The Gentrification of the Segundo Barrio, the Largest and

Oldest Barrio on the Texas-Mexico border

El Segundo Barrio is the largest, oldest barrio in the contiguous forty-eight states which directly borders

on Mexico. Although often overlooked, it forms the third leg of the immigration tripod through which the

millions of people who have helped forge this country have passed.

Ellis Island, European immigration; Angel Island, off the coast of California, Asiatic immigration; El

Segundo Barrio, in El Paso, Texas, the portal to immigration from Mexico and points south. Not to

mention the fact that it was once Mexico, before Mexico lost huge hunks of her territory to the United

States after its war with Mexico.

Ellis Island, on the east coast, is on the National Register of Historic Sites. So is Angel Island, on the west

coast. El Segundo is not. And before we can get it on the National Register, we have to have it declared a

local historic site, and then a state historic site.

The effort is a noble one. The barrio has been home to some of the giants of the Chicano people. Anthony

Quinn, Gilbert Roland, Bert Corona, Oscar Zeta Acosta, Carlos Montes, all came from Chihuahua, Juárez,

with stops in El Paso on their way to California.

Austin, Texas, with a population of approximately 19% Latinos, has a brand spanking new Mexican-

American Cultural Center. San Antonio has one. Albuquerque boasts a National Hispanic Cultural Center.

We have a convention center, named after a

nondescript Republican former mayor named

Judson Williams (who escaped military service

during World War II by successfully playing the

“educator” deferment) . All efforts to have it

renamed the El Paso Mexican-American Centro

Culutral have failed, as have our efforts to haveh

el Segundo Barrio nmed an historic district.

And this in a city that with an estimated 82%

Chicano-Mexican-American population

continues being one of the most racist cities in

Texas, governed by a cabal of whites and Tios

and Tias Taco wannabe whites that recently

succeeded in

having El Paso recognized as an All-American

city. Money, as usual, was key in covering up

our many warts and moles. Nonetheless, our efforts have gathered some national attention.

But the battle is a hard one, and we really need your help.

Consider: Debbie Hamlyn, an aging white woman, best remembered for turning away millions of dollars

around thirty years ago - federal dollars targeted for affordable housing in el Segundo. She is now in

charge of - and makes around $130,00 yearly - quality of life – with a demonstrated disdain for the

majority of the people of El Paso.

As seen in the chart above, there is not one brown name among the “quality of life” movers and shakers.

In spite of our efforts, the gentrification of the Barrio continues apace. Real estate investment trusts

controlled by local billionaire Bill Sanders own significant real property in the Barrio. These REITs have

been granted the power of eminent domain by a neoliberal City Council, at least two Representatives of

which have been caught sending racist emails involving City affairs, including Cortney Niland, who

represents the Barrio. She is a close ally of City Manager Joyce Wilson, who orchestrated the production

of this disgusting bit of marketing research allegedly showing what outsiders think of El Paso:

Here is a long read, but you can see the odds, when the City orders its Historic Preservation Officer not to

work with the people in their efforts to name the Barrio an historic district.

On Monday, December 16, 2009, the group responsible for Resolution 10.33 pictured above held a public

meeting at the Houchen Center in el Segundo Barrio. Because the meeting had been publicized, City of El

Paso employees were present. Among them were Dr. Troy Ainsworth, the Historic Sites Preservation

Officer and his assistant, Tony Ponce, and Ms. Olivia T. Montalvo, a Planner in the Neighborhood

Services Division Department of Community and Human Development.

It was at this meeting that the concept of the Barrio as the Ellis Island of the border was first embraced and

publicized by the group.

On Monday, February 1, the City held a public meeting at the Armijo Center in the Barrio. Among those

invited by Mark Weber, a Senior Planner with the Community and Human

Development division of Neighborhood Services, were Daryl Fields and Gerardo Payan of the

United States Department of Justice; Jose Gonzalez and Debra Kanof, Assistant United States

Attorneys; David Sanchez, Texas Department of Criminal Justice; Jerry Flood, National Parks Service;

Adrian E. Lopez, United States Army, and James Parker, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and

Explosives.

