While Downtown is the cultural center of the city, it also serves as an important port of entry between El Paso and Cd. Juárez. With this in mind, it is not surprising to hear that the historical, architectural and cultural significance of our Downtown has drawn the interest of New York artist Alan Streets. Streets is well known for painting cityscapes on the streets of New York and has been featured in such magazines as The New York Press, New York Daily News and The Villager. Streets was also the subject of a $400,000 documentary entitled My Name is Alan (2006) for Raw Films Inc. The London-born artist recently completed 26 paintings of Downtown buildings and El Paso landscapes featuring his unique style. These paintings are available on display at Del Pueblo Press on the ground floor of the Cortez Building at 310 N. Mesa. Through his works, we are able to view an “outsider’s” perspective of Downtown as well as be reminded of the beauty that we all-too-often take for granted. From the energy of the people who are working and living in Downtown to the vision of the men and women who are designing and building new spaces, Downtown is happening, and Streets captures this allure in his paintings. To learn more about Alan Streets and his work, visit his website at www.alanstreets.com.

El Paso Cityworksite

The El Paso Downtown Management District has begun working with public and private security organizations with the goal of establishing a communications system that provides improvements and acceleration in information sharing, which is key to pubic safety. The system, which would be called El Paso CityWorkSite, is an information platform for public private security partnerships. Mike Breitinger, executive director of the El Paso Central Business Association, says, “This is similar to an effort the DMD attempted to establish several years ago, but the technology wasn’t as readily available as it is now.” The CityWorkSite is based upon information sharing with partners and is a tiered system. “This is perfect for Downtown and our continued efforts of making visitors and employees feel comfortable while they are visiting and working in Downtown.” Banks, security types, property owners, medical organizations and public safety entities would be able to pass and receive important information quickly and effectively.

Information on recent crimes or severe weather could be sent to anyone operating a business charged with public safety or protecting property. The DMD found the need for a system as proposed last August when there were concerns of a water retention dam being compromised and threatening to flood a southern portion of Downtown. The police had their hands full evacuating residents from Downtown. Members of the DMD had to rely on the telephone to call business operators and property owners to spread the word. This was not effective and was much too slow and cumbersome. This web-based system could send out an email or text message to everyone enrolled in a matter of seconds. The system being researched offers data basing, mobile messaging and video and photo sharing, to name a few features.

The Security/Sanitation Committee of the DMD will be active in establishing such a system for Downtown, which would entail organization and linking with the Northwrite Company, experienced in corporate and government projects, who offers the network. The model for the system is Minneapolis, Minn., and is endorsed by the chief of police in Minneapolis.

Downtown’s Niche!

The cities of El Paso and Cd. Juárez create the world’s largest metropolitan community. Together, these two cities are linked by many of the same attributes comprised of cultural, social and economic factors. Because of these relationships and proximity to the border to Mexico, local retailers have identified a “niche” in retail sales for Downtown that has emerged as a lucrative market. That “niche” is the merchandising from the sidewalks via tables and displays. The implementation of such open-air markets has proven to offer significant benefits to both the city and retailers alike. Retailers use sidewalk sales as a means of attracting customers who otherwise would not venture into the store on their own. Experience has taught that, by placing merchandise outside, retailers will increase sales. In turn, this marketing method translates into additional sales tax revenue for both city and state. Also, the utilization of sidewalk sales as a means of generating revenue requires retailers to employ more staff for monitoring purposes, providing jobs for more.

It has been found that when consumers find their surroundings comfortable and fun, they will spend more money. Outdoor marketing and sidewalk sales provide this type of atmosphere. The open-air marketing technique lends itself to the development of a certain ambiance that both tourist and visitor alike come to expect from a Southwest shopping sector. Many Downtown merchants have stories to tell of tourists and celebrities that have visited– and purchased from– the sidewalk sales while experiencing the excitement of shopping in an urban district surrounded by history and with the added bonus of being located along an international border. Furthermore, the feeling of energy and “urban buzz” generated by sidewalk sales is a part of the flavor that El Paso offers, something that is not available in other cities.

One only has to observe the activity around the sales to see the economic value it generates. It has been tremendous, serving as a boost to locally owned businesses and as a stabilizing force against the effects of a sometimes-fluctuating peso.

The Local Fabric

This article will be featured each month to showcase a person who works or lives– or both– contributing to the flavor in Downtown El Paso.

This month’s person of Downtown fabric is Octavio Calatayud. Octavio, or “O.J.” to his friends, is one of El Paso’s finest and has been with the El Paso Police Department for the last five years. He is assigned to the Patrol Section of the Central Regional Command here, in Downtown. O.J. has three children ages 8 to 18 and is a homegrown El Pasoan. He graduated from Burges High School and then continued his education, graduating from Sol Ross University.

