com/local/el-paso-news/texas-supreme-court-declines-to-rehear-duranguito-lawsuit-case/ ( Sent from KTSM 9 News )

You beat me to it 2step! Interesting to also see that the ruling maintained that the arena can host sports. Hoping Grossman can just go away with this ruling.

 

[Cube Jack]

Has Grossman ever been honorary faculty coach at a game?

 

[Autograph Boy]

You beat me to it 2step! Interesting to also see that the ruling maintained that the arena can host sports. Hoping Grossman can just go away with this ruling.

I am sure he will continue to still fight it with his billionaire sugar daddy.