City Council - Regular Meeting

Thank you. Hello, my name is Elizabeth Cruz, Branson Special Projects Compliance Officer for the City of Socorro. Thank you for joining today's meeting. Before our meeting begins, we would like to remind our guests to please remove all hats and silence all electronic devices. No disruptive behaviors or outbursts will be tolerated, and violators are subject to rejection or possible prosecution.

Hola, mi nombre es Judy Rodriguez, Planeadora de la Ciudad de Socorro. Gracias por participar en la reunión de hoy. Antes de que comience la reunión, quisiera recordarle a nuestros invitados favor de quitarse los sombreros y silenciar todo dispositivo electrónico. No se tolerará ningún comportamiento perturbador ni exabrupto y los infractores estarán sujetos a expulsión y posible procesamiento.

Good evening, everyone. I want to welcome you all to the September 17th, 2026 regular Socorro City Council meeting. It's 6.06 p.m. and I call this meeting to order. As always, we begin our meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence. And today we have some very, very special guests with us today. We have the Escontrías STEAM Academy, a school that I'm very familiar with, and I think Representative Cordero is also familiar with as well. And Ms. Rojas, did you also attend that school?

And Mr. Nevarez also attended that school.

And I also attended that school, and I think Mr. Perez also attended that school. When he did go to class, I think the majority of us here attended Escon Trillas. It was the only school that was there. And I think you guys still have the same lunch lady, if I'm not mistaken, from 1940. No, I'm just joking. At this time, if I can ask everybody, please stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance.

of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Honor the Texas flag. I pledge allegiance to the League of Texas, one state, under God, one, indivisible.

Please remain standing for the moment of silence.

Thank you. Thank you.

Can you guys just remain standing up here with us because on behalf of the Socorro City Council and the community of Socorro, we want to recognize you all with some certificates of recognition. I do want to let you all know that Jacey, where's Jacey? Lozano? We have your certificate at the office and we're gonna hopefully get it to you tomorrow. And if we gotta have Mr. Perez or even our police chief deliver it personally, we'll do that, okay? We're gonna make sure you get it tomorrow. But when we call your name, we'd like to all shake your hand and then we wanna take a picture with you guys if that's okay. Yes?

Okay.

JC Lozano.

Thank you. Thank you for coming.

Thank you for being here. Stand right here. Iker Javier Avalos. Eric Barraza Jr.

Jorge Giovanni Acosta.

Destiny Salome.

Levi Bello. That's a strong handshake, Levi. Here you go buddy, sorry. Nice grip. Emily Ray Velazquez.

You have the same middle name as my daughter. Exactly the same. Emily, just take the microphone when you leave, okay? Just take it with you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I have Katherine Guerrero Carrillo.

Yeah, I would say J.C. Lozano, you get extra candy. Yeah, J.C., where's J.C. at?

She's the first one, right? All right, did you guys get some candy, though?

They did, yeah.

They're so nice and polite when they came up here. Some of them are saying nice to meet you and thank you. When I bump into some of the residents, they usually say, why are my taxes so high? But I appreciate you guys for being so cordial. I'm gonna take a quick photo with you guys, and if the parents wanna take a photo, Do you guys want to get in the photo? Yeah, come on.

parents thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you sir

Thank you. Thank you. Take care.

At this time, we're gonna go ahead and establish quorum.

Ruben Reyes. Here. Cesar Nevarez. Here. Alejandro Garcia. Here. Mayor Rudy Cruz Jr. Here. Gina Cordero. Here. And Irene Rojas. Here. Mayor, we have a quorum.

Thank you. At this time, we're gonna go ahead and move into the public comment portion of our meeting.

No speakers for public comment.

There's no speakers for public comment. We're gonna go ahead and move into the consent agenda. Motion to approve consent agenda. Second. There's been a motion and a second to consent agenda. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

At this time we move into the regular agenda. Before we move into the first item in regular agenda, does anyone like to entertain a motion to move any items up?

I'd like to make a motion to move item 20 up to right now.

Second. Second.

There's been a motion and second to move agenda item number 20 above 10. All those in favor say aye. Aye. That motion carries.

Do you have 20?

Let us bring up the item here on our screens real quick. So agenda item number 20 is the introduction of Camila Areola. And she's going to be the chair of the Socorro Municipal Youth Advisory Council, also known as the CIMAC. And I want to provide a little bit of background on what agenda item number 20 is and a little bit of what it talks about. So this introduction is just to provide in summary that Ms. Camila Ariola will serve as a chair and she's going to assist myself as well as also city council members with establishing and organizing the Socorro Municipal Youth Advisory Council. She's also going to help coordinate youth outreach and encourage young residents to participate in civic and community activities. And so the proposed Socorro Mayoral Youth Advisory Council is intended to serve as an advisory body to the mayor and city council by providing youth perspectives on community issues, municipal programs, and initiatives impacting the city's younger population. The program is designed to foster civic engagement, leadership development, and community involvement while encouraging students to gain a greater understanding of local government, and public services. The proposed council would consist of 10 student members serving one academic year with representation in areas including community wellness and recreation, infrastructure and pedestrian safety, climate and environment, multimedia and public relations, public safety, administration, education and health awareness. Members would participate in monthly meetings, community engagement activities, and service projects while providing recommendations to the mayor and the city council on issues affecting the youth of Socorro. Eligible applicants would be students in the grades 10 through 12 who reside in the city of Socorro or attend Socorro Independent School District Schools. The proposed The proposal includes an application process consisting of a resume, cover letter, and letter of recommendation. To support the operations of the Youth Advisory Council, staff also recommends assigning the city issued laptop and establishing a city email account for the student chairperson. And these resources will be used solely for official Youth Advisory Council business, including communication with city staff, meetings, coordinations, and also documents. The establishment of Socorro Mayoral Youth Advisory Council reflects the city's commitment to developing future leaders, encouraging civic participation, and providing meaningful opportunities for youth to contribute to the continued success of the community. And this item here is not an action item, all it is is an introduction. We approved this a while back but I know Camila wanted to make some changes to some of the bylaws. This is the first time that we ever do something like this, and I think that it's important to build the community for the younger generations, because when we go out there and we try to seek someone's vote, It's usually an adult, right? A person that's worried about the property tax rate and worried about how their city looks and the streets that they drive on. But I can be honest with you, it's very seldom that we speak to the younger generations. At this time, I do want to introduce the council to Ms. Areola. And I want to afford Ms. Areola the opportunity to say a few words here at the microphone. Camila, if you don't mind.

