(C) El Paso Matters.org This story was originally published by El Paso Matters.org and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Opinion: Uplifting Sun Bowl Stadium means uplifting El Paso’s economy [1] ['Special To El Paso Matters', 'El Paso Matters', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar'] Date: 2024-06-20 By Jim Senter The Sun Bowl Stadium is El Paso’s venue. As UTEP’s athletics director, nothing makes me happier than seeing the stadium full of fans, from kids seeing their first live show to grandparents who’ve been going to football games since the stadium was built in 1963. We’ve hosted some incredible events over the years, from bowl games to big concerts and monster truck shows. Everyone in this town has a favorite memory that took place in the Sun Bowl. Those memories last forever, but buildings don’t. Concrete starts to crack, and roofs spring leaks. Concerts get more and more sophisticated each year, with greater requirements for power, more equipment and larger crews. And the Sun Bowl hasn’t quite kept up with the times. Jim Senter UTEP has invested $20 million in Sun Bowl upgrades over the past eight years, but we know we can do better—and do it in a way that benefits the whole region. UTEP recently announced its proposal to add a $99 million renovation of the Sun Bowl to a county bond that will come before El Paso’s voters in November. Here’s why it makes sense for our economy. What we’re calling the Sun Bowl Uplift would make major upgrades to make the stadium more attractive to top acts, improve the fan experience and tackle deferred maintenance issues. The Sun Bowl is the largest venue in our region by a long shot, and with some modifications, it can attract tourism from across the region and bring more money to our community. Getting the Sun Bowl Uplift included in the bond and passed by voters would be a net economic positive for El Paso. We estimate that adding eight more large A-list events each year (those that bring in at least 25,000 people) would have a $2.06 billion economic impact over the next 30 years, generate $82 million in additional tax revenue for our county, and create approximately 605 new jobs. Not only would the project practically pay for itself over the 30-year life of the bond, but it would also generate income and jobs on top of that. There are a few reasons for this. Currently, many El Pasoans have to travel to Austin, Dallas or Phoenix to see the biggest shows. The money they spend on tickets, transportation, lodging, food and drinks goes to those communities. But if we could attract some of those acts here, we could keep the economic benefits in El Paso while welcoming many more out-of-town guests to enjoy the best Mexican food in the country and explore our beautiful city. The Sun Bowl is the largest venue of its size in the region, but it sits empty for most of the year. No other space can accommodate more than 40,000 people, so by passing up the chance to improve the stadium and attract more shows and events, we are missing out on a golden opportunity for economic development. We already have the Sun Bowl, so why not make it the best it can be? El Paso deserves to enjoy great events in a truly awesome venue. The economic benefits we would see from upgrading the Sun Bowl would far surpass the initial costs. You, as the voters, get to decide. I hope you will support our proposal to include the Sun Bowl Uplift in the upcoming county bond. You can share your thoughts through an El Paso County online survey or by contacting your county commissioner. More information is available at https://www.utep.edu/sun-bowl/. Jim Senter is UTEP’s vice president and director of athletics. His career in athletics spans 35 years, from coaching to serving as athletics director. [END] --- [1] Url: https://elpasomatters.org/2024/06/20/opinion-sun-bowl-uplift-jim-senter-el-paso-county-bond/ Published and (C) by El Paso Matters.org Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-ND 4.0 International. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/elpasomatters/