Upwards of $3.4 billion in federal support has now been awarded to a variety of land ports of entry projects across the country. According to the General Services Administration, the funding has gone for the building and modernization of 26 land ports located along the country’s northern and southern borders. According to a White House press release, the projects, funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, are designed to enhance border security, and “incorporate new and innovative sustainability features,” while also providing for “improved climate resilience.” Work already underway has taken in site acquisitions, environmental reviews, and community outreach. Specific funded projects have included the $200 million building of a new commercial port in Douglas, Arizona; $115 million to complete the modernization of the San Luis Port of Entry in San Luis, Arizona; and the $100 million modernization completion of the Calexico East Port of Entry on the California/Mexico border. The $3.4 billion funding for the ports of entry work has come from both the General Services Administration as well as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. By Garry Boulard
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A nearly 100-year-old two-story brick building that has played a part in the newspaper history of the Colorado is being listed for sale by the Denver-based Ringsby Realty Corporation. Located at 1336 Glenarm Place, the structure measures around 6,200 square feet and was built in 1928. For around 50 years, the building housed the offices of the Colorado Press Association, before being sold in the spring of 2014 to Ringsby for $1.2 million. The property, with a full basement and small garage, underwent a comprehensive renovation in 2016. In the listing for the structure, Ringsby notes that modernized space in the building could be used for a fitness or yoga studio, or even an art gallery. Last year the Ringsby company announced it was moving its offices to a new location at 1801 W. Colfax Avenue, repurposing an industrial structure. By Garry Boulard After more than two years of sometimes intensive public input, an area plan has been approved by members of the Denver City Council for the historic Park Hill Golf Course. Located on the northeast side of the city, the 18-hole course was opened in 1931 and has long been regarded as a recreation mainstay. When the course closed in 2018, both Denver city and county officials began to think of new uses for the 155-acre site. That then led to a series of community meetings in an effort called “Park Hill Golf Course Reimagined,” as well as a survey seeing 70% of respondents supporting new housing and some commercial development at the site. Only 7% were in favor of the property remaining a golf course. In community meetings, residents also expressed support for the creation of open green space and community gathering places. The official area plan calls for the creation of up to 100 acres of public parks, trails, and open spaces. The plan additionally allows for the building of new sports fields, playgrounds, and restrooms, among other amenities. The remaining 55 acres allows for the building of some affordable housing. In a press release, Laura Aldrete, executive director of Community Planning and Development for both the city of Denver and Denver County, said the new area plan “speaks to urban growth in a thoughtful, inclusive, and sustainable way.” Still to come: voters in early 2023 will decide whether to lift a long-standing easement requiring that the site continue to be used only as a golf course. By Garry Boulard The price tag for any number of infrastructure projects is seeing an increase of at least 20% due to inflation, says a new report. In some cases, the increase has been as high as 40%. Such projects are supposed to be funded via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but estimated project costs frequently rise depending upon the costs of such materials as asphalt, concrete, and fabricated structural metal. All those material categories have seen price increases in recent months of anywhere from 14% to 23%, says the Pew Stateline report. Projects have also been challenged by the cost of fuel, which saw a dramatic increase earlier this year. Several months ago, Missouri Representative Sam Graves, during a House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee roundtable, noted: “Companies, states, and local governments are struggling with the cost of fuel, materials, equipment, and everything that goes into planning projects and building our infrastructure.” Graves added that matters “will only get worse if we go into the recession that many economists are predicting.” According to the Pew Stateline report, “Transportation officials say supply chain disruptions also are extending the time it takes to get and deliver materials and equipment.” State transportation departments across the country are getting up to $350 billion over a span of 5 years because of the Infrastructure and Jobs Act legislation. But that funding doesn’t consider material price increases. Despite such challenges, notes the Pew Stateline report, states are moving ahead on an estimated 29,000 transportation projects funded through the legislation. By Garry Boulard Preliminary details are being worked out for a project that will see the building of retail and restaurant space, as well as hotels, on 100 acres of land in Scottsdale. What is being called the Riverwalk will see the creation of walkable village-like development running alongside the 101 Freeway within the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community. The site, between East Via de Ventura on the north and Talking Stick Way on the south is about 8 miles to the northeast of downtown Scottsdale. A complicated project long in the talking stage, the Riverwalk will also include immersive art attractions as well as special event venues. Earlier reports have additionally indicated that the site could see the creation of a corporate office innovation campus. The Scottsdale-based Caliber Company has now announced it has purchased lease rights at the site in order to begin developing the project. In a statement, Chris Loeffler, chief executive officer of Caliber, said the lease rights purchase represents a “terrific opportunity to develop a premier entertainment and multi-use destination in Scottsdale.” The Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community comprises more than 52,000 acres bordering the cities of Scottsdale, Tempe, and Mesa. By Garry Boulard Plans are underway for the construction of an urgent care center that will go up at the site of a former popular golf course in Anthony, New Mexico. The City of Anthony purchased the 18-hole Dos Lagos Golf