An unusual project designed to mitigate on ongoing erosion issue in an El Paso park could see work sometime this fall. The Tom Lea Upper Park at 900 Rim Road on the north side of the city has for decades been plagued with erosion issues. Because the park is located on a hill that slopes downward towards the adjacent Schuster Avenue, debris, stones, and even rocks have sometimes been swept away during particularly heavy rainfalls, creating what city officials say is a safety hazard. Two years ago the city contracted out with a designer to come up with a design plan to mitigate the erosion and sloughing without taking away from the natural and aesthetic elements of the surrounding space. The project, which has been the subject of several public input meetings, was originally budgeted at $9.3 million, to be paid for out of the El Paso’s 2018 capital plan funds, but is now expected to come in at under $8.5 million. The park, which offers a stunning panoramic view of El Paso, is named in honor of Tom Lea, a nationally-known author and muralist whose artwork incorporated a variety of southwestern themes. By Garry Boulard
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More than 250,000 small businesses across the country have so far applied for COVID-19 relief funding support, according to a top official with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Those applications, says Neil Bradley, executive vice-president with the Chamber, represent around $100 billion in loans. The funding is coming through the Paycheck Protection Program, which was established and funded by the passage last month of the CAREs Act to help small businesses adversely impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Speaking before a National Small Business Town Hall web cast, Bradley noted that because of the loan application volume, the Chamber is asking Congress to approve some $250 billion in additional funding to keep millions of small businesses afloat during the crisis. The group also wants to increase the $10 billion in relief grants that are currently available through the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. That $10 billion, given current circumstances, says Bradley, can support only about one million individual businesses and non-profits. In a letter to the Congressional leadership, Bradley remarked: “We are sure you agree that no small business, non-profit, self-employed individual, or an independent contractor should be left behind simply because others have applied and received grants first.” Discussions at the town hall meeting also emphasized that Paycheck Protection Program applicants should conduct their business only through a bank or an office of the Chamber, Service Corps of Retired Executives, or Small Business Administration, avoiding fraudsters who are asking for upfront money to process PPP applications. By Garry Boulard Just over $11 million in road, bridge, and infrastructure projects across New Mexico have been approved for state funding. The two dozen projects won capital outlay support in the New Mexico State Legislature earlier this year and were subsequently approved by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. Submitted to the legislature by the New Mexico Department of Transportation, the projects as funded vary in size from the $25,000 for Albuquerque Rapid Transit corridor safety improvements, to the $1.9 million for improvements to the busy Paseo Del Norte, also in the Duke City. Other approved outlays include $1.2 million to build a railroad quiet zone on Lentes Road and Luscombe Lane in Los Lunas; and just over $1 million for Bernalillo County to pay for upgrades and improvements to Isleta Boulevard in west Albuquerque. Road and drainage improvements to the tune of $100,000 for Gatewood Avenue in Bernalillo County; and $250,000 road and drainage improvements for Quiet Lane, also in Bernalillo, additionally won the Governor’s approval. The Governor vetoed spending for more than eighty projects, the largest of which was the $2.7 million for the construction of a highway bypass route in Carlsbad; $800,000 for east mesa drain improvements in Dona Ana County; and another $800,000 to plan, design, and build improvements to Aragon Avenue in Belen. By Garry Boulard A section of Phoenix that is populated with modern office and commercial space may see the construction of two new office structures with a combined footprint of 540,000 square feet. The Scottsdale-based Kierland Sky LLC wants to replace an existing structure on the just under 7-acre site at the intersection of N. Kierland Boulevard and E. Marilyn Road with two buildings that will also house some retail and restaurant space. According to city documents, both new buildings will be six stories in height and separated by open space featuring “raised planters, with desert landscaping, shade trees, and outdoor furniture.” Those same documents also state that the building materials for the two structures will partially comprise natural stone, metal panels with a natural patina finish, and metal shading elements. Before any work on the redevelopment can begin, the project must first win the approval of the both the Phoenix Planning Commission and City Council. By Garry Boulard The possibility of a fourth COVID-19 relief package becoming reality appears to be improving as Congressional leaders have entered into talks with the Trump Administration on what such a bill might look like. According to reports, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of New York, as well as Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, who sits on the Small Business Committee, are in negotiations with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on the possibility of passing a new package later this month. At the same time, in discussing passage of the $250 billion initiative for the country’s small businesses, members have become embroiled in debates over aspects of that legislature, prompting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky to declare: “The country cannot afford unnecessary wrangling or political maneuvering.” One of the reasons providing fuel to the argument for a fourth relief bill is how quickly the $350 billion included in the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act legislation is being used. So far, more than $90 billion of that figure has been spent on small business loans. Florida Senator Marco Rubio remarked that small businesses across the country are worried that the relief funds may soon run out. “The program needs more funding to meet the demands of small and medium sized businesses due to the pandemic,” Rubio said in a statement. New Mexico Senator Tom Udall has said that he would like to see the legislation also include funding in the form of a pay hike for nurses, emergency technicians, and other who are regarded as frontline workers in the COVID-19 outbreak. Udall said the country owed such workers “more than just words of gratitude.” “We must make sure they are paid what they deserve,” Udall said in in a statement released by his office. The bill, which may additionally include funding for hospitals as well as an expansion of the federal government’s food assistance programs, is expected to be taken up by both houses of Congress in a matter of days. By Garry Boulard A historic three and a half-story structure that has served as a courthouse in Clovis, New Mexico for more than eight decades is expected to see restoration and upgrade work beginning later this year. Located in the 700 block of Main Street, the Curry County Courthouse was built by the New Deal’s Public Works Administration in the late 1930s and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Members of the New Mexico State Legislature earlier this year approved a $2 million capital outlay for the restoration of the building, money that will be added to the roughly $4 million the county has put aside for the project. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham subsequently approved the outlay. According to plans, space within the structure will be reconfigured and expanded, allowing for additional courtrooms, and new office space. A new HVAC system will also be installed. Built in 1936 and officially opened in January of the following year, the Art Deco courthouse was designed by the Santa Fe architectural firm of Schaefer & Merrill, and was built at a cost of $150,000. At the time of its opening, it was noted that just under forty people, in the final reaches of the Great Depression, had worked on the project, at one point installing eight steel beams weighing 4200 pounds each. A two-story addition was subsequently built onto the structure in 1954. Construction of the Curry County Courthouse was one of just over a dozen such judicial facilities undertaken by the Public Works Administration in New Mexico in the 1930s. By Garry Boulard A Chicago-based apartment developer, with more than 20,000 units across the country, wants to build a luxury complex on a just under 3-acre site to the south of downtown Denver. AMLI Residential has announced plans to build the project inside the 75-acre Broadway Park, which was once the home to a 120,000 square foot K-Mart outlet that was closed in 2017 and demolished the following year. The new complex, to be called AMLI Broadway Park, will include more than 300 apartment units, and will feature several spacious courtyards, a dog exercise area, swimming pool, and a two-story fitness and clubhouse area. AMLI has said that it plans to build the complex to achieve LEED Gold Certification. The company, which has apartment units in Chicago, south Florida and Houston, among other places, has particularly concentrated its efforts in metro Denver, with a dozen complexes housing units priced generally between around $1,400 and $3,400. By Garry Boulard In a move to make available more federal funds, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has announced that he wants to launch a special lending service geared especially for companies with fewer than 500 employees. The funding is in direct response to the economic devastation wrought by the COVID-19 outbreak, and is in addition to an earlier determination to offer additional loans through the Small Business Administration. Congress approved $350 billion in funding for small businesses in late March as part of the massive $2 trillion COVID-19 relief CARES Act. In an interview with business channel CNBC, Mnuchin sought to reassure the small business community by stating: “If you don’t get a loan this week, you’ll get a loan next week or the following week. The money will be there.” The initial funding passed by Congress, and allowing for maximum loans of $10 million, is designed to cover such expenses as salaries, wages, and benefits. The funding, as structured, additionally allows for loan payments to be deferred for up to half a year. Mnuchin said the Trump Administration is now planning to ask Congress to approve some $250 billion in additional funding for small businesses. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has indicated support for the legislation, has also said that she wants at least half of the $250 billion to have to go through community banks, credit unions and other small-lending institutions. Congressional sources say the request for additional small business funding will most likely meet with swift approval in both legislative chambers. By Garry Boulard More than $3.4 million in state funding has been approved for nearly a dozen sports and recreation facility projects on the main campus of the University of New Mexico. These projects, originally passed by lawmakers during the recent 2020 regular session, have since also won the approval of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. The largest appropriation at $1.6 million is going for a variety of improvements at the school’s 60 year-old outdoor Dreamstyle Stadium, home to the UNM Lobos football team. The UNM’s women’s soccer, softball, and volleyball facilities are getting more than $450,000 for upgrade work; while the improvements to the school’s baseball and basketball facilities won exactly $450,000 in funding out of Santa Fe. Lawmakers also approved around $750,000 for the Olympic Sports training facility, and $150,000 for improvements to the school’s McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium. Exactly $140,000 was also approved for track and cross country facility improvements on the campus, with $20,000 going for improvements to the men’s and women’s golf team facilities. Of the 36 UNM capital outlay facility and infrastructures approved by the legislature, the Governor signed on to thirty one, with a total dollar value of more than $6.5 million. By Garry Boulard The Town of Silverthorne, Colorado has issued a Request for Proposals to build a commercial district that will have a direct tie-in with a currently under-development workforce housing project.
What is being called the Shops at Smith Ranch will go up off of Colorado State Highway 9 at the intersection of Ruby Ranch Road and could include the eventual construction of a grocery store, restaurants, coffee shops, bakery, and liquor store, among other businesses. The project is being designed to serve the residents of the adjacent Smith Ranch Development, a 50-acre site that has so far seen the construction of sixty housing units, with another 37 currently in the building process. Altogether, the Smith Ranch Development is expected to see the building of up to 240 single-family, duplex, and townhouse structures over the course of the next two years. Prices for the homes already built roughly range between $250,000 and $550,000. The residential project is the result of a partnership between the Town of Silverthorne and a group called the Smith Ranch Development announced some three years ago. Looking for planning and design services, as well as a site master plan for the Shops at Smith Ranch project, the RFP has a deadline of April 30. By Garry Boulard |
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