Online retail giant Amazon has now made public plans to build an 850,000 square-foot facility in Colorado Springs that will be used to process and deliver package orders. The facility will go up inside the new 900-acre master planned Peak Innovation Park on the southeast side of the city near the Colorado Springs Airport, which is also expected to see an increase in flights transporting those orders. The new center is additionally being seen as a catalyst for future area development, according to Bob Cope, Economic Development Manager with the City of Colorado Springs. In an interview with the publication CPR News, Cope said the facility will “spur, hopefully, new housing opportunities and also new retail opportunities in the area.” The center, with a planned four stories, is thought to be one of the biggest such facilities ever built by Amazon. Reports indicate that the facility may eventually be expanded to 4 million square feet. In a statement, Amazon said the company’s fulfillment network is designed to support businesses of all sizes “through its Fulfillment By Amazon offering.” That service is especially designed to provide packaging and shipping assistance to sellers. Amazon purchased the 69 acres needed to build the facility from Colorado Springs for a reported $6.3 million. Work is expected to begin on the structure later this spring, with a planned early summer 2021 completion date. Amazon has an extensive footprint in the Centennial State with the construction of four other distribution and sorting centers, not to mention several delivery stations and storefront locations. By Garry Boulard
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Just over 90 individual transportation projects on Tribal Lands are slated to receive nearly $9 million in federal grant funding. Elaine Chao, the Secretary of the Transportation Department, said the funding will be specifically used to “improve traffic safety and improve the quality of life for tribal communities.” Five separate projects in Arizona are receiving a total of just over $1 million, with the Gila River Indian Community getting $499,000 for the building of new pedestrian facilities along Baseline Road and 83rd Avenue, while the White Mountain Apache Tribe is in line for $400,000 for a pedestrian safety project running along Arizona State Route 73. Three projects in New Mexico are slated to receive a combined more than $70,000 in funding, with the largest, at $45,400, targeting a traffic-calming initiative for the Pueblo of Jemez along New Mexico State Road 4. In a statement, Nicole Nason, Federal Highway Administrator, remarked: “From safety planning to sidewalks and road repairs, these funds will play an important role in enhancing the safety and accessibility of transportation infrastructure on tribal roads.” The funding is coming specifically from the Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund under the auspices of both the Department of Transportation, as well as the Federal Highway Administration. By Garry Boulard A proposal to build a bridge that would cross the rural Tonto Creek in south central Arizona may be on its way to receiving vital state funding. A bill sponsored by Arizona State Representative David Cook has now won the approval of the legislature’s House Appropriations Committee, asking $15 million for the bridge’s construction. A separate measure, sponsored by State Senator Sylvia Allen asking for that same amount, has also been introduced in the upper chamber. The move to build a bridge at the Tonto Basin, some 70 miles northeast of Phoenix, has for the better part of decade been regarded as a necessity due to the nearly one dozen people who have died attempting to make it across the creek during times of high floodwaters. But in recent months, the project has taken on a new urgency as a result of the death of three children who lost their lives when the military-style vehicle they were riding in got stuck in the creek’s rising waters. Two adults and four other children in that vehicle survived. Running north to south through both Coconino and Gila counties, the creek is just over 70 miles long. The bridge would be built in the Tonto Basin at the Bar X Crossing. Gila County officials say design work on the bridge has already been completed, while more than $3 million has been set aside for a project that could eventually cost as much as $20 million to build. The $18 million requested by Representative Cook would come out of the state’s general fund to be used by the Arizona Department of Transportation for the bridge’s construction. Both funding bills are expected to work their way through their respective chambers well before the State Legislature is scheduled to conclude its regular session on April 25. By Garry Boulard A project that has been in the talking stage for the better part of a decade in Durango, Colorado could well see construction beginning by early summer. The Animas River Trail Pedestrian Bridge would cross over the Animas River, which runs north to south through the city. Although the current vehicular bridge spanning the river has walkways on both sides, the pedestrian bridge would be specifically designed for pedestrians to connect with walking trails at either end of the bridge. As proposed, the structure would cost at least $4.1 million to build, with some $200,000 of that figure being funded through the Great Outdoors Colorado program, which uses revenue from the state’s lottery to pay for any number of park, trail, and outdoor facility projects. City officials have determined that the pedestrian bridge should be built adjacent to the existing vehicular bridge, but at a higher level. But pubic responses to the suggested design have been mostly negative. An informal online poll conducted by the Durango Herald