Due to the continued support of government initiatives in the form of incentives, the growing energy efficient construction business is expected to grow some more for the foreseeable future.
That’s the conclusion of a report just published by the Selbyville, Delaware-based Global Market Insights, Inc., which notes that such construction is likely to remain strong, particularly in the industry’s institutional sector, which includes colleges, hotels and hospitals. In an overview of the report, called Energy Efficient Construction Market Size, it is additionally noted that there is an increased commitment to “reduce carbon emissions and manage capital in a strategic way among governments and corporate sectors,” which has proven to be among the “Key driving factors for energy efficient construction market size growth.” The trend is worldwide: with France, Germany, and Great Britain seeing more energy efficient construction “owing to governmental regulations pertaining to control gas emissions and environment consciousness among end users.” Such construction is expected to remain particularly pronounced, says the report, in both China and India, “due to high population growth” and the existence of large manufacturing plants. In addition, solar power installations are predicted to exceed “more than 590 gigawatts by 2023, including both concentrated thermal power and photovoltaic.” By Garry Boulard
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More than $3.6 million in funding has been secured from Washington for the construction of a new transit facility that will serve the North Central Regional Transit District in Espanola.
That funding is coming from the Federal Transit Administration arm of the U.D. Department of Transportation, and is one of two grants designed to support transit in New Mexico. The second grant, for just over $2 million, will be dedicated to rehabilitating a City of Santa Fe transit facility deemed “structurally deficient.” The rehabilitated structure, called the Southside Transit Center, is located at 2521 Camino Entrada, a block away from the Santa Fe Police Department. The grants for both the Espanola and Santa Fe projects were awarded through the FTA’s Bus and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment Program, which is designed to fund the construction of bus-oriented facilities and purchase new buses for states and cities across the country. In a statement announcing $226 million in such grants nationally, Elaine Chao, Transportation Department Secretary, said, “Every day, working families across America rely on buses, and these grants will ensure that these vital services continue to be both safe and efficient.” The $2 million for the Santa Fe project will, according to the award announcement, “improve safety, efficiency, and accessibility to transit services in New Mexico’s capital.” The larger $3.6 million grant will go directly to the New Mexico Department of Transportation for the building of a new maintenance facility in Espanola. That facility will house vehicle maintenance work for the district’s 65 buses. A separate building in Espanola will be used for washing bays. The North Central Regional Transit District provides bus transit services to the residents of Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, and Taos, among other stops. By Garry Boulard Plans to build a new $6.4 million parking and shelter facility designed to house city buses in Colorado Springs are moving forward with funding from Washington of just over $758,000.
That funding is coming through the Federal Transit Authority’s Buses and Facilities Infrastructure Program, which this spring has announced funding for 139 bus-related projects nationally, at a total cost of $264 million. The money will help pay for both the design and construction of a facility that will go up on the eastern side of Colorado Springs adjacent to a site used by the city’s Streets Division Department. The project will be undertaken by the Mountain Metro Transit system, which is expected to secure additional funding for the garage from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority, as well as other sources. The city’s bus fleet, which includes more than 40 buses, is currently housed underneath a canopy on city-owned property off of the Hancock Expressway. In announcing the money for the project, the FTA noted that that because Colorado Spring’s buses are non-stop exposed to the elements, it has resulted in “increasing maintenance costs.” “The storage facility will provide operational stability and improve the longevity of Mountain Metro Transit’s fleet,” the FTA said. By Garry Boulard Comprising nearly 50,000 miles, the country’s Interstate Highway System, with construction beginning in the mid-1950s, is in need of extensive upgrading, a challenge that the Reason Foundation has estimated will cost more than $1 trillion.
Work upgrading a small portion of that system between Denver and Aurora is expected to begin this summer at a price tag of $1.1 billion. The Central 70 Project will reconstruct a 10-mile stretch first built in 1964. Colorado Department of Transportation officials point out that 3 million more people use the east to west Interstate 70 in metro Denver today than when the highway was first opened. That number is expected to grow by another 3 million in the next two decades. The project will add new express lanes in each direction, tear out an existing viaduct, and lower a portion of the interstate between Brighton Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard. A 4-acre park will then be built on that portion of the lowered interstate which will include an amphitheater, sports field, splash park, and room for both community events, as well as a farmer’s market. Two lawsuits have been filed to stop the project, and both have now been dismissed. The most recent action by the Sierra Club and two neighborhood associations said the Colorado DOT failed to take into account the adverse effects the construction would have on residents living in the vicinity of the interstate. The dismissal of both suits, said Colorado DOT spokesperson Rebecca White in a statement, validated “the work we have done and will continue to do as we move this important project forward. The sooner we can proceed to construction, the sooner we can address this congested and deteriorating highway and bring relief to the 200,000 travelers who rely on I-70 every day.” Work on the upgrading is expected to take two years to complete. By Garry Boulard ![]() The world’s largest maker of mozzarella cheese is in the planning stages of a project to build a $15 million expansion to its Roswell, New Mexico plant. Founded in 1950, the Denver-based Leprino Foods enjoys annual revenues in excess of $3 billion and has production facilities in California, Colorado, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania. The company is not only known for its mozzarella offerings, but also for its production of cheddar cheese, provolone, and Monterey jack, all of which are used by frozen food manufacturers and pizzeria operations. Leprino acquired the former American Milk Producers plant on the southeast side of Roswell in 1993, eventually nearly tripling the original 120,000 square footage of the structure. Now the company wants to expand its facilities once again. To that end, it has received $200,000 in Local Economic Development Act funding from the New Mexico Economic Development. Leprino’s Roswell expansion, said Economic Development Director Matt Giesel in a statement, is an example of “what’s possible when businesses know they’re welcome here.” Also in a statement, Robert Tuttrep, general manager of the Leprino plant in Roswell, noted the company’s connection to area agriculture, pointing out its “close proximity to the dedicated farmers who supply the high quality milk that is the chief ingredient in our products.” The Leprino facility uses advanced recycling practices allowing for all the water used in the plant to be treated for irrigation purposes on nearby cropland where the feed is grown for local livestock. By Garry Boulard A plan to build a teaching hotel on the campus of Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction has moved a step closer to reality with a state legislative committee voting its approval of the project.
