![]() Some two years after the City of El Paso decided against building a multi-purpose arena in a historic neighborhood called Duranguito, a move is underway to restore some of the structures in that same neighborhood. Not long after plans for the arena were announced in the fall of 2016 a series of lawsuits were filed to stop the project, arguing that as a historic neighborhood, Duranguito should be preserved. In 2022 the City withdrew its plans for putting the structure in Duranguito. In recent months a proposal has been studied calling for the arena to go up instead on a site near the old downtown Union Depot station. Meanwhile, the City has been trying to decide what to do with nearly two dozen structures it had earlier purchased in Duranguito. To that end, a Request for Information may soon be issued asking for input on what to do with those structures. The RFI notes that structures in the area could be subject to adaptive reuse, a process that may include the "renovation and rehabilitation of an existing building with a transformation of use." The RFI has a submission deadline of March 29. Historians say Duranguito's roots reach back to the mid-19th century. Most of the one and two-story structures still in existence were built between the 1890s and 1920s. In 2016, the El Paso Times noted that Duranguito is the site of the city's "last-standing former brothel, a fire station designed by famed architect Henry Trost, the home of a lawyer who arranged Pancho Villa's surrender, and a former Chinese laundry dated to 1900." By Garry Boulard
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![]() More than a dozen senior recreation facility construction and upgrading projects passed earlier this year by the New Mexico State Legislature have now received final approval from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. All of the projects were originally proposed by the state's Aging and Long-Term Services Department in the weeks leading up to the 2024 winter session, with the largest construction project securing $575,000 in funding. That project will see the building of Harding County Senior Center in the northeastern village of Roy; with the next largest capital outlay item in this category at $500,000 going for the construction of the Wagon Mound Senior Center in the village of Wagon Mound, also in the northeastern part of the state. Exactly $300,000 has been approved for improvements to the Los Volcanes Senior Center facility in Albuquerque, while a capital outlay of $250,000 has received a green light for the building of the Gadii'ahi/To'koi Chapter Senior Center in San Juan County. Exactly $175,000 has been approved for improvements to the Jicarilla Apache National Senior Center in Dulce near the New Mexico/Colorado border. An outdoor patio building project for the Coyote Canyon Chapter Senior Center in McKinley County is receiving a $110,000 capital outlay. Repairs and improvements to the Barelas Senior Center in Albuquerque, meanwhile, are set to be funded by a $100,000 outlay. Altogether, the Aging and Long-Term Services agency, which is tasked with, among other things, encouraging "healthy and productive aging," submitted just over $4.3 million in senior center facility work to lawmakers. By Garry Boulard ![]() The nation's healthcare sector led the nation in February in new employment growth, accounting for a substantial 67,000 new jobs. But while the construction industry last month added substantially less new jobs at 23,000, the gains were still big and above an average monthly increase in the last year of around 18,000. These are some of the findings of the latest monthly job figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showing that, overall, the country's employment rolls expanded by some 275,000 new jobs last month. The strong healthcare numbers were in excess of the industry's 58,000 average monthly gains going back to February of 2023, with both ambulatory care services and hospitals posting 28,000 jobs each. Nursing and residential care facilities, meanwhile, were up by 11,000 new jobs. The new construction jobs were seen in almost all sectors of the industry, with nonresidential construction up by 24,000 jobs, and heavy and civil engineering seeing an addition of 13,000 new jobs. In statement Anirban Basu, chief economist with the American Builders and Contractors, he remarked: "Employment growth happened in a variety of nonresidential subsegments.” Basu noted that the upward trend was particularly notable given such headwinds as "high project financing costs, elevated construction service delivery costs, and lingering recessionary fears." Only in one industry category, residential building, was there a decrease over January with new job growth marginally declining from 936,200 to 936,000. In a statement from the White House, President Biden noted that along with the new job growth, "unemployment has been under 4% for the longest stretch in more than 50 years." The New York Times noted that employers last month were "again beating forecasters' expectations. Gains were broad-based, cutting across most major industries." But the Financial Times cautioned that the new job gains were "overshadowed by the revised totals for January and December, when 167,000 fewer posts were created than previously thought." By Garry Boulard ![]() Federal funding is now on the way for a series of housing upgrades at the big Fort Bliss U.S. Army post in El Paso. Democrat Texas Congresswoman Veronica Escobar has announced that just over $7.2 million has been secured in an appropriations bill that will go for barracks