Still recovering from a decline in state facility funding that dropped from $7 million in 2007 to just over $600,000 this year, the Flagstaff Unified School District is asking voters this November for a bond to pay for its continuing facility needs. The $75 million bond would pay for the renovation of the Mount Elden Middle School, located at 3223 N. Fourth Street on the northeast side of the city. Also planned is the construction of a new elementary school that will replace either the existing W.F. Killip Elementary School or the Lura Kinsey Elementary School. The Killip school is at 2300 E. 6th Avenue in east Flagstaff, while the Kinsey school at 1601 E. Lone Tree Road is on the southern side of the city. Both of those schools are among the oldest facilities in the district and, according to officials, have had increased maintenance costs due to their age. If passed, the bond would delegate $29.6 million to the renovation of the Mount Elden Middle School, as well as the new replacement school. Just over $22 million would go for health and safety enhancements at all of the district’s schools, with another $3 million targeting general repairs to the schools. The district previously relied on Arizona’s Building Renewal Fund for its facility needs, but FUSD officials note that that source has been underfunded by some $22 million over the last 6 years. By Garry Boulard
0 Comments
While speculation continues regarding where online retail giant Amazon will locate its second headquarters, a new report suggests that the facility bidding process itself may have revealed to the company which cities are up to the challenge of taking on the massive project. According to the report, entitled Amazon HQ2: How Did We Get Here? What Comes Next?, the mass accumulation of data submitted by 238 cities and metro areas in response to a request for proposals issued by Amazon in 2017 has more than likely told Amazon everything it needs to know about where it wants to move. Those responses, says the Brookings Institute report, “ resulted in a massive trove of relevant data and intelligence that now constitutes the most comprehensive database of local market and civic intelligence in the world.” “While Amazon’s well-staffed site selection team probably could have crunched the numbers and conducted site visits to arrive at its HQ2 shortlist without the public solicitation,” the report continues, “even it would have trouble tracking down every recent or planned civic initiative which may influence the company’s choice for HQ2.” The report, authored by Joseph Parilla, a fellow at Brookings’ Metropolitan Policy Program, also suggests that this newly-acquired information will play a role in future Amazon facility decisions beyond where the second headquarters will be built. “Even as Amazon has committed to plopping $5 billion in one place for HQ2, it is also building logistics facilities, R & D hubs, data centers, and back offices in communities across the continent,” the report adds. Besides the collection of data, how the cities responded, in terms of putting together compelling bids in a short six-week time period, also most likely told Amazon which cities and metro areas have the ability to address large business challenges quickly. Earlier this year, Amazon announced that it had pared the original list of 238 respondents down to a finalists list of 20 cities. It is still not known when the company will announce exactly where it is going to build its new headquarters, which is expected to see a first phase construction of anywhere from 500,000 to 1 million square feet. By Garry Boulard Plans have now been firmed up for the construction of several wind and solar farms in eight eastern Colorado counties. The facilities will belong to Excel Energy of Minneapolis, which has said that the new facilities will add nearly 1,100 megawatts of wind power and 700 megawatts of solar power to its current grid over the course of the next 8 years. With a significant price tag of $2.5 billion, what is being called the Colorado Energy Plan, which includes five solar and three wind farms, has now received the unanimous approval of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. According to an Excel Energy document called the Colorado Energy Plan, the new facilities will additionally replace two coal-fired power plants in Pueblo, adding 380 megawatts of existing natural gas generation in the process. The plan predicts that once the projects are fully operational, Excel Energy could by the year 2026 “achieve nearly 55 percent renewable energy” on its power grid, while in the process reducing carbon emissions “by about 60 percent from 2005 levels.” Before getting a green light from the utilities commission, the Xcel Energy project received the public backing of a group of commissioners from four of the eight counties concerned. In a letter, the commissioners of Cheyenne, Logan, Prowers, and Yuma contended that “renewable energy production is not only a source of pride in our counties, but it is a key economic factor that will help us grow and strengthen our local communities.” The overall energy plan also won the prominent support of Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper who said it is “good for our future, retires coal plants, advances renewables, and costs less.” Xcel wants to close Unit 1 of its Comanche coal-fired facility just south of Pueblo by the end of 2022, with Unit 2 set for closure three years later. A third coal-fired facility called Unit 3 is expected to remain open. By Garry Boulard Up to four new baseball fields, five soccer fields, and eight pickleball courts are expected to be designed and built in Las Cruces in the next year or so. The projects will also include the building of a dog park and improvements to tennis and basketball courts at nearly a dozen parks in the city. Funding for the various project is coming from a $35 million general obligation bond approved by Las Cruces voters. That money will also pay for the building of an entirely new park on the East Mesa that would take up 10 acres at the intersection of Camino Coyote Lane and Sonoma Ranch Boulevard. The dog park is slated to also go up in the East Mesa area, while another project could see the expansion of the popular Metro Verde Splash Pad and Park at 7125 Metro Park Street By Garry Boulard us department of agriculture launches new site to explain extensive broadband funding program9/5/2018 In an ongoing effort to expand the country’s rural broadband infrastructure, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has introduced a new web page designed to explain a $600 million pilot program geared for broadband construction. The web page is part of a larger program targeting areas with populations of less than 20,000 where there is not currently access to service with speeds of 10 megabits per second. The USDA estimates that some 80 percent of an estimated 24 million households in rural and tribal areas are currently lacking affordable high-speed internet service. In a statement, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue said, “Rural high-speed broadband e-connectivity is as important for economic development as rails, roads, bridges, and airports; and as vital as the buildouts of rural telephone networks were decades ago.” Purdue added that the USDA is committed to “being a strong partner with rural leaders in developing this essential infrastructure.” Funding for the pilot program has been secured through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, which was approved by Congress earlier this spring. According to