More than $57 billion in bond-funded projects at the state level were approved by voters in the November mid-term elections. That figure comes from S&P Global Market Intelligence, which notes that the bonds for such things as building schools, paving and upgrading roads, and climate resiliency, were successful in every region of the country. That said, a significant proportion of the successful bond elections took place in the always-growing South and West. Texas bond elections, in fact, comprised $35 billion. According to the Wall Street Journal, the new bonds will prove the equivalent of up to $90 billion in municipal debt. That figure is the highest on record since the 2012 election. Altogether, the passage rate for all the bond elections combined was around 83%. According to an analysis published by Bloomberg, the bonds represent “more than double” the amount proposed in elections last year. While bond elections, unlike elections with candidates, rarely end up in litigation, one measure in Salem, Oregon is proving the exception. The results of a successful $300 million infrastructure bond may be legally challenged because a paragraph explaining how the bonds would be repaid was inadvertently left off the ballot. City officials have been vowing to take the matter to court to validate the results of the election which saw 64% of voters approving the proposal. By Garry Boulard
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University of Colorado at Boulder officials are making a funding plea to wrap up renovation work on one of the school’s oldest structures. Built in 1921, the Hellems Arts & Sciences Building was designed by the renowned architect Charles Klauder and is the first structure on the Boulder campus to be designed in what is known as the Tuscan Vernacular style. An east and a west wing were added to the 90,000 square foot building in 1938. Because of the variety of disciplines taught within the building, up to 80% of all CU Boulder freshmen end up taking at least one class in the structure. Plans call for an extensive interior renovation of the Hellems, as well as the building of an open atrium at the building’s central entrance. Work will also include making the structure Americans with Disabilities Act compliant. State funding has already been secured for the first two phases of the Hellems renovation. School officials have now gone before the state legislature’s Capital Development Committee to make a pitch for the third phase funding. It is expected that the final phase will cost around $42 million to complete. Of that figure, it is hoped that just over $17.1 will be provided by the state, with CU Boulder paying the rest. If that state funding is secured, the actual renovation work is set to launch next summer, with a spring 2026 completion date. By Garry Boulard The always-busy main public animal shelter in El Paso is expected to see the construction of a new clinic and expansion of its kennel space next year. The project will also include the building of a modern HVAC system. Located at 5001 Fred Wilson Avenue on the northeast side of the city, the El Paso Animal Services has long been overwhelmed trying to shelter upwards of more than 3,000 animals in any given month. According to sources, the shelter, built to handle up to 450 animals, has by day seen its population nearing the 1,000 mark. The demand has led to cramped facilities, with sometimes two or three dogs sharing a single kennel more appropriate for one, and a concerted effort on the part of the agency to place mostly kittens and puppies in foster homes. A design phase for the expansion project, which will lead to the building of 400 new kennels, is expected to begin in early 2023. The new clinic space is designed to isolate animals suffering from parvo or a respiratory disease. Around $9 million was originally approved by members of the El Paso City Council in 2019 for the project, but work was delayed due to the Covid 19 outbreak. Work building the new clinic and kennel space is expected to take around 12 months. By Garry Boulard Upwards of $3.4 billion in federal support has now been awarded to a variety of land ports of entry projects across the country. According to the General Services Administration, the funding has gone for the building and modernization of 26 land ports located along the country’s northern and southern borders. According to a White House press release, the projects, funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, are designed to enhance border security, and “incorporate new and innovative sustainability features,” while also providing for “improved climate resilience.” Work already underway has taken in site acquisitions, environmental reviews, and community outreach. Specific funded projects have included the $200 million building of a new commercial port in Douglas, Arizona; $115 million to complete the modernization of the San Luis Port of Entry in San Luis, Arizona; and the $100 million modernization completion of the Calexico East Port of Entry on the California/Mexico border. The $3.4 billion funding for the ports of entry work has come from both the General Services Administration as well as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. By Garry Boulard A nearly 100-year-old two-story brick building that has played a part in the newspaper history of the Colorado is being listed for sale by the Denver-based Ringsby Realty Corporation. Located at 1336 Glenarm Place, the structure measures around 6,200 square feet and was built in 1928. For around 50 years, the building housed the offices of the Colorado Press Association, before being sold in the spring of 2014 to Ringsby for $1.2 million. The property, with a full basement and small garage, underwent a comprehensive renovation in 2016. In the listing for the structure, Ringsby notes that modernized space in the building could be used for a fitness or yoga studio, or even an art gallery. Last year the Ringsby company announced it was moving its offices to a new location at 1801 W. Colfax Avenue, repurposing an industrial structure. By Garry Boulard After more than two years of sometimes intensive public input, an area plan has been approved by members of the Denver City Council for the historic Park Hill Golf Course. Located on the northeast side of the city, the 18-hole course was opened in 1931 and has long been regarded as a recreation mainstay. When the course closed in 2018, both Denver city and county officials began to think of new uses for the 155-acre site. That then led to a series of community meetings in an effort called “Park Hill Golf Course Reimagined,” as well as a survey seeing 70% of respondents supporting new housing and some commercial development at the site. Only 7% were in favor of the property remaining a golf course. In community meetings, residents also expressed support for the creation of open green space and community gathering places. The official area plan calls for the creation of up to 100 acres of public