CMU officials say the facility would be used by students enrolled in the school’s hospitality management program, allowing for a hands-on learning environment in an actual functioning hotel. As proposed, the boutique hotel would measure around 50,000 square feet, housing up to 90 rooms. What is being called the Maverick Teaching Hotel would also include flexible and multi-functional public space, a restaurant, and rooftop bar, all built for LEED certification. The project is expected to cost around $15.1 million to build and would be funded through several sources, including CMU’s unrestricted university cash reserves. CMU officials have also pointed out that because the new facility would be built on the north side of the city where there are few hotels, it will fill a market need for rooms near the campus. The project has now won the approval of the Colorado State Legislature’s Capital Development Committee. By Garry Boulard News of the opening of the first Chik-Fil-A restaurant in Santa Fe at 2400 Cerrillos Road comes as the Atlanta-based company is moving towards its goal of being the third largest restaurant chain in the next two years.
A public hearing is expected to be held early this summer regarding the construction of a massive $2 billion transmission project in New Mexico and Arizona.
The Phoenix-based Southwestern Power Group has been planning for the better part of a decade now to build two bi-directional electric transmission lines, as well as several substations, for a project that will run more than 500 miles from central New Mexico to the Pinal Central Substation near Coolidge, Arizona. The project will also include the construction of a series of towers measuring 135 feet in height designed to support the extra high-voltage lines. The very large wind and solar project will ultimately bring energy to customers in southern California. The Sun Zia Transmission Project has already won the approval of a variety of federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which gave it the green light to build across 134 miles of federal land in New Mexico and 50 miles of those same lands in Arizona. But it still requires the approval of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission regarding final transmission line locations and right of way lengths. That commission is expected to take public testimony in June. If that testimony is followed by a vote of approval, work on the Sun Zia project could begin later this year, with a 2020 completion date. By Garry Boulard Three modern bioscience research buildings are in the planning stages for the growing Fitzsimons Innovation Campus in Aurora, Colorado.
Plans additionally are calling for the eventual construction of several apartment complexes and hotels, as well as math-centered elementary, middle, and high schools. The innovation campus became a reality after the historic Fitzsimons General Hospital was decommissioned as a result of the Department of Defense’s Base Realignment and Closure program in the late 1990s. An effort spearheaded by the Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority was then launched to transform the hospital and surrounding site into a medical and research campus. At more than 125 acres, the campus has since turned into a hub of healthcare and bioscience research with new buildings going up to facilitate such work. The campus is currently seeing the $55 million construction of a 3-story, 115,000 square foot bioscience facility, which will also include research, laboratory, and office space. Now Fitzsimons Innovation Campus officials say the next step is building three more similarly-sized structures on the site, also for research purposes, as well as the new schools for younger students. A schedule for when that work may begin has not yet been announced. By Garry Boulard Advanced solar technologies that include such adaptations as micro-scale solar cells and thin film solar shingles are among the products that New Mexico can manufacture to help create a job-enhancing solar economy.
That is the conclusion of a report just issued by the American Jobs Project and the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of New Mexico. The report, The New Mexico Jobs Project: A Guide to Creating Jobs in Advanced Solar Technology, contends that “the advanced solar industry holds the most potential to increase manufacturing jobs in the state.” “While Chinese manufacturers have cornered the global market for conventional solar cells, our research shows that New Mexico is poised to capture a growing segment of the solar market by becoming a leading producer of advanced solar technologies,” the report continues. To get to that point, the report recommends that New Mexico should build a “comprehensive cluster development strategy that encourages knowledge sharing, asset growth, and high-impact marketing.” The report additionally pushes for the establishment of an “advanced solar center of excellence” designed to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship, while also creating a “technology maturation loan fund” to help increase the number of innovations that actually get to the commercial development stage in New Mexico. In a statement, Athena Christodoulou, president of the New Mexico Solar Energy Association, said the report illustrates how the state can offer a “pathway for industry growth and collaboration across industry, government, and university partners.” By Garry Boulard |
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