One is left with a sense of wonder at the necessity of inviting so many people in law enforcement.

Mark Alvarado of the Neighborhood Services Division of the Department of Community and Human

Development presided over the 13th community meeting held by the City in its attempt to convince el

Segundo residents that the revitalization plan of the City, born of the ill-fated plan sponsored by the “Paso

del Norte Group ” - read multi millionaire developers and far right political figures from both sides of the

border - was in fact a good thing.

As in prior meetings, residents were outnumbered by City employees and supporters from “La Fe”, the

community health clinic headed by Salvador Balcorta who earns somewhere between $225,000 - $300,000

plus expenses for his efforts, which include summarily firing any employee who does not support the

City's plan, charging more to low income residents of El Segundo known to oppose the City's plan, and

denying space to service programs for area residents for the same reasons.

After a repetitive power point presentation, Alvarado opened the floor to questions. Having explained a

slide showing the City improving education by "partnering with the El Pso Independent School District,

the Community College, and other groups involved in education",

Alvarado was repeatedly asked for specific examples by Minnie Peña - the widow of District Judge Henry

Peña, both of whom lived and were raised in El Segundo - and he could provide none.

It quickly became obvious that Minnie was making him lose his temper. William Lilly, Alvarado's

supervisor, came to his aid by recognizing a young man who was given the microphone when he stepped

to the front. Rather than ask a question, the young man finished a lengthy speech bordering on tirade as he

concluded by telling the few residents that they had no choice but to support the City's plan.

Alvarado and Lilly were asked if they were aware that back in the day, Debbie Hamlyn had been

responsible for returning tens of millions of dollars to the Federal Government that it had provided for low

income housing in El Segundo Barrio rather than spend the money. They both were ignorant of the fact.

Hamlyn, who heads the Quality of Life Department and who is their boss, has somehow survived after a

career of some thirty plus years filled with spectacular botches.

Time back, the “Homeless Coalition” lost considerable federal funding because Andrew Hair, one of

Hamlin's people, neglected to submit an important report to HUD. She hedged on that report and was

ultimately obliged to answer for it. She survived, but Hair no longer works for the city.

Currently, Debbie Hamlyn is on the committee that is developing a Regional Health Care Program for

"Hispanics." Among all of the women heading up this thing, there is not one Hispanic, let alone a

Mexican-American or Chicano woman professional involved in this committee; not even a token one,

even with all of the Mexican-American female physicians and health care professionals who are qualified

in El Paso in either health care and/or management. Surely that is pretty much in line with all the names in

the graphic showing the names under "Management" in Hamlyn's "Quality of Life" graphic shown above.

And this in a city that is 82+% Mexican-American Latino Chicano. By any account, Hamlyn is a disaster.

Yet, in tandem with City Manager Joyce Wilson, the pair run the City and there is no accountability, as

City Council has long ago reduced itself to rubber stamp status.

At the meeting, Lilly was told that a young lady, an employee of the city, had shared the fact that personnel

from the historic preservation department had been ordered not to involve themselves with historic

sites in the barrio as these were too politically charged - and with a straight face he smoothly said no,

and that he seriously doubted that such a thing was possible.

He said that if this was true, then the City would not have scheduled an appearance before the Historic

Landmark Commission of the El Paso County for Wednesday, at 4 p.m., at the second floor of City Hall.

My daughter accompanied me to the County Historic Landmark Commission meeting on Wednesday. We

showed up at the appointed time. Shortly, Alvarado entered, we shook hands, and then Lilly came in. He

too came over, saw the Notre Dame logo on my hoodie, told me he lived some few miles from South

Bend, and asked me what we college kids used to do on the weekends.

I told him we would drive 15 miles or so across the border to Niles, Michigan, which we had found to be

more convivial than South Bend. He agreed, and we briefly discussed the state of discrimination in

Indiana, which, we agreed, was and is dismal. Lilly is a black man.

The Commission personnel entered, and the chairman called for public comment on matters not on the

agenda. When my quick witted daughter jabbed me in the ribs, I went to the podium, asked permission to

speak, identified myself, and told the Commissioners about our group.

