The prospect of new school construction and facility upgrade projects are expected to be seen across New Mexico if voters approve a more than $230 million bond in November.

What is officially being called the Public Education Bond Issue is designed to fund a wide variety of capital improvements in both district and tribal schools, as well as some acquisition projects.

The bond will also provide funding for some institutions of higher learning capital projects.

The bond proposal was initially approved in February of this year by members of the New Mexico State Legislature, before winning the signature support of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham the following month.

Prospects for the bond look good, if the state’s voting history can serve as a guide: out of 31 bond issues presented to New Mexico voters in the last nearly two decades, 30 have won approval.

The only recent bond failure came in 2010 during the Great Recession, when voters by the close margin of 50.1% to 49.9% turned down a $155 million bond to fund higher education projects.

The most recent state-wide bond elections were held in 2022 and saw 62.7% of voters approving a $19.2 million bond for public library improvements; just over 61% supporting a bond of $215 million for improvements to special education and tribal schools; and a final $24.4 million bond for senior citizen facilities projects.

​By Garry Boulard

Image Credit: Courtesy of Unsplash

While polls have repeatedly showed middle- and lower-income Americans concerned about their financial futures, a new survey indicates that even those making a lot of money are anxious.

According to a just-released survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, nearly a third of respondents earning between $100,000 and $149,000 said, in thinking about the economy for the rest of the year, that they were very concerned about "making ends meet."

That figure is up from just over 21% who expressed similar concerns earlier this year.

An equally strong 32.5% of those making more than $150,000 annually also voiced concerns about their financial security. In 2023, only 21.7% in this category expressed worries.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's Labor, Income, Finances, and Expectations survey additionally showed, perhaps ironically, that among the various income levels, "most of the increase in concern about making ends meet came among those who can currently pay all of their bills."

Among all respondents to what is known as the LIFE survey, respondents since early 2023 have remained "generally optimistic about their income prospects, with net positive values in all demographic segments," noted a narrative accompanying the survey.

But optimism appeared an elusive thing in the most recent LIFE survey, with the largest decline in good feelings seen among those who are "older, lower-earning, female, or non-White."

What is described as an "observable decrease in optimism" appears to be largely driven by a decline in the percentage of people "expecting higher incomes," along with a rise in those anticipating a decrease in wages.

Meanwhile, the percentage of respondents who expected their incomes to remain the same from year to year has been static, with 41% earlier this year and 41% this spring counted in that group.

Finally, in asking about the type and nature of financial disruptions challenging the respondents, just under 22% pointed to nonmedical expenses, followed by 16.7% who blamed housing costs increases; and 13.1% who referenced what they listed as "significant healthcare expenses."

The LIFE survey is put together by the Federal Reserve's Finance Institute, with the stated goal of obtaining insights that "contribute to a healthy consumer sector, a stable financial system, and a resilient regional and national economy."

​By Garry Boulard

Image Credit: Courtesy of Pixabay ​

An effort to build a new $80 million amphitheater on a 50-acre site roughly a dozen miles to the northeast of downtown El Paso is being challenged by numbers.

Announced earlier this year, the project is set to go up in the 9700 block of Gateway Boulevard at the former site of the much-used Cohen Stadium, which was demolished in the summer of 2019.

Plans for what is being called the Sunset Amphitheater, as revealed this spring, envision a 12,000-seat facility looking out on the Franklin Mountains and surrounded by a 50-acre entertainment district.

Winning the support of city officials, the project has been described by Mayor Oscar Leeser as an "iconic venture that will not only attract renowned artists but will also provide an unforgettable experience for music enthusiasts from across the region."

The developer of the project was announced as the Colorado Springs-based Notes Lives company, which has been involved this year in completing a similar facility in its home city.

But challenges to securing funding for the building of the Sunset project have since been identified, which include the fact that the City of El Paso has not yet come up with an earlier promised $31 million in incentives to get the project going.

Meanwhile, the Notes Lives company, which has since been renamed Venu, is tasked with coming up with the $80 million to build the project, a goal that according to the newspaper El Paso Matters has not yet been realized.

"The company's financing model includes looking to private investors to buy fire pit suites and selling various owner membership levels to accredited investors," notes the paper in quoting from information provided on Venu's website.

Investors are expected to have annual incomes at or above $200,000 or have an individual net worth of more than $1 million.

Besides its current project in Colorado Springs, Venu has announced plans for similar large amphitheater entertainment districts in Oklahoma, Tennessee, and the city of McKinney, in northeastern Texas.
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In announcing the construction of the $220 million McKinney project in March, JW Roth, chief executive officer of Venu, said in a statement: "I didn't set out to build cheap venues. I set out to build the best, the most premium venues that will deliver the best fan base experience possible."

​By Garry Boulard

Located at 939 Salazar Road in an open rural area with impressive mountain views, the Filemon Sanchez Park in Taos has long been a local and regional favorite with regularly scheduled softball games, picnic, and walking space.

Now Taos officials are studying a master plan to upgrade the 10-acre park, situated around two miles to the southeast of the Taos Town Plaza.

