Downtown Trends and Economic Development
by Bob Cook, REDCo President

I have admitted before that I am not an expert on the best method to develop Downtown. I do know, as an economic developer, that a healthy and vibrant downtown typically indicates that the entire community is healthy and vibrant. I must also confess that I am not totally responsible for writing these columns. Much of the work (and often more of the work) is done by our Director of Marketing and Communications Alix Duchouquette. Alix spoke with Mr. Paul Felt, editor of “The Downtown Idea Exchange” in Boontown, New Jersey who provided us with some pretty good insight. Here are just a few thoughts:

More cities are coming to realize that downtown “place-making” is a significant part of a community’s quality of life and economic development efforts. Anything that increases reasons to go into or stay downtown during evening hours helps the local economy. People need better reasons than one or two occasional activities.

Allentown, Penn. attracted a large construction company to its downtown. The relocation within the area proved that local businesses view revitalized downtowns as a reinvestment in the local labor pool. In downtown Gary, Ind., the Sheraton hotel sat vacant for 22 years before it was revamped into a mixed use senior housing/condo building with retail on the ground level. In this case, the key to turnaround was “adaptive reuse,” which is a trend seen more across the country. Done well, hotel restoration can be a huge economic driver. Paducah, Ky., introduced the artist home-buyer program with low-interest financing. Arts-driven revitalization efforts are a big part of successes around the country and in Canada. The former director of the Paducah program is now in Syracuse, N.Y., working on similar initiatives.

Trends in lowering lease rates, especially for knowledge-based companies and high-tech workers, are helping to boost occupancy rates. The high-tech labor force likes the idea of working and living downtown. This is still true as offices are becoming less centralized and there is more telecommuting.

Downtowns that have Victorian or historical homes in the surrounding area (a situation that exists here) have proven successful as they can be used as offices, restaurants, specialty medical practices, etc. Sports complexes in downtown areas can be costly, but it’s the most exciting place for those venues to locate as they generate interest as a catalyst for other activities. Downtown Brooklyn is on the brink of a new NBA arena. At the new arena in downtown Wichita, Kan., patrons benefit businesses by dining in local restaurants and sports bars before and after games. And Madison Square Garden, the greatest arena in the world according to Felt, is smack in the center of Manhattan and probably one of the best examples of how patrons generate revenue for public transportation, local eateries and retail shopping.

Felt mentioned that he has no knowledge of any other border city that has developed a downtown plan like the one contemplated for El Paso. Felt complemented El Paso on our bilingual advertising campaigns as a “great example of efforts to promote quality of life on both sides of the border.” As you cross the ports of entry in the central parts of El Paso and Juárez, one realizes that our Downtown is positioned for future trend-setting on an international level.

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What is the State of Our City?
by Mayor John Cook

People ask me this question all the time: “What is the state of our city?” In one word, it seems this question could be answered: “Promising,” “exciting,” “positive”— take your pick.
The city of El Paso as a whole, working in concert with its regional counterparts, is making this amazing progression into a new era. This era brings with it innovation, change and growth— all of which will challenge our city to rise to this promising occasion. But what have we done in the last 12 months that has helped us along this path?

For starters, community partnerships. The commitment the community has shown in working together on major collaborations is nothing less than amazing. Non-profit organizations, local chambers of commerce, grassroots community groups, neighborhood associations and even the individual citizens have worked with government to make great things happen in our city. These are things that are actually tangible— a green light on funding to proceed with our city’s first four-year medical school, a master plan to assist with the housing and land use of areas that will be populated with members of the military and their families, new homes for individuals who lost everything in the storms that ravaged our city. We have come to have a greater appreciation for the results we can render if we only work together.

These relationships are not only limited to El Paso. Partnerships have also been forged within our regional and international communities. In the past year, El Paso has worked to foster its relationships with its sister city of Ciudad Juárez and its area neighbors. The most recent showing of the importance of community partnerships was the historic meeting between the mayor and councils of El Paso, Ciudad Juárez and Sunland Park, N.M., to show their unified resolve against the reopening of ASARCO. Again, this shows that if we work together, we can render great results.

This only scratches the surface of what the state of our city is, but it does offer a good first glance at what a promising future our city has, what an exciting time this is for all El Pasoans and what a positive direction we have been following for the last 12 months and will continue to follow in the months and years to come. I will be sharing these successes, along with the goals and future plans to keep this forward momentum going for El Paso at the annual State of the City on June 27, 2007. For more information on this event, please call the Greater Chamber of Commerce.

