Construction could begin later this year, or sometime in 2019, on a long-planned hotel and restaurant project in Shiprock, New Mexico.

The structure will most likely go up in an area of one-story commercial structures to the north of U.S. Highway 64 and West of U.S. Highway 491.

In a statement, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye said the new hotel and restaurant will “help revitalize the economy in one of the largest chapters on the Navajo Nation. Shiprock is an important community in the Four Corners area, with traffic coming through from all directions.”

Because that traffic oftentimes sees tourists and truck drivers heading to such area landmarks as the Mesa Verde National Park and the Grand Canyon National Park, the thinking is: why wouldn’t they stop at a new and modern hotel along the way?

The construction project will be a joint effort between the National Gaming Enterprise and the Navajo Division of Economic Development, with the NNGE serving the role as project supervisor.

The $8.3 million project will be paid for out of the Navajo Nation’s Permanent Trust Fund, with some $2.8 million going for the initial infrastructure construction.

By Garry Boulard

An adobe building in downtown Tempe that was the birthplace of legendary and long-serving U.S. Senator Carl Hayden nearly 150 years ago may be on the verge of seeing its first significant restoration.

The larger property surrounding the Hayden House near the intersection of Mill Avenue and Rio Salado Parkway has been purchased for the planned construction of two mixed-use high-rises.

One of those structures will be a 15-story hotel, while the other is planned as a 15-story Class A office building.

City of Tempe officials have long been worried that if the work starts first on the new buildings, the Hayden House’s structure could be adversely impacted by the nearby construction.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Hayden House, beginning in 1956, also served as Monti’s La Casa Vieja Steakhouse, a popular restaurant that closed in the fall of 2014.
The developers of the new towers are the Douglas Wilson Companies and Hensel Phelps Development.

It is not known when work on the Hayden House restoration will begin.

By Garry Boulard

Members of the U.S. Senate are currently looking over legislation that would put the management and oversight of the famous Route 66 under the purview of the National Park Service.

By so doing, argues proponents of the legislation, establishments and sites along the 2,500-mile route connecting Chicago to Los Angles would be eligible for federal grants funding preservation and rehabilitation efforts.

House Bill 801 was approved unanimously on a voice vote in the House of Representatives in June.

The measure has been in no small way helped by the support of the influential Washington-based Trust for Historic Preservation, which earlier this year included Route 66 on its eleven most endangered historic places in the nation.

That group also sponsored a well-publicized tour of the route this summer, designed to point out the many architectural wonders along its roadside.

With construction starting in the 1920s, Route 66 saw the building of hundreds of roadside diners and motors courts, many featuring a distinctive pre-World War II iconic modern design.

The advent of the national highway system, beginning in the late 1950s, greatly contributed to the decline of Route 66, which is now plagued not only with sections of roads and bridges in a state of disrepair, but also a large number of abandoned roadside commercial structures.

If the National Park Service ends up overseeing Route 66, it will also allow the NPS to apply financial and technical expertise to issues challenging the roadway.

In a website message promoting the NPS’ management of Route 66, the Trust for Historic Preservation says the move will bring about “greater public interest and investment to communities along the iconic highway and encourage their economic revitalization.”

It is not yet known when the Senate will take up the legislation.

By Garry Boulard

A joint effort undertaken by the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County could see the construction of around 35 tiny homes inside a larger defined village.

The 116 square-foot structures will be geared for those who are homeless and designed to serve only as temporary housing.

City and county officials are currently in the process of trying to select a site for the village and have suggested five locations in southeast Albuquerque and one on the west side of the city at 8207 Central Avenue NW.

Funding to the tune of $2 million to build the one-acre village will come out of a $35 million General Obligation bond passed by county voters in 2016.

The homes are expected to cost up to $20,000 to build and will be wired for electricity, with enough room for a bed and storage.

Restrooms, showers and laundry will be offered in a main village communal building.

A recent public hearing on the project revealed anxiety on the part of residents living near several of the proposed sites who wondered if a tiny home village could prove a breeding ground for criminal activity.

Similar villages have recently been built in Michigan, New York, Tennessee, and Washington.

A 2017 article published by U.S. News & World Report observed: “Depending on who you ask, moving homeless people into tiny houses is either a pragmatic means of rescuing them from the street or an alarming shift in urban planning that could pave the way for the creation of shantytowns.”

By Garry Boulard

A 90-mile network, running between the cities of Vail and Golden in Colorado, will be the state’s first foray into the world of connected vehicle technology.

The Colorado Department of Transportation has announced that it has entered into a partnership with the Newark, New Jersey-based Panasonic Corporation of North America for the construction of around 100 roadside units that will have the ability to communicate with the CDOT regarding traffic conditions.

The technology, which is currently being considered for use in several municipalities across the country, additionally allows vehicles to communicate with other vehicles as well as with streetlights, traffic signals, and even buildings, all in an effort to create a more safe and efficient driving environment.

All of the country’s major car manufacturers have said that they intend to have connected vehicle technology in their vehicles by no later than 2023.

The Vail and Golden route along Interstate 70 will mark the first time that the CDOT has implemented the technology. The I-70 route was selected because it is heavily travelled and subject to a variety of weather conditions, including snow and ice.

CDOT officials say it will cost $2-$3 million to build the roadside units, with another $10 million going for the development of the data ecosystem.

By Garry Boulard

In slightly more than three weeks, advocates of a  measure to expand the distance between where new oil and gas wells can be drilled and the nearest residential home will know if their effort will make it to the November ballot.

