![]() An important step is being taken in an ongoing plan to build some 7 miles of multi-use trails in downtown Albuquerque. New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has just announced the awarding of $10 million in state funding to build what will be a loop of trails connecting various parts of the downtown and adjacent areas. In making the announcement, the Governor said the project will “build new and safer recreation options for residents and visitors.” What is being officially called the Albuquerque Rail Trail will extend along the traditional rail spur line from the downtown core to the Sawmill District and Market, the historic Albuquerque Old Town, and the Bosque Trail near the banks of the Rio Grande. The trail project is seen as the lynchpin to a larger mixed-use development that will include multifamily housing and business space in what is known as the Downtown Rail Corridor. The Albuquerque Rail Trail project is expected to be completed in three phases, at an estimated cost of $39.5 million. Thus far, the City of Albuquerque has committed some $15 million for the portion of the trail running from Central Avenue to Lomas Boulevard. Additional funding is being sought out of Washington. According to city documents, aspects of the trail will include both separate pedestrian and bicycle paths, as well as, at another point, a two-way cycle track. The downtown portion will be “within the rail alignment, showcasing the historic buildings and activating adject properties.” A primary goal of the rail project, besides its economic development potential, is to “connect the diverse communities it travels through and build bridges across those that have been disconnected.” By Garry Boulard
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![]() Legislation advancing the construction of more truck parking facilities across the country has been approved by members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Introduced by Illinois Representative Mike Bost, the bill will provide funding of up to $755 million between now and 2027 to build both safety rest areas as well as commercial motor vehicle parking facilities. The funding will come in the form of a competitive grant program that will be administered by the federal Department of Transportation and used for the construction of new parking spaces on federal highways, or at a facility located near such highways. Funding will also be used to pay for an analysis to be conducted by the DOT looking at the nation’s truck parking needs and capacity. In introducing what is an amendment to the existing Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, Bost remarked that “we’ve seen the need for more trucks and drivers increase significantly, especially during the Covid 19 pandemic, when trucking helped to keep our economy going.” The Congressman continued: “However, the number of truck parking spaces hasn’t kept pace. That means that drivers are forced to park in unsafe locations, which puts both them and other motorists at risk.” The measure has won the support of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, whose president, Todd Spencer, remarked in a statement: “The continued growth of the parking shortage shows the status quo is not sustainable. Congress must provide dedicated federal investment to expand capacity if it is serious about addressing the problem.” The legislation is now on its way to the full House. By Garry Boulard ![]() The largest redevelopment project in the history of the city of Golden, Colorado, is set for work to begin early next year. The Coors family, founders nearly 150 years ago of the Coors Brewing Company, has announced plans to build some 1.3 million square feet of mixed-use space that will include multifamily residences, shops, restaurants, offices, and even a hotel. The project, according to reports, is a tribute to the Coors family’s roots in Golden, where businessmen Adolph Coors and Jacob Schueler opened a brewery in 1873. The company merged with Molson, Incorporated in 2005 to become the Molson Coors Brewing Company and the third largest domestic producer of beer, with revenues of around $241 million. CoorsTek, a non-brewery division of the original Coors Company manufacturing ceramics, was launched in 1910. Plans for the downtown Golden project call for creation of a new CoorsTek headquarters. With design and infrastructure planning already underway, the project is expected to ultimately see around 275,000 square feet of new office space. By Garry Boulard ![]() A final concept design is expected to be completed by the summer of 2023 for upgrade work to county roads in Colorado that travel through the Cottonwood Pass. Located in the south central part of the state, the Cottonwood Pass traverses the Continental Divide, and is made up of a series of rural county roads sometimes used by local residents as an alternative to the east-to-west Interstate 70. Now the Colorado Department of Transportation is making plans for a series of upgrades at some 14 different locations along those county roads. While not finalized yet, improvements could see the building of curve softening, improved surface and sign distancing through the removal of obstructions, as well as road widening in some sections to allow for vehicle passing. As planned, the project will be done in cooperation with the transportation departments of Eagle and Garfield counties, with a focus on the roadway between the town of Gypsum and Colorado Highway 82, some 44 miles to the south. In a statement, Jason Smith, who is the transportation director of the CDOT’s Region 3, said the state agency is determined to “ensure the safety improvements are a good fit for these communities and the locations they care deeply about.” Region 3, of the CDOT’s five transportation regions, takes in all the northwest section of the state. It is expected that an initial design concept for the project will be completed this fall, to be followed by a series of public input meetings. By Garry Boulard ![]() Union craft workers for the first half of this year enjoyed an average wage increase of 3.6%, according to a new report just issued by the Construction Labor Research Council. Brick and stone masons, electricians, plasterers, plumbers, and pipe fitters are among those classified as craft workers. According to the Settlements Report, which is published by the council, wage growth has been particularly seen in the “sizes of increases the past year and a half.” This year’s increase comes after a dormant 2020, with a 0.2% decline. That number improved to around 3.3% last year. Painters experienced a 4.8% increase, with cement mason and electrician wages both up by 4.3%. Smaller increases of 3.2% were recorded for insulators and painters, while roofers received an overall 2.9% wage increase. Generally, union craft workers have been enjoying settlement increases near or above 3.0% for the last five years. The increases were at their lowest point of 1.7% in 2010 during the Great Recession. Regionally, the states of the Northwest, comprising Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, saw the greatest wage increases, at 5.6%. The states of the west north central region, which is made up of the Dakotas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska, were on the lower end of the scale, with an average 2.6%. By Garry Boulard ![]() A long-popular shopping center with a modernistic design in Prescott, Arizona is being listed for sale for exactly $15 million. The property went for around $10 million in a 2017 auction, although that bid was never finalized. Opened in early 2002, the Prescott