New Mexico Democrat Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez has secured funding to improve the park, which was first opened in the summer of 1982.

In a letter to the House Appropriations Committee asking for $1 million in funding, Leger Fernandez remarked that the park for some time has been in a "state of disrepair."

She also, noting the nearly 7,000-foot altitude of Taos, commented that "revitalization of the park at a high altitude would provide revenue to the Town of Taos by giving it the ability to host soccer, baseball, and softball tournaments with the teams around the region."

The condition of the Filemon Sanchez Park has also been on the minds of town officials, especially after an agreement was forged last fall, transferring ownership of the park from the County of Taos to the city.

In a recent staff presentation before members of the Taos Town Council a master plan for refurbishing the park was discussed. That refurbishment, which could cost as much as $6 million, would most likely include the upgrading of recreation and soft ball areas, as well as general building facilities and parking lot work.
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A proposal has also been aired to put on this November's ballot in Taos a $7.5 million general obligation bond that would go toward bringing the park up to date.

​By Garry Boulard

Sometime in the next several weeks the U.S. Supreme Court may hand down a ruling that many legal scholars are saying could have profound federal regulatory implications.

Decided by the higher court in 1984, what is referenced as the Chevron Deference has long been criticized by various business groups as giving too much power to federal agencies.

In the original ruling, Chevron U.S.A. v National Resources Defense Council, the court agreed with the NRDC after that group said the Environmental Protection Agency was being too lax in its interpretation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act, especially as it applied to big companies such as Chevron.

In response, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of empowering agencies with a certain amount of latitude in the area of enforcement activity. To that end, the Court greatly empowered those agencies in cases where the wording of a statute is not precisely clear.

The actions of the agency in question, said the Court, should be deferred to, thus creating what has popularly come to be known as the Chevron Deference.

Court watchers have recently said that it is almost certain the Chevron Deference is on its way out. Several months ago, the New York Times remarked that the "foundational doctrine of administrative law known as the Chevron Deference appeared to be in peril."

Earlier this month, the Washington Examiner remarked that a new Chevron Deference ruling "could reshape the balance of power between federal agencies and the judiciary," while also giving "small litigants due process leverage." 

The City Journal has suggested that modifying the Chevron Deference may actually "enhance regulatory certainty."
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As it now stands, said the publication, an agency's interpretation of a statute can shift from one presidential administration to the next. "Requiring Congress to be more explicit and shifting statutory interpretations from agencies back to the courts will alleviate that uncertainty."

By Garry Boulard

Image Credit: Courtesy of Pixabay 

An existing parking lot in the Five Points section of Denver may soon be converted into the site of a six-story condominium complex with a variety of one to three-bedroom units.

The project belongs to the City of Denver's Department of Housing Stability, otherwise known as HOST, with income-restricted units available to residents earning 80% of area median income.

The building will go up at the intersection of 29th Street and Welton Street in a neighborhood of both apartment buildings and offices. The parking lot has for years belonged to the city's Regional Transportation District.

What is being described as a transit-oriented development has been more than eight years in the planning stage, originally launched as a joint project between Denver and the RTD. Two years ago the Denver-based Shanahan Development was brought in as the project's developer, with the Elevation Community Land Trust selected as both landowner and property manager.

According to city documents, the 29th and Welton project is being looked at as a "representative example of how working collaboratively and cooperatively, government, non-profits, and developers can bring about affordable housing projects."

Work is expected to begin on the $5 million project later this year, with an anticipated completion date of mid-2026.

Transit oriented developments, often attracting substantial federal funding, are projects that can include residential, office, and even commercial space, built within walking distance of a public transportation system.

The concept has proven particularly popular along the East coast and in California. Denver embraced the concept nearly two decades ago, developing a Transit Oriented Development Strategic Plan, and now has more than thirty such operative developments scattered in both urban, suburban, and student neighborhoods of the city.

By Garry Boulard

Image Credit:  Courtesy of the City of Denver​

An Albuquerque company, specializing in the production of highly efficient and radiant-resistant compound semiconductors, is in line to receive nearly $24 million in federal funding for continued production and possible facility expansion.

Located at 10420 Research Road SE, the Rocket Lab company is one of only two companies in the country dedicated to manufacturing what are known as "space-grade solar cells" employed in space to convert light to electricity.

Those cells are regarded as vital to such US space program efforts as exploratory science missions and missile awareness systems.

Now the company has entered into a Preliminary Memorandum of Terms with the federal Department of Commerce that could greatly support its solar cell work.

The $24 million in funding is coming through the CHIPS and Science Act.

In a statement, Commerce Secretary Gia Raimondo noted that "solar cells are important for keeping our community and space technology powered and operational," adding that funding will inevitably benefit the U.S. military, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the commercial space industry.

New Mexico Democrat Congress member Teresa Leger Fernandez, in a separate statement, remarked that with the new federal funding, "Our satellites won't be dependent on foreign sources for solar power, and will instead use American-manufactured solar cells made from compound semiconductors."

