![]() Exactly 85 airports across the country are in line to receive nearly $1 billion in grant funding for a wide array of terminal improvement projects. The funding is coming from the US Transportation Department and the Federal Aviation Administration, and is part of a larger plan to spend upwards of $5 billion on such facilities through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The grants will specifically fund a series of airport sustainability projects, Americans with Disabilities Act improvements, and access upgrades for airports in rural and disadvantaged communities. Two grants will fund the construction of new air traffic control towers. Specific projects will see the building of more gate capacity, new baggage claim areas and bathrooms, as well as the reconfiguring of security checkpoints. In announcing the grants, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg remarked, “Americans deserve modern airports that meet the needs of their families and growing passenger demands.” He added that the funding will help “improve airport terminals while also creating good jobs in communities across the country.” Mitch Landrieu, White House infrastructure coordinator, remarked that airport terminals are “not something the federal government has historically invested in.” Such investments have typically been made by local airport owners and airlines, continued Landrieu, adding that the “need is evident.” Just over $14.4 million will go for the long-planned expansion and updating of terminal space at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. The largest projects to receive funding include the building of four new gates at the Orlando International Airport, which is receiving $50 million; and construction of a zero-carbon central electrical utility facility at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, securing $35 million. Funding for such projects is more specifically coming through the Airport Terminal Program, which is structured to provide $1 billion in funding for airport improvement projects annually for the next 5 years. More than 530 airports submitted applications for grants from this round of funding. By Garry Boulard
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![]() Two extended space buildings that in a variety of capacities have for generations served professionals in downtown Albuquerque are being listed for sale with a combined price of $550,000. Located between 501 and 515 5th Street NW, the structures comprise just over 2,700 square feet and are classified as Class B buildings. The space at 501 Roma Avenue NW, around the corner, has been the long-standing home to the Roma Bakery & Deli, a popular eatery known for its breakfast and lunch offerings, as well as fresh-baked pastries. The buildings between 503 and 515 5th Street, sitting on a less than one-acre site, have been the home to a barber shop, Gerald Madrid Bail Bonds, and the New York House of Fashion clothing outlet. Dating to the late 1950s, the structures are the last of a kind in a part of downtown that dominated by modern multi-level office structures. Listed with the Albuquerque offices of Colliers, the property also features basement storage space, and one second-level apartment unit. By Garry Boulard ![]() Up to $1.2 billion in Arizona funding is being committed to the building and upgrading of the state’s water infrastructure. Governor Doug Ducey has put his signature on legislation that will provide that funding to the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority with the goal of developing new water sources for the state. “This legislation is crucial for our continued growth and prosperity,” Ducey remarked. By design, the funding will be spent over a three-year period, and will provide grants and loans to water providers with the goal of importing water into the state, while also funding desalination projects. The funding will also allow WIFA to purchase, store, and sell new imported water, while developing new technologies for the reuse of water. The legislation will additionally allow WIFA to finance the design and construction of any number of water and wastewater infrastructure projects throughout the state; with support also going to water augmentation and supply development projects. Coming on the heels of efforts to create a statewide farm irrigation efficiency pilot program, the bill is thought to be a needed step in the direction of preserving and maintaining Arizona’s water supply. According to the site Earth.org, roughly 72% of all water in Arizona goes for agricultural purposes, with 22% targeting municipal use; and 6% for industries. By Garry Boulard ![]() New jobs surpassed the forecasts of most employment analysts in June, adding 372,000 workers to the nation’s payrolls, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report. In a statement, William Beach, commission of the BLS, remarked that “notable gains occurred in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and health care.” The nation’s unemployment rate at 3.6%, meanwhile, was unchanged from May. The category of unemployed workers classified as “discouraged,” which is often higher that the overall unemployment rate, dropped from 7.1% in May to 6.7% last month. The construction industry saw a gain of 13,000 new workers in June, contributing to a total of 7.6 million. Nonresidential construction firms were up by an additional 16,600 