The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs is getting a $2.7 million grant out of Washington that will help the school renovate its National Cybersecurity Center. That facility is located at 3650 N. Nevada Avenue and was purchased by UCCS in 2007. The grant, which is coming from the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, will fund the construction of four new classrooms, four labs, four conference rooms, new faculty offices, and a study area for students. The grant will be added to an additional $2.7 million for the project that is coming from other sources. In a statement, Dana Gartzke, acting secretary with the Economic Development Department, said that the grant funding will “allow the University of Colorado to make upgrades to its cybersecurity center to allow new companies in the cybersecurity industry to grow and diversify the Colorado Springs economy.” The cybersecurity program on the UCCS campus came about as the result of a partnership between the National Cybersecurity Center and the school launched in early 2016. The Center’s N. Nevada Avenue structure was built in 1978 and was formerly the home of TRW, Incorporated, a manufacturing company involved in aerospace and systems engineering. The National Cybersecurity Center helps businesses and non-profits, as well as government agencies, to prevent and also recover from cyber attacks, while also conducting ongoing research on cybersecurity threats. By Garry Boulard
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A well-known Washington think tank is recommending that Congress pass a new COVID-19 relief bill that will provide anywhere from $700 billion to $1 trillion during the next 18 months, specifically for state and local aid. In an op-ed, Mark Muro, policy director with the Brookings Institute, has said that such funding will help to blunt “coming services cuts and layoffs” forecast at the state and local level, owing to the virus outbreak, but will keep “regional fiscal contractions from deepening the crisis and slowing the recovery.” In addition, Muro suggests that such funding should be calibrated to respond to the specific economic burdens faced by the individual states, noting, for example, that some states such as Florida, Hawaii, and Nevada, may require greater assistance because their economies depend significantly on tourism and travel. Federal aid may also be predicated on the level of joblessness in each state, a figure that changes greatly from state to state. According to the most recent Department of Labor statistics, new unemployment insurance claims were up by 15 percent in both Arizona and New Mexico as of early April, while claims saw a 5 to 10 percent increase in Colorado and Texas. The emphasis on more direct aid to the states has also been touted by the Washington-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which noted that the states collectively may be facing budget shortfalls in the next fiscal year in excess of $500 billion. Congress is currently in the process of debating what a new stimulus bill will look like. By Garry Boulard Members of the El Paso City Council have reaffirmed in a 6 to 2 vote their support for the construction of a downtown multipurpose arena. The vote came after two council representatives proposed suspending that project, as well as the building of a proposed Mexican American Cultural Center, due to COVID-19 economics. According to Robert Cortinas, Chief Financial Officer with the city, El Paso is currently looking at a budget shortfall of at least $26 million, owing to decreased revenues caused by the virus outbreak. In their proposal, Representatives Alexandra Annello and Claudio Rodriguez called for the suspension of any archaeological study, demolition, design, and construction work associated with either project. Both projects are to be paid for out of Quality of Life bonds that were passed by El Paso voters in 2012, bonds that have so far funded over sixty facility and recreational projects across the city. Although $180 million in bond funds have been designated for the construction of what would be the Multipurpose Performing Arts and Entertainment Center, city officials have indicated that the price tag to build the arena may be higher now because of the delays in getting the project off the ground, as well as the increased cost of construction. While a definitive timeline for the arena’s construction has not yet been announced, design work on the Mexican American Cultural Center has been underway for several months, with a final blueprint expected to be revealed in October. The arena project has been the subject of great controversy because of its proposed location in the historic downtown neighborhood of Duranguito. It has been several times unsuccessfully challenged in court. By Garry Boulard Security upgrade projects at more than 90 Albuquerque public schools have received state funding, with individual projects getting anywhere from $5,000 to $208,000. None of the more than one hundred statewide school security capital outlay projects approved earlier this year by the New Mexico State Legislature were vetoed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. The Governor did, however, veto just over 75 other school facility projects originally submitted to the state legislature by the Public Education Department. Among the larger school facility projects denied capital outlay funding by the Governor was the $235,000 for upgrades to the building and grounds of the Albuquerque School of Excellence; $175,000 for upgrades to the International School at Mesa del Sol; and $245,000 for building and ground improvement work at the Robert F. Kennedy Charter School. The largest approved funding for school security work includes $208,000 for work at the Whittier Elementary School; $200,000 for security upgrades to the Grant Middle School; and $150,000 for security work to the Arroyo Del Oso Elementary School. The smallest capital outlay approved by Lujan Grisham is seeing $5,000 for security system work at the Adobe Acres Elementary School. By Garry Boulard A large 80 percent of small businesses say they have experienced reduced customer demand as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a new industry report. Published by the National Association of Small Businesses, the report additionally notes that a reduction in customer demand has been recorded for the 49 percent of respondents. Even more, reflecting prospects of a larger economic downturn, more than 65 percent of the survey’s respondents said they expect to see a recession between now and early 2021. That is a more than 50 percent increase over responses to the same question documented in a survey taken in January of this year. In a statement, Todd McCracken, chief executive officer of the association, said, “Nearly half of small businesses are not confident in the future of their own business.” Perhaps adding to the anxiety that many small businesses are currently feeling, only 18 percent of companies with ten or few employees said they had received help through the Small Business Administration’s Payroll Protection Program. Some 52 percent of businesses with fifty or more employees, conversely, said they had been approved for PPP loans. Underlining the need for PPP loans, McCracken continued: “We have been saying from the start: maintaining cash-flow and liquidity is essential to a vibrant small business community which funds, drives, and fosters all of our communities.” The survey