County approves $1 million toward downtown Deck Park design after contentious debate

The El Paso County Commissioners Court voted 3-2 on June 30 to commit $1 million toward the design phase of the proposed downtown Deck Park Plaza and to begin negotiating an agreement with the city and private partners for future participation.

The court’s decision came after more than two hours of presentations and public comment — including multiple speakers who urged the court to reject the county contribution because they said the project would not address urgent needs in outlying neighborhoods. Veronica Carbajal, a climate and civil-rights organizer, told the court: “We oppose any governmental investment in the deck park. Please vote no on item 8B.”

County staff and project backers, including city representatives and members of the Downtown Deck Park Foundation, framed the $1 million as a necessary, time‑sensitive commitment to pay for design and “future‑proofing” work that must be coordinated with Texas Department of Transportation plans for I‑10 reconstruction. Tracy Yellen, speaking for the city’s team, said the city’s approach focuses on the design phase first to produce accurate construction estimates and phasing: “This step‑by‑step approach is what was presented to council earlier this month.”

Why it matters: court staff warned that TxDOT’s highway schedule creates a limited window to include the structural elements that would permit a deck in the future; if those elements are not built when TxDOT does I‑10 work, adding them later would be substantially more expensive and disruptive. Proponents argued the county’s contribution would help secure matching state and federal funds and private commitments already pledged to the project.

What the court approved: the motion (moved by Commissioner Coronado, seconded by Commissioner Stout) authorized staff to negotiate a formal agreement with the city and the Downtown Deck Park Foundation and to reallocate $1,000,000 from the contingency balance of the county’s 2023 series B certificates of obligation to a new Deck Park design line item. Court members were explicit that the $1 million covers the design phase only; any county construction contribution would require a separate future decision.

Opposition and concerns: opponents said the design cost should not be funded now when basic infrastructure and services in unincorporated areas remain unmet. Several speakers and commissioners pressed for guarantees on protections against displacement, for commitments to affordable housing and for transparency on long‑term maintenance costs. One public commenter noted a city estimate of multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar total costs and warned of a large ongoing annual operations bill.

Next steps and contingencies: staff will return with a proposed participation agreement that lays out (at minimum) governance, design and information‑access terms and conditions under which the county would consider further contributions. The city expects to complete a more detailed design and updated cost estimate by fall 2026; the county will reconsider any construction‑phase asks after seeing those updated numbers. The court also directed staff to verify which bond/CO issuances legally permit the reallocation and to confirm timelines tied to TxDOT and any state grant matches.

Sources and speaker attributions: remarks and quotations in this article come from County Judge Samaniego; Commissioners Coronado, Stout, Butler and Olguin; city staff including Tracy Yellen and Joaquin Rodriguez; Downtown Deck Park Foundation representatives; and public commenters including Veronica Carbajal. Statements attributed to the city and foundation reflect presentations recorded in the June 30 court proceedings. The court’s vote was 3 in favor, 2 opposed.

Ending note: County officials said the $1 million commitment is a cautious, early step intended to secure design work and preserve the option of a deck while preserving the court’s ability to decline future construction funding pending further study and negotiated terms.