I told them that what we were doing was a matter of public record, and I spoke to the history of el

Segundo Barrio, the culture of its people, the contributions made by the first to join, first to be called, first

to die youth:

Marcelino Serna, who died a few years ago, the “illegal immigrant:” hero, the most decorated soldier from

Texas of WW1 who earned the nation's second highest honor, the Distinguished Service Cross among man

more medals, who was given the option of joining the Army during the war or being deported to Mexico.

He was not awarded the Medal of Honor because, he was told, he could not speak English and he was an

alien; Sylvestre Herrera, a former farmworker from the barrio who moved to Arizona and was awarded

the Medal of Honor for heroism during WW2, and Ambrosio (Mocho) Guillen, Bowie High School pal of

Paul Moreno, the retired Dean of the Texas House of Representatives, both of whom fought side by side in

Korea, with Mocho being posthumously decorated with the Medal of Honor.

Shamefully, I forgot to include Marcos Armijo from the barrio who was also but posthumously decorated

with the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in WWI.

I told the Commissioners that we felt the barrio deserved the honor of being recognized as the third leg of

the tripod of immigration to this country: Ellis Island for European immigrants, Angel Island, for Asian

immigrants, both of which are on the National Register, and el Segundo Barrio, for Mexican immigrants

who have contributed so much to their adopted country.

I concluded by sharing with the Commissioners the words of an old WW2 friend, who had told me, in

tears, that El Segundo Barrio deserves to be right up there with Ellis Island and Angel Island because we

have paid for it with our blood and with our lives, given when we were young and when we answered -

here! - when our county called.

As I left the podium, one of the Commissioners said "we applaud your efforts."

The old Alamo School in the barrio, an on again off again candidate for demolition by the EPISD, and

which we are fighting to save, was next on the agenda.

Dr. Troy Ainsworth, Historic Preservation Officer of the City, spoke to the necessity of preserving

the school and how the EPISD had not replied to his inquiries regarding inspecting the school. He

told the Commission, however, that he and his assistant were directed weeks ago not to actively support

historic designations of buildings in the Segundo Barrio, since the issue was politically charged.

He stated that although there is an item on the agenda regarding the Segundo Barrio

Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy plan developed by the Department of Community Development,

which includes a goal to identify historically significant buildings, the City's historic preservation staff

was not included in the preparation of that document.

He went on to say that although he was in a difficult position, he could still “assist” people in their efforts

to preserve such buildings in Segundo Barrio through forthright efforts when working with City staff. But,

he said, he could not be pro-active in such assistance.

He also felt, he said, that the public was free to express its concerns about the potential fate of both Alamo

School and the Segundo Barrio to EPISD officials and City officials.

The members of the Commission were obviously stunned. One member stated "oh yes, we hear you."

Again I asked permission to speak, and I reminded the Commissioners about the unnecessary razing of the

Alamito Public Housing Projects, built in the 1930s, the removal of hundreds of longtime residents - the

classic definition of gentrification the classic old brick buildings replaced with modern architectural

atrocities.

I reminded them of the unnecessary destruction of the old Aoy school, monument to its founder Olives

Aoy, the great hearted Mormon who embraced the Mexican children, and who agreed to have his school

named the "Mexican Preparatory School" so he could obtain funding from the racist school board back in

the day. I offered the assistance of our group to the Commission's efforts to inspect the school. It was not

necessary.

Led by an enthusiastic woman member, the Commission voted unanimously to begin the process of

naming Alamo School an historic building.

A stunning response both to the City and the EPISD.

As we were leaving, my daughter was collared - there is no other word – by a member of the Commission,

who after a long chat, told her not to be misled by Alvarado's "we can work together" attitude. He told her,

and me, that the City would probably do all it could do to deny us the recognition for el Segundo Barrio

that we are seeking.

The “Memories” part of the above was published on my web page beginning about ten years ago, the

rest was published in 2011, and the situation has worsened since.