Gateway Mall is located at 3280 Gateway Boulevard on the east side of the city and is known for housing a variety of retail and commercial tenants, including the stores Famous Footwear, Mattress Firm, and the novelty goods and apparel store Spencers. Encompassing just over 318,500 square feet, the mall includes an open-air lifestyle center, and an interior mall known for its intricate beam and exposed wood paneled ceiling. Uniquely, the mall is made up of both indoor and exterior outward-facing retail space. Listed with the realty company BHGRE Commercial, also of Prescott, the mall comprises three separate buildings, all regarded as Class B structures. Currently, the mall is 80% leased, down from 89% in 2020. By Garry Boulard ![]() A request for proposals on building a new hospital in Valencia County has a scheduled deadline of August 16. That date is an extension of a previously issued RFP with a due date of June 17. County officials have for years wanted to see the construction of an acute care hospital. Earlier this spring, the New Mexico Department of Finance and Agreement approved an appropriation of $50 million to plan, design, and build such a facility. The hospital project has been one that has long challenged local officials and been the subject of endless county meetings as well as a few lawsuits. Earlier reports have indicated that the facility would most likely measure anywhere from 12,000 to 20,000 square feet, providing around-the-clock emergency room space, up to a dozen examination rooms, a lab, and pharmacy. A site for the planned facility has not yet been decided upon. Members of the New Mexico State Legislation last year approved a bill allowing for the use of funds received through the federal American Rescue Plan Act for the construction of a health facility. In December, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham approved the legislation containing the $50 million for the Valencia County project. County officials have been trying since at least 2006 to get a new hospital built, noting that residents in need of care are required to take a more than one hour drive to Albuquerque for help. The argument for a new hospital in Valencia has also been boosted by the fact of the county’s population has risen from 66,100 in the year 2000 to nearly 80,000 today. By Garry Boulard ![]() In an exclusive nearly 2,000-word study, the New York Times is reporting that the nation’s housing shortage is no longer confined to just the expensive enclaves of the East and West coast. The problem is now truly national in scope, with shortages appearing everywhere from the Midwest to growing areas of Texas, and most of the Western states. “Today more families in the middle of American who could once count on becoming homeowners can’t be so confident anymore,” the paper reports. “And communities that long relied on their relatively affordable housing to draw new residents can no longer be sure of that advantage.” Using statistics gathered by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the paper estimates that currently the nation needs around 3.8 million housing units to keep up with demographic demands, a figure that has doubled in the last decade. Not only has the supply issue gotten worse in most states, as well as in the District of Columbia, but some 75% of the nation’s metropolitan areas are also feeling the crunch. In a list of 15 cities that had enough housing in 2012, but are now lacking, eight were in the West, with the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area going from a nearly 2% housing surplus a decade ago to a 5.8% deficit today. Similarly, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho went from a 0.3% surplus in 2012 to a 5.3% deficit. Trying to trace the roots of the shortage, the paper notes that the nation’s home-building industry suffered a loss of around 1.5 million workers during the Great Recession and has been lacking enough workers ever since. Additional factors: the rising cost of land and building supplies. Matters are only made more complex by community restrictions: “Local residents often oppose new housing,” while “local governments require development fees, studies and public meetings that drag out construction and drive up its costs.” The article notes that in the 1920s the federal government actively encouraged local communities to get rid of zoning laws that tended to make housing projects more expensive. “Members of Congress of both parties have increasingly called for such an idea, in which the federal government would give priority for grants to local communities that ease zoning restrictions or build denser housing,” the New York Times study concludes. By Garry Boulard ![]() Located at 101 S. Union Boulevard in Colorado Springs, the Union Printers Home is one of the architectural wonders of central Colorado. The 5-story, 100,000 square foot limestone and sandstone structure was built by the National Typographical Union and opened in the spring of 1892, designed to serve as a care facility for members of the union who had tuberculosis. Sitting on a 26-acre site made up of a farm, gardens, and a dairy, the property was purchased eight years ago by the Valor Health Network, which is based in Crested Butte, Colorado. Last year a group of investors, operating under the name of UPH Partners, bought the home and site for $18.5 million. Now that entity wants to upgrade the building, with the hope of turning it into a mixed-use space that will house offices, residential units, and restaurants and bars, among other features. The new owners say they also want to maintain the historic integrity of structure, which to the surprise of many is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places. If all goes as expected, the renovation and upgrading of the building could be completed by late 2023 or early 2024. Besides tuberculosis, the original home was built to provide a medical facility for members of the typographical union suffering from chronic lung disease due to having inhaled the carbon-based ink used in printing newspapers in the late 19th century. By Garry Boulard ![]() Funding has been secured for work on the border between Arizona and Mexico. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has approved legislation providing up to $564 million in state funding for that work. The measure also funds new security technology, mobile towers, and safety equipment, also along the border. “With this investment, we are giving our law enforcement professionals another critical resource they need to successfully do their jobs,” Ducey wrote in a statement accompanying his signature. Members of the Arizona State Legislature weeks ago approved funding for the project, which is designed to complete sections of the wall were still left incomplete after federal funding was withdrawn early last year. The legislation was co-sponsored by State Representative John Kavanaugh, who has maintained that since the curtailment of the border construction that had been undertaken by Customs and Border Protection migrations have greatly increased, “overwhelming law enforcement and the Border Patrol.” Reports indicate that the new funding may also pay to build protection infrastructure for wastewater treatment plants, canals, and area defense installations. According to sources, just under 20 miles of the wall project had yet to be built as of the spring of 2021. Altogether, during a four-year period between 2017 and 2021, around 226 miles of bollard fencing had been built on federal land along the Arizona border. By Garry Boulard |
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