facility work. More specifically, the funding will directly target both the planning and design of the Collective Training Barracks on the base intended for use by Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve transient soldiers at the base. In allowing for the passage of the bill, Escobar hailed Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson for "allowing the first funding bill to get to the floor" and in the process keeping half a dozen government agencies open while Congress has grappled with larger government shutdown challenges. Late last year another Fort Bliss construction project was announced in the form of a 430,000-square-foot roughly $600 million new health care facility that will be run by the Department of Veterans Affairs and is expected to be completed in December 2027. One of the largest U.S. Army posts in the country, Fort Bliss was founded in 1849 and comprises some 1,700 square miles in both El Paso and southern New Mexico. It is home to around 38,000 active-duty military personnel. By Garry Boulard ![]() An effort is now underway in Mesa to raise funds for the construction of a museum celebrating the history and wonders of baseball. The Play Ball Mesa Historical Museum facility will be an offshoot of the existing Mesa Historical Museum, which is located at 2345 N. Horne Street on the north end of downtown Mesa. The project is animated by response to an existing baseball memorabilia exhibit in the museum, which has proven popular with locals and visitors alike. Gauging that response, museum officials decided that a separate facility housing an expanded baseball exhibit would likely prove successful. That separate facility is located at 2331 N. Horne Street and includes a 4,000-square-foot auditorium. The larger structure was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1936 as the Lehi School and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Although in subsequent decades the auditorium has served as a gathering place for community meetings, it has since been deemed unsuitable for use due to its declining condition. It is thought that it will take around $600,000 to repurpose the auditorium and update its electrical system. A fundraising campaign was launched in January, realizing to date more than $152,000 in contributions. It is thought that work on the project could begin later this year or next year, with a rough completion date of sometime in 2026. Baseball has always been wildly popular in the Grand Canyon State, with its local teams predating Arizona as a state. It is also the home to the Cactus League seeing major league teams playing off season for weeks every winter. By Garry Boulard ![]() The department store giant Macy’s has announced plans to close up to 150 of its locations in the next two years. The announcement comes weeks after the New York-based retailer said it will build up to 30 small-format stores between early 2024 and the end of the next year. One of the oldest and most known department store chains in the world, Macy’s was launched in 1858 and saw steady business growth and location expansion well into the 1990s. The store was originally known for its wide variety of women’s clothing, but also on-site tailoring and home furnishings. As of last year, the chain had more than 500 locations primarily up and down the East and West coasts, but also throughout the Midwest. Its presence in the West has seen stores in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas. In a company announcement, Macy’s said the planned 150 store closings was based on their being “unproductive locations.” At the same time, the company said it was introducing a market strategy called A Bold New Chapter putting an emphasis on customer service and the ongoing expansion of its small-format stores. A Macy’s press release additionally said that in the next three years the company plans to “rationalize and monetize the supply chain asset portfolio, streamline fulfillment, improve inventory planning and allocation, and deliver a scalable technology platform.” The small format stores are expected to measure anywhere from 30,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet. Traditional Macy’s stores typically measure above 100,000 square feet, with its famous Herald Square store in New York comprising a dozen floors for a total of 1.2 million square feet. In its decades of operations, Macy’s, remarked the site RetailBoss last year, has become a “cultural icon, a symbol of American retail, and a beloved institution in cities across the country.” By Garry Boulard ![]() Plans have been announced for the expansion of one of the most popular ski resorts in west central Colorado. The Aspen Skiing Company has said that it wants to add a new lift to its property located in the Town of Snowmass, while also building five new trails, an area for learning beginners, and an expansion of its commercial space. Besides the Snowmass area, the Aspen Skiing Company, which was founded in 1946, operates the nearby Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, and Buttermilk resorts which are collectively among the most famous such resorts in the country. In a recent presentation to the Town of Snowmass Village Planning Commission, company representatives said they wanted to enhance the skiing experience for Snowmass visitors. But a working master plan detailing the site improvements, said Chris Kiley, Alpine Skiing Company vice-president of development, can only work “with the town and the mountain both, and we’ve tried to write it that way.” A staff report for the planning commission completed earlier