On Tuesday, the El Paso City Council signed off on a five-year improvement plan for Southwest University Park, home of the El Paso Chihuahuas (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League).
MountainStar Sports Group–the owner of the Chihuahuas–had requested that the city update its five-year capital improvement plan for Southwest University Park. An earlier five-year plan approved by the city council last February amounted to roughly $900,000, while the updated plan comes out to about $1.2 million in upgrades.
Under the terms approved on Tuesday, the city-owned ballpark will receive about $1.2 million in capital improvements over the next five years. The additional funds will help cover a variety of projects around Southwest University Park. More from The El Paso Times:
The first five-year plan approved by the City Council in February 2017 totaled about $900,000. The updated plan is about $350,000 more and includes added backstop netting and improvements to sidewalks, concession stands and buildings.
The capital improvements plan approved by the council Tuesday is about $480,000 shy of what the reserve fund would cover over the next five years.
Sam Rodriguez, city engineer and director of the Capital Improvement Department, said the city will likely fund the repairs that are not covered by the repair reserve fund from the general fund
Rodriguez also said the list of projects will help maintain the ballpark at a first-class level.
Southwest University Park has been the Chihuahuas’ home since its opening in 2014. In the year of its debut, Southwest University Park received Ballpark Digest’s Best New Ballpark Award.
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