More than 171,000 people in the last several weeks signed a petition spirited by a group called Colorado Rising calling for a significant buffer zone expansion between any new wells and houses, playgrounds, schools, and hospitals.

Currently, Colorado law limits that space to 500 feet. But what is officially called Initiative 97 would expand that distance to 2,500 feet.

The idea has sparked the vigorous opposition of Colorado’s oil and gas industry.

A response group representing those interests, called Protect Colorado, is contending that if the proposal makes it to the November ballot and is then passed, it would result in the loss of more than $10 billion in annual revenues from the industry that goes to local governments and schools in the state.

In its website, Protect Colorado argues that Initiative 97 would tell “private property owners what they can and cannot do with their own land.”

The same group has said that a successful Initiative 97 would end up banning drilling in more than half of the state.

Just the prospect of the initiative passing, according to the Denver Business Journal, has depressed the price of stocks for three exploration companies operating in Colorado by anywhere from 9 to 10 percent.

Although an earlier petition effort in 2016 failed for a lack of signatures, the petition to put Initiative 97 on the Colorado ballot has secured roughly 72,000 more signatures than the minimal amount required.

The Colorado Secretary of State’s office is expected to announce by September 6 how many of those signatures are valid, in effect deciding whether or not the initiative would be on this November’s ballot.

By Garry Boulard

Anger over an El Paso City Council vote earlier this summer that could lead to the mixed-use development of open space near the Franklin Mountains on the west side of the city has prompted an effort to recall Mayor Dee Margo.

Margo, along with a majority of the council, had voted in favor of creating a Tax Reinvestment Zone that would allow for the revenues of certain taxes to pay for infrastructure construction on land partly made up of the Lost Dog Trailhead.

That portion of the land in question, leading to the Franklin Mountains, is used daily by joggers, walkers, and bike riders.

The sidewalks, sewer systems, and streetlights infrastructure would be built to support a mixed-use development that could see the construction of nearly 830,000 square feet of retail and office development, as well as just under 9,500 individual housing units.

According to the official proposal for the new taxing district, a hotel, amphitheater, and both aquatic center and athletic center, may also be a part of the development.

Zachary Gonzalez, an open space advocate in El Paso, has officially filed papers with the city clerk’s office launching a petition that would allow voters to officially recall and remove from office Mayor Margo.

Gonzalez says his campaign is spirited by the Mayor having cast a tie-breaking vote in the City Council that ended public discussion on the Tax Reinvestment Zone question.

In order for the first phase of the recall effort to succeed, the petition would have to secure the signatures of just under 6,600 people and submit them to the clerk’s office by October 10.

Gonzalez has said his goal is to obtain more than 7,000 signatures.

By Garry Boulard

A ruling regarding the use of asbestos in building materials may be officially announced in November or December by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Although never really outright banned, the use of asbestos, which has been linked to cancer and mesothelioma, among other diseases, has been in general decline in the U.S. since the 1970s.

The silicate material has traditionally been used in pipe insulation, roofing felt, sealant tape, vinyl floor tile, and millboard, among other products.

According to unnamed officials at the EPA, a new ruling on asbestos would require that any manufacturer in the U.S. must first notify the agency 90 days in advance before using the product.

Even so, the fact that asbestos as a component is being re-explored for use by the EPA has prompted several organizations to come out against any policy change short of an outright ban.

In a statement, Carl Elefante, the president of the American Institute of Architects, said, “The EPA has offered no compelling reason for considering new products using asbestos, especially when the consequences are well known and have tragically affected the lives of so many people.”

Elefante adds: “The EPA should be doing everything possible to curtail asbestos in the United States and beyond—not providing new pathways that expose the public to its dangers.”

By Garry Boulard

The name of the company has not yet been publicly identified, but a District of Columbia-based military contractor is said to be thinking of building a new facility in Boulder County, Colorado.

That much has been revealed by the Colorado Economic Development Commission, a state body that works with government and private entities to promote economic development throughout the Centennial State.

For the moment, the effort to get the company to set up shop up in Colorado is being referred to as “Project Iris,” and, according to sources, could result in the construction of not only a facility for research and development, but also a new manufacturing plant.

The Colorado EDC has also disclosed that the company, which if it did move to the state would hire nearly 1,100 people, is looking at other sites for possible relocation in Indiana, Tennessee, and Virginia.

In trying to lure the company to pick Colorado, the commission has now voted to approve some $9.4 million in job growth tax incentive credits that would be available over an 8-year period.

It is not currently known when the commission, which next meets in late September, will announce the results of Project Iris.

By Garry Boulard

A motel, located in Albuquerque’s busy Nob Hill area that was originally opened in the spring of 1957 as a Travelodge, will soon see an extensive upgrade and renovation designed to give it a hip look for today’s young travelers.

The cement block building, which is currently known as the University Lodge, is located at 3711 Central Avenue NE, and is being redubbed as The Avenue Hotel.

The owners of the two-story structure, which saw some remodeling several years ago, will redo all of the U-shaped building’s rooms. A redesign and reimagining of the pool space on the Solano Drive side of the property will see the construction of a restaurant and brewery on the top floors, and retail space at the ground level.

At the time of its construction, the then-Travelodge was only the 66th motel built in a chain that just a decade later would include more than 350 motels.

The motel not only offered a swimming pool, which still exists today, but a radio in every room and complimentary coffee.

The Travelodge brand advertised itself as a budget offering with each location built in or near a city’s downtown area.

The extensive renovation project, which is still in the planning stage, could see actual construction launching sometime next year.

By Garry Boulard