Hi, everyone. Oh, sorry. Hi, everyone. My name is Camila Riola. I am a student at Americas High School, and I am really honored to be able to be given this opportunity to work with all of you guys and the mayor to be able to help youth get out there and start making changes in their community. I personally have been part of other youth councils before, So I wanted to make a new approach to the youth councils by making it kind of like you guys, the city council, where you guys represent different areas. So that was definitely my main goal there, which is why we have so many different sections of areas of interest. Because someone could want to make an impact but not want to be specifically in government. So I wanted to offer those opportunities to the people of Socorro and also those in the Socorro Independent School District since that is also where I am from. So yeah, that's my main goal for this council. I'm just very excited to be able to work with everyone. I know Mayor Cruz and Ms. Rodarte and I have been working on some bylaws and some other edits that just needed to be made. I was just making some edits to the application process just to make it a little bit more formal. But in terms of bylaws, I'm pretty sure everything is set. So thank you so much for this opportunity. And please let me know if you guys have any suggestions or any ideas so we can all start it together.

Great. Awesome.

Thank you.

I would be afraid if Camila was my opponent in any election right now if she's still a high school student. Camila, do you mind if we take a photo? And if your parents want to also join us in the photo as well, this is awesome for Ciudad Socorro. I think you're going to do really well, especially working with our youth here.

Thank you so much. Yes, thank you.

Thank you so much for taking this on. It is a true privilege to have one of our own, you know, lead this. Thank you for bringing it to us.

Thank you so much. I'm very honored.

One, two, and three. One, two, three. One, two, three, don't. is

Thank you.

Thank you. Have a great evening, okay?

Okay, so 20 is out of the way. All right.

Now we're moving on with agenda item number 10. This is a public hearing of an ordinance approving a proposed amendment to the city of Socorro's master plan and rezoning of a portion of track 1A, 1B, and 1E, now known as track 1A1, 1A3, 1B1, 1B3, and 1E1, block 26 Socorro Grant located on Vineyard Road. City of Socorro, Paso County, Texas from A1 Agricultural to R2 Medium Density Residential to allow for a residential development. It's 625 p.m. and public hearing is now open.

No speakers, Mayor.

As there are no speakers, we close the public hearing at 6.25 p.m. We move on into agenda item number 11 with the second reading and adoption of an ordinance approving a proposed amendment to the City of Socorro's master plan and rezoning of a portion of Tract 1A, 1B, and 1E, now known as Tract 1A1, 1A3, 1B1, 1B3, and 1E1. Block 26, Socorro Grant located on Vineyard Road, City of Socorro, El Paso County, Texas from A1 Agricultural,

to r2 medium density residential to allow for a residential development motion to approve second thank you mayor and council laureen kimito city planner item number 11 is a rezoning request this property is located on vineyard road it is a portion of track 1a 1b 1e now known as tracks 1a1 1a3 1b1 1b3 1e1 all within block 26 of the Escarate Grant. The property owner is Enrique Escobar. His representative Jorge Escarate of CEA Group is in attendance to answer any questions at the end of the presentation. The lot is 21.47 acres in size and currently zoned A1 Agricultural. The current land use is vacant and the future land use area designates this property as agriculture. In summary, the request is for approval of a rezoning from A1 agricultural to R2 medium density residential to allow for a residential development. Planning and zoning staff recommends approval of the rezoning request. Planning and zoning commission voted for approval. Three yes, zero no, and zero abstentions at their September 1st meeting. The zoning map identifies a property outlined in red as the applicant's property. It is A1. A1 is agricultural zoning and depicted in green in the zoning map. The other surrounding properties are R1 in yellow, single family residential, R2 medium density residential in orange. The future land use map designates the area as agriculture. It is predominantly surrounded by agriculture, land use, and a mix of some residential zoning. The aerial image shows the existing conditions of the property. It is vacant, former agricultural land. It is surrounded by vacant land, agricultural land, and a mix of residential uses along Socorro Road, rural estate, and multifamily. This is a site photograph taken of the property from Vineyard Road. And the next slide is a public notice map showing the properties that were notified of the rezoning request. These property owners within 200 feet of the applicant property received notice of the public hearing. Staff did not receive any notices either in favor or against the request and no speakers attended the planning and zoning public hearing. This is a conceptual plan. The proposed development is for residential lots. The proposal, and again, this is just a concept plan, is 83 lots ranging in size from 7,000 to 17,000 square feet, two access points onto Vineyard. So there would be recommendations that staff would make to this subdivision during the platting process. In summary, the request is for approval of a rezoning of a property from A1 agricultural to R2 medium density residential to allow for residential development. With that, staff can answer any questions. And as mentioned before, Mr. Escarate is in attendance to answer any questions that you might have for the applicant as well.

