County outlines timeline and procurement plan for $155M bond program, says some park work can be accelerated

El Paso County staff presented the commissioner's court with an updated delivery timeline and procurement plan for the $155 million general obligation bond package voters approved in November.

Jose del Meros, deputy county administrator for strategic capital development, said staff had formed a cross-department "project powerhouse" team to coordinate legal, procurement, design and finance work and to publish a public dashboard next month that will track project spending and milestones. He described the county—s plan to use a mix of delivery methods tailored to each project: construction manager at risk (CMAR) for large, complex efforts such as major park renovations, design-build for energy or sports-lighting upgrades, and competitive sealed bids or cooperative purchasing for smaller, stand-alone items.

The court was given project-level estimates and milestone dates. Highlights include:

- Escarate Park festival-area improvements (bundle A1-A5): estimate $30,960,000; design start targeted next month, construction currently forecast to begin in 2027 with completion in 2029. Staff said utility coordination (notably with El Paso Electric and El Paso Water) constrains some schedule elements but that phased packages and the CMAR method can allow visible activity to start earlier in selected work packages (for example, shelters and trail segments).

- Veterans Park (Fabens) improvements: estimate about $7.4 million; project is pending land access negotiations with the Fabens Water District and would proceed under competitive sealed bid once access is secured.

- Gallegos Park and River Trail: estimate about $3.2 million for the trail; design to start in late 2025 and construction targeted for late 2027 to early 2029. The county said it will pursue required easements and coordinate pole relocations where utility poles conflict with planned trail alignments.

- Office of the Medical Examiner: authorized budget $26.7 million; CMAR delivery selected, design to begin May 2025 and construction scheduled to start March 2026 with an estimated completion in March 2027.

- County animal shelter (Prop E): authorized budget $32.71 million; CMAR selected; design to begin summer 2025 with construction planned to start May 2026 and completion estimated in late 2028.

Staff emphasized a conservative financing approach. Rather than 1 or 2 large bond issuances, the county—s financial advisor is considering smaller, more frequent issuances or a short-term tax note to match cashflow needs and reduce interest costs. The county estimates the propositions would raise the county—s debt-service tax rate by about 1.5 cents.

Commissioners repeatedly pressed staff to accelerate visible elements of park projects so voters can see progress. Public-works staff and project managers noted some lower-complexity components—prefabricated picnic shelters, trail paving segments, benches, lighting and landscaping—could be procured and installed earlier through cooperative purchasing, job-order contracting, or targeted construction packages.

Betsy Keller, county administrator, directed teams to coordinate with precinct offices on stakeholder engagement and to install standardized signage and QR-coded links at construction sites to drive the public dashboard. "We want people to see activity and understand project milestones," she said.

Why it matters: This is the county—s largest capital portfolio to date; procurement choices and financing structure will affect schedule, costs and near-term debt-service requirements. Commissioners asked for clarity on which project elements can be advanced quickly and asked staff to use signage and public reporting to show progress to voters.

What happens next: Staff will finalize cashflow needs, present recommended issuance structure and a draft public dashboard, and return with updated project timelines and a procurement plan for each major project ahead of the next court update.