UPDATE

The Mexican-American Chicano Latino population of Austin is, by current estimates, more or less 39%,

considerably higher than the figure cited at the time the above was written.

The old Alamo School in el Segundo Barrio has been saved from demolition, repaired, and now houses the

Insights Museum which was removed from its downtown location.

Although the school was saved, the destruction of the Barrio had in fact begun in 2005 when HUD

awarded a 20 million dollar grant to “revitalize” public housing.

About 300 people have already been displaced with the demolition of the Alamito public housing project,

As was pointed out prior to demolition, the buildings themselves were in good shape, needing only

plumbing and re-wiring work. Worse yet, the people were in the main moved to other dangerous, sub-

standard public housing.

It bears mention that in post-Katrina New Orleans, much the same thing has taking place.

Everyone knows that HUD under the Bush Administration has been transformed into an agency where the

well-being of those needing public housing is at the bottom of the list of priorities. And no one seems to

be able to stop the move toward so-called mixed income housing, which will effectively place poor people

out on the street.

What HUD is doing here is part of a national policy to destroy public housing and replace it with

this euphemism of mixed-income housing, which, translated for the people who live there, means

they take conventional public housing, destroy it and then allow a relatively small percentage of

the people who used to live there to come back, but it is a great bonanza for developers, for real

estate people, for banks, for construction groups and the like.*

According to the housing authority,

“The grant will replace 349 aging public housing units with 256 new public housing units, 256 new

public housing units, 55 affordable rental units and 148 homeownership units. The redevelopment

plan also includes renovating the existing Alamito Community Center. HACEP will provide

housing services for residents, including job training and placement and maintain the independent

living status for is elderly residents.”

The marked decrease in public housing units fairly leaps out at you. All is not peaches and cream, as is

shown in the minutes of an El Paso Housing Authority meeting held on August 17, 2005, three months

after the 20 million dollar grant had been announced.

Jose Geronimo Melendez-Astorga, Priest at San Ignacio de Loyola, said the elderly population of

Alamito is very concerned with the demolition and relocation plans as explained to them. They

would like for the Housing Authority to use the funds to remodel existing units including the A/C,

drainage, plumbing, etc. They would also like for the agency to finish the work at Salazar before

starting with the work at Alamito.

Jose Manuel Escobedo, organizer with ACORN Community Organization, said Father Geronimo

approached them to help with residents concerns and relocation. In their opinion, it is urgent to

finish the work at the Salazar community so that the people can stay close to the neighborhood

where they have lived for many years.

A minor scandal simmered on the public stove and eventually fizzled, as is the custom when poor

Mexican-Americans are involved. No one can state definitely where the poor, displaced people will finally

wind up, many of them victims to the mixed-income mania of followers of the Richard Florida school of

urban renewal which has now been markedly discredited.

And, in fact, to date no one knows where approximately almost 150 elderly people went.

Truly, the sad and almost criminal thing about the destruction of the Alamito projects is that they were

built at a time before the invention of sheet rock and brick veneer. They were rock solid, and given the

type of maintenance suggested by the priest and Mr. Escobedo, according to respected professional

engineers, they would have stood for another 50+ years.

Most El Paso Politicians are not interested in el Segundo Barrio

Recently, two letters in support of the long time effort to have City Council impress an historic district

overlay on the Segundo Barrio were sent to city officials.

One was written to the current City Council regarding an historic district designation for the Barrio.. It was

Identical to the original letter except that it had more signatories. Like the original, it too has received no

reply, and the future does not bode well.

Following a visit with District Eight Representative Courtney Niland by Guillermina Peña, a long time

activist who was raised in the Segundo Barrio, former County Judge Alicia Chacón sent the following to

Rep. Courtney Niland:

El Paso, Texas

November 16, 2011

Hon. Cortney Niland

District Eight Representative

El Paso City Council

El Paso, Texas

via electronic transmission to

district8@elpasotexas.gov

Dear Cortney:

Pursuant to a request from Guillermina Peña, who recently met with you, and on behalf of the undersigned

members and supporters of the committee for the preservation of the Segundo Barrio as an historic district

of the City of El Paso, I send you this updated letter so you can initiate the steps necessary to bring this

matter before Council so that the process to achieve our goal may be put into play.