this year has maintained that the updated plan “will not substantially impact the character of the Town as it pertains to previously approved and newly proposed uses, activities, and operations of the ski area as generally anticipated.” The company’s plans also include upgrading the popular Village Express lift to a 10-person gondola from its current six seats, while also expanding the property’s restaurant and dining areas. A specific date for when some of the upgrades and improvements to the resort will begin has not yet been announced. Late last year the magazine Conde Nast Traveler listed Snowmass as the number one ski resort in North America, lauding its 4,406-foot elevation drop and noting that the resort offers “enough variation to make it an all-around hit with families.” By Garry Boulard ![]() An institution of higher learning based in Carlsbad is about to receive $600,000 in state funding for the construction of a new campus building. The Southeast New Mexico College, located at 1500 University Drive, wants to build a new trades and technology building to house its growing electrical technology and petroleum technology programs. The school, which was established in 1950 as the Carlsbad Instructional Center, has always had a big emphasis on vocational and trades education, and has a current enrollment of around 1,600 students. As planned, the new structure, to go up on the north side of the school's campus, will also house the radiological control technology program, as well as provide additional space for an industrial maintenance technology and natural gas compression technology program. The facility will include shop spaces, simulator rooms, classroom and lab space, and offices. The funding approved by the New Mexico State Legislature for the project was among the largest Carlsbad-area capital outlays passed this winter. The city is also in line to receive $1 million for a waterline replacement project belonging to its Double Eagle Water System. By Garry Boulard ![]() The scenario for reducing interest rates looks more promising than ever, the Federal Reserve Chairman has just told members of Congress. But there needs to be more evidence of a slowdown in inflation for that to happen, Jerome Powell said. Appearing before the House Committee on Financial Services, Powell presented a mostly positive take on the current national economy, noting that even though the labor market remains tight, "supply and demand conditions have continued to come into better balance." Overall, the nation has seen an increase of roughly 239,000 jobs a month since last spring, with an average unemployment rate at 3.7% that "has remained near historic lows." The best part of that growth comes in the age of the new workers steadily moving to replace the big and retiring Baby Boom generation. Growth has largely been seen, said Powell, among those aged 25 to 54 years of age, as well as through immigration. Things are also looking better on the inflation front, remarked the Fed Chairman, although the pace remains above the Fed's desired goal of 2%. In fact, overall personal consumption expenditure prices have risen by an average of 2.4% since early 2023. But for all of that, continued Powell, "longer-term inflation expectations appear to have remained well anchored, as reflected by a wide range of surveys of households, businesses, and forecasters, as well as measures from financial markets." As for the future of Fed rates, Powell candidly remarked: "We believe that our policy rate is likely at its peak for this tightening cycle." When and by how much the Fed rates will be lessened, however, remains anyone's guess. "We will carefully assess the incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks." Powell's resistance to spelling out a clearer Fed rate picture frustrated some. Said the publication Barron's: the chairman "provided no additional details on timing, or what conditions need to be met to reassure central bank policymakers that the downward inflation trend will hold." Remarked the Wall Street Journal: "If the Fed somehow lands this plane, don't expect the captain to make an announcement." By Garry Boulard ![]() All signs are now go for the construction of a new 232-unit workforce housing apartment complex in Colorado Springs. The project will go up on a nearly 8-acre site in the city's Briargate neighborhood near the intersection of North Powers Boulevard and North Union Boulevard, and will see the construction of three separate four-story structures. A free-standing single-story clubhouse is also part of the project plan. Additional features include recreational space, community gardens, a children's play area, and a dog run. In a document submitted to the city last summer by the Colorado Springs engineering firm of Drexel, Barrel & Company, it was noted that the "four-story massing" of the project's buildings will be "broken up with varying roof forms as well as carefully placed color and materials." What is being called the Royal Pine Apartments is being developed by the Portland, Oregon-based company DBG Properties and was approved earlier this year by the city's planning and zoning commission. As planned, the units will be rented out to tenants earning at or below 70% of area median income, with rents for a one-bedroom unit starting at just over $1,000 a month. The project comes as average rents in popular Colorado Springs have surpassed the $1,500 mark for one-bedroom units. According to the site Rentcafe, that $1,500 is up from around $1,200 four years ago. By Garry Boulard |
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