El Paso to receive more than US$1.5 million for two infrastructure projects

EL PASO, TX – Two major City of El Paso projects will receive more than $1.5 million as part of the bipartisan appropriations bill.

The City Council reported that the funding includes $1 million for the Paso del Norte Trail project, while $525,000 will go to the El Paso Police Department’s body camera program.

“The El Paso Police Department would like to thank Congresswoman Veronica Escobar and her staff for helping EPPD receive funding support to fully implement the Digital Video Evidence System. This technology will help the city maintain and reinforce accountability and community trust,” said Deputy Police Chief Zina Silva.

The acquisition of the equipment, which includes a body camera, along with a mobile video recording system, as an additional measure of protection for the citizens of El Paso.

The City Council recently approved the use of $6.6 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to purchase a digital video recording system, which includes 700 body cameras and 410 mobile video recorders.

The additional federal funding from the appropriations bill will help advance the city’s Body-Worn Camera Program, in addition to supporting El Paso’s Strategic Plan to improve community policing.

Furthermore, the additional $1 million in federal funding will be used to design and construct a one-mile segment of the 68-mile-long Paso del Norte Trail to connect the Medical Center of the Americas area to the El Paso Zoo along the Franklin Canal.

“This project is part of a major component of the Paso del Norte Trail that, once constructed, will extend from the Texas-New Mexico border to the eastern limits of El Paso County,” said Ben Fyffe, Chief Cultural Affairs and Leisure Officer.

The project will be carried out in collaboration with the Paso del Norte Health Foundation in an attempt to improve the quality of life for Pasoans through strategic partnerships and integrated planning efforts.

Source: MEXICONOW Staff