revealed that 88 percent of respondents are opposed to the project as currently proposed. Additional public input meetings are scheduled to be held on the project in the weeks ahead. By Garry Boulard A restaurant chain that already has more than 2,600 outlets nationwide has announced plans to build up to 165 new locations by the end of this year. The Newport Beach, California-based Chipotle Mexican Grill is known for its tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, and is unofficially classified as a fast casual eatery. Founded in 1993, Chipotle opened its first grill location in Denver, enjoying a rapid expansion of restaurants, primarily in the West in the years to follow. It has for several years been ranked in the industry as one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the country. Last year the company saw its sales volume increase by at least 10 percent, a healthy number coming on the heels of a strong 2018, when total revenue was up by nearly 9 percent. Now the company has signaled to its investors that it expects to see an equally good 2020 with a revenue growth of around 10 percent, although some analysts think that number could reach as high as 13 percent. Measuring an average of 2,200 to 2,500 square feet, Chipotle restaurants are known for their sleek designs composed of corrugated metal, stainless steel, and plywood. It has been reported that each store costs an average of $850,000 to build. The chain has recently implemented a drive-through window service called “Chipotlane,” which it has in more than 60 stores, with more than half of the 165 new locations offering that feature. The company has not announced where its new restaurants will be built. Nearly 1,000 of the chain’s current stores are located in the nation’s four biggest states: California, Texas, Florida, and New York. Chipotle currently has almost 200 restaurants in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. By Garry Boulard What is being called the Gateway Center could see the construction of a new homeless shelter in Albuquerque that would provide sleeping quarters for around 300 people. University of New Mexico officials have talked about the idea for several months, exploring the possibility of building the structure on school property. Although the shelter may go up on UNM’s main Albuquerque campus, it would not be operated by the school, or even regarded as a UNM building. UNM President Garnett Stokes, in remarks delivered before a public input meeting, said the school was open to working with the City of Albuquerque on the development of the shelter, emphasizing that a campus shelter would have the added advantage of being near the UNM Hospital. The site thought to be favored by UNM for construction of the shelter is to the north of Lomas Boulevard NE, but south of the school’s Office of the Medical Investigator, located at 1101 Camino de Salud, roughly a mile and a half to the north of the center of the main campus. Construction of what is estimated to be a $30 million shelter would be partially funded by general obligation bonds approved by city voters last November. As envisioned, the shelter would operate on a round-the-clock basis, while additionally providing services designed to secure permanent housing for those using the shelter. An earlier conceptual design for the project released before the bond election showed a building with laundry space, a kitchen, two lobbies, a dining and multi-purpose room, and an outdoor enclosed courtyard. UNM officials have said they intend to conduct a series of public input meetings on the project before any decision is made as to its actual construction. By Garry Boulard las cruces set to move forward on long-planned parking garage and public bathrooms projects2/12/2020 A public input session is expected to be held sometime next month in Las Cruces to appraise a project that city leaders for the last 20 years or so have wanted to see become reality: the building of a new, multi-floor parking garage. The project, as envisioned, would go up in the downtown area, and would be designed to respond to a growing need for parking in a part of the city busy with both daily and weekend traffic. During a recent meeting of the Las Cruces City Council, it was disclosed that the city has on hand some $2 million in capital outlay funding to launch both the design and initial construction phases of the project. Altogether, it is thought the new garage will cost nearly $19 million to build, with funding to be secured from a variety of sources. The parking lot has been envisioned as being able to accommodate up to 400 vehicles, with perhaps some retail space available on the ground floor. Where exactly the new garage will be built has not yet been decided. An additional downtown project will see the construction of new public restrooms to go up behind the historic Rio Grande Theater, off the 200 block of Main Street. That project will also include the paving of a city-owned parking lot, with work expected to begin later this spring. By Garry Boulard The first month of the year got off to a vibrant start for the national construction industry with the creation of more than 44,000 new jobs in January. A report just issued by the Associated General Contractors of America additionally shows that the nation’s total construction employment is now just short of the 7.6 million mark, the highest level recorded since the onset of the Great Recession in August of 2007. For the last year, continues the report, more than 142,000 new construction jobs were added, with significant gains recorded in both residential and nonresidential employment. The strong numbers were also seen in a 1.9 percent total increase in construction employment between January 2019 and January of this year, compared to