Course, located at 1150 Duffer Lane, for $3.6 million in 2019, and has since worked to repurpose the property for new uses. Those uses include building commercial, residential, and recreational space. Plans have also been revealed regarding a community center. Additional plans have called for building city administrative offices at the site, as well as a high school, and the urgent care center. The 130-acre golf course was opened in January of 1962 and was for decades one of the most popular courses in southern New Mexico. For several reasons, the course was closed in early 2019. A master plan looking at new uses for the course was earlier formulated by Wilson & Company of Albuquerque and funded as a state capital outlay. Additional funding has been secured through a U.S. Economic Development Administration grant to build the proposed 2,700 square foot urgent care center. Altogether, it is expected that up to $35 million in new recreational facilities, roads, and drainage improvements will be built at the site over the course of the next year. With a population of around 8,700 people, Anthony was incorporated as its own community via a referendum in 2010. By Garry Boulard A bill that would accelerate the federal environment review process for large broadband, energy, transportation, and water projects may be coming up for a crucial vote in Congress. West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has proposed the Energy Independence and Security Act as a means of lowering energy costs. “No matter what you want to build, whether its transmission pipelines or hydropower dams, more often than not, it takes too long and drives up energy costs,” Manchin told reporters earlier this fall in discussing his legislation. “You can double your cost within a five- to six-, seven-year period from what the original cost may have been,” Manchin continued. The bill would make it possible for the Energy Department to categorize proposed transmission projects as being in the national interest, tasking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to then give those projects a green light. Manchin’s legislation further requires the president to list up to 25 vital energy and mineral projects that would be subject to a speeded-up review process. The bill was earlier this fall attached to a stopgap government funding package, only to be subsequently removed. Some critics have expressed concern about the legislation, arguing that an accelerated permitting review process could lead to the approval of projects that are environmentally dangerous. But now, as the clock runs out on the remaining of the 117th Congress, a new move is underway to pass Manchin’s legislation by attaching it to an upcoming National Defense Authorization Act vote. In a website editorial, Neil Bradley, chief policy officer with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, urged Congress to approve Manchin’s bill, noting, “Failure to enact permitting reform now will not only delay critical investments in infrastructure, but it will also force Congress to start the process for updating our permitting laws all over again in the new year.” By Garry Boulard Work could begin next year on the building of a new hotel at the current site of a parking lot in downtown Longmont. Real estate developer Thrash Group, which is based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, says it wants to build the structure on the northwest corner of Third Avenue and Kimbark Street. The project has received a significant boost, owing to a recent vote by members of the Longmont Downtown Development Authority to enter into a purchase and sale agreement with Thrash. As envisioned, the 5-story boutique hotel would house around 84 guest rooms; 2,000 to 4,000 square feet of commercial and meeting space; and up to 5,000 square feet of rooftop bar and restaurant space. A parking deck will provide enough space for up to 140 vehicles. Actual work on the $24 million project is expected to begin next summer, with a rough 2024 completion date. Founded in 1986, the Thrash Group specializes in hotel, restaurant, condominium, and townhome development, among other project areas. By Garry Boulard Work could begin before the spring of next year on a new dog park in the central part of El Paso. According to sources, the park will be built at the northwest corner of Tom Lea Lower Park at 1203 Schuster Avenue, roughly two miles to the north of downtown El Paso. As planned, the new park, which is expected to cost just under $465,000 to build, will include water fountains, benches, waste disposal stations, maintenance gates, and a fenced-off section for smaller dogs. Funding for the project is coming through a Community Development Block Grant. El Paso currently has 5 off-leash dog parks of varying sizes and in different pockets of the city. Dog parks are increasingly becoming an urban mainstay, according to the Trust for Public Lands, which has tracked a 40% increase in such parks during the last decade. According to a study published earlier this year by the site 24/7 Wall Street, cities in the West have been particularly committed to building such parks. Albuquerque to date has built 17 dog parks, followed by Denver at 16; and Colorado Springs at 11. By Garry Boulard A series of what are officially called Tribal Technical Assistance Program centers are being established to facilitate the upgrading of roads and bridges in Tribal communities. “We have heard directly from tribal leaders across the country about how decades of underinvestment in infrastructure affects tribal communities,” Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in announcing the centers. Buttigieg noted that six of the centers are now underway, with a seventh in the planning stage. Up to $3 billion in funding has been made available through the department’s Tribal Transportation Program, which, in turn, is funded via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The establishment of the assistance centers comes partly in response to input from tribal leaders who said they preferred a regional model to a single, centralized location. The centers, located in Alaska, Arizona, California, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Washington, are designed to serve the twelve established Bureau of Indian Affairs regions. According to a press release issued by the DOT, the centers will be tasked with meeting the “transportation training and education needs of Native American communities, building skills and expertise to ensure the safety and maintenance of tribal roads.” Announcement of a seventh center, designed to serve the Eastern and Midwest Bureau of Indian Affairs regions, is expected to be announced later. By Garry Boulard |
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