![]() A bill is now under consideration in the New Mexico State Legislature that would provide funding for flood mitigation projects in a state that has often been plagued with flash flooding. As introduced by Senator Siah Correa Hemphill, the Acequia Fund for Disaster Response will appropriate anywhere from $2.5 million to $5 million annually to fund such projects as acequias irrigation work, dams, reservoirs, and diversions. Hemphill was among local officials last summer who toured the devastation from rising Gila River flood waters in the community of Gila and western Grant County. “I want to create a rural infrastructure crisis fund at the state government level,” Hemphill remarked to the Silver City Daily Press in explaining her legislation. “This is a fund we could draw from to have easier access to funds in a crisis.” According to an analysis of the bill compiled by the Legislative Finance Committee, the measure would “double the funding available for acequias and community ditches.” If passed, the bill would also allow monies from the existing Acequia and Community Ditch Infrastructure Fund to go to “disaster response recovery, and hazard mitigation, and for matching and meeting funding available from other state and federal programs.” The measure is now on its way to the Senate Conservation Committee for review. By Garry Boulard
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National Association of Home Builders' Alicia Huey Challenges Latest Federal Waterways Rule2/9/2023 ![]() The Biden Administration’s decision to pursue an updated and expansive Waters of the United States policy could have a detrimental impact on new home construction. So said Alicia Huey, the chairperson of the National Association of Home Builders, in testimony before the House’s Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee. Huey remarked that the new rule is “so extreme that the federal government will have the authority to regulate certain roadside ditches, isolated ponds, and channels that may only flow after a heavy rainfall.” The WOTUS rule was repealed by the Trump Administration in 2019 and replaced with a ruling that decreased federal protection of certain streams and wetlands, while also doing away with the requirement that landowners must secure the approval of the Environmental Protection Agency before taking on any new construction projects near water bodies on their own property. Last month the Biden Administration issued a new WOTUS ruling, expanding the definition of wetlands and waterways. Michael Regan, EPA Administration, said the new WOTUS definition is designed to “safeguard our nation’s waters, strengthen economic opportunity, and protect people’s health, while providing greater certainty for farmers, ranchers, and landowners.” But in her testimony, Huey maintained that the latest WOTUS rule “fails to provide the clarity and certainty the home building industry seeks.” Continued Huey: “This rule will increase federal regulatory power over private property and lead to increased litigation, permit requirements, and lengthy delays for any business trying to comply.” Huey additionally asserted that the updated WOTUS “will not significantly improve water quality because much of the rule improperly encompasses water features already regulated at the state level.” The fate of the WOTUS rule could be impacted by an upcoming Supreme Court decision in the case of Sackett V. EPA. That case centers on two Idaho landowners challenging the jurisdiction of the EPA under the WOTUS rule. By Garry Boulard ![]() A two-day auction is scheduled to begin on February 27 on a busy commercial property just outside Phoenix. Located on a nearly 5-acre site at 4730 E. Lone Mountain Road in the small town of Cave Creek, some 30 miles to the north of downtown Phoenix, the Lone Mountain Landing measures around 34,700 square feet. Built in 2003, the retail center is the home to a restaurant, fitness center, nail salon, and pet grooming store, among other businesses. Hosted by the Phoenix real estate offices of Kidder Matthews, the auction for the sprawling property will begin with a starting bid of $1.8 million. Cave Creek has seen a modest population growth in recent decades, jumping from around 2,900 people in the 1990s to some 5,000 today. By Garry Boulard ![]() The historic main Santa Fe Public Library, located at 145 Washington Avenue, could soon see upgrade and renovation work. The library leadership is expected to coordinate with both historians and architects to evaluate the building and its current structural needs. The 30,200 square foot building is valued for its wooden ceiling of boards, as well as carved vigas and crossbeams, among other features. Designed by southwestern architect John Gaw Meem in a Spanish-Pueblo style, the structure was built as a Public Works Administration project at a cost of around $170,000 in 1939. It originally served as the Santa Fe County Courthouse. Upon the building’s completion, the Santa Fe New Mexican made note of its “long, covered portal along its first story length,” with a second floor arising above the first “in ‘pueblo’ style.” Originally called the Berardinelli Building, in honor of municipal judge Joseph Berardinelli, the structure was repurposed at a cost of $3.8 million as the home to the Santa Fe Library in 1987. In his 2012 book Ageless Adobe, author Jerome Iowa said the building “achieves an astonishing unity” housed in a “single handsomely-scaled two-story block with projecting side wings (a classic Palladian piece frequently employed by Meem.” Because the library is within he boundaries of the official Santa Fe Historical District, any changes to the building would have to first be approved by the city’s Historic District Review Board. By Garry Boulard ![]() Rural electric cooperatives serving parts of Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas are among those receiving a total of $2.7 billion in federal funding. That support is coming out of the Department of Agriculture and is going to 64 individual projects in more than two dozen states. “This funding will help rural cooperatives and utilities invest in changes that make our energy more efficient, more reliable, and more affordable,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. The funds are specifically designed to help various sized rural cooperatives to build new smart grid technologies, as well as upgrade any technologies they may already have in place. In Colorado, the Buena Vista-based Sangre De Cristo Electric Association is receiving $26.8 million to build and upgrade nearly 200 miles of transmission lines. The Centennial state is also seeing $21.5 million going to the Morgan County Rural Electric Association for the building and upgrading of just over 300 miles of lines. The Rio Grande Electric Cooperative, with offices in Brackettville, Texas, is getting nearly $43 million in USDA funding for upgrading an existing 383 miles of lines and new smart grid technologies. The Rio Grande cooperative serves more than 15,000 customers in both southwest Texas