Marathon Petroleum’s El Paso refinery recently completed a two-year collaboration with the city of El Paso to finish development of the Marina Rios Park in the San Juan neighborhood.

“We learned the city completed 50% of the project but did not have the budget to complete the remaining portion,” said Marathon Petroleum Corp.’s (MPC) Principal ESG & Stakeholder Engagement Representative V.J. Smith. “We worked through an agreement for our El Paso refinery to fund and finish the remaining 50%.”

“A project like this will have a lasting impact on this neighborhood because it’s an asset that residents can enjoy for many years to come.”

The refinery did much more than provide financial support. Employee volunteers served as a landscaping crew by planting seven trees and 40 shrubs along with laying 10,000 square feet of grass sod.

Volunteer assistance from employees of MPC’s El Paso refinery added to more than $200,000 in contractor labor, materials and equipment the refinery contributed as part of an agreement with the city to fund and finish the park project.

“Holes for shrubs and trees were pre-dug per specifications from the El Paso Parks and Recreation Department, so we finished the actual planting and backfilling,” MPC Maintenance Supervisor Roger Rivera said. “We conducted a walk-through with the El Paso Capital Improvements Group, and they were really happy with the final product.”

The investment from MPC also involved installing a new concrete sidewalk, a new park monument, an irrigation system and rock landscaping.

“We focus on supporting efforts that strengthen our community and make people’s lives better,” said MPC El Paso Refinery General Manager Travis Beltz. “A project like this will have a lasting impact on this neighborhood because it’s an asset that residents can enjoy for many years to come.”