famous el paso scenic point park to get makeover

One of the most iconic and unusual parks in El Paso is slated to receive a major upgrading and renovation.

The Murchison Rogers Park, located at 1600 Scenic Drive, overlooks El Paso and Juarez at an altitude of 4,200 feet.

Opened in 1963, the park features a small front parking lot, walking space, and tables for picnics, but is largely defined by the breathtaking views it offers.

But now, city leaders say they want to improve the feel and substance of the park, and have entered into an agreement with the El Paso Community Foundation toward that end.

Improvements will include expanding available parking space, planting new shade trees, and constructing paths that are Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.

The centerpiece of the upgrade will be the construction of cantilever lookouts with safety railings that will be situated so as to provide continued sweeping views of the city.

With the project designed by the Santa Fe-based Surroundings Studio, the park upgrade is expected to cost at least $5.3 million to complete.

Of that figure, the El Paso Community Foundation, an endowment that funds nonprofit groups and the community at large, will provide $3.5 million in funding.

Total fund-raising for the project will most likely be completed by 2020, with the actual work on the project beginning shortly afterwards.

By Garry Boulard