and southern New Mexico. A press release issued by the Agriculture Department note that nearly half of the awards are targeting “infrastructure improvements in underserved communities.” By Garry Boulard ![]() A new 10-year plan charting the future course of downtown Greeley, Colorado, along with possible infrastructure projects, has now won official city approval. Those infrastructure projects could see new housing and upgrades in parks and sidewalks improvements, among other things. The projects are expected to draw on a reported $250 million in funding the city has received in recent years from a variety of sources. The plan, officially called Downtown 2023—The Path Forward, is particularly in response to a growing population, which has gone from around 70,000 in the 1990s, to just under 110,000 today. Additional features in the plan call for enhanced route connections to the banks of the nearby Poudre River; a promenade on 9th Avenue, which cuts through downtown and would feature an open space amenity for walking. According to the publication NoCoOptimist, the plan additionally envisions “more kid-friendly amenities,” which could include “small playgrounds, potential water features (think splash pads), and other play elements.” A survey conducted in putting the Downtown 2023 plan together revealed that some 32% of respondents wanted to see the redevelopment and repurposing of vacant structures and lots; while 15% were supportive of maintaining the historic character of the downtown Greeley, whose buildings date to the 19th century. A smaller 12% emphasized beautification efforts, which might include landscaping, alleyway enhancements, and public art. The plan has now won the approval of the Greeley City Council and will be used as a guideline for future downtown development and construction. By Garry Boulard ![]() A one-story building in downtown El Paso housing a popular family-run restaurant is now being listed for sale. Located at 1017 Delta Drive, the 2,418-square-foot, cement structure is classified as a Class C building and sits on a less than one-acre site. Built in 1940, it is one of the oldest structures on a block made up of two-story apartments and some commercial space. The building, for more tan 10 years, has been the home to the Oaxaca Mexican Kitchen restaurant and includes dining space and a full industrial kitchen. Listed with SVN Fortune Real Estate of El Paso, the structure’s asking price is $395,000. For nearly two decades in the 1970s and 80s, the building was home to the La Paloma Café; before, in the early 1990s, housing the Squeegee, a silkscreen business. By Garry Boulard ![]() To what degree were Covid-19 business relief programs used for fraudulent purposes? Think $5.4 billion. That is the figure announced by the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, which is reporting that tens of thousands of applications for funding were what it calls “potentially fraudulent.” That committee was set up as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to ensure that relief spending was not misused. The deception came with applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans and the Paycheck Protection Program, both of which were tasked with providing loans and assistance to small businesses economically impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak and national shutdown. According to Eugene Dodaro, U.S. Comptroller General and head of the federal Government Accountability Office, final figures totaling the deception have yet to be ascertained. “It will be a while before the full extent of fraud is known,” said Dodaro in testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, noting that more than 1,000 individuals have been convicted or have pled guilty to relief program fraud. Some 600 additional charges are currently pending against others. Dodaro suggested to lawmakers that new investments in fraud detection, upgrading systems seen as outdated, should be made to detect fraud in future massive business relief programs. The goal from the start, asserted Dodaro, was to “get the funds to the people who needed it and now allow this type of fraudulent activity to plague our national programs.” Altogether, more than 69,300 questionable Social Security numbers were used to obtain covid relief monies, asserts the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee. Both the Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Paycheck Protection Program, said the committee’s report, were “susceptible to fraud due to the elevated urgency for agencies to provide timely relief to applicants in response to the Covid 19 pandemic.” By Garry Boular ![]() Construction is scheduled to begin later this spring on up to 14 single-family homes in central Colorado. The homes will uniquely be built by the Colorado Department of Transportation, which is embarking upon a home-building initiative designed to create affordable housing for its employees. The homes will be built in the town of Fairplay, some 85 miles to the southwest of Denver. A second Transportation Department project will see the building of a complex with nearly two dozen apartments in Frisco, just 30 miles to the south of Fairplay. Both sites are near the Interstate 70 corridor. The two building projects are expected to cost a combined $10.5 million. The home-building effort on the part of the Department of Transportation is regarded as a means of attracting workers to the agency. If all goes as expected, the Fairplay homes will be completed in the summer of 2024, with the Frisco apartments open for tenants by the following spring. The two projects come during a time when the average price of a home in the Centennial State exceeds $500,000; and average rents for a one-bedroom apartment are just under $1,400 a month. By Garry Boulard ![]() A classic 1940s motel some 4 miles to the north of downtown Tucson is on the market for $2.2 million. Located on a busy suburban stretch of N. Oracle Road in the 1900 block, the Highland Tower Motel was built in 1941 and houses 24 rooms. Of those two dozen rooms, half feature kitchenettes. Advertised in the Arizona Daily Star in 1987 as a place to get a good night’s sleep for “people who make frequent business and shopping trips to Tucson,” the Highland Tower Motel is designated as a Class B building measuring just over 7,600 square feet. The property was once part of a string of motels dating to the 1930s and 1940s on Oracle Road, otherwise known as the Miracle Mile Strip, that were negatively impacted by construction of the nearby Interstate 10, which routed traffic elsewhere. The rectangular-shaped motel, formerly advertised as the “Finest in the Southwest,” sits on a just over 1-acre site and is being offered for sale by the Long Realty Company of Tucson. Unlike many of the motels along N. Oracle Road that have undergone name changes through the decades, the Highland Tower Motel has had the same name since it first opened for business more than 80 years ago. By Garry Boulard |
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