As envisioned, increased federal support for Rocket Lab's work has the potential of increasing the company's semiconductor output by at least 50% between now and 2027.

According to the Preliminary Memorandum of Terms announced by the Commerce Department, Rocket Lab will partner with the group New Space New Mexico to accelerate the pace of innovation in the Land of Enchantment, "alongside government, academic, and private stakeholders."
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Established in 2006, Rocket Lab is the parent company of space power provider SolAero Technologies Corporation.

​By Garry Boulard

As President Biden and former President Trump prepare to face off on Thursday evening in their first 2024 presidential debate, a new Pew Research Center survey is indicating that differences between their supporters may not be as great as popularly imagined.

The just-released survey of just over 8,700 scientifically weighted adults revealed that both self-identified Democrats and Republicans have a generally low expectation that the federal government does the right thing "just about always or most of the time."

And both sides express a somewhat high level of frustration with the federal government in general - some 60% of all respondents in total.

But in a sustained area of agreement, both Democrat and Republican respondents overwhelmingly said they are against any efforts that might reduce Social Security benefits.

Indeed, the survey showed that 83% of responding Democrats and an equally large 77% of Republicans agree with the statement that "Social Security benefits should not be reduced in any way."

Opposition to reducing Social Security benefits crosses demographic lines, with 79% of white and 83% of black respondents against any cuts. Similarly, 78% of Hispanic respondents and 74% of Asian respondents were opposed to benefit reductions.

General popular support of the federal government, meanwhile, remains notably low: only 22% of all respondents said they had any faith in Washington doing the right thing. While that figure must sober the President and members of Congress, it is actually up from a dismal 15% recorded during the Great Recession.

All recent figures, however, pale in comparison to the later years of Dwight Eisenhower's presidency and the three years of the John F. Kennedy administration, when the level of trust averaged around 75%.

Says a narrative accompanying the Pew survey: "Frustration toward the federal government is the dominant emotion for both Republicans and Democrats, regardless of which party is in control of the White House."

But in a country that has had functioning and well-organized Democrat and Republican presidential candidates facing off against each other since 1856, it is probably not surprising that partisan anger with the government is "higher when administrations from the other party are in power. Contentment is higher among people who favor the party of the president."

On that note, the Pew survey reveals that 28% of registered Democrats said they are currently content with the federal government, compared to 8% of the Republican respondents who said the same thing.

By Garry Boulard

Image Credit: Courtesy of Pixabay 

Preliminary work is proceeding on what will be a massive 3,100-acre rail spur and industrial park site in the central Colorado city of Fountain.

The Southern Colorado Rail Park, to be developed by the Edward C. Levy Company, will go up on the southwest side of the city, and will see the building of both light and heavy manufacturing, as well as some commercial space.

A sketch plan for the project approved by members of the El Paso County Commission shows the creation of a new rail spur extending from the coal-fired Ray Nixon Power Plant in Fountain to just outside the Fort Carson US Army post, some 14 miles to the northwest.

The site is located on mostly undeveloped land to the west of Interstate 25 and south of the Charter Oak Ranch Road.

Talk and pre-planning regarding the viability of what will be a rail-served industrial complex has been ongoing for the last decade among the staffs of both the City of Fountain as well as El Paso County.

A Memorandum of Understanding for Rail-Served Economic Development was approved in 2018, with various sources indicating that the project would undoubtedly create new manufacturing jobs, while also improving the rail-based rapid deployment capabilities of historic Fort Carson.

The project has since evolved into a public/private partnership with the Edward C. Levy Company, whose headquarters are based in Detroit and is dedicated to green development work.

A feasibility study, according to county documents, has since determined that “there are no fatal flaws” associated with the project.

Besides the new railroad spur, the project is also expected to see the building of an internal rail loop designed to “provide train storage and expand the area for rail access.”
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The next step in the project will see the interested parties presenting an official preliminary plan in the months ahead.

By Garry Boulard

Image Credit: Courtesy of Unsplash

A plan to demolish the historic El Paso County Coliseum in order to make way for the upgrade of a nearby bridge appears to now be inoperative.

Reports published earlier year indicated that the building, located at 4100 E. Paisano Drive, might have to be leveled owing to the modernization of the International Bridge of the Americas.

In April of 2023 it was reported that the U.S. General Services Administration, in charge of the roughly $700 million bridge project, was contemplating getting rid of the more than 80-year-old facility, which is several miles to the east of the structure. 

In an announcement, David Stout, a member of the El Paso County Commission, said the GSA news means a proposal to upgrade the coliseum can now be included as part of a bond package to be voted on by county residents in November.

The GSA has announced that it plans to soon present several alternative plans for the bridge's modernization.

Opened in the spring of 1942, the coliseum was built via a grant from the New Deal's Public Works Administration, and has long hosted a wide variety of concerts, flower shows, and ice capades, among dozens of other events.
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The GSA, which will be accepting written comments on the bridge project until July 28, has indicated that it would like to see actual work on the structure begin in the spring of 2026.

​By Garry Boulard