Good morning.

Good morning.

Good afternoon.

Oh, yes, it is 1216 p.m.

Good morning.

Well, good afternoon.

This is a meeting of the El Paso Mass Transit Department Board for Tuesday, May 12th, 2026.

It is now 1217 p.m.

Present in presiding is Board Chair Johnson, also present in the council chambers is board member Chavez Maldonado Rocha, Nino, Fierro, Limon, and Canales.

There is no public comment, sir.

Okay.

So all matters listed on the consent agenda will be considered by the Mass Transit Board to be uh routine and will be enacted by one motion unless separate discussion is requested by board members prior to the vote.

Members of the audience may ask questions regarding items on the consent agenda when the vote has been taken.

If the vote has not been called out for separate discussion, the item has been approved.

The Mass Transit Department Board may, however, reconsider any item at any time during the meeting, and we only have item number one, which is the approval of the board minutes for April the first, and a resolution to authorize to sign a donation agreement with the El Paso Mission Trail Association to accept a donation of the mural.

Okay, Representative.

Mayor, I wish to pull item number two from the consent agenda, and move to approve item number one.

Okay.

Is there a second?

Okay, there's a motion and second.

Miss Bryant, I may miss Nunes.

Who's seconded?

I'm sorry.

Thank you, sir.

So we have a motion to approve the minutes by board member Limon, seconded by board member Fierro.

Voting session is open, and the item has been approved with board member Acevedo and Boyartrejonat present for the vote for the vote.

Item.

Go ahead, let's take item number two.

Item number two is a resolution that the city manager or designee be authorized to sign a donation agreement between the city of El Paso and the El Paso Mission Trail Association to accept the donation of the mural by the El Paso Mission Trail Association.

Okay, Representative.

Thank you, Mayor.

I make a motion to approve item number two.

Sir, second, okay.

Representative, you want to say anything on this?

Well, I Anthony, if Mr.

DeKaiser, I'm sorry.

If you would uh do a presentation and then I'll comment a little afterwards.

So I don't have a like a formal presentation, but I do I do have things to say.

Um mayor, city council, um Anthony DeKaiser, um, director of Mass Transit.

So there's a lot to say about the El Paso Mission Trail Association.

They've been in our city for a long time.

They're a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving the historic nine-mile corridor in El Paso Mission Valley.

They've led the way in in doing that.

Sun Metro partners with them at Mission Valley, while they, the association, have provided visitor service while preserving and informing the community.

This mural highlights the historical significance of the area and encourages the use of public transportation.

It fosters community pride and enhances the quality of life.

The artist is also from here.

He's an award-winning artist in El Paso area.

A realistic expression of portraits and landscape.

This is what they do for our community, and Sun Metro's partnered with them to try to emphasize the things that they do and promote transit in the community.

So I'd like to uh introduce now uh Linda Almeida, the president, um, so she can come up and talk about some of the great wonderful things she does.

So please please welcome Linda.

Good afternoon, Lydia.

Good morning, uh, honorable Mayor Johnson and council.

We are representing the El Paso Mission Trail Association, and um, we wanted to go ahead and share some things with you uh about the mural itself, okay.

But at the same time, I want to introduce somebody or I want to introduce my partners in crime here.

We have our past president Shelby.

Come up here.

Shelby has been the trailblazer in getting this mural on the wall.

Okay.

He has worked diligently and very hard working with Joyce Garcia, our city attorney.

Thank you so much, uh Joyce.

And working very hard with Carl Remkes from Sun Metro as well.

And so Shelby is a pillar to our association, and we really appreciate the fact that he was out there pulling for us.

So in that at that same time, I would like to introduce Robert Dosal.

Robert Isall is going to be the artist for our mural.

And so I know that it was introduced to him a little bit, but let me tell you something.

This will be the second acquisition by Robert Dosal that the city will be getting.

Yes.

It's in your office.

All right.

So it's in uh representative City Lily Limon.

And uh, so anyway, this will be the second acquisition that the city gets, okay?

And it is called Trio Panama.

And um I also want to thank our representative, Lily Limon.

Lily Limon has been there for us from the get-go.

What can I do?

What can we what can we do to support you?

And she generously donated a lump sum money towards the mural.

