The City of Amarillo Just Updated This Mega Structure, And People Are Mad

So Amarillo is no stranger to spending money on giant mega projects for questionable reasons, which end up costing millions in tax dollars. And it seems like they've done it again.

In August last year, the Amarillo City Council approved a 3 million dollar project to add an open-air structure to the Santa Fe Depot that would accommodate WRCA events. Due to a rushed schedule because of the upcoming WRCA that would be hosted at the Santa Fe Depot Pavilion, the structure was not entirely finished with small additions such as lighting being left out.

Later in February, The Amarillo City Councill approved another $786,000 for the facility, bringing the price tag of this event center up to nearly 4 million dollars. This time around though the building would be renovated to accommodate not only WRCA events but other sporting events such as basketball and volleyball games.

Was it all really necessary though

Although it's nice that Amarillo is trying to preserve its history through projects such as this, was it really necessary for this much to be spent not only on building this pavilion but nearly a million more on renovations to accommodate other sports and events?

Just taking a peek into the comments below the City of Amarillo's Facebook post reveals a pretty frustrated sentiment among the people of Amarillo over what might be seen as excessive spending by some.

What will this be used for?? And, how often? How many Days will it just sit there Empty??

Aletha Sawyer

 

This is garbage… The north east side of town is having trouble even getting water, our construction projects can’t get finished, our infrastructure is completely falling apart, all of the tax revenue to pay for waste management, and basic services is evaporating because the town has grown outside of the city limits, making those population groups untaxable

Aaron Day

 

If you want to improve the entertainment aspects of Amarillo's North side, how about fixing up/adding to the parks there? Invest in our future - the kids.

Amanda Fix

 

Please explain how this will "... Capture the architectural history of the Santa Fe Depot" ?

Clinton Beck

Was it really necessary to spend this much on the Santa Fe Depot Pavilion?

Well, to be honest, I really don't know. On one hand, this may be good for the city because of the fact that we will be able to host many more downtown events, but on the other hand, I do wonder if there are other aspects of our city that need more attention than this.

So, are the city's priorities out of order? Well, that's for you to decide.