Work could begin this fall on the ambitious development of a 120-acre park on the growing north side of growing Peoria, Arizona.
The project, to be done in two phases, will see the building of a recreation center, four baseball fields, three soccer fields, a dog park, a fishing pond, and a splash pad, among other features. Set to be carved out of desert land near the intersection of Lake Pleasant Parkway and Loop 303, the North Community Park has been in the talking stage for around two years and the subject of community input meetings. The first phase construction on the project will take place on 85 acres of the site, located at the northern base of Westwing Mountain, with the entire project expected to be completed by the spring of 2020. A suburb of Phoenix, Peoria has seen its population jump from 108,000 residents in 2000 to more than 164,000 today. By Garry Boulard
0 Comments
Ronald Vitiello, Deputy Commissioner with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, has announced that work on an existing border wall in New Mexico will begin in the next couple of weeks.
“We’re on track to replace 20 miles of primary vehicle barrier in Santa Teresa, New Mexico,” said Vitiello in announcing a handful of additional border wall projects also planned for California and Texas. Vitiello’s announcement comes as a host of environmental groups have joined forces in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to stop the New Mexico project, which they contend could prove hazardous to area gray wolves, bighorn sheep, ring-tailed cats, and jaguars. A $73 million contract was awarded in January to Barnard Construction of Bozeman, Montana, to replace the wall stretching from the Santa Teresa Port of Entry to Border Monument West. “The New Mexico Border Wall Project will have numerous negative impacts on the wildlife, plants, and the sensitive biological habitats on or near the proposed site of the project,” contends the litigants in the suits, which include the Las Cruces-based Southwest Environment Center and the Center for Biological Diversity of Tucson. As proposed, the new wall will be made of bollard fencing supported by thick vertical posts. Conservationists have argued that while more porous vehicle barriers allow for some wildlife crossing, the bollard fencing would close it off altogether. Noting that work has already started on a two-mile stretch of border fencing in Calexico, California, as well as four miles of new wall in El Paso, Vitiello added, “The other projects still need some design work and the bids will go out for that.” “They are going to happen this year,” Vitiello said in reference to the additional projects, although he acknowledged that continued wall work will depend on “other factors as far as the design and acquisition of land.” By Garry Boulard ![]() Two years ago, mental health experts participating in what was called a Behavioral Health Summit in Santa Fe noted that up to 2,500 adults in Santa Fe County have serious mental illness issues. It was also learned that at least 30,000 residents use illicit substances or misuse alcohol or prescription medication on a regular basis. More troubling, residents burdened with such issues oftentimes have found themselves in county detention facilities rather than in specialty health clinics where they could get the help they need. In response, those experts recommended the creation of a behavioral crisis center that would be especially designed to assist and treat residents with such issues. A short six months later, voters in the November 2016 election gave the green light to a $2 million bond designed to provide capital funding for just such a facility. Now, after months of discussions, Santa Fe County Community Services has announced it is partnering with the Albuquerque-based New Mexico Solutions, Inc. to create what will officially be called the Santa Fe County Behavioral Health Crisis Center. New Mexico Solutions, which was founded in 1999 and provides a variety of counseling, living and educational services to people dealing with mental illnesses and addictions, will be tasked with both planning and operating the facility. In discussing the need for such a facility last year, Rachael O’ Connor, Community Services Department Director, said the center will be geared to provide a “safe and secure place for Santa Fe County adults with behavioral health issues.” Plans will now center on finding a location to build the new center as well as creating the facility’s design. By Garry Boulard |
Get stories like these right to your inbox.
|