Community Conversations: City rep discuses newly announced amphitheater, downtown arena

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — In today's Community Conversations, city representative Brian Kennedy joined the KFOX14 Morning News to talk about the newly announced amphitheater set to be built in northeast El Paso and gave an update on the downtown arena project.

Kennedy said it was the private company, Notes Live, Inc., who decided to place the amphitheater in northeast El Paso.

They said, we need a place that is the right location, the right plan, and the right partners. They said this is the perfect place because people from across town can get here, as well as people from Juarez," Kennedy said. " We helped push for that site because we have a plan for that site and this is part of that plan.

Kennedy said this project will bring in a lot of economic development for the city.

Kennedy also gave an update on the downtown project arena.

"We haven't had all the answers to our questions so we don't want to discuss it publicly until we have those answers," said Kennedy.

Kennedy said what had been proposed for the arena was "what the staff has been asked to do. Give us what we can build without asking for more bond money."

Kennedy said now the city has to decide whether they want to go forward with it or not.

"We're doing some outreach right now to decide if we want to go forward with this project or not," he said.

Kennedy explained what would happen with the money if the project doesn't go through.

"There is $150 million that was never issued, so we just never issue it. There is some money that was issued, that we have in the bank and we would use that to repay the bond. There would be some expense picked up by the lawsuits were over Duranguito. Most of the money, $150 million hasn't even been issued," said Kennedy.

Kennedy said the city has ownership of some of the property in Durango and said the city is marketing them to sell them.

"Any money from that sale would go to pay back the bonds that were issued to purchase it," he said.

WATCH FULL INTERVIEW:

RECOMMENDED:Community Conversations: Canutillo ISD proposes $387M bond for school repairs, safety

Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox.