Here's how $19.2M in federal funding will be used for 15 projects in El Paso

Millions of federal dollars are expected to head to El Paso and the surrounding region because of this year's community project funding, which includes $19.2 million for various critical projects.

Though the appropriations bills the projects are attached to still have to clear the full House and Senate before landing on President Joe Biden's desk for final approval, the funding represents another successful bid by U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar to include several Borderland priorities in this year's spending package.

"Through this year's appropriations cycle, I am proud to bring $19.2 million in community project funding back to El Paso to revitalize our community's infrastructure, fight food insecurity, invest in research and innovation, support housing investments for our service members, and improve quality of life for underserved areas by providing funds for waste and drinking water projects," Escobar, D-El Paso, said in a statement. "Allocated across 15 projects, this transformational money will make a tangible impact on El Pasoans from all walks of life."

The funding will be distributed among the projects, and will have a tangible impact on the residents of El Paso, Escobar added.

More: 14 projects that will change El Paso's water, health care and pet ownership landscape

Despite securing funding for the city, El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank, University Medical Center and Fort Bliss, as well as the towns of Socorro and Anthony and more, Escobar bemoaned the "blatantly partisan" nature of this year's appropriations process.

"The appropriation process requires compromise and the ability to ... address the needs of many individual communities in the context of our nation's wellbeing," Escobar wrote. "This appropriations cycle, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle disproportionately prioritized funding their own projects while systemically underfunding projects in communities like my own — many of which received less than half of the requested funding."

Aside from Fort Bliss, every project was funded well below its requested level:

• The Lower Valley Water District received $850,000 of its requested $3 million for a Nuevo Hueco Tanks ground storage tank.

• The town of Anthony received $959,752 of its requested $2.06 million to upgrade its wastewater treatment plant.

• UMC received just under $1.4 million of the nearly $7.4 million it requested to replace its emergency generator.

"Many of our communities rely on this process to fund critical projects that would otherwise go unfunded," Escobar said. "I am proud to have fought for all of our selected recipients and the important projects they hope to bring to our community and commit to ensuring these projects are retained in the final appropriation bills and enacted into law."

City slated to receive more than $2M for 3 projects includes Sun Metro

Among the entities expected to receive funds via this year's appropriations process is the city of El Paso, which will see around $2.07 million for three projects.

Sun Metro, which requested $750,000, was awarded $720,000 to develop the Sun Metro Micro-Transit Project. The funds will be used to purchase a fleet of electric micro-transit vehicles, charging infrastructure and will be matched by $180,000 in non-federal funding.

"This investment will increase the safety and efficiency of the Sun Metro bus fleet, reduce greenhouse emissions, and increase access to transit services (in areas) with limited transit service," said city Strategic Communications Director Laura Cruz-Acosta in an email.

She noted that the project is designed "primarily as a first and last mile transit service" and will work with current Sun Metro services.

"The first-last mile transit service is a transportation option available to commuters to reach their final destination by linking their starting location to a nearby bus transit station," Cruz-Acosta said in the email. "Currently, transit stops often only provide transportation to high traffic locations, burdening many commuters to walk the first mile or last mile of their trip. These services are crucial because they provide the critical link between a starting location, transit, and the final destination, enabling passengers to start and complete their journeys in a timely and convenient manner."

The city is also expected to receive $850,000 of the $3 million requested to develop the Terminal Bridge Reconstruction Project at the El Paso International Airport, which includes the design and reconstruction of the airport's primary exit. The project will be matched by $750,000 in non-federal funds.

More: Here's how El Paso will benefit from the $563B federal community spending package

"Terminal Bridge is beyond its useful life, is presently in poor conditions, and its existing design generates conflict points for vehicular traffic entering and exiting the airport," Cruz-Acosta wrote in her email. "The project will replace a failing bridge that no longer meets current design standards and will reconfigure the structure to create safer intersections, provide adequate clearance over Airway Boulevard, become capable of sustaining the weight of both Sun Metro buses and tractor trailers, and contain adequate multimodal infrastructure to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists."

Additionally, the city is on schedule to receive $500,000 of its requested $2.5 million to develop the Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS) Planning and Expansion Project.

"The BOSS is a collaborative business services one-stop shop providing business education, technical and legal support, and tailored financial products for small and micro business owners, entrepreneurs, and foreign direct investors," Cruz-Acosta said.

Funds will be used for the "planning, design, and implementation of improvements" to the city's Business One-Stop Shop, Cruz-Acosta said, as well as "the acquisition of a new facility to house the program."

Funding will allow El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank to expand West Side services

Among the other entities on track to receive funding through this year's federal appropriations process is El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank, which will receive $850,000 of its requested $6.5 million to construct a new permanent operations center in the westernmost part of the county, which remains chronically underserved.

"Currently, the food bank supplies food free of charge to over 130 pantries and churches across the community, but there are not enough food distribution sites to adequately meet the need on the West Side," wrote El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank CEO Susan Goodell in an emailed response to questions. "The food bank supplements this work by providing frequent mobile pantry food distributions in the region, but again, these efforts cannot replace the importance of a brick-and-mortar facility open five days a week, which will have an enormous impact on reducing food insecurity in the West Side of the community."

The funding will also bolster the food bank's ability to deliver "critical services," such as assistance in applying for benefits like SNAP.

Goodell noted that a state assessment confirmed that several neighborhoods in West El Paso "are at a high risk of being underserved or are presently underserved."

"(The food bank) does not have sufficient alternative sites or partners in this part of the community capable of meeting the demand for food assistance, which remains well above pre-pandemic levels," she wrote. "It is critical that we meet our neighbors where they are, and this facility ensures that we can do so more effectively and efficiently."

Despite the wide gap between what was requested and what is likely to be awarded, Goodell is confident that the food bank will be able to get the new site up and running.

"We are so grateful to Congresswoman Escobar for supporting this project, as it demonstrates her commitment to serving her constituents meaningfully," she wrote. "One of these is engaging in collective and collaborative work with organizations that seek to improve the livelihoods of hard-working El Pasaons."

What other projects were approved for community project funding?

Along with the three city projects and the construction of a new operations center for the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank, the following 11 projects were also cleared for funding:

Project Name: Nuevo Hueco Tanks Ground Storage Water TankRecipient: Lower Valley Water DistrictAmount Requested: $3 millionAmount Awarded: $850,000Project Description: The funding would be used for the construction of a steel ground storage tank that will hold one-million gallons, a booster station, as well as approximately 8,000 linear feet of 16-inch ductile iron transmission lines to connect to existing transmission lines.

Project Name: Gateway West-Sparks Water ProjectRecipient: Lower Valley Water DistrictAmount Requested: $1.7 millionAmount Awarded: $500,000Project Description: The funding would be used for the installation of 9,019 linear feet of 12-inch PVC pipe, 42 linear feet of 8-inch PVC pipe, connecting new service lines and upgrading old service lines and replacing them with new lines, as well as installing fire hydrants.

Project Name: Town of Anthony Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP)Recipient: Town of AnthonyAmount Requested: $2.06 millionAmount Awarded: $959,752Project Description: The funding would be used for upgrades and expansion of the existing Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in the town of Anthony.

Project Name: Arsenic Treatment Plant and Associated Raw & Treated Water PipelinesRecipient: Town of AnthonyAmount Requested: $4.7 millionAmount Awarded: $959,752Project Description: The funding would be used for final design and construction of a 1.73 MGD Water Treatment Plan that will remove arsenic from the town's potable groundwater supply.

Project Name: Replacing Aging Emergency Generator and Adding Solar CapacityRecipient: University Medical Center of El PasoAmount Requested: $7.4 millionAmount Awarded: $1.4 millionProject Description: The funding would be used to replace the University Medical Center's aging 2.5MW emergency generator and add power storage and solar capacity to the hospital.

Project Name: Aerospace Digital Engineering ResearchRecipient: National Center for Defense Manufacturing and MachiningAmount Requested: $2.2 millionAmount Awarded: $963,000Project Description: The funding would be used to initiate a research project with El Paso manufacturers to develop pathways using cutting-edge research and innovation to produce mission-critical and flight-qualified components and sub-assemblies through state-of-the-art digital engineering.

Project Name: El Paso County (Flood Warning Project)Recipient: U.S. Army Corps of EngineersAmount Requested: $3 millionAmount Awarded: $975,000Project Description: The funding would be used to develop the El Paso Flood Warning System to alert residents, businesses, planners, and emergency response personnel about potential flooding in El Paso County before it occurs or as soon as possible after it begins.

Project Name: Collective Training Barracks (Planning and Design)Recipient: Fort BlissAmount Requested: $7.2 millionAmount Awarded: $7.2 millionProject Description: This funding would be used for the Planning and Design of Collective Training Barracks required to provide housing for the many transient soldiers from Army Active, Army National Guard, and the Army Reserve supported by Fort Bliss.

Project Name: Rural Utility Service Vehicles (PW)Recipient: County of El PasoAmount Requested: $4,000,000Amount Awarded: $550,000Project Description: The funding would be used for the acquisition of new equipment, including four street box sweepers, five tandem dump trunks, five truck tractors, and four grappler bulk waste loader trucks will help facilitate the swift removal of illegally dumped waste and the cleaning of roadways.

Project Name: Rio Vista RehabilitationRecipient: City of SocorroAmount Requested: $8.4 millionAmount Awarded: $1.05 millionProject Description: The funding would be used for the rehabilitation of six (6) buildings at the historic Rio Vista Farm for reuse as a small business incubator, workforce and continuing education classrooms, and the community's first-ever public library.

Project Name: Police Department Technology AugmentationRecipient: Town of AnthonyAmount Requested: $1.5 millionAmount Awarded: $963,000Project Description: The funding would be used for the acquisition of stationary Outdoor, License plate recognition cameras in the areas identified as high trafficking.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Rep. Escobar secures $19.2M in federal funding for 15 El Paso projects