Do any members of council have any questions for Ms. Camilo on this item?

No.

Miss Camilo, during the planning and zoning meeting when this was presented, were there any concerns about traffic for the addition of 83 new homes?

Yes. One of the commissioners did ask about the condition of Vineyard and whether it would be able to accommodate the additional traffic. It is an older road and Two lanes, it is very limited right of way, it's 30 feet. And the connections on either end to Socorro Road, the traffic signals, and then at the other end to North Loop, to Alameda, no traffic intersection. So there would need to be improvements from the city to assist in accommodating those new residents.

And the reason I ask is because I think we're already seeing it and Socorro, as we all know, it's busting at the seams already. But if there can be just, we need to start looking at the improvement of the entrance into Socorro Road from Vineyard. I think it's so narrow. And then you have a stoplight there. There's a three-way stoplight. And I don't know if that's something that's in the plans for...

Correct. That would be the discussions that we could have during the platting process. Additional right-of-way for the future development of vineyard this development does. come very close to that intersection that you just described, additional outs through the southern portion of the property so that not everyone is diverted onto Vineyard, but those can be discussed during the platting process.

Yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am, okay. As there are no questions from council, I believe there is a motion and a second. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

And that motion carries. Thank you. We move into agenda item number 12 with the discussion and action to approve resolution 858 authorizing the City of Socorro representatives in matters pertaining to the City of Socorro's participation in the Texas Community Development Block Grant Program, TXCDBG.

Motion to approve. Second.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. Alejandra Olade, City Development Director. We are requesting your approval for this resolution in order to participate in the Texas Community Development Block Grant Program. As you know, this program funds various community development projects throughout the state of Texas, including streets, sidewalks, parks, water, wastewater, among with other eligible funding categories. The city of Socorro is interested in potentially submitting an application this fall, And one of the requirements is that we designate authorized representatives to act on behalf of the city. This resolution will authorize our city manager, Adriana Rodarte, as the authorized official. She will have the power to execute grant applications, submissions, contracts, and other documents if we are funded. And then it also authorizes myself as a city development director, as a project director and slash payment requester. In case we do get funded, we'll be able to submit those reimbursement requests to the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Are there any questions or further discussion on this item right here? No. There was a motion and second on this resolution. All those in favor say aye. Aye. That motion carries. The next item is 13, with the discussion in action, to enter into an interlocal agreement between the City of Socorro, Texas, and the El Paso Area Transportation Services, LGC, also known as EPATS, for the purpose of providing local transit services on behalf of the City of Socorro, Texas.

Motion to approve.

Second. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. We're requesting your approval on this interlocal agreement with El Paso Transportation Authority, or ETA. As you recall, on August 6th, 2026, City Council did approve the proposal that was submitted by ETA to be able to operate the city's local transportation service. At this time, we are requesting approval on the formal interlocal agreement. This agreement has been reviewed by legal and it does have some important provisions. The interlocal agreement does have, the city does retain its own branding on ETA operated vehicles. The city will control its local transit service. It retains the power to make any changes to that service throughout the period of service. It retains the authority to approve and implement capital project, future projects if we want to. It also retains vehicle and asset ownership rights and it retains monitoring, reporting and data rights among other additional powers that the city does have. So the city will retain control of its service but ETA will operate that service on behalf of the city.

Do any members of council have any questions or further discussion on this item?

No, sir.

Alejandra, on the interlocal agreement, this is... I understand in reading the item that it's the interlocal agreement between us and EPATS for providing the local transit services. Now I know that right now we currently provide our own system that it's gonna stay the same. How does it work as far as what we're providing right now? What's the major change?

Actually, we will be, well, ETA will be expanding services, so that's one of the benefits that this interlocal agreement will bring. They operate one more day than our current microtransit service provides. They will also be joining our service with their regional service, so those are additional vehicles, additional connections. We will also have access to their ETA fixed route system. They do have about three, four fixed routes that will take Socorro residents up to East Lake, San Elisario, Favens, and to El Paso as well. So we're basically joining their regional transit service, retaining ownership of our microtransit service. And I know Mr. Retta, who is currently operating our microtransit service, is working with the ETA to do a transition. So you'll be seeing some social media campaigns and some information going out to the public to let people know that the new service is coming, how to get in touch with them, where they have an app for their services as well. So that should be coming online pretty soon so that we have a smooth transition to that service.

So like the elderly woman that needs to pick up her meds or go to the doctor's appointment within the jurisdictional boundaries of our city, she still calls the 860?

At this time, yes. We're going to transition to ETA service starting October 1st.

Okay. Okay. And the reason I ask is I think that we, so it needs to be a holistic approach. Yes, social media is a great tool, and it lets people know about the change. But I think we need to also actually notify the elderly face-to-face. And I'm sure that our staff has already identified that and already working on that.