As if being a police officer and raising children is not hazardous enough, O.J. fights bulls in his spare time. O.J. is a “novillero,” or a novice bull fighter, with almost 100 bull fights to his credit. Because of his family’s interest in the sport, he started training at the age of 8 and had his first fight at 13 years old.

When O.J. is asked about his most memorable event as a bull fighter, he remembers his first fight as a novillero in the city of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Ask about his most memorable moment in Downtown and O.J. will tell you about the opportunity to relate to the stories told by his aunts and uncles about living in Downtown in the “good old days.” One story O.J. passes on from his family is how firefighters from the Rio Grande Fire Station would bring out projectors to show movies to the neighborhood community by using the back of billboard signs along Montana Street to project the images.

O.J. feels fortunate to be an El Paso police officer and enjoys working in the heart of the community. This writer knows that the techniques he has mastered fighting bulls come in handy fighting bad guys and directing Downtown traffic!

Downtown Ambassador Alley
by Carl E. English Sr.

I begin this edition by hoping each of you had a joyous holiday season and by wishing you a happy and successful New Year. We have managed successfully to make it through another major holiday season, and Downtown remains presentable. The Downtown Management District (DMD) crews worked many long and arduous hours to keep the streets, sidewalks and alleys as clean as possible. Manual Lucas, Steve Adjemian and Eddie Sida are to be commended for their valiant efforts, their dedication and for a job well done. We must also give credit to the many business owners who have come into compliance by securing contracted waste removal services. Their efforts are evident by the number of dumpsters located in the alleys and the reduction of excessive debris tossed in the alleys. There is still a long way to go because frequently we still find incidents where businesses without service contracts are encroaching on the properties of the owners in compliance. It is important that everyone secures waste removal services immediately and notifies the Central Police Area Representatives, Environmental Services Enforcement inspectors or the Downtown Management District of those failing to comply. Danny Soto, Downtown’s dedicated enforcement and compliance inspector, is proactive, doing a great job visiting businesses, educating owners, walking the sidewalks and alleys, interpreting city codes and compliance procedures and citing violators, as a last alternative.

In previous editorials to you, I have routinely acknowledged the partnership between the Downtown Management District and the West Texas Community Supervision and Corrections Department (W.T.C.S.C.D), formerly known as the Adult Probation Department. Our three field supervisors and I are assets of the West Texas Community Supervision and Corrections Department, funded by the management district. Our labor
resource pool is, as no cost to the citizens service, comprised of probationers. As terms of their release from custody, the West Texas Community Supervision and Corrections Department assigns non-sex offenders or non-violent offenders to the Downtown Management District to perform their community service. The results of our initiatives and success in enhancing Downtown are largely due to this service and partnership.

On Dec. 20, 2006, Executive Director Breitinger and I were joined by Stephen L. Enders, director of West Texas Community Supervision and Corrections Department, on a ride-along tour of Downtown. We were able to share with him firsthand the daily issues and concerns faced by the management district and field supervisors. We provided him with a comprehensive overview of the management district’s day-to-day operations as well as our short- and long-range plans. We appreciate his interest in the programs and his commitment to ensuring adequate probationer resources will be available to provide the best possible services to Downtown.

The new year laid out for the Ambassador Program will be a busy one, but I continue looking forward to serving you. I solicit your information, suggestions and comments. Happy New Year, and welcome 2007!

New Year, New Projects!
by Mike Breitinger

With the New Year comes new challenges and new projects for the El Paso Downtown Management District. To address ongoing issues as well as develop new projects, the DMD has a budget of $440,316 for fiscal year 2006 – 2007, which started in October 2006. With that budget, the DMD will continue its successful efforts of cleaning, graffiti removal and the Ambassador Program. Street fixtures, such as benches and light poles, will be repainted, and historical markers will continue to be cleaned. The district will evaluate its cleanup partnership with the city of El Paso and endeavor to bring improvements to what continues to be a successful program.

Also included is funding for the salary cost for a city inspector who is assigned solely to the Downtown area to help enforce ordinances and codes. New programs to come will be the expansion of promoting Downtown with the new and improved newsletter and redesign of the Downtown websites. Other programs will include an attempt to create a token program, which would consist of token coins designed to work in parking meters, trolleys and buses as well as coin machines at the bridges. This program would couple with the DMD and El Paso Park & Shop to enable visitors to have their parking, trolley fee or bridge crossing paid for when they shop Downtown.

Other programs will continue, such as the Construction Coordination, the Banner and the Event Coordination programs.

The General Budget Expenses for fiscal year 2006-2007 are:

SANITATION	$261,300
SECURITY	$ 13,000
PARKING & TRANSPORTATION	$ 11,000
PROMOTION & EDUCATION	$ 40,000
ADMINISTRATION	$115,016
TOTAL	$440,316
The General Budget Income for fiscal year 2006-2007 is:
TAX ASSESSMENT	$233,861
OPERATIONAL RESERVE	$139,455
OTHER INCOME	$ 67,000

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