employees, with 11,400 listed as nonresidential specialty trade contractors, and 4,500 new heavy and civil engineering workers. Ken Simonson, chief economist with the Associated General Contractors of America, noted that “although nonresidential contractors were able to add employees in June, the industry needs more as demand for projects is outpacing the supply of workers.” In a statement, Simonson added: “With industry employment at a record low for June and openings at an all-time high for May, it is clear contractors can’t fill all the positions they would like to.” The transportation and warehouse sectors saw an increase of more than 36,000 new workers; with manufacturing up by 29,000, and information technology employment seeing a 25,000 gain. The latest numbers, said the New York Times, point to a “hotter-than-expected labor market,” with the private sector now having regained most of its jobs lost as a result of the Covid 19 outbreak. Said the Wall Street Journal: “Employers continued to snap up workers in June—though at a slower pace than earlier in the year.” In a statement from the White House, President Biden cautioned that “having added a record number of new jobs, and achieved historically low levels of unemployment, additional job growth from this strong position will be slower.” The President added: “That is not a bad thing, because our economy should move to stable growth for the years ahead.” By Garry Boulard ![]() A business space condominium located in Denver’s popular River North Art District is scheduled for auction beginning on July 25. The condo is housed in a structure at 3457 Ringsby Court and measures around 12,500 square feet. Amenities include conference room space, private office and huddle rooms, a kitchen, and multiple workstations. Classified as Class B office space, the condo is housed in a four-story, 100,000 square foot modern-designed structure built in 2008. That building, in turn, is part of a campus that incudes a community garden, volleyball court, and dog park. The property, officially called the Taxi Campus, was once the site of a Yellow Cab Depot and later a remediated brownfield site, just one block from the banks of the South Platte River. The campus is advertised as a “mixed-use community of creative residents, innovators, entrepreneurs, and businesses,” with a special focus on social enterprise and sustainability firms. Listing agent for the condo is the Denver-based Column Commercial Partners. By Garry Boulard ![]() A new mall housing local tenants offering a variety of foods may soon see construction in Rio Rancho. What is being called a food court will go up on mostly vacant property near the intersection of Unser Boulevard and Westside Boulevard, not far from the Presbyterian Rust Medical Center. The developer behind the Margarita Hall project is Roy Solomon, who has previously launched the Green Jeans Farmery at 3600 Cutler Avenue NE in Albuquerque. Solomon has additionally spearheaded the development of the Tin Can Alley food hall, located at 6110 Alameda Boulevard NE, also in Albuquerque. Both the Green Jeans Farmery and the Tin Can Alley were uniquely comprised of a series of reconverted aluminum shipping containers. That same design and construction element will be applied for the building of the Margarita Hall. According to plans, the new Margarita Hall will measure around 14,000 square feet and will include a common area of up to 4,000 square feet, with green space and a dog-friendly outdoor seating area. Pending the securing of all needed permits, work on the Margarita Hall could begin late this year, with a rough early 2023 completion. Food halls, housing a series of local restaurants and vendors, have become increasingly popular nationally. According to industry statistics there were only 25 such halls in the country in 2010, while the numbers surpassed the 300-mark as of early last year. According to the website TouchBistro such developments represent a desire among shoppers to move away from “larger chains in search of something unique, but still fast and affordable.” By Garry Boulard ![]() The federal government is making available some $573 million in funding to improve the safety of rail grade crossings across the country. According to the publication Legal Examiner, there were more than 30,000 railroad crossing collisions in a 10-year period between 2008 and 2018, resulting in upwards of 3,600 deaths. Now the federal Department of Transportation has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity for competitive grants to pay for the safety upgrading of such crossings, the installation of protective devices, or track relocation efforts. The funding is part of the larger Railroad Cross Elimination Program, which over the next 5 years will provide up to $3 billion for highway-rail or pathway-rail crossing upgrade projects. Such crossings, notes the National Association of Counties, “pose serious risks to drivers, pedestrians, rail passengers, and freight.” Because the crossings are often located in rural or underserved areas, on-site accidents can also result in large areas being cut off from needed services. The idea of enhancing safety at such crossings, or relocating tracks, has long been discussed by federal, state, and local transportation officials. The Department of Transportation initiative will also fund the installation of protective devices, signals, and signs related to any planned