I'm going to let, Victor's ready to go right now. Okay. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Victor Reta. I am your communications director as well. Regarding the current service, so we did go out and we created our own micro transit service very successfully. Currently, we do have elderly ADA and people with no mobility issues that utilize the service. What will happen is all of our riders are registered with us. We do have their names, numbers, addresses. We are giving that information to TransDiv, who is the operator of the county's transit service, so they'll be in contact with them. We did have a meeting today where they also offer free fares, which is what we offer. Very intriguingly enough, people wanna know what's the secret in our sauce to make our program so successful. So we met with them, we explained to them exactly how we service our residents. We explained to them our pickup, our drop off, and our method of communication, which is not just social media. We do have an actual phone number where they can call our current employees or we can let them know exactly where their bus is, what time they're gonna be dropped off, if there's any issues. And we also go ahead and coordinate the scheduling of their trips. In speaking with Transdev and ETA this morning, they're going to be doing that for us, so that's what we're going to enter into is them overseeing the entire operation. Our staff will stay doing transit services for our senior citizens with our 5310 program. The difference is, number one, ETA operates more days, as Ms. Valadez mentioned, and expanded hours, so they'll be able to not only get a different network, meaning the accessibility within our region will be expanded, but they'll also be able to get weekend services as well. Currently, they are offering free fares until February of 2027. However, they have a board meeting to expand that. So we will utilize Ms. Valadez's seat on that board to advocate for continued free fare. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. But specifically for communication, we do utilize print information, electronic information, and then also our phone services as well.

Great. Thank you. Thank you so much.

And that was pretty much my concern as well. The fair, will it still continue free for our residents? Because that's what we're offering and that's what we want to ensure that continues.

Yes. And that is, yes. And that micro transit service fair is also under the city's control. So we can determine if we want to or we have the need to establish a fair in the future, we may be able to do so. At this time, the service will be free. We also have Mr. Ando here with ETA, and I'd like to welcome him. If you have any comments or regards, or if you all have any questions specific to the transition or their operations, Mr. Ando is able to answer that as well.

Mr. Ando, I see you back there smiling and all the comments that you've made in reference to the city of Socorro have been positive ones. I think that should have been the approach from the very beginning. But it took someone like you to come in here and make it happen. So we appreciate that and we look forward to working with you. You want to come share some words yourself there, Mr. Ando?

Good evening, Mayor and Council. John Ando, Executive Director of El Paso Transportation Authority. We're graciously excited to be doing this service for the city. We're prepared to, we're in discussions with We Win to help them with some potential needs. We're prepared to do that shuttle I believe that you have in October for your event that you're having. And Mr. Retta, Ms. Valdez's help has been gracious for us to ensure a smooth transition on October 1. We'll continue to give updates to your staff. Ms. Valdez will be a formally voting member upon your concurrence of this interlocal, also starting on October 1. So anything that we can do as EPATs to support the city and their transportation needs, we're willing and prepared to do so.

Thank you. I know Mr. Garcia had some comments as well.

Thank you for everything. You've been a wind of change. Because when they came in here, it was totally different attitudes. But the one thing that I can get away from is having a direct line to the universities and to the colleges here. because a lot of these kids from Socorro, Saneli, Tornillo, whatever it might be, are not getting direct lines to the university, to the colleges that they wanna go to, Western, Ottawa, wherever they wanna go. And I think we should work on that because that is my main concern, is making sure these kids from the outskirts get to go to UTEP, get to go to community college, get to go anywhere they wanna go. So I would like that in the future, and I would like to work with you with that as well.

Of course. I do want to say that starting October 4, we'll have the new Socorro Horizon City circulator route begin. That will connect Socorro and Horizon City residents as well as those coming from Mission Valley Transit Center to EPCC.

Excellent.

And then we have a grant in partnership with the town of Horizon City to do a UTEP Express from Horizon City, Socorro, via I-10, direct to UTEP. So folks that need to get downtown or folks that wanna go to school there, they can bypass the transfer to Sun Metro. So we're hoping to start that in October 1 of 27, once we get the funds released from the MPO. But beyond other colleges, I'm happy to work with the city and you on how we can continue to improve transportation to those higher educational institutions.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you so much.

Ms. Valadez, do you have any more additional information to provide during your presentation?

No, just very excited that we're all working together. I think by pooling resources together, exploring grant opportunities, and seeing where the gaps are, I think we have a really good setup right now to work together with ETA, with the county in the future.

Great, awesome. And I think it also, it relieves Ms. Charretta's staff as well, from behind the desk answering phones.

We're still preparing to answer phones to make their transition happen. So we're anticipating up until November for everyone to kind of get used to the adjustment. However, my team and my department are more than happy to serve our public because that's what we're hired to do. So if that means we get to talk to them and expand the senior program, then that's an added benefit. And just to answer Mr. Garcia's question, we currently do service Mission Community College because they fall within our district.

Awesome. Thank you.

And all that information will be passed on to Mr. Ando's team because they are looking to connect our current residents exactly where they're going now.

Good. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Good stuff. As there are no more questions or any further discussion from any members of council? No. No? Okay. There was a motion and a second. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. That motion carries. The next item is 14, with the discussion in action to approve the resolution 859 authorizing the city of Socorro to enter into an advanced funding agreement with the state of Texas acting through the Texas Department of Transportation to approve funding for the Paso del Norte Trail Socorro Spine Alignment, project number CSJ0924-06789.