So we're very happy about that.

Thank you, uh, representative City Limon.

Lily Limon.

Uh the Trio Panama won best show of the El Paso Art Association's Colors Song 2016 exhibition.

The artist is here, Robert Dosal, is a renowned El Paso multimedia artist and retired art teacher from Isleta Independent School District.

And so whose work has captured realistic to expressionist portraits and landscapes.

And uh you are going to see that in a little bit.

And so our second uh our thoughts are that you know we appreciate the fact that the Sun Metro has worked diligently with us, and that you as city council are going to approve this uh beautiful mural agreement.

So I would like Robert to tell you a little bit about what the mural is going to look like, okay.

Good afternoon, Robert.

Good afternoon.

Uh, uh in front of you all, and especially uh representative Limon.

And after years and years, well, what seemed like years and years of red tape, we're finally at the point where uh we're gonna be painting.

Shelby, you mind coming up and showing us.

Um I was amazed at all the red tape that it takes to get to this point, and I think we're waiting until the hottest part of the summer too for me to for me to be outside and paint the mural.

But uh, yeah, I wanted to bring a little bit of color and a little bit more pride to the area of uh Isleta.

Uh and I say more more pride because these communities are very, very proud uh communities, and um I feel like I'm coming back home because I was born just a few blocks away from the site where the mural is going to be at Johnstone Clinic.

So I'm very proud to uh bring a little more color to the area, and uh thank you so much to everyone that was involved.

This is an awesome project, and it's gonna be I'm sure uh a landmark uh there at uh at Isleta uh for the people.

I feel like I'm giving something back to the people of the community.

So thank you, thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you, Robert.

Thank you.

Just uh a few comments if I could.

I grew up in uh Isleta.

I grew up in the shadows of Isleta High School, and all my life.

I always go up and down Alameda.

Lydia, thank you to see those buildings and see those communities, and so I always wanted for us to do something that would uplift the community of Isleta.

It's a little bit like uh what you heard today with the people of Northeast how do we lift up how do we raise the consciousness how do we show art how do we show literature how do we present music and uh through this piece of art this iconic work I think we're gonna be able to make great strides in lifting the community pride and spirit and so we certainly uh appreciate your help uh on this effort you're very welcome representative oh lydia you want you want to say anything else no sir I think we're done thank you Representative indeed it has been a year we started this process a year ago and and things do take time I will tell you that and uh Mr.

DeKaiser first told me says oh it'll take a year and I said oh no it won't take a year I only have four years I gotta do it fast and we've got to move fast well here we are one year later but it came through and all of the things that needed to be accomplished to get it done properly were were certainly done and we appreciate all your help and leadership Mr.

DeKaiser because you really really stepped up to the plate and were able to move things around this is going to be a beautiful site on the wall of Alameda right at the corner of Saragoza Caddy Corner to the oldest mission and in really in the country the oldest operating mission and my first exposure to your work was in um former county judge Alicia Chacon's home she has this beautiful piece of yours and she was the first person that commissioned a piece of work from you it still hangs in her home and so for years and years I saw that piece and when I met with Lydia and the discussion was that you would be the artist I was just I was blown away but the piece is beautiful and it it serves so much history for that area and so much pride that here we are at the Nestor Valencia Transit Center.

Nestor also was a lived down the street from there you lived down the street you taught at Isleta high school for so many years and now you're going to share your beautiful skills and if you need someone to hold an umbrella for you this summer I'll be happy to do it.

But now it's a uh process of let's get it done thank you very much and thank you Lydia shelby if I may say something before uh we finish here um we will be working with the city traffic engineer for the closure of the West Lane closest to the mural wall for Robert's safety okay so we're hoping that we can get that done because it is facing exactly Alameda Avenue.

Thank you.

Very good okay Ms.

we have a motion and second on this item yes sir we do have a motion made by board member Limon seconded by board member Nino voting session is open and the item has been approved unanimously with board member boyardrejo not present for the vote.

Hey thank you congratulations and thank you Robert thank you later thank you is there a motion to adjourn so a second all those in favor anyone opposed and the mass transit department board meeting for May 12th is adjourned at twelve twenty nine p.m.

Thank you okay