USDA officials, the program will spearhead broadband infrastructure construction for schools and hospitals in rural areas, as well as overall communities. Those who may be available for the pilot program funding include rural electricity cooperatives, broadband service providers, national and regional private companies, as well as state and local government agencies. The announcement of the USDA’s pilot program is preceding the actual application procedures which are expected to be announced shortly in the Federal Register and through the department’s own public information office. By Garry Boulard A district school board in Colorado Springs has voted unanimously to put on this November’s ballot a question asking for a $180 million bond that will target a variety of facility projects. The largest such project in the Harrison District 2 bond package would see the construction of a new building at the current site of the Carmel Middle School at 1740 Pepperwood Drive on the southeast side of the city. The new facility would house additional lab, classroom, and technology space for a school that currently has an enrollment of more than 400 students. New space would also be added to the Soaring Eagles Elementary School at 4710 Harrier Ridge Drive, and the Sand Creek International Elementary School, at 550 Sand Creek Drive, allowing them to house middle school students. Both the Soaring Eagles Elementary School and the Sand Creek Elementary School are also located in southeast Colorado Springs. Additional spending from the bond will target safety and security upgrades, as well as Americans with Disabilities Act compliance work in all of the district’s nearly two dozen elementary, middle, and high schools. With a total enrollment of more than 11,000 students that are mostly Hispanic-American, the Harrison District 2 is also largely made of up moderate to low income families. District officials, in launching a public information effort on the bond called “Opportunity Harrison,” say the November bond election will be the first of its kind in almost two decades. They also note that the district has suffered a loss of more than $90 million in state funding since 2006. By Garry Boulard A Nevada-based casino developer and operator wants to build a combined racetrack, casino and luxury hotel in Clovis, New Mexico. According to plans, the casino would measure 35,000 square feet, and the hotel would have 300 rooms. Uniquely, the project, if it wins the approval of the New Mexico Racing Commission, will also see the construction of a moving grandstand that would circle the track, traveling at the same general pace as the horses. That grandstand feature would function something like a streetcar, with one side entirely open, on tracks of its own. What is being called “La Posada del Llano” would also include a water park and 18-hole golf course. In a statement, Daniel Lee, the chief executive officer of Full House Reports, said the proposed resort would entail “much more than just a racetrack and casino.” “Such a development will produce more jobs, more development, greater tax revenues and larger horse racing purses,” continued Lee, “while also becoming a major attraction and amenity for the region.” Five proposals have been officially submitted to the New Mexico Racing Commission in the hope of securing a license for a new combined racetrack and casino. The other proposals call for similar-sized projects in Lordsburg and Tucumcari. The commission has said it will hold public hearings on the various proposals this fall, with an eye towards making a final decision by the end of the year. Full House Reports has its offices in Summerlin South, Nevada, and currently operates casinos in Colorado, Indiana, Mississippi and Nevada. By Garry Boulard construction group calls for increased training funding and a new approach to immigrant labor9/4/2018 The Washington-based Association of General Contractors has come out with a plan calling for a doubling of funding for career and technical education. In a document called the Workforce Development Plan 2.0, the association builds on a series of recommendations initially proposed in 2013 designed to provide a roadmap for federal and state officials “to reinvigorate the pipeline for recruiting and preparing qualified construction workers.” Although the AGC report acknowledges that there has been a federal funding increase in workforce education nationally, it adds: “It will take a lot more to offset the misconceptions that have prioritized college preparation instead of skills promotion.” Specifically, the group wants to see enhanced funding for the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act, observing that funding for students in secondary and post-secondary career and technical education programs “hasn’t kept pace with the needs.” While the federal government supports high school education to the tune of $128 billion yearly in Pell grants, the report continues, it provides only around $2.7 billion for Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act programs. “Expanding the use of Pell grants for short term credential programs would help recruit more students to construction careers and offset the federal government’s funding biases against workforce education,” urges the report. Finally, in perhaps the document’s most controversial section, the AGC recommends establishing a new process for hiring temporary foreign-born workers in the U.S. “The lack of a legal visa program for construction workers and recent tightening of legal immigration will worsen worker shortages if not addressed comprehensively,” says the report, adding that there are some 10 million unauthorized individuals in the country who do not presently have the “ability to lawfully work for employers.” By Garry Boulard The manufacturer of some of the most popular outdoor and lifestyle apparel in the country is currently scouting locations in metro Denver for both a temporary and longterm headquarters. The VF Corporation has been based in Greensboro, North Carolina since its founding in 1899. But several months ago, it began an effort to move its facilities elsewhere, a search that eventually saw it looking at both Portland, Oregon and the Denver area. Ultimately, the company, with more than $12 billion in annual revenues, decided to head for Colorado. In a statement, Steve Rendle, VF Corporation chief executive officer, said, “We believe the creation of our new headquarters in the area will help us to unlock collaborations across our outdoor brands, attract and retain talent, and accelerate innovation.” The move will also see the relocation of individual operations owned by VF, including Smartwool, The North Face, and JanSport, to metro Denver in an effort to physically consolidate its operations. VF Corporation’s decision to relocate to the Mile High City means at least 800 new jobs for the area. What isn’t known is whether VF will want to build a single centralized campus where all of its subsidiary companies will be located, or have those companies set up in different parts of the city. There is also a possibility that VF Corporation vendors and suppliers may be moving to the Denver area as a result of the headquarters’ relocation. In a press conference, Rendle said Colorado’s “position on the outdoor environment—clean air and land and access—is personal to our employees, and we’re creating an environment that allows our employees to bring their best selves to work.” Rendle added: “This just started to feel like the best place to be.” By Garry Boulard |
Get stories like these right to your inbox.
|