Motion to approve.

Second. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. We are requesting your approval for this resolution to enter into an advanced funding agreement with TxDOT for this project. Before I get into the details of the project, I did want to advise, due to a human error, a little snafu, the resolution wasn't posted with your backup. We did get feedback from legal. They advised for us to go ahead and post it so it's now available online. We also printed copies which are available in the back for the public, and they advised that we could go ahead and authorize the resolution should council vote in that direction. But this is a project that was submitted to the FY2026 Community Projects Funding Request to the Office of Congresswoman Veronica Escobar. This project was selected through the Federal Appropriations Program for funding. On February 2026, the Consolidated Appropriations Act was signed into law by the President of the United States, authorizing Federal Highway Administration funds for 605 projects across the United States. One of them was this Paso Norte trail spine alignment project. The Paso Norte Trail Spine Alignment Project consists of engineering design and development of plan specifications and estimates for multimodal active transportation improvements along Alameda. Specifically, this is the segment between Beaufort Road and Bovee Road. As you know, TxDOT has been working on some sidewalks and different improvements slowly along Alameda. Currently, that segment does not have any funding allocated to it, so this project will commence the engineering design so that then we can go after construction dollars. The project will include, potentially, a shared use path sidewalk facilities, ADA compliant accessibility improvements, pedestrian crossings, bicycle accommodations, signage, pavement markings, landscaping, drainage improvements, safety enhancement, and transit access connectivity improvement. And the goal is to take that segment and continue to extend it in future years. There is a 20% match of $100,000, which are covered by our 2026 Certificates of Obligations.

Any questions? No, sir. This item here The Paso del Norte trail spine alignment project, I know that this is only for the engineering and design?

That's correct, yes. So when we requested funds through the Federal Appropriations Community Projects Funding Program, We actually requested approximately $7 million with the hopes that they were going to give us the $7 million so that we could do the engineering and the construction. Unfortunately, the project award was only $500,000, which is disappointing, but it does allow us to do the full engineering design. Once we have that engineering design, we're able to go after construction dollars through More than likely, the BUILD program. We've been successful in getting funds from the BUILD program, so once we have engineering documents, we're pretty confident we can go after construction dollars.

When we say or identify the areas for phase one from Alameda Avenue, Beaufort to Bovee, are we talking on the canal side? of sidewalks?

That is a good question. We actually do not know yet. We're working with TxDOT because they're also developing a project up to Beaufort Road. And so that's part of the engineering and design to determine which side there's enough right-of-way for a potential bike trail. And of course, we want all of the amenities. So you want the landscaping, and you want the trail, and you want the benches.

Yeah, because one side we have irrigation and then the other side you have businesses and residential. And I know that there's sidewalks being built on that side of Alameda right now as you exit Bovee. So I'm assuming that now we want to come to the other side, right, and create that.

Yes, in the conversations that we've had with TxDOT, we've talked about the segment that is in front of Walmart on Alameda. I don't know if you've seen that. Right in front of Walmart, there's already a trail component. So that's the template that they've kind of referred us that there's potential. But again, we're not too sure. And that's part of the project scope to determine location right away, all of that.

Understood, yeah.

preliminary phases.

Okay, is there any further discussion or questions from as well as this? No, there was a motion and second. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. And that motion carries. we move into agenda item number 15 with the discussion in action to approve the work authorization number two with cea engineering group inc for the professional engineering services for the park improvement projects the maximum amount payable under this work authorization is 745 952 dollars with 15 cents funded by the 2026 certificates of obligation motion to approve second

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. We are requesting your approval for this work authorization number two with CEA Engineering Group. This work authorization will authorize up to $745,000 approximately, and what it will do, it will create the work authorization umbrella under which we can then develop different phases of our park improvements projects. Task one. or task authorization one is already included in your backup, and that will be the first phase of our park improvement projects, which will include the development of Cougar Park, Moon City Park, and Vallehermoso Park. There are already some preliminary renderings of what those improvements will look like. However, CEA, we need to enter into this work authorization so that CEA can proceed with the full 100% design. In the future, there is a potential for task authorization number two. We have submitted a grant application to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. If we are funded, part of this work authorization may be used as the match for that grant, and that grant will allow us to do construction of those projects. We also have a CEA here, Ms. Diana, who will be talking a little bit about the project timeline so that you all can see how, when we can expect those design plans.

Mr. Alfredo, can you show the presentation? Good evening, mayor, council, and staff.

Good evening.

All right. Again, good evening, Mayor, Council, and staff. Diana Guerrero, Project Manager at CEA Group. I have a short presentation to show, like Ms. Alejandra said, this will cover the city-funded park improvements, which includes Cougar Park, Vallehermoso Park, and Moon City Park. Starting with Cougar Park, we'll go through a list of the proposed improvements, which include upgrading the playground areas, increasing parking areas, improving landscape, walking trails, and adding a food truck parking areas. So this is one of Socorro's biggest parks. It hosts a lot of events. So if you go to the next page, you'll see some renderings that we've prepared during our conceptual design phase. And it includes a food truck parking area, which will be really nice. Next one. Vallermos, or Moon City Park, I'm sorry. This is a neighborhood park. The improvements will include upgrading the existing walking path, providing shading options, adding an irrigation system, which will help improve landscaping and maintain landscaping, and then upgrading the parking areas as well. And here are some renderings that we've prepared.

