A building to house a busy Navajo Nation preschool program, while also renovating an existing senior center, are among the items that may be approved as capital outlay projects by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
As proposed, some $3 million in state funding will go for the construction of the Chi Chil Tah Head Start building near the New Mexico/Arizona border. As planned, the structure would be an energy-efficient facility, providing a safe environment for the early childhood education program.
A second project hopes to secure $2 million in funding: the renovation of the Baahaali Senior Center in Vanderwagen, some 17 miles to the south of Gallup.
An additional Navajo Nation proposal is calling for construction of a new veterans building in Manuelito, with a capital outlay request of $2 million for the project. Once completed, the veterans building will provide offerings ranging from housing assistance to employment counseling, and health care services.
Altogether, New Mexico lawmakers have given their approval to more than $24 million in facility projects for the Navajo Nation this year.
In a press release issued by the Navajo Nation Council, Delegate Seth Damon remarked that the Navajo Nation capital projects under consideration have the potential to “bring not only much-needed infrastructure improvements, but also job creation and economic development opportunities.”
By Garry Boulard