Quoting from the letter hand-delivered to Mayor John Cook on or about January 23, 2010, we said the

following:

"On behalf of the principal members of the committee for the preservation of the El Segundo Barrio

Historic District listed below, I am pleased to inform you of our efforts to have an historic district overlay

impressed on El Segundo Barrio, the oldest and original Mexican-American barrio in the City of El Paso,

Texas.

"Our efforts have been public and ongoing, and although we are aware that you know of same, we

wish to apprise you of the jurisdictional limits of said district, which are: from Paisano Drive and

Santa Fe Street south to the Rio Grande, east to the west side of San Marcial Sreet, north to Paisano

Drive, and west to Paisano Drive to Santa Fe Street. A rough map is attached for your convenience."

I have asked Mr. Ochoa to send this to you, as he can attach a copy of the original letter, along with a copy

of the resolution of the National Latino Congreso in support of the historic designation for the barrio

passed during its convention in El Paso last year.

Only the signatories have changed, and that with the addition of new supporters. All of us reaffirm the

contents of the original letter as well as this one under date of November 16, 2011.

Thank you for your attention and support.

Truly yours

Alicia Chacón

additional signatories:

Katherine Brennand, Volunteer

Fermín Dorado, P.E., former City Engineer, El Paso, Texas

Pete Duarte, former CEO, R. E. Thomason General Hospital

Edward W. Dunbar, Attorney and Counselor at Law

Deja Hackett, Teacher, Volunteer

John H. Haddox. Ph.D

Lily Limón, former principal, César Chávez Academy

Carlos Marentes, Sin Fronteras Farmworkers Center

Enrique Moreno, Attorney and Counselor a Law

Hon. Paul Moreno, former Dean, Texas House of Representatives, District 77

Jesús B. Ochoa Jr., principal founder, Mexican-American Bar Association of El Paso,

co-founder, with the late Mark Howell, El Paso Legal Assistance Society. Belén Robles, former

LULAC National President, former Regional Director, United

States Customs Service

Susan Smith, Ft. Worth, Texas. Volunteer, Founding Member of the El Paso/Juárez/Las Cruces

Indymedia Collective

Nestor Valencia, former City Planner, El Paso, Texas

State Senator José Rodríguez had also sent a letter to Mayor John Cook and City Council Representatives

in which he backed community efforts to place an historic overlay on el Segundo Barrio.

Rodríguez pointed out, in relevant part. that

"The Segundo Barrio is a historical, architectural treasure that merits preservation and promotion. Many

distinguished El Pasoans from this neighborhood have brought honor to our nation through their valor in

combat and in other fields of endeavor.

"Adding Segundo Barrio to our list of historic districts would be a significant step in a strategy to preserve

and promote the legacy of all who have worked to build our unique, cosmopolitan home. While the

missions in Ysleta, San Elizario and Socorro are a priceless, living testament to our beginnings, el

Segundo tells the urban chapter of our story”.

Although elections for Mayor and Representatives on the City Council are nonpartisan. it is really

impossible for elected officials to hide their party affiliations and/or political philosophy. Niland, who

represents the Barrio along with the wealthy west side of town, is widely known as an extreme right wing

Republican.

Public speculation is that she agreed to join the effort to have the Barrio designated an historical district to

save her seat on City Council, In the last election, a young UTEP graduate with no political experience

came within 200+ votes of unseating her. Having been re-elected by the far right wing vote of her district,

she has failed to push or further endorse the issue, and, as shown below, the Barrio was even used as a last

ditch attempt to accept state money for historical projects by the two Representatives who voted in favor

of accepting the money.

El Paso Turns Down State Dollars to Identify its Downtown Historic Buildings

In early August, 2015, the City Council turned down a $56,000 grant from the Texas State Historical

Commission, along with $15,000 the "Summerlee Foundation of Dallas" would have contributed for a

survey of downtown buildings which could be identified as historical.