Next one.

Lastly, Vallehermoso Park. This is also a neighborhood park. The proposed improvements include replacing existing benches, constructing a multi-use court, constructing a tetherball court, and then adding some outdoor exercise equipment. And here are some renderings as well. And then lastly, our project delivery schedule. So like Ms. Alejandra said, we've prepared a conceptual design already, I believe in 2024. So we have an aggressive schedule for this one. So assuming notice to proceed in September of 2026, which is where we're at right now, We would begin with our field work, which includes survey and geotech, and then we would go straight to a 90% design submittal. So typically on other projects, we do a 30, 60, 90, 100. For this one, we're going straight to a 90. So that helps us shorten the amount of time. After that, we have a city review period, and then we would prepare the 100% design. Again, another city review period. And the final construction documents would be done in about April of next year. So that's about 172, 75 days from project start to finish. And with that, I can answer any questions.

Do any members of council have any questions on this presentation?

Mr. Reyes? I would like to request the canopies covering the playgrounds. It gets really hot, and even when the sun goes down, they stay pretty warm, those playgrounds.

We can discuss that with staff as well.

And as many, I guess, as many canopies as we can throw in the parks, that would be great.

This contract, I believe, also includes a structural, so we can take a look at that. Thank you.

Do we have benching where people will be able to sit and additional ones than what we have currently?

It would be upgrading existing benching at Valle Hermoso. What about the other parks? What about Moon City? I don't believe we've included that, but we can discuss that with staff. Thank you.

So any other comments or discussion? I believe both council members bring up good points with park improvements. If it's gonna be any seating, I know that right now, if you were to drive by any of our parks and there's any seating, it's probably a bench that was made by our public works department using wood, and somebody was handy with the welder at the time, and that's what you drive past right now. And you have to be careful when you slide on that bench. because you go home with splinters on your backside. We're trying to get away from that, and we're trying to create the park with equipment that's safer. It's equipment that's certified and installed by the professionals. It's been identified as equipment to withstand the elements of the weather. But as Mr. Reyes stated, I know that in an effort to provide shading areas, we've used canopies of material, like fabric, that it doesn't, it works for a while, And then the winds coming and the sun beating down on them, we'd like to see something that's more structurally sound. And I think that's going to last a lot longer. And given the amount of money that the residents of this city are going to invest in its parks, I think we need to start looking at these things. And again, I understand how things were done years ago because the budget wasn't... There wasn't much to work with. We did with what we could. But I feel that these park improvements are gonna be something that the community can enjoy, and I look forward to seeing these. So if I heard correct, April 2027, this is completion?

Of the construction documents.

Okay, just the documents will be ready. That's as fast as CEA can work on?

Yes, at this point. We do allow for some time for city review of the plans. We can try to shorten that as much as we can. But it is an aggressive schedule.

When construction documents become available to the city, how much time do we have to post and go through the procurement process for procuring contracting agreements?

So typically, once we have the full set, we share that with our legal team. They take about a week to review, a couple of weeks to review. And then our posting period is approximately 21 days. We're trying to standardize that to 21 days. And then a vendor is selected, and there's typically some mobilization that the vendor has to do, and then construction starts thereafter. The benefit of these park improvements is that they are, unlike our other transportation improvements, we don't have to work around the irrigation district's schedule this time. So that means we can work through the irrigation season so the construction timeline will be a little bit faster. Typically on our other projects, we have to work around the irrigation schedule, and that means that some of these projects take a year, a year and a half. That will not be the case with the construction of these projects. And regarding your feedback on the shade, we will make sure that that is prioritized in the design. We do have to make some concessions because We have to stick to a budget, but knowing that the priority is gonna be shading, ensuring that we have high quality materials that are gonna last and survive the elements, that's good feedback for us and for the engineers as well.

Another recommendation that would be made maybe that you can consolidate both the shading and the benching is creating these areas for picnic areas so that it's more welcoming for our parents our families, our communities out there to take out the kids and picnic out there where there's a shade and there's these concrete places where they can sit. It's more welcoming and maybe we can combine the shading with the seating.

Yes, I believe that's already in the plans for Valle Hermoso and we'll go back and make sure that that's addressed in the other parks as well. regarding the shade on the playgrounds, I believe they all include shades on the playgrounds, and we'll go back and make sure that that's the case. But that's good feedback, and we'll have, I guess, those conversations in our kickoff meeting.

Beautiful, thank you so much.

I know that the work authorization for funding the engineering services is one. Once the designs are out, is this also gonna be taken up as one large project, or are you going to receive multiple contractors to work on the different parks at the same time?

We haven't really talked about that.

Like is it gonna be taken as one packet because I'm seeing that we can get started on all three parks at the same time under different contractual agreements depending on the bids that are coming in?

So like Ms. Alejandra said at the beginning, I presented on task authorization number one, which is the city-funded parks. Those are intended, the three, are intended to go out to bid altogether. And then task authorization two, which is funded by a grant, it would include two more parks. Those would go under a separate contract.

You can't mix the funding?

Yeah, so it would be three and then two later on.

The other two? The other two are gonna be under the grant funding.

Yes, that's the application that City Council authorized for us to submit to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. That's been submitted and we will find out January 2027 whether we have received the funding or not. And so that'll help offset some of the construction costs and the engineering costs as well. But that's why we're bringing to you task authorization one first so we can proceed with that while we wait on the grant funding for the second set of parks.

