UTEP’s proposal to use taxpayers' money to improve the iconic Sun Bowl stadium to better attract large music concerts may be dead.
El Paso County’s proposed list of 23 projects for a possible November bond election does not include the $99 million Sun Bowl project as requested by University of Texas at El Paso officials.
The proposed $294.4 million bond issue list, recommended by the county bond advisory committee, was reviewed by El Paso County Commissioners Court at a special meeting July 9. No action was taken.
However, County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, Wednesday, July 10, put some life back into UTEP's request when he told KVIA-TV that he plans to bring the proposed Sun Bowl project up for discussion at the Commissioners Court's July 15 meeting and indicated he supports the proposal.
“When it's competing against quality of life things that hit (county) precincts directly, it's very difficult to compete against. But I'm asking that we look at it from a business perspective. There's nothing like job creation, economic development. It will eventually impact everything else,” Samaniego told KVIA.
Commissioners are expected to make a decision by Aug. 19 on whether to go forward with the bond election, and adopt a final project list, according to a timeline presented to commissioners at the meeting. County property taxes would increase to pay for the bond issue, county information shows.
They also are to decide on a list of 28 additional proposed projects, also recommended by the bond committee, that would be paid with $188 million in certificates of obligation. Those do not require approval from voters, but would be paid with property taxes.
UTEP officials are not commenting on the proposed bond list, or what it means for the Sun Bowl project, a UTEP spokesperson said Wednesday.
However, UTEP President Heather Wilson at a late May press conference said without the project being on the county bond issue, it would not be done.
Jim Senter, UTEP director of athletics, told county commissioners Tuesday that UTEP needs help from the county to do the Sun Bowl project.
UTEP wants to partner with the county to enhance this area’s quality of life and “as Dr. Wilson has often said, ‘Make this (El Paso) a must stop for the A-1 (music) acts instead of a gas stop,'” Senter said.
UTEP has made about $20 million in Sun Bowl improvements in recent years, but it can’t do a big project without help, he said.
“We’ll be able to continue to keep doing what we do, but it won’t be as good as it could be,” Senter said. “And we won’t be able to do as much as we’d like to help enhance this community and the lives of people that are here, and effect the economic Impact.”
County commissioners made no comments and asked no questions after Senter spoke.
Samaniego told Senter that commissioners can’t interact with a person who speaks during the designated public comment period at Commissioners Court meetings. That occurred at the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting.
Wilson said in May that UTEP needs $99 million from county taxpayers to upgrade the Sun Bowl’s electrical system, widen the stadium’s south entrance for large semitrailer trucks hauling concert equipment, install a system to cover the artificial turf during concerts, upgrade team locker rooms, improve concession stands, and add food service and other amenities sought by concert promoters for their music stars.
Those are things the 46,000-seat, 60-year-old Sun Bowl stadium needs to attract more large music concerts, and help pump millions of dollars into the local economy, Wilson has said.
The improvements would be aimed to increase use of the stadium, which Wilson said is "one of the most underused facilities in this entire region."
It hosts the annual, nationally televised Sun Bowl college football game, and UTEP football games. It's also had a few large concerts over the years.
No other funding is available to do the project, including from donors, or the UT System, which owns the stadium, Wilson said in May.
The county bond issue project list includes a proposal to spend almost $12 million to add a festival area with musical stages at the county’s Ascarate Park in the Lower Valley; and to spend about $60 million to upgrade the County Coliseum, which stages small music concerts and other events. About half the $60 million would be for what county officials classify as "deferred maintenance" at the coliseum.
Commissioners Court plans to hold additional planning workshops on the proposed bond and certificates of obligation projects July 18 and July 29.
Vic Kolenc may be reached at 915-546-6421; vkolenc@elpasotimes.com; @vickolenc on Twitter, now known as X.
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