The "Downtown Management District," a creation of the City and downtown property owners which taxes

its members for funds, opposed the survey given that it did not meet its criteria for "revitalizing" the

downtown area of El Paso. The "criteria" is neoliberal in genesis, and it measures buildings for their dollar

value as the sole measure of their utilitarian worth.

Council's action was heavily criticized by Max Grossman, vice chairman of the El Paso Historical

Commission, who stated the obvious when he wrote in a letter to Mayor Oscar Leeser and the City

Council that he "could not understand the refusal."

As a result, the City Council voted to rehear the issue. At the hearing in the closing days of August, the

original decision was ratified. The neoliberals are clearly in control, and even a new comer who replaced

the term limited Ann Morgan Lilly (known for claiming the Barrio was home to felons and illegal aliens),

managed to show his real spots.

What was interesting about the second hearing was the fact that the Segundo Barrio was added as being a

part of the "downtown district." This ruse did not move Representatives Larry Romero, who is closely

allied with the neoliberal business-chambers of commerce faction, nor Representative Emma Acosta,

widely viewed as really believing she is a white person and who is a public embarrassment to the

Mexican-American Latino Chicanos of El Paso.

Both voted against accepting the funds.

Three or four years ago, paper posters featuring a likeness of a New York Guardian Angel with the

signature red beret began appearing on downtown dilapidated buildings and on southside buildings as

well. There was a vague "coming soon" promise about being able to cross the border in safety.

Then similar posters appeared, touting the return of streetcar service to El Paso.

It soon developed that they had been placed there by Peter Svarzbein, who at the time was working for an

advanced degree in art from a New York college. The posters were part of his thesis as an art project.

Notwithstanding his self-promotion with the publication of a book of photographs of El Paso, past and

present, many in the politically active brown community viewed him with distrust, as one too close to the

neoliberal power brokers on City Council. When he ran to replace Morgan Lilly from a west central

district, he wrote the following on his campaign web page:

As a proud, lifelong El Pasoan I have always been proud of our cultural heritage, and I have

always been a strong advocate for preservation and heritage tourism. As an active member of the

Paso del Norte Streetcar Preservation Society, I have been an action oriented supporter of

the Vintage Streetcar Project. I believe that it is in our best economic interest to support heritage

tourism and the preservation of our historic places in our downtown area. This is the reason I

support the designation of a National Historic District that will cover up to 45% of renovation costs

for income producing property within the district. The proposal of a National Historic District put

forth by the El Paso County Historical Commission and the Economic Development Office is in

line with my belief in responsible growth with common sense. A National Historic District would

not just protect and enhance our historic buildings, it would also rely on federal and state tax

credits, not property taxes.

I support the El Paso County Historical Commission and the Economic Development Office in

their efforts to create a National Historic District downtown

He too voted against receiving the state funds.

But City Council recently approved spending $90 million on his pet streetcar project, which a large

majority of the people regard s just plain dumb.

State Representative Joe Pickett is the acknowledged expert in the Texas Legislature regarding

Department of Transportation projects and spending. He is appalled at the City Council's action, and has

made his displeasure known. A copy of his letter is appended below.

Replacements and New Hires

I met Bryan Crowe time back at a public meeting called by the City to explain the stage of progress

regarding the remaking of downtown El Paso. He told me he had been in the city about ten years, that he

was from the midwest, had a background in engineering, and was present at the meeting in his capacity as

head of the Quality of Life department. He had recently been named as Hamlyn's replacement.

I asked him if he thought that live alligators could be returned to the downtown plaza at some point in the

future. He looked at me with a blank stare. I then asked him what qualified him to head a "quality of life"

department for a heavily Mexican-American Latino Chicanx population. He told me he was a quick

learner.

The Downtown Management District has hired Joe Gudenrath from Omaha, Nebraska, as its new director.

Debbie Hamlyn, former head of the Quality of Life Department mentioned above, acted as interim head of

the District and organized the search for the new director, who took office during the summer. She is

affiliated with the Paso del Norte Group.