Very well, thank you.

Thank you.

Are there any other questions or comments from council? No, sir. There was a motion and second on this item. All those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

And that motion carries, thank you. Agenda item number 16, this is the discussion and action to ratify letters of support for Project Amistad and the El Paso Transportation Authority's ETA proposals for Federal Transit Administration section 5310 funding.

Motion to approve. Second.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. We are requesting your approval to ratify these letters of support for Project Amistad and the El Paso Transportation Authority. As you know, the city of Socorro is also submitting a grant application to the 2026-2027 Section 5310 grant application. We are partnering with Project Amistad and ETA to coordinate those Section 5310 services to our elderly and people with mobility issues. And the reason why we bring it to you is to let you know collaborating with them. They have submitted a letter of support for Socorro, and in kind, we are providing a letter of support for their projects as well.

Okay, any questions or comments?

No.

That was a motion and second. All those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Mr. Reyes, is that an aye or? Yes, okay. Thank you. Thank you. Aye. We move into agenda item number 17 with the discussion and action to approve resolution 860 for the preliminary and final plat with a waiver request from section 38-8.2 preliminary plat plans and data subsection c engineering reports to waive the storm drainage plan and soil analysis requirement for the reyes estates being all of tract 4a block 9 socorro grant and located at 336 brown road city of socorro opasso county texas motion to approve second

Thank you. Oh, sorry. Go ahead, Ms. Camino. Thank you, Mayor and Council. Lorraine Camino, item number 17 is a preliminary and final pledge. I'm going to just scroll back over to... our item, item 17. This is a preliminary and final plat for the Reyes Estates subdivision. They are also requesting a waiver of the soils analysis and storm water drainage reports again the property is 336 brown road all of tract 4a block 9 sakura grant property owners are adrian luis garcia and rosa maria robles their representative is enrique ayala of cad consulting the property is 1.26 acres in size and currently zoned a1 the current land use is agricultural In summary, this request is for approval of a preliminary and final plot with a waiver request. Planning and zoning staff recommends approval of the preliminary and final plot. They also recommend approval of the waiver request with the condition that the soil analysis and storm drainage reports are submitted at the time of applying for the building permits. The Planning and Zoning Commission voted for approval with staff's recommendation unanimously with four members present and this was at their July 21st meeting. The zoning map highlights the applicant property in red. It is A1 Agricultural and it is surrounded by A1 Agricultural and R01 Zoning. The aerial image shows the applicant property again outlined in red. The land is vacant and it is surrounded by a mix of established residential neighborhoods and agricultural to the rear. These are site photographs taken of the property from Brown Road. You can see the vacant lot. This is the preliminary plot. They are not subdividing the property. They simply want to formally plat the property. They have submitted their preliminary plat, final plat, and the waiver request. They do not know what they would like to do with the property right now, but they did want to move forward with the platting process and request a waiver of the soils analysis and drainage reports for the point where they're ready to submit their construction project. In summary, this request is for approval of a preliminary and final plot for Reyes Estates and a waiver request of engineering reports. With that, staff can answer any questions.

I'd like to know why we need to waive, why they're asking, help me understand why they're asking to waive it now if they're still going to have to submit later.

just so that they can submit it later. Once they decide what they would like to do in terms of construction, where they can submit that later and not pull back on this step of the process.

So they're not sure what's going to be planned for there. Okay, I see.

They're just trying to replat and they haven't decided what structure is going to be put on there. It's kind of like a temporary waiver. It still has to be submitted upon...

Yeah.

Any other questions or comments on this item?

No, sir. No?

There's a motion and second. All those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

That motion carries. Thank you. Agenda item 18 is the discussion and action to approve resolution 861 for the final plat for the Ohanas being a portion of track one. Is it 1X or is it Roman numeral one? now known as 1X1 Lake Clark, Survey Number 293 and a portion of Lot 17, Block 6, Cielo del Rio, Unit 2, amending plat and addition to the City of Socorro, Paso County, Texas. Motion to approve.

Second. Thank you, Mayor and Council. This is a final plat for the Ohanas. The property is located on Stockyard Drive. and Cielo Blanco Drive. The legal description is a portion of 1X, now known as track 1X1, Lake Clark survey number 293, and a portion of lot 17, block six, Cielo del Rio, unit two amending plot. The property owner is Phuong John Nguyen. The representative is Alfonso T. Perez of ADP Engineering. The property is just a little over an acre and a half in size. It is zoned R3 high density residential and it is currently vacant. In summary, this request is for the approval of the final plat for the Ohanas. The preliminary plat was approved by council and there are no major changes, no changes, at all to the final plan. The recommendation from staff is to approve the request. The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the request unanimously at their September 15th meeting with four members present. The zoning map shows the Ohana subdivision. It is R3, high density residential, There you go. In orange, surrounded by the R3 high-density residential zoning, and it is on the edge of the city limits, so the area just to the north is all within the county. The aerial image shows the property outlined in yellow. It is vacant and adjacent to the single-family residential subdivisions and a ponding area. which they will be incorporating into their subdivision. These are photographs taken from Cielo Blanco and Stockyard Drive. This is the final plat for the Ohana subdivision. And with that, the summary is, this is a request for approval of a final plat for the Ohana subdivision. but that staff can answer any questions.