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Upgrades All Around
by Bill Coon, CPO Boys & Girls Clubs of El Paso

The Travis Petty Club Downtown has been seeing changes in the past few weeks. Petty is the cornerstone of our organization. It is our oldest club, and being the oldest, a face-lift is needed. With limited funds, the face-lift is taking place inside the club. The walls are no longer white. Our new walls are colors such as gulf stream, sunrise and vibrant orange, etc. Our walls are kid colors. We used the Boys and Girls Club website to help us pick out the new colors. The youth will have a dedicated T.V. room, and our arts and crafts room has been separated from the computer lab. We have seen that arts and crafts do not work well with computer labs. Barbara Walker, with Cisco, has helped us receive new/used computers from El Paso Community College for our computer lab. They will be installed as soon as our computer desks are finished. We will also have a new front desk for our members to check in. The floors will be stripped and re-finished. New basketball goals have already been installed for the kids. In fact, we discovered that the goals that we took down were original equipment. Our old basketball goals have been in the Petty Club for our 40 years. There is a lot of history behind those goals. I wonder if you know anyone who may have shot baskets on those goals?

My commitment to the Board of Directors and to our staff is that the staff will receive the training that they should have received years ago. We have already been trained in Boys and Girls Clubs program training. Our entire staff will be trained in CPR and First Aid, and other opportunities will be provided for our staff to be trained to provide the best programs to the youth of El Paso. Our employees are committed to being great role models for each child that comes through our doors, and our employees have responded in great ways. They are hungry for knowledge and ready to learn.

There are two other changes I would like to share with you. In July, the board of directors will be going out into the community asking you to share in our mission. The “It Just Takes One” campaign will encourage everyone that it just takes one person to help youth who need us most. Our Board Members will be searching for those “Ones” that care enough to make a difference in the life of a child. We will ask you to make a monetary donation. As you share your “treasures,” our staff can share their talents and the tools they have been given to help our greatest natural resource, our youth. The board of directors has brought in four new members. Andy Haskell, REDCO; Marco Spalloni, El Paso Police Department; Herman Guardado, home builder; and Stacy Zavala, an attorney. Each brings a wealth of talents. Please come by and see all the new changes.

Meet Downtown’s Men in Blue
by Marco Spalloni, Commander of EPPD Central Regional Command

This is my first article submission for The El Pasoan, so I feel it appropriate to introduce myself and the command that protects and serves the Central part of El Paso. This year marks my 12th year with the department, and I am a native El Pasoan. The department has afforded me both the capacity to serve El Paso as well as an education in adversity. As the commander of the Central Regional Command, I am responsible for all functions of the command as well as all police services in the Downtown area. I work with a solid staff of lieutenants and sergeants, who assist me in developing strategies on crime prevention and investigations. These individuals ensure that all police officers and civilian personnel adhere to the department’s policies and procedures.

The Central Regional Command is located at 200 S. Campbell in the heart of Downtown El Paso. It sits directly across from the County Court Building and the El Paso County Jail. The command center serves the Central business districts and the east Central area of the city. Its boundaries are the Rio Grande on the south, Schuster Avenue (near the University of Texas El Paso) on the west, Van Buren Boulevard (near William Beaumont Army Medical Center) on the north, and Robert E. Lee Drive and Airport Boulevard on the east. Within its boundaries are three of the four international U.S./Mexico ports of entry and the Downtown business district. The Central Regional Command has 130 commissioned officers and detectives assigned to serve approximately 123,000 residents who live within the region and the daily influx of citizens who commute Downtown for work or to shop on a daily basis.

The commissioned officers of Central are supported by a dedicated staff of civilians who make it possible for the regional command to serve the residents of Central El Paso. Central Regional Command’s geographic location provides many unique and challenging policing concerns for the officers and staff who work within the Command. Because of these unique demands, the Central Regional Command is the only command center that maintains a full-time bike patrol and parking enforcement team. While shopping or working Downtown, you may have noticed police officers on bicycles. The bikes allow the officers to respond more quickly by being able to avoid the Downtown vehicle traffic. Although they primarily work the Downtown district, they are moved to other areas within the Central area depending on the crime issues in those areas. Our command also houses the department’s only mobile field force team. This team is used to respond to civil disorder situations that may occur anywhere in the city.

As residents or business owners in Downtown, you can rest assured that the officers assigned to this command are professional and committed to serving and protecting you, your family and your property. If at any time you need assistance, please do not hesitate to call us at 915.577.5000. Of course if it is an emergency, you should contact 911.