There were two main events this Tuesday at City Council: mass transit & a traffic study.
In the first half of this main event, Council was to vote on a $597,000 traffic study for the Upper Valley. As they do when any proposed spending comes up, Reps. Castro, Quintana and Holguin made it known they were against it. It doesn’t help that the Upper Valley is more affluent as well. The odd part, however, may have been that 4 neighborhood associations were against it as well. There were several classic moments, such as Rep. O’Rourke arguing with the head of a neighborhood association and Rep. Holguin claiming that Rep. O’Rourke didn’t go through the proper channels (now known as the Melina defense), and later giving a half-hearted apology for the claim. This study may result in Country Club Road being widened, becoming busier, and giving residents of New Mexico easier access to El Paso. This was enough to piss off the Upper Valley. NIMBY is alive and well. It was a bit refreshing to see rich people get pissed off for a change. Look at the bright side: the easier access to El Paso for New Mexicans should work both ways. That means people in the Upper Valley will have an easier time getting liquor on Sundays. Let’s hope the horses don’t get too freaked out.
In a bit of a mid-match undercard, the bus stop that has taken form at Franklin and Missouri, right in front of Soho, was almost moved. Local business owners in that area spoke in favor of the move, as the buses take up valuable parking spots for those businesses. I used to go to Chama, and I have not tried it as Soho. Don’t worry, Rep. O’Rourke, I intend to have at least one drink there. Every now and then, I go down Franklin and see Soho. Then I see the bus riders and the buses. While that second sight should compel me to drink, I have nowhere to park my car so I can visit Soho. I am sure plenty of other people experience the same thing, and do not want to park their cars there even if they can. I hope Soho does not become a victim of this. Actually, it would be great if Soho moved closer to the Plaza Theatre. Just let the revitalization grow outwards. Luckily, the next day, the Mass Transit Board voted against permanently closing the street. Hopefully riders know how to read crosswalk signs and I won’t feel like the semi-truck in Frogger.
The second half came during the Mass Transit Board meeting. Time to even things up by pissing off the poor people! The big deal was moving the current Downtown transfer hub from San Jacinto to Union Plaza. Several riders argued against it. Even Union Plaza residents argued against it due to the potential of increased traffic. The original intent of the Union Plaza terminal was to serve as a park-and-ride, but has been somewhat of a flop. It is mainly used for parking by people going to bars such as 1914, Shadow Lounge, and the like on the weekends. I’m not even sure where the hell you would ride to from there. UTEP? You’re pretty much there, just keep driving, same for Sunland Park Mall. And since the bus stop has been moved to Franklin, Rep. Byrd has noticed that San Jacinto has become more of a park. Maybe they should consider getting rid of the surrounding fence; that could make it more inviting. Just be sure to put a 5-foot barrier around the Plaza de los Lagartos. We don’t want any of our oh-so-bright toddlers drowning.
I’m guessing the riders were pissed because it would take the farther away from the used clothing shops Downtown, and Downtown in general. Rep. Holguin tried tying that into revitalization. He was quoted by “The El Paso Times” as saying, “For a council that says they are trying to revive Downtown, I would have thought they would do anything to keep the people there.” Gilbert Guillen, according to “Newspaper Tree,” claimed this was a ploy to get the “Mexicans, the elderly, and senior citizens” out of the area and to accommodate newer property owners such as Paul “Make It Rain” Foster. First of all, elderly and senior citizens are the same thing. Second, and more importantly, the old Mexicans have been occupying Downtown for as long as I can remember. Remember that PowerPoint slide of the dirty, lazy Mexican cowboy? He’s probably been there a while. What’s been the result? A bunch of secondhand clothing stores and flea markets. Attention old Mexicans: you are NOT the key to Downtown revitalization. You’ve had your chance with Downtown, you treated her like O.J. treated Nicole. No more. Let Mr. Make It Rain and his boys give it to her for a while.

-fourof3