track separation or closure project, as well as its required planning, design, and environmental review. In a statement, Ian Jefferies, chief executive officer of the Association of American Railroads, lauded the availability of new funding for such projects, noting: “States and other eligible entities are positioned to strategically deploy these dollars and maximize the program’s impact.” By Garry Boulard ![]() One of the largest grocery store chains in the west is on the verge of building a handful of new locations in Colorado. Plans have been announced for the Denver-based King Soopers company to develop a 123,000 square foot location inside the new RidgeGate master planned community in Lone Tree. The store will serve as the anchor tenant for a shopping mall, which will house an additional 27,000 square feet of retail space. The new Lone Tree location will add to the footprint for the Kroger Company-owned Soopers that includes around 120 stores in both Colorado and Wyoming. Another location for the chain is currently under construction in the city of Thornton and expected to be completed later this year; with a 100,000 square foot location planned for the Nine Mile Corner mixed-use development in the city of Erie. Several weeks ago, the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department announced that a building permit had been approved for the construction of a King Soopers store in the city of Falcon in the new Falcon Market Place. Speculation has also centered around King Soopers building on the site of a former Kmart Plaza at 2535 S. College Avenue in Fort Collins. That project, which would see the construction of a 123,000 square foot store and fuel center with seven pumps, won the approval of the City of Fort Collins last year. King Soopers stores have traditionally been located on the population-dense east side of Colorado. The company’s stores average in size between 65,000 to 75,000 square feet, with its larger marketplace format averaging some 124,000 square feet. Founded in Arvada, Colorado in 1947, the chain was bought out by Kroger in 1982. By Garry Boulard ![]() Metropolitan El Paso and other parts of Texas are expected to see the construction of electric vehicle charging stations under a new plan being formulated by the state’s Department of Transportation.\ In its formative stage, the plan is specifically focusing on building the stations off interstate routes as well as rural areas. A state document called the Texas Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan envisions a 5-year build-out period that will ultimately see the construction of stations every 50 miles, with the exact locations of the facilities based on such factors as equipment cost and “community identified needs.” The first year of the plan will see the building of some 48 stations in compliance with the Federal Highway Administration in high-use interstate areas, followed by a second-year initial emphasis of building stations in both small urban areas as well as rural counties. The remaining three years of the plan will be dedicated to more fully building the facilities throughout the vast portions of Texas defined as rural. The stations will all have a minimum of four direct current fast charging units, and a maximum of eight, with pull-through spaces for vehicles with trailers, and restrooms. The facilities will also bebuilt to Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. There are to date more than 129,000 electric vehicles registered in Texas, with some estimates suggesting that that number could easily reach the 500,000 mark by the end of the decade. Around $408 million in federal funds through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is being made available to Texas for the plan. The state’s electric vehicle infrastructure plan is expected to be officially submitted to the Federal Highway Administration by August 1. By Garry Boulard ![]() Even in the wake of increased concerns about inflation, small businesses across America are continuing to enjoy a post-pandemic rebound, according to a new survey just issued by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Applying numbers gained from its Small Business Index, the Chamber report notes that business activity in the last quarter stood at 66.8 on a scale of zero to 100—up from 64.1 in the first three months of this year. Despite those good numbers, notes the survey, the score is still short of the 71.7 that was recorded in the first quarter of 2020 just as the Covid-19 outbreak occurred. Done in a partnership with the MetLife Insurance company, the index reflects the views of some 750 small business owners and operators nationally. The index also indicates that many small business owners are worried about inflation, with 44% of those surveyed regarding it as their primary challenge, up from 33% in the last quarter. In the spring of 2021, when most small businesses were still trying to shake off the negative impact of the pandemic, only 19% saw inflation as a major concern. In a report accompanying the Chamber/MetLife survey, roughly 50% of small business owners also indicated that they are “working more hours now than they were a year ago.” Five years ago, only 30% of the owners said the same. That 20% increase, continues the report, “speaks to the myriad challenges small business owners continue to face.” By Garry Boulard |
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