Court OKs Tornillo veterans memorial award and names Agua Dulce skate park for local skateboarder

El Paso County Commissioners Court Monday approved two neighborhood-focused items: an award under the countys Neighborhood Improvement Program to build a veterans memorial in Tornillo and the renaming of the skateboard area inside Agua Dulce Park to honor Mario Navarro.

Planning staff said the Tornillo Neighborhood Association submitted the only eligible application for this years Neighborhood Improvement Program, scored it against program criteria and recommended a scope that could be completed with the available $125,000 appropriation after scope adjustments. The associations proposal calls for a series of sculpted elements and a commemorative node linking a popular walking path to Coyote Park. Mario Aguirre, president of the Tornillo Neighborhood Association, and other veterans groups spoke in favor of the memorial during public comment.

Commissioners also approved a naming request for the skate area at Agua Dulce Park to honor Mario Navarro, a local skateboarder and mentor to area youth who died in a 2022 workplace accident. Norma Rivera Palacios of the Public Works Department presented the request and described the community support; family members and community leaders addressed the court in support. Judge Samaniego moved the naming and Commissioner Olguin seconded; the court carried the motions for both the Tornillo award and the skatepark naming.

Why it matters: County officials said the Neighborhood Improvement Program is intended to fund small, durable projects that respond to neighborhood priorities and encourage formation of neighborhood associations. The Tornillo memorial and the skate‑park naming are intended to highlight local veterans and community mentorship and to add permanent, low‑maintenance amenities to county parks and rights of way.