According to local media,** everything was all good. "We had great candidates," 'said DMD chairman

Bob Ayoub, who is president of Mimco, a local real estate development company.' “Any one of them

could have done a good job, but Joe had the experience of actually running a

DMD.”

'“He thinks El Paso’s a wonderful place with wonderful potential, that we’ve got a downtown that’s really

happening, and he just saw all the positives.”

"Hamlyn described Gudenrath as 'calm and competent' and thinks the city was lucky to find him."**

Gudenrath's first action was to orchestrate the District's vote against accepting the state funds described

above. Small wonder the real estate developers are happy. The man knows how to follow orders.

* http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Thirdworldization_America/PublicHousDestroy_NOrleans.html

** http://www.elpasoinc.com/news/q_and_a/article_9608578e-f3cf-11e3-a009-001a4bcf6878.html

Capitol Office: IW.5 Joseph C. Pickett District Office: P.O. Box 2910 1790 Lee Trevino Austin, •re.xas 78768-29•10 El Paso District 79 Suite 307 512-463-0596 El Paso, Texas 79936

Fax: 512-463-6504 Fax: 91.5-590-4726

Texas Transportation Commission

125 East 1Ith Street

Austin, Texas 78701

Dear Chairman and Commissioners:

Now that a "redo" is in order since a required public hearing may not have happened before changes to the Unified

Transportation Program (UTP) on June 26, I would like to reiterate my objections on behalf of many people in El

Paso regarding the trolley project. Given that the public in El Paso knows a little more, but not all, about how the

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is pushing a $97 million trolley project, I believe it is time to

redirect the money to fund projects that promote economic development, safety, and congestion relief and

ultimately have a positive effect on more people in our region. The citizens of El Paso, like all Texans, deserve

transparency and the ability to participate in the decision-making process.

What we know: The City of El Paso is supposedly the sponsor, but no elected official can show where they

petitioned the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) to change this future federal transit-funded trolley project

to move ahead of what many would believe to be more pressing and important projects.

What we know: Someone from TxDOT has implied, or worse, stated outright that the funding 1) was transit only,

2) had an expiration date and 3) would be lost to another part of the state if not used for the trolley. This is not true.

What we know: It seems the public—by at least three or four to one—does not support the project. This

lack of support is strictly on the merits of a trolley. It is not based on them knowing the funding could be

used for other transportation projects, in which case the objection could be an even higher percentage.

What we know: TxDOT did not hold sufficient public meetings on the changes to the Unified Transportation

Program (UTP) that were adopted at your June 26 meeting. As a result, TxDOT held a hearing on August 12 in

Austin, offering little notice for anyone to present the changes to the UTP again. In fact, my hometown paper (El

Paso Times) ran a story about this hearing, which had no public attendees or public comments, with some

interesting quotes.

Committees: Homeland Security & Public Safetv, Chair • Redistricting • Transportation

A commissioner stated that "all the projects had already been vetted at the local level." This is not true. The

El Paso MPO did an after-the-fact amendment to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) based on

false information.

The same commissioner also stated that "twenty five public meetings were held around the state to discuss

projects in the 2015 Unified Transportation Program." This is deceptive. The 1,276 page document (UTP)

was made available to commissioners only days þefore the commission's June 26 hearing. And the

referenced public meetings were held after the June 26 TTC meeting in which the changes to the UTP were

adopted.

The same story offered comments about how these types of projects appear in the UTP: "They just appear." and

"It's recommended by staff." This is not true on someone's part. At the July 2 hearing of the House Select

Committee on Transportation Funding, Expenditures and Finance in Austin, John Barton, Deputy Executive

Director of TxDOT, under oath, answered the same August 25, 2014 question about how this project specifically

was put into the UTP. His response was "Not by staff!" Wow!

It is my understanding that this Thursday August 28, the Commission will have to take action again on most of the

changes to the UTP. As many of you have experienced working with elected officials, many times after making a

decision—even if based on false or incomplete information—they rarely want to admit fault; as a result,

sometimes bad decisions stand. I believe this project is not supported by the majority of the public represented by

those persons and I would like to offer alternatives to the trolley project.

