El Paso’s Own Ciclovia
by District 8 Rep. Beto O’Rourke

Many of us have bemoaned the fact that El Paso has a serious shortage of park space. We know that we have 25 percent of the park space of the average U.S. city and that many neighborhoods in our city have no access to parks at all, most notably those neighborhoods where children grow up without access to league athletics or reliable transportation to parts of the city that have league sports or money to pay the entry fees.

We need to continue to invest in building new parks, expanding the ones we have and developing a city-wide trail system to connect our parks and open spaces. We also need to do a better job of working with school districts to ensure that the fields and courts that we pay for with our tax dollars are open to us and our children outside of school hours.
Another way we are addressing this shortage and taking advantage of what is arguably the best weather and the most breathtaking urban scenery in the country is through a program called Ciclovia El Paso.

The concept was pioneered more than 25 years ago when the city of Bogotá, Colombia, set aside a network of city streets one day out of the week to pedestrians, cyclists and others who wanted to get outside and enjoy the city without being in a car. It has grown so popular in Bogotá that more than 2 million people come out each Sunday to enjoy it, nearly 30 percent of the city’s entire population!

Other Latin American cities have adopted the model, using city streets to greatly expand existing parks and recreation capacity. Chihuahua City has a Ciclovia; so does Guadalajara and dozens of other major cities throughout Latin America. More than 60,000 people came out each Sunday to take part in the Ciclovia in Ciudad Juárez until it was recently discontinued.

El Paso urban planners David Nakabayashi and Chuck Kooshian championed the effort to develop a Ciclovia here, working on proposed routes and pitching the idea to policy makers over the last few years. With the help of the current City Council and the business and foundation community in El Paso, the idea has finally taken hold and will soon become a reality.

Major sponsors, like the Paso del Norte Health Foundation, Cemex, Sierra Providence Health Network and Western Refining, joined dozens of other businesses in underwriting the expense to establish El Paso’s first Ciclovia. And as far as we know, this may be the first Ciclovia in the United States.

Every Sunday during the month of May, El Paso residents will be able to stroll, jog, ride or just hang out on a network of city streets that will be closed to car traffic and opened up to people who want to enjoy our beautiful city and get some exercise at the same time.

More information, including route maps, hours and frequently asked questions, can be found at the official website, www.cicloviaelpaso.com.

See you there!

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The Renaissance of Downtowns
by Mayor John Cook

There is a phenomenon urban planners commonly refer to as “the broken window syndrome.” It describes the slow process of how neighborhoods and cities fall into decline. It starts with one broken window in one building that no one cares enough about to replace. Soon, the number of broken windows in that building multiplies. Before too long, the broken windows start to appear in the next building and the next until the neglect begins to spread like a cancer consuming the very tissue of our society.

I like to compare our Downtown to a living room. When we are expecting company, all of us make sure our living room is presentable. Guests in our homes form their opinion of us by what they find in our living room. The same is true of a city. The impressions visitors get when they see our Downtown last long after they have gone. It becomes a statement of our character. Our Downtown defines who we are.

The decline of El Paso’s Downtown crept slowly but surely until we finally came to the realization that something had to be done. We had to reverse the cycle and revitalize.

Revitalization is the opposite of the broken window. It also begins slowly— one window, one building at a time. In our Downtown, like most communities that are working at restoring the central city, the transformation can be so gradual that it often escapes detection until, one day, the process reaches critical mass.

Slowly but surely, it is becoming obvious that something good is happening Downtown. Ubiquitous orange barrels are a sign that the public sector is busy working on infrastructure improvements. Voter-mandated quality-of-life bond projects, such as the Downtown Library and History Museum, are coming on line and creating new pedestrian activity. Local businesses are investing in themselves, not only with fresh coats of paint but façade improvements and interior renovations. The greatest restoration is that of pride in the community.

While the slow transformation is obviously occurring, it usually takes one big project to awaken the public consciousness. It looks like that day is not far away for El Paso. The recent announcement that the International Hotel will be transformed from a prominent advertisement of our decay to a modern Doubletree Hotel heralds the renaissance of El Paso’s Downtown. This singular project indicates two important accomplishments. First, it shows that our local business community is committed to our revitalization. More importantly, it shows that people from outside the community believe in our ability to restore our Downtown. Doubletree does not lend its name frivolously. Their confidence in us should encourage those who have believed all along that we can do this and convince the naysayers that “the stars are in alignment, and it’s our turn to shine!”

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Essay Contest Winners
by Bill Coon, CPO Boys & Girls Clubs of El Paso

You heard from me about the Boys & Girls Clubs of El Paso; now I want to share with you what the youth think about the Boys & Girls Clubs of El Paso. We had an essay contest last month, and the following is what the youth wrote about: “How has the Boys & Girls Clubs helped me reach for the future?”


“When I first went to the Boys & Girls Club, I didn’t have any friends, and I felt very shy. I didn’t know anyone there, and I was afraid of the older kids. Once I started making friends, I felt more comfortable and started to come more often. I enjoy the fun activities and the sports I play at the club. I play at the club because I like it, and it’s helped me in school. The staff at the club helps me with my homework, and I am getting better grades at school. I can read and spell a lot better than when I first came to the club. Most importantly, I am able to make friends that are in the first grade like me. My teacher told my mom that because I have joined the Boys & Girls Club, I am more positive in school and have become a better student. I like the Boys & Girls Club. It is a lot of fun.”

— Carlos Martinez

“The Boys & Girls Club has prepared me for the future by letting me meet new people, which has helped me with my social skills. When they took all the children to the Mexican Consulate, we learned about art. This showed us how beautiful a simple painting can be. When I go to the club, I always meet new people, and it makes me feel more confident about myself because when you are there, everyone is your friend. It’s like a big family. I love playing pool. It’s fun when I play pool, because I think about all the angles, and I can hit the billiard ball so it will go into the hole, and without realizing it, I’m doing math while having fun! I love playing basketball in the gym, and who knows, I might consider playing basketball professionally in the future! So far, I’ve learned many skills here that I can apply in my day-to-day activities and they will also help me grow, not only as a person but as a young adult. I learned patience while waiting for my turn at the computer. I’ve learned how to share what I have with other people. I’m very glad that I have the privilege to go to the Boys & Girls Club.”

— Ce Ce Esquivel

What a great testimony from our youth. If these essays inspire you to be a part of this great organization, please call me at 915.532.7410.