also revealed that 41 percent of respondents said they had experienced delays or closures in the supply chain needed for their businesses, up from 33 percent in March. Exactly 36 percent said they had also been subject to mandated business closures—a question that wasn’t asked in the association’s last survey. Despite such troubling statistics, a still-strong 42 percent of respondents said they felt “somewhat confident” regarding the future of their businesses, down only slightly from 46 percent who responded the same way in March. Based in Washington, the National Small Business Association represents more than 65,000 small businesses across the country. By Garry Boulard A long-anticipated project that could result in the construction of new subdivision on the east side of Grand Junction remains in the planning stage, although with an extended schedule. The Pinnacle Ridge subdivision will be built on a hilly and vacant 45-acre site near Mariposa Drive and Monument Road in a largely undeveloped section of the city. The developer of the project, Robert Jones, president of the Grand Junction-based Vortex Engineering, has asked for a two-year extension on an earlier city approval of the preliminary plans for the project. In city documents, the extension is being requested due to project construction delays as well as the current uncertainty of the economy. In response, a staff report issued by the city’s Planning Department is recommending a new approval deadline that would not expire until April of 2022. As earlier proposed, Pinnacle Ridge will have 72 single family home lots with at least a third of the site designated as open space. The subdivision would be built in four phases, with some of the first phase homes measuring around 2100 square feet. By Garry Boulard New housing units, as well as office and retail space, could be going up on a large vacant site in Mesa. The Bela Flor Communities, based in Mesa, has now submitted plans to the City of Mesa to build the project near the intersection of Signal Butte Road and Southern Avenue. To be called Mountain Vista, the project will encompass some 80 acres of landscaped and tree-lined space within the boundaries of a larger 350-acre mixed-use district. According to plans, the 80-acre site will be divided into six parcels. Work on the first 15 acres of the property will see the construction of a four-story hotel, as well as a fitness center, and space for both retail and restaurants. The apartment units will go up on a designed 26 acres, with commercial development slated for the rest of the site. Bela Flor purchased the property last year - which is in a growing suburban section of Mesa, populated with hotels, restaurants, and large retail operations - for just under $13 million. Bela Flor has been developing residential communities in the Phoenix metro area for more than two decades. Last year it announced its launching of the mixed-density luxury 33-acre residential community called Bella Encanta, also in Mesa. The Mountain Vista project is expected to be shortly reviewed by Mesa’s Planning and Zoning Commission. By Garry Boulard New housing units, as well as office and retail space, could be going up on a large vacant site in Mesa. The Bela Flor Communities, based in Mesa, has now submitted plans to the City of Mesa to build the project near the intersection of Signal Butte Road and Southern Avenue. To be called Mountain Vista, the project will encompass some 80 acres of landscaped and tree-lined space within the boundaries of a larger 350-acre mixed-use district. According to plans, the 80-acre site will be divided into six parcels. Work on the first 15 acres of the property will see the construction of a four-story hotel, as well as a fitness center, and space for both retail and restaurants. The apartment units will go up on a designed 26 acres, with commercial development slated for the rest of the site. Bela Flor purchased the property last year - which is in a growing suburban section of Mesa, populated with hotels, restaurants, and large retail operations - for just under $13 million. Bela Flor has been developing residential communities in the Phoenix metro area for more than two decades. Last year it announced its launching of the mixed-density luxury 33-acre residential community called Bella Encanta, also in Mesa. The Mountain Vista project is expected to be shortly reviewed by Mesa’s Planning and Zoning Commission. By Garry Boulard A plan is on for the construction of a series of new Target stores that will be modeled on the traditional convenience store size and layout. The Minneapolis-based company says that the new stores will measure around 6,000 square feet, substantially smaller than its average current store size of 135,000 square feet. Two years ago, Target launched its small-format stores, which measure around 15,000 square feet. Last year those stores, according to sources, were responsible for more than $1 billion in sales. The company is currently engaged in a search to find locations to build its new convenience store model, with the first such store expected to open sometime next year. Target’s decision to become a presence in the convenience store market comes in the wake of reports showing a 4 percent sales increase in the overall convenience store industry, comprising a 2019 total of $251.9 billion. According to a survey compiled by the National Association of Convenience Stores, operators of convenience store are reporting a significant jump in sales since the COVID-19 outbreak, with the vast majority of those stores seeing an increase in the purchase of grocery items. By Garry Boulard A move is underway to spur development in what is known as the east downtown area of Albuquerque through a Request for Proposals issued by the city’s Metropolitan Development Agency. The idea is to entice growth and construction in a part of the city that has in recent years seen significant mixed-use construction, but is also burdened with some urban blight. More specifically, the area in question includes not just east downtown, but also what is known as the Huning Highland and South Martineztown neighborhoods. Such neighborhoods stretch across a 6-block area from Broadway Boulevard going east to Locust Street, with a second and larger 10-block area bounded by Coal Avenue on the south and Lomas Boulevard on the north. In looking for ideas, some $2.2 million is being made available by the City of Albuquerque to provide gap financing for projects that may be launched in the subject areas. The primary goal of the RFP is to “increase the number of households living or employees working” in the subject areas, with special attention given to projects that are “naturally affordable to the average consumer.” By so doing, a housing product would be created that “serves middle income occupants, rather than affordable housing or luxury housing developments.” The RFP is the result of months and even years of study by city officials, centering on how to both maintain and also grow a healthy residential working component inside the target areas. Those responding to the RFP, according to the official invitation, should “describe the residential or employment component of the project and how it is supported by market demand. Those proposing employment uses should address how the project increases the available housing options in the vicinity.” The RFP has a submission deadline of June 12. By Garry Boulard |
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