Before I do that, I have tried to separate the two issues. One issue is the project itself. I supported the project in the

MPO's long-term plan as federal transit dollars. I would support it again, especially if there were local developer

dollars used to match, since this project will only benefit a small portion of El Paso economically. The second

issue is the false information that this was funding only for the trolley project. We know this statement is not true,

but elected officials and the public are still in the dark about that.

Some recommendations are:

Project Name Project Description From Total Project Cost (Includes

Inflation)

YO

FM 659 (ZARAGOZA

ROAD) WIDENING WIDEN 4 LANE TO 6

LANES DIVIDED SUN FIRE US 62/180

(MONTANA) 2020

1-10 WIDENING ADD 1 LANE EACH DIRECTION

(STRIPING AND

SHOULDERS)

RAYNOR ST. (at on/off ramp

22)

AIRWAY

BLVD. 2019

I-IO/LOOP 375 AMERICAS

INTERCHANGE CLOVERLEAFS

CLOVERLEAF

EXPANSION AT I-IO/LOOP

375 INTERCHAN

G

$567,299 2020

LOOP 375 AT SPUR 601 DIRECT CONNECT

(NORTHBOUND TO

WESTBOUND)

DIRECT CONNECT

ON SPUR 601 AT LOOP

375 (NORTHBOUND TO

WESTBOUND)

SPUR 601

LIBERTY

EXPY AT LOOP 375 JOE

BATTLE

2019

LOOP 375 INTERCHANGE AT SERGEANT MAJOR

BLVD.

INTERCHANGE

LOOP 375 AT

SERGEANT MAJOR

BLVD.

N/A N/A 2019

LOOP 375 PURPLE HEART WIDENING

WIDENING 4 TO 6 US 62/180MONTA

SPUR 601 2019

US 62/180 (MONTANA AVE)

FRONTAGE ROADS

BUILD 2 LANE FRONTAGE ROADS

GLOBAL REACH DR.

LOOP 375

(JOE BATTLE)

2019

As many of you know, Senator Nichols and I have started our whirlwind tour around the state promoting the

upcoming Proposition One on November's ballot. We are working hard and the only negative feedback we have

received is rarely related to the proposition, but rather to the questionable policies and actions of the Texas

Department of Transportation. The public wants to be assured that TxDOT will use any new monies wisely, be

fransparent in the development of statewide funding, and define priorities from a local (bottom up) perspective.

At a time when TxDOT tells the public that the agency is out of money, but billions of dollars are moved around,

new priorities are established without public input, and false information and different representations are being

made, these actions certainly do not instill confidence and encourage future support.

Please consider the projects I have suggested, however, I would ultimately defer to the local MPO for their

support. I can only hope with openness, inclusion, and the best interests of the entire region taken into

consideration, that our region, not a few insiders, will benefit.

Sincerely,

Joseph C. Pickett Chair

JCP/mhm

cc: Lt. Gen. Joe Weber, Texas Department of Transportation

Chairman Vince Perez, El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization

The next meeting of the Texas Transportation Commission is August 28th, If you

are For or Against the Trolley Project let the Commission know

CONTACT LIST

Name Telephone

Ted Houghton, Chair (512) 305-9509

Jeff Austin I l l, Commissioner (512) 305-9509

Jeff Moseley, Commissioner (512) 305-9509

Fred Underwood, Commissioner (512) 305-9509

Victor Vandergriff, Commissioner (512) 305-9509

Physical Address 125 E. 11th St. Austin, TX 78701

Email http://www.txdot.gov(contact-us/form.html?id=transcom-email

Fax

(512) 475-3072

18

CONTACT LIST

Name Telephone

Ted Houghton, Chair (512) 305-9509

Jeff Austin I l l, Commissioner (512) 305-9509

Jeff Moseley, Commissioner (512) 305-9509

Fred Underwood, Commissioner (512) 305-9509

Victor Vandergriff, Commissioner (512) 305-9509

Physical Address 125 E. 11th St. Austin, TX 78701

Email http://www.txdot.gov(contact-us/form.html?id=transcom-email

Fax

(512) 475-3072