City council recently voted to build the new cultural center as an attachment to the downtown library.
It seems that the plan is to confiscate portions of the library and re-use them as part of the cultural center. According to one speaker at the city council meeting the plan is to take almost half of the library.
Several librarians spoke before council and complained that they had been “blind sided” by city staff and were not aware of the impact of the plan until the proposal was posted on the council agenda.
The librarians have long memories.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
This has already been written about elsewhere, and you’re not alone, nor are the Librarians. The reality behind this latest bad decision is most likely due to the simple fact that we long since went way beyond what we can pay for with all the bright shiny toys for the rich few, and now the realization is setting in that we really can’t afford anything more! This center takes a back seat (and, a crappy location) because, after all, it might actually help the entire community, rather than the select few.
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Exactly, John D. We have lots of tennis courts, golf courses, a ball park, splash ponds every where. Will have an Arena the POLITICIANS want, soon as they can kick enough people out of their life-time homes. Three Malls, one virtually closed. So unless the HISPANIC “Leaders” can find PRIVATE investors to build, FINANCE them a humongous, extravagant Hispanic Culture Center , guess the library deal is the best they can get. El Paso is MANY “Cultures”, not just one. American Indians, Chinese, Germans, French, Mexican. And yet the “Others” were left out of their “Plan”. The “Librarians”, don’t want to share the building, tell them to come up with a plan to finance the Center. El Taxo is BILLIONS$$$ in debt and no way to pay it, EXCEPT constant tax INCREASES. BANKRUPT.
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I agree that the real story of El Paso is not just Mexican American, but the great diversity here, much more so than say in Albuquerque. Not a story told in the History Museum…but why must the “Librarians” be required to share their building or come up with a plan to finance the Center? And who will be able to visit this library-based center when the downtown is closed off for festivals? Where will the parking be for visits in the baseball season?
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You can pay the Hunts to park in the garage of their shiny new tower. They need the money because they said they couldn’t even justify building it without the tax breaks they received from the city and county. Those tax breaks amounted to a huge chunk of their building costs.
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As good “middle-class citizens” we don’t need to worry about parking because we really should be leading by “green” example, taking the bus everywhere, thus keeping downtown parking spaces available for the many VIPs El Paso has cultivated.
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More streetcars! More streetcars! More streetcars!
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You can take the bus downtown but you can’t go home at night on the bus. No real service much after 7 pm. Brio stops at 6 pm on Saturday, no service on Sunday. They want you to drive.
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Ask City Council members when was the last time they went to the library???
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Ask City Council members when was the last time they read a book.
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I’m not a fan of the Mexican-American cultural center. I think any center that limits itself to a single ethnicity should be paid for with private funding. That said, I actually think the combination with the library isn’t a bad compromise. The reality is technology will make brick and mortar libraries obsolete in another decade or so. The only time I use our local library system is when I download a digital book. Libraries that will best serve local communities as computer hubs are better placed in neighborhoods vs. a centralized downtown location. Combining the library with a Mexican-American cultural center not only reduces the amount of taxpayer money needed for this project, it also creates a dual-use facility that could keep a “downtown” library relevant. It actually isn’t a bad combo for Mexican-American kids (particularly ones with limited resources and transportation options who want to explore their heritage while doing projects for school). I know librarians don’t want to hear that and Mexican-Americans who want a cultural center will be offended at the idea that those of us who aren’t that ethnicity don’t want to visit a cultural center to immerse ourselves, but honestly this may be the best way to deliver this project in a form that will benefit the most people. I just wish they could keep it to the $5 million original budget instead of bumping it up to $10 million.
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I agree. Call it “El Paso Cultural Center”. Not ONE Culture built, settled El Paso, the Southwest, TEXAS. And the library is appropriate because the visitors can walk through, then walk into the library, find a book to explain, tell them the History of what’s there, what they’ve seen. Who was John Wesley Hardin, Pancho Villa, William Bonney?? Cost?? Nothing is EVER like the Politicians, “Planners”, “MANAGERS” say it will be. $5. 10, 20 MILLION$$$?? Everything THEY come up with always cost much MORE than THEY say and takes much longer to build than THEY say. Cost more to operate, maintain than THEY say. NOTHING is ever like THEY say. How many lies, MILLIONS$$ have THEY told US about their ball field??
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I agree, mostly. But I have 2 questions: what as the language on the ballot for the Center? I don’t recall Mexican American in that language. And, was the are to be confiscated in the downtown library built with bond funds years ago?
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Question: Due to the fact that the library and the Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) are interconnected, does that mean that we can only celebrate Mexican American culture if we promise to be quiet? lf we want to leave the MACC to go to the library, will we have to try to get past a wall? lf l want to check out a book from the MACC side, will l need a green library card? That’s all that l have and that’s all that you need….for now.
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