Any questions or further discussion on this item?

No?

Those in motion and second, all those in favor say aye. Aye. And that motion carries. We move into agenda item number 19 with a discussion and action to approve resolution 862 for the replat of Mission Trail Estates, replat L being a replat of lot 10, block 22, Mission Trail Estates located at 401 Borrego Road, San Isidro, Texas.

Motion to approve.

Second. Thank you, Mayor and Council. The next item is a replat. This is a request for the replat of lot 10, block 22, Mission Trails Estates. The property owners are Hernando and Elsa Griseño. Their representative is Gerardo Garcia of Gardea Engineering. The property is a little under half an acre in size. It is outside of the city limits, but it is within our ETJ. Being outside of the city limits, there is no zoning. Its current land use is residential. The request is for approval of a replat for Mission Trail Estates, replat L. Planning and Zoning staff recommends approval of the request. Planning and Zoning Commission voted for approval. Three yes, zero no, and zero abstentions at their September 1st meeting. The zoning map shows the area in purple. This is not zoning. This is the two-mile ETJ. The applicant property is outlined in turquoise. The aerial map shows the property outlined in turquoise. From the arrow, you can see two buildings in fronting Corrego. a canopy to the rear of the property. It is surrounded by an established neighborhood, largely single-family residential homes. These photographs were taken of the property. The top photograph is from Borrego Road, showing two buildings, both are duplexes, and the photograph on the bottom shows a property from the intersection of Borrego and Piedras Negras Drive, The Mission Trails Estate original plat, and it's a little difficult to see where exactly our property is located. It is located toward the upper left-hand corner of the subdivision. And this is the replat L. The applicant is proposing to divide the property into two. leaving the two duplexes fronting Borrego and building a single family home to the rear of the lot fronting the side street. Both lots are just slightly over 10,000 square feet in size. In summary, the request is for approval of a replat, Mission Trail Estates replat L, and with that, staff can answer any questions.

No, any questions or further discussion on this item? No, there's a motion and second. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. And that motion carries. Thank you, Ms. Camilo. Thank you. We've already introduced agenda item 20. We move into 21. This is a presentation, discussion and action regarding a proposed partnership with Gia Sole Espinosa, Miss Earth USA for the development of Mia's Garden, a community healing and memorial garden in the city of Socorro, Texas. Miss Gia, unfortunately, is, I believe, on travel. She's got quite a bit on her plate right now. as representing our area here as Miss Earth USA. When I met with her, she approached the city of Socorro and she disclosed to me that her proposal is just to provide this living memorial and community healing space that she wants to develop in the city of Socorro in memory of her friend, Mia Molina, who was tragically killed in El Paso. This initiative is intended to provide a space of remembrance, healing, awareness, and community support for individuals and families impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, rape, and gun violence. In the backup, you'll see the statement as it is her vision. to provide a space where victims, survivors, families, and friends may honor a loved one's personal experience or healing journey through the placement of native and drought-tolerant plants. Each plant would serve as a living representation of remembrance, resilience, and hope. In addition to serving as a memorial, the proposed garden could provide opportunities for domestic violence awareness and education, community engagement, survivor support, environmental stewardship, and connections to local organizations. Long story short, I spoke with Ms. Soleil this week and she did mention to me that she does want to plant some trees and I believe all we need is to provide staff the direction, the directive to accept on behalf of Ms. Soleil The trees, again, that she wants to plant are at no cost to the city. This is something that she's already gotten through sponsorships and whatnot. I believe staff can identify an area that they desire. My ask today is just us accepting the planting of these trees for Ms. Saleh to create this space. And I also look to staff IF THEY HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO MAKE ON THIS ITEM HERE. IF NONE, I'M OPEN TO ANY DISCUSSION ON THE TABLE RIGHT NOW.

WHAT TREES, HOW MANY TREES ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT AND WILL THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT BE THE ONES PLANTING THOSE TREES?

NO, SO THE NUMBER OF TREES WASN'T DISCLOSED. I JUST KNOW THAT SHE DID MENTION, LOOK, I HAVE ALL THESE TREES. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ALL THESE TREES MEANS. IT COULD MEAN, YOU KNOW, ANY NUMBER, FIVE, TEN. I don't foresee our staff having to do any work. I think this is all volunteer. She's just looking for a space and she's looking to the city of Socorro to help establish this place here. And if you all need further information, I can also get that from her right now. We just need to say yes or no to it so that she can either move elsewhere and look for another community space to plant these trees. Thank you. Yeah. There's no further discussion or questions. I believe there was a motion and second on this item. All those in favor?

We don't have a motion, Mayor.

Oh, we don't have a motion?

Because it's just a presentation.

Well, it's discussion and action, right? We need to take action on this item. We need to take action. Second. There's been a motion and second. All those in favor, say aye. Aye.

Mayor, we don't have a motion. I'm sorry? We don't have a motion.

Okay, so do we have a motion?

Motion to approve. So somebody second.

Second.

There's been a motion and a second on this item. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. And that motion carries. Do we have any items to discuss for 22, 23, or 24?

Motion to delete items 22 to 24.

Second.

There's been a motion to delete items 22, 23, and 24. All those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Do I have a motion to adjourn this meeting? Motion to adjourn.

Second.

There's been a motion and second to adjourn this meeting. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

This meeting adjourns at 7.23 p.m. Thank you all.

Thank you.