What will happen first?
- Thread starter FiliUTEP
- Start date
On kind of a side note, I looked it up and the Alamodome in San Antonio was built in 1993 for roughly the same price($186 million) that the El Paso Arena($180 million) will be built. Obviously $186 million bought more in 1993 compared to today, but I still thought it was interesting and it also reinforces how the longer that we wait, the lesser and lesser of an arena we will get.
- The Tax Payers overwhelmingly Voted for it.
- The city held multiple town hall meetings prior to the vote, where they explained the bond proposals.
- 21 out of 22 property owners have already agreed to sell their properties(and most are thrilled to have a buyer for their run down properties).
- The city has paid roughly a million dollars for two independent outside surveys and both surveys said that the Durango neighborhood was the best location for the arena.
- We are suffering through construction headaches as we build a trolley line that goes right by this Durango site. Why change away from the master plan and build the arena in a different area that does not benefit from being located on this new trolly line?
- There is no building of legitimate historical significance in the area. Nobody will visit these buildings(or even care) that one building was once a brothel, an old chinese laundromat, or because a family that built a cementary once lived in one house.
- The renters in this area that are being affected, are receiving assistance packages and moving to "nicer places" as one of the last remaining tenants has even said.
- Nobody cared about these buildings or this neighborhood at this time a year ago. Nobody tried to help this area or it's people until it was announced that the buildings were going to be demolished. Now they want to save buildings that they don't own, and they want to enforce their thoughts over renters who are recieving nice moving packages and moving to nicer places.
- My fear is that this will end up exactly like the Lincoln Center. Nobody put any investment, work, or commitment into that building. But once it was about to be demolished(by the actual property owner), then people began to party and rally to save it. Then after it was saved and wasn't demolished then the same people who fought for it, went back to forgetting about it and not investing any money, effort, or plans into it. That asbestos contaminated building continues to just sit there and deteriorate further with no continued organized public effort into it after they saved it. If the city doesn't build in Durango, then 5 years from now you will still have the same run down buildings and run down neighborhood...just with 5 more years of deterioration.
- My personal belief is that the vocal minority is making all of the noise here but that the majority of El Paso wants the arena built. I also think that the media is making it seem like there is bigger opposition than what really exists. I will give you an example, here was an El Paso Times article dedicated to the Durango Protesters who were picketing outside of a Dee Margo Mayor rally. There was 17 protesters, 17 that's it, yet the EPT gave them a full article & video post and they made it appear like there was a strong protest:
http://www.elpasotimes.com/videos/n...uito-advocates-protest-margo-event/100358426/
- I don't support or oppose Margo, but the fact is that he made it clear before the Mayoral election that he wants to build the arena in Durango and he won. His opponent didn't want the arena built in Durango and he lost. If there are so many people who want to save Durango, then why didn't they bother to vote against Margo?
- Also doesn't the city of El Paso recieve millions of dollars in tax rebates from the state of Texas if they build the arena and build it within 1,000 feet of the convention center? This has apparently been estimated to be around $25 million for El Paso in additional money from the state divided out over 10 years. I would rather that $25 million come to El Paso rather than go to Dallas/Houston/Etc.
- The Tax Payers overwhelmingly Voted for it.
- The city held multiple town hall meetings prior to the vote, where they explained the bond proposals.
- 21 out of 22 property owners have already agreed to sell their properties(and most are thrilled to have a buyer for their run down properties).
- The city has paid roughly a million dollars for two independent outside surveys and both surveys said that the Durango neighborhood was the best location for the arena.
- We are suffering through construction headaches as we build a trolley line that goes right by this Durango site. Why change away from the master plan and build the arena in a different area that does not benefit from being located on this new trolly line?
- There is no building of legitimate historical significance in the area. Nobody will visit these buildings(or even care) that one building was once a brothel, an old chinese laundromat, or because a family that built a cementary once lived in one house.
- The renters in this area that are being affected, are receiving assistance packages and moving to "nicer places" as one of the last remaining tenants has even said.
- Nobody cared about these buildings or this neighborhood at this time a year ago. Nobody tried to help this area or it's people until it was announced that the buildings were going to be demolished. Now they want to save buildings that they don't own, and they want to enforce their thoughts over renters who are recieving nice moving packages and moving to nicer places.
- My fear is that this will end up exactly like the Lincoln Center. Nobody put any investment, work, or commitment into that building. But once it was about to be demolished(by the actual property owner), then people began to party and rally to save it. Then after it was saved and wasn't demolished then the same people who fought for it, went back to forgetting about it and not investing any money, effort, or plans into it. That asbestos contaminated building continues to just sit there and deteriorate further with no continued organized public effort into it after they saved it. If the city doesn't build in Durango, then 5 years from now you will still have the same run down buildings and run down neighborhood...just with 5 more years of deterioration.
- My personal belief is that the vocal minority is making all of the noise here but that the majority of El Paso wants the arena built. I also think that the media is making it seem like there is bigger opposition than what really exists. I will give you an example, here was an El Paso Times article dedicated to the Durango Protesters who were picketing outside of a Dee Margo Mayor rally. There was 17 protesters, 17 that's it, yet the EPT gave them a full article & video post and they made it appear like there was a strong protest:
http://www.elpasotimes.com/videos/n...uito-advocates-protest-margo-event/100358426/
- I don't support or oppose Margo, but the fact is that he made it clear before the Mayoral election that he wants to build the arena in Durango and he won. His opponent didn't want the arena built in Durango and he lost. If there are so many people who want to save Durango, then why didn't they bother to vote against Margo?
- Also doesn't the city of El Paso recieve millions of dollars in tax rebates from the state of Texas if they build the arena and build it within 1,000 feet of the convention center? This has apparently been estimated to be around $25 million for El Paso in additional money from the state divided out over 10 years. I would rather that $25 million come to El Paso rather than go to Dallas/Houston/Etc.
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Just build the damn thing. Whatever was proposed and voted for, get it done! Seriously, I can't even remember everything that was put out there before we voted for it.
I just don't get our stupid city. Why the hell do we even vote for things if we aren't going to follow through? It was an overwhelming yes vote, yet here we are.
Same with EPISD. I remember reading how Irvin was going to be torn down and rebuilt with that ridiculous bond. How so many schools were getting immediate upgrades that were long overdue. Now I hear they are changing their plans. I guess the overpaid superintendent needs more travel money.
And we complain about UTEP. It's just a pattern in El Paso. (on a side note, I see UTEP posters popping up in businesses on the west side. It's a start)
I just don't get our stupid city. Why the hell do we even vote for things if we aren't going to follow through? It was an overwhelming yes vote, yet here we are.
Same with EPISD. I remember reading how Irvin was going to be torn down and rebuilt with that ridiculous bond. How so many schools were getting immediate upgrades that were long overdue. Now I hear they are changing their plans. I guess the overpaid superintendent needs more travel money.
And we complain about UTEP. It's just a pattern in El Paso. (on a side note, I see UTEP posters popping up in businesses on the west side. It's a start)
15k is my floor. They are saying that, even at 13k, it will have those lucrative luxury boxes, and music/chih/EP sport fan made a big deal of the seating being scalable to allow room for certain events that apparently the Don can't accommodate.
But yeah, if El Paso is trying to become a big city then it needs a big city arena. 15k minimum.
I was thinking of putting that as a option. That is another possibility. That would stink though.
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