parks, trails, and open spaces. The plan additionally allows for the building of new sports fields, playgrounds, and restrooms, among other amenities. The remaining 55 acres allows for the building of some affordable housing. In a press release, Laura Aldrete, executive director of Community Planning and Development for both the city of Denver and Denver County, said the new area plan “speaks to urban growth in a thoughtful, inclusive, and sustainable way.” Still to come: voters in early 2023 will decide whether to lift a long-standing easement requiring that the site continue to be used only as a golf course. By Garry Boulard The price tag for any number of infrastructure projects is seeing an increase of at least 20% due to inflation, says a new report. In some cases, the increase has been as high as 40%. Such projects are supposed to be funded via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but estimated project costs frequently rise depending upon the costs of such materials as asphalt, concrete, and fabricated structural metal. All those material categories have seen price increases in recent months of anywhere from 14% to 23%, says the Pew Stateline report. Projects have also been challenged by the cost of fuel, which saw a dramatic increase earlier this year. Several months ago, Missouri Representative Sam Graves, during a House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee roundtable, noted: “Companies, states, and local governments are struggling with the cost of fuel, materials, equipment, and everything that goes into planning projects and building our infrastructure.” Graves added that matters “will only get worse if we go into the recession that many economists are predicting.” According to the Pew Stateline report, “Transportation officials say supply chain disruptions also are extending the time it takes to get and deliver materials and equipment.” State transportation departments across the country are getting up to $350 billion over a span of 5 years because of the Infrastructure and Jobs Act legislation. But that funding doesn’t consider material price increases. Despite such challenges, notes the Pew Stateline report, states are moving ahead on an estimated 29,000 transportation projects funded through the legislation. By Garry Boulard Preliminary details are being worked out for a project that will see the building of retail and restaurant space, as well as hotels, on 100 acres of land in Scottsdale. What is being called the Riverwalk will see the creation of walkable village-like development running alongside the 101 Freeway within the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community. The site, between East Via de Ventura on the north and Talking Stick Way on the south is about 8 miles to the northeast of downtown Scottsdale. A complicated project long in the talking stage, the Riverwalk will also include immersive art attractions as well as special event venues. Earlier reports have additionally indicated that the site could see the creation of a corporate office innovation campus. The Scottsdale-based Caliber Company has now announced it has purchased lease rights at the site in order to begin developing the project. In a statement, Chris Loeffler, chief executive officer of Caliber, said the lease rights purchase represents a “terrific opportunity to develop a premier entertainment and multi-use destination in Scottsdale.” The Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community comprises more than 52,000 acres bordering the cities of Scottsdale, Tempe, and Mesa. By Garry Boulard Plans are underway for the construction of an urgent care center that will go up at the site of a former popular golf course in Anthony, New Mexico. The City of Anthony purchased the 18-hole Dos Lagos Golf Course, located at 1150 Duffer Lane, for $3.6 million in 2019, and has since worked to repurpose the property for new uses. Those uses include building commercial, residential, and recreational space. Plans have also been revealed regarding a community center. Additional plans have called for building city administrative offices at the site, as well as a high school, and the urgent care center. The 130-acre golf course was opened in January of 1962 and was for decades one of the most popular courses in southern New Mexico. For several reasons, the course was closed in early 2019. A master plan looking at new uses for the course was earlier formulated by Wilson & Company of Albuquerque and funded as a state capital outlay. Additional funding has been secured through a U.S. Economic Development Administration grant to build the proposed 2,700 square foot urgent care center. Altogether, it is expected that up to $35 million in new recreational facilities, roads, and drainage improvements will be built at the site over the course of the next year. With a population of around 8,700 people, Anthony was incorporated as its own community via a referendum in 2010. By Garry Boulard A bill that would accelerate the federal environment review process for large broadband, energy, transportation, and water projects may be coming up for a crucial vote in Congress. West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has proposed the Energy Independence and Security Act as a means of lowering energy costs. “No matter what you want to build, whether its transmission pipelines or hydropower dams, more often than not, it takes too long and drives up energy costs,” Manchin told reporters earlier this fall in discussing his legislation. “You can double your cost within a five- to six-, seven-year period from what the original cost may have been,” Manchin continued. The bill would make it possible for the Energy Department to categorize proposed transmission projects as being in the national interest, tasking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to then give those projects a green light. Manchin’s legislation further requires the president to list up to 25 vital energy and mineral projects that would be subject to a speeded-up review process. The bill was earlier this fall attached to a stopgap government funding package, only to be subsequently removed. Some critics have expressed concern about the legislation, arguing that an accelerated permitting review process could lead to the approval of projects that are environmentally dangerous. But now, as the clock runs out on the remaining of the 117th Congress, a new move is underway to pass Manchin’s legislation by attaching it to an upcoming National Defense Authorization Act vote. In a website editorial, Neil Bradley, chief policy officer with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, urged Congress to approve Manchin’s bill, noting, “Failure to enact permitting reform now will not only delay critical investments in infrastructure, but it will also force Congress to start the process for updating our permitting laws all over again in the new year.” By Garry Boulard |
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