El Paso County proposes major Escarrate Park overhaul; debate focuses on fate of small 'duck pond'

El Paso County on June 18 presented conceptual designs for sweeping Escarrate Park improvements that center on restoring the park’s lake system and adding new amenities, but commissioners and local fishing groups pressed officials for more public outreach before any decision on a proposal to remove the small “duck pond.”

The presentation, led by Public Works project manager Lydia Arias and Exego Architecture principals Eugenio Mesta and Paulina Lagos, described the work as a bond-funded, multi‑phase effort that would preserve athletic fields while redesigning lake edges, adding active and passive wetlands, installing deep-water aerators and circulation pumps, and creating a lakefront visitor pavilion and a new multiuse lawn and stage. The project budget tied to voter-approved propositions totals about $31.8 million, with additional tax-note funds covering well restoration and lake-related work. Exego estimated rehabilitation of three wells at about $810,000 and a set of major big‑lake improvements at about $4,000,000.

Why it matters: the lake system is central to the park’s ecology and public use, so any change to the small pond draws both scientific and emotional reactions. Exego told the court it is considering “taking the duck pond offline” because that smaller lake shows more leakage, failing retaining walls, higher evaporation and chronic water‑quality problems linked to nutrient loading and duck feeding. Parks Director Tim Fulton cited Texas Parks and Wildlife testing that found “highly toxic levels in the small lake” in February 2024, and urged that ecological risks be weighed alongside community recreation.

Designers emphasized community input: Mesta said the design team ran three public meetings and online outreach that drew about 1,200 participants to a virtual survey and roughly 100 people to several in‑person sessions, then six focus groups across user types. “We gathered three basic design principles: healing, movement and community,” he told the court, outlining how wetlands, a reconfigured perimeter road and a multimodal trail aim to improve water quality, habitat and access while minimizing field loss.

Fishing and family groups pushed back. Court members repeatedly raised the question of where anglers and families who traditionally used the duck pond would go if the county removed it. “They use that as a backup fishing place,” Public Works said, summarizing comments from fishing groups and noting concerns about nostalgia and loss of water area. Designers responded with proposed tradeoffs: naturalized shorelines, more fish habitat in the larger lake, preserved historic CCC walls and access improvements designed to expand fishing opportunities around the Big Lake.

Next steps: Commissioners asked staff to pursue additional targeted outreach — including evening, on‑site meetings at the park — and to circulate a written summary of today’s presentation and the options under consideration. The project remains in the conceptual phase; staff said schematic design and further engagement will continue and that construction could begin in spring 2027 in phases so the park need not be closed. The court did not make a formal decision; staff suggested a special evening meeting and indicated the court will seek a decision by August, provided outreach continues and concerns are addressed.

The presentation sought to balance ecology, public safety and programming: the proposed plan adds lighting and security measures, keeps existing fields and parking counts similar while redistributing stalls, and adds amenities such as new restrooms, shelters, a fishing pier and RV hookups. The court emphasized it would be prepared to retain the duck pond if outreach and additional analysis warrant preserving it.

— Reporting here is based exclusively on today’s Commissioner's Court presentation and the exchanges on the record. No final design decision was made during the session.