the 1.4 percent increase during that same time period for all nonfarm payroll employment. In a statement, Ken Simonson, chief economist with the AGC, noted that “construction accounted for one-fifth of all jobs added in January, even though the industry makes up less than five percent of total employment.” While some construction companies in the North may have been engaged in projects due to unseasonably mild weather in January, thus upping the month’s jobs numbers, Simonson nevertheless noted that contractors overall are “unquestionably optimistic about the year and plan to continue hiring.” By Garry Boulard A new movie theater with 14 big screens will soon be built at the site of the largest shopping mall in Tucson. The Scottsdale-based Harkins Theater chain has announced plans to build a space at the Tucson Mall, located in the 4500 block of Oracle Road. The new venue will feature the latest in movie-going technology, including 3D object-based sound transmitted by more than 150 speakers, and leather reclining seats. The screens themselves will be curved and at least 85 feet in height. Other amenities will include a concessions service featuring chicken sandwiches, hamburgers, and beer and wine. The new Tucson location represents only the latest foray for a chain operating more than 30 theaters in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. It is not yet certain whether the new Tucson Mall theater will be built inside the complex itself or as a stand-alone structure. The announcement marks the first time that the mall, which opened in 1982, has had a theater. Mike Bowers, chief executive officer of Harkins Theater company, told the Arizona Daily Star that he had been thinking about building a “state-of-the-art theater” at the Tucson Mall for the last two decades. Enjoying steady growth, Harkins last year announced it was building a new corporate headquarters in Scottsdale that would be a part of a larger $32 million campus. It has not yet been announced when work on the Tucson Mall project will begin. By Garry Boulard As New Mexico lawmakers work through the official second session of the 54th legislature, which is scheduled to wrap on February 20, more than $442 million in capital outlay money is up for grabs to fund any number of construction, upgrade, and rehabilitation projects across the state. And while just under $80 million of that total has been earmarked for other purposes, that still leaves a hefty $362.5 million for use. Both House and Senate members regularly divide up the funding for projects that are then voted up or down by the entire legislature and, finally, either approved or rejected by the Governor. Because the capital outlay process is regularly seen as a mystifying one for many residents, and a thing of vital importance to lawmakers able to get funding for projects specific to their districts, the Construction Reporter directly asked Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for her thoughts on how the process works. Q: The capital outlay process has been characterized as clunky and even wasteful, particularly with projects that don’t receive full funding in any one given session. What is your take on how the capital outlay system works—both its strengths and weaknesses? Lujan Grisham: Rebuilding New Mexico’s infrastructure is a cornerstone priority of mine. The most important thing within the framework we currently have, to me, is making sure the dollars are getting out the door, the projects are getting funded and completely safely and as expeditiously as possible. There are any number of ideas out there about how to make the system more accountable. This year, my administration launched a first-of-its kind dashboard intended to help the public track projects and expenditures and progress.[1] This is only the first step of what we hope will be many as we move forward. But it demonstrates, I think, my commitment to doing everything we can from the executive branch to make this progress as streamlined and publicly accessible as it can be. Q: One charge frequently aired: The public has traditionally not been able to obtain information regarding what projects individual lawmakers are requesting funding for without the permission of those lawmakers. Is there a way to make the process more transparent? Lujan Grisham: This is a prospective change that will have to originate within the Legislature. Certainly, I encourage lawmakers to be clear with their constituents about which projects they’ve requested and delivered and why. Q: The nonpartisan group Think New Mexico, among others, has suggested creating an independent commission to rank state and local projects, allowing both legislators and the Governor to omit projects, but not add new ones. Could this approach work? Lujan Grisham: It’s worth considering. Q: And finally this:Reports by various New Mexico media sources have shown that at the end of one legislative session, nearly two thirds of the projects vetoed by former Governor Susana Martinez (Republican) were sponsored by Democrat members, while former Governor Bill Richardson (Democrat) tended to veto more projects sponsored by Republican members. Is there a way to remove politics from the process? Lujan Grisham: I can’t rewrite history or comment on the rationale former executives took, but I can assure your readers that partisan considerations are not part of my approach to capital appropriations. We evaluate projects for their necessity and the good they will do for New Mexicans collectively. [1] The New Mexico Capital Outlay Dashboard, allowing the public, local governments and policymakers to track and analyze local infrastructure projects, can be found at www.nmdfa.state.nm.us/dfa-dashboards.aspx. By Garry Boulard |
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