![]() Work could begin later this summer on the building of a new 102,000-square-foot multi-level recreation center in Grand Junction. Members of the Grand Junction City Council have given their approval to a proposal calling for the issuance of $70 million in bonds to fund the project. As planned, what is officially being called the Community Recreation Center will go up within the borders of the city's 200-acre Matchett Park and will house a three-court gymnasium, a wellness pool, regulation lap pool, indoor walking track, and climbing wall. Additional features are set to include a hot tub, family game room, and multi-purpose event space. Initially rejected by Grand Junction voters nearly five years ago, an updated proposal for the project was approved in May of last year by a 60% to 40% margin. Public input on the project, which was originally proposed at 83,000 square feet, has been spurred by the firm of Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture of Denver which specializes in recreation center work. It is thought that the building project will have a roughly one-year schedule, with the center expected to be open in the fall of 2025. By Garry Boulard
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New Mexico Governor Tasks State Lawmakers with Energy, Infrastructure, and Housing Legislation1/19/2024 ![]() A greater abundance of advanced energy technologies, as well as increased state funding for infrastructure projects, are among the marquee items to be voted on by members of the New Mexico State Legislature in the next month. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in a State of the State address, outlining her priorities for the legislative session, is specifically calling for the dedication of up to 2% out of the state's Severance Tax Permanent Fund to back advanced energy technology projects. That funding, which would amount to $170 million, will "catapult forward the advanced energy sources of the future," said the Governor, specifically referring to "hydrogen, geothermal, and next-generation battery storage," and in so doing will further commit "our state to the climate goals of the country." The Severance Tax Permanent Fund, which was created by lawmakers in 1973, is designed to serve as a depository for severance taxes that are not being used to pay down bonds for capital outlay projects. The dollar worth of that fund as of early last year was in the neighborhood of $6.6 billion. Taking note of the current historic availability of funding coming out of Washington for any number of infrastructure projects, Lujan Grisham also wants to see lawmakers approve some $100 million to support an infrastructure matching fund in order that "communities don't have any federal money on the table for lack of a local match." The Governor also proposed an appropriation of $55 million to "continue expanding a widespread charging infrastructure network for electric vehicles." Lujan Grisham added that "charging an electric car or truck in New Mexico should be as easy and convenient as pumping gas." The Governor said she would also like to tackle the ongoing issue of a lack of affordable housing in New Mexico via the establishment of an Office for Housing that would serve as a one-stop shop for housing developers and contractors. In this way, the office would streamline a process that often requires the involvement of multiple agencies. On the complicated matter of local zoning codes that are oftentimes one of the most troublesome obstacles to home building, Lujan Grisham was direct: "I am asking the legislature to require local governments to institute zoning and permitting requirements that meet national best standards." "Nobody should be prevented from building vital housing," the Governor added. "And nobody should be shut out of a place to live because of outdated and overlapping regulations." Lawmakers have a brief four weeks in which to pass legislature before the end of the winter 2024 session on February 15. A greater abundance of advanced energy technologies, as well as increased state funding for infrastructure projects, are among the marquee items to be voted on by members of the New Mexico State Legislature in the next month. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in a State of the State address, outlining her priorities for the legislative session, is specifically calling for the dedication of up to 2% out of the state's Severance Tax Permanent Fund to back advanced energy technology projects. That funding, which would amount to $170 million, will "catapult forward the advanced energy sources of the future," said the Governor, specifically referring to "hydrogen, geothermal, and next-generation battery storage," and in so doing will further commit "our state to the climate goals of the country." The Severance Tax Permanent Fund, which was created by lawmakers in 1973, is designed to serve as a depository for severance taxes that are not being used to pay down bonds for capital outlay projects. The dollar worth of that fund as of early last year was in the neighborhood of $6.6 billion. Taking note of the current historic availability of funding coming out of Washington for any number of infrastructure projects, Lujan Grisham also wants to see lawmakers approve some $100 million to support an infrastructure matching fund in order that "communities don't have any federal money on the table for lack of a local match." The Governor also proposed an appropriation of $55 million to "continue expanding a widespread charging infrastructure network for electric vehicles." Lujan Grisham added that "charging an electric car or truck in New Mexico should be as easy and convenient as pumping gas." The Governor said she would also like to tackle the ongoing issue of a lack of affordable housing in New Mexico via the establishment of an Office for Housing that would serve as a one-stop shop for housing developers and contractors. In this way, the office would streamline a process that often requires the involvement of multiple agencies. On the complicated matter of local zoning codes that are oftentimes one of the most troublesome obstacles to home building, Lujan Grisham was direct: "I am asking the legislature to require local governments to institute zoning and permitting requirements that meet national best standards." "Nobody should be prevented from building vital housing," the Governor added. "And nobody should be shut out of a place to live because of outdated and overlapping regulations." Lawmakers have a brief four weeks in which to pass legislature before the end of the winter 2024 session on February 15. By Garry Boulard ![]() Up to 200,000 new affordable homes may be built in the next several years, depending upon the fate of tax credit legislation just introduced in the U.S. Senate. Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden and Missouri Republican Jason Smith have introduced what is being described as a $78 billion tax deal that will in part spur low-income housing. In a statement,. Wyden. who is also the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, remarked: "Fifteen million kids from low-income families will be better off as a result of this plan." Wyden said the proposal will expand an existing federal low-income housing tax credit, and in so doing will put back in place a 12.5% cap on a credit device that had been in place to great effect from 2018 to 2021. What is officially called the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 will also, if passed, increase the use of private activity bonds to finance affordable housing. A recent report issued by the Washington-based National Low Income Housing Coalition indicated that the U.S. has a shortage of some 7.3 million rental properties for would-be renters with low incomes. That report also said that on average only 33 affordable housing units exist for every 100 low-income rental households, with those numbers varying from 30 or less in Arizona and Colorado, to around 40 in New Mexico. The Wyden-Smith proposal will next have to be approved by the full U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. By Garry Boulard ![]() A push is on to secure state funding for the upgrading of one of the oldest buildings on the Boulder campus of the University of Colorado. Located at 1475 Central Campus Mall, the Guggenheim Building was completed in 1909 and served for half a century as the university's law school before becoming the Guggenheim Geography Building. Measuring nearly 23,000 square feet, the 2.5-story structure was designed in a neoclassical style by famed Denver architect James Murdoch and is regarded as one of the most historically important structures on the school's campus. According to school figures, the building, housing classrooms, and both workspace and office space accommodates per semester a combination of around one hundred students, faculty, and staff members. Now university officials are making a pitch to the Colorado State Legislature for up to $19 million in funding to pay for remodeling work on the structure. That work includes an extensive upgrading of the Guggenheim's heating and cooling system, as well as a modernization of its electrical and fire alarm systems. Additional work will see new roofing. In addition, a newly built fire escape measuring around 2,100 gross square feet will replace a current metal ladder running down the side of the building. The total cost for the project has been pegged at $47.6 million, of which CU Boulder will put up $28.6 million. Earlier reports have indicated that if funding is secured for the Guggenheim project, work might begin in 2025 or 2026. By Garry Boulard ![]() In a move that is expected to result in a significant structural upgrading, members of the Denver City Council have given their approval to purchasing for $88.5 million the 11-story downtown building that formerly belonged to the Denver Post. Located at 101 West Colfax Avenue, the nearly 306,000-square-foot white curvy structure was built in 2006, designed by the Denver-based Oz Architecture, and used by the newspaper for more than a decade until the publication moved into a new location at 5990 Washington Street. In the years since the Post moved out of the building, city officials have contemplated purchasing it, noting that various city agencies are already leasing out space there at a cost of around $5 million annually. Now the City Council has signed off on a purchase agreement with Kayan LLC, which is an affiliate of the New York-based American Properties, that will see the City repurposing a large part of the building for use as offices and city court space. In part, the purchase is not only the result of a move to consolidate various city agencies at the 101 West Colfax Avenue building, but also a response to a recent report indicating a need for up to 280,000 square feet of court space in the coming decade or so to handle increasing caseloads. According to city records, the one-time Post building is expected to prove particularly useful in the matter of court space because the structure is "within proximity to existing judicial facilities." Those same documents also note that the structure has "building security systems, parking, a ground floor auditorium" and space for a future build out. Beginning nearly a decade ago, the City began the process of subleasing two floors in the building with a total of just over 92,000 square feet for administrative purposes. The City purchase of the building was approved by a 9 to 6 council vote, with some council members indicating concerns about the $88.5 million price tag. Those members, along with the rest of the council, will get a chance to revisit the deal when a separate financing resolution will come up for approval later this spring. The structure, classified as a Class A building, cost around $88 million to build, and includes a spacious lobby, fitness center, outdoor deck, and some 8,000 square feet of ground level retail space. By Garry Boulard ![]() In a sign that work project plans continue to rise almost everywhere in the country, the Associated Builders and Contractors has released a new report showing that its backlog indicator is now up to 8.6 months. That number is up only marginally over November’s 8.5 months but showed particular regional disparities with the South registering a backlog reading of 10.7 months over November’s 9.8 months. Smaller increases were recorded in Midwest, going from 8.0 months to 8.5 months, with the somewhat depressed Northeast market staying the same from November to December at 8 months. Only in the West was a decline recorded, with a work backlog going from 7.4 months in November to 6.6 months last month. Conversely, looking at the trendline between December of 2022 and this past December, only the Midwest saw a backlog increase, with the other three regions off by a combined average of 2.3 months. “Contractors experienced an uptick in optimism during the holiday season,” remarked Anirban Basu, chief economist with the Washington-based Associated Builders and Contractors, in a statement. The group’s survey also showed a backlog increase for commercial and institutional work from 8.6 months to 9.1 months, while the heavy industrial backlog shortened from 8.8 months to 8.4 months. Only in the infrastructure segment did things remain static: with November and December both showing a 7.9-month backlog. As with previous readings, the size of the firm surveyed mattered: companies with revenues of less than $30 million recorded a 7.4-month backlog, followed by an 11.1-month backlog for companies with revenues topping out at $50 million. The largest backlog was seen with firms in the $50 million to $100 million range at 10.7 months. Noting that the Federal Reserve has recently indicated that it will move in the coming months to reduce borrowing costs, Basu remarked that lowered rates may soon free up financing capital. And that, he added, will likely translate into improved backlog statistics, as well as “more optimism regarding sales, employment, and profit margins for the first half of 2024.” By Garry Boulard ![]() Targeting one of the fastest-growing demographic groups in Goodyear, Arizona, a move is underway to build more affordable housing for seniors. The effort is being launched by larger Maricopa County and will see the construction of a 261-room project just to the south of the intersection of Loop 303 and Van Buren Street. Members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors have given their approval to an agreement committing up to $10 million to the project. In a statement, Jack Sellers, chairman of the Supervisors Board, remarked that "rising housing costs have disproportionately impacted seniors living in Maricopa County," while also warning that "this segment of our population is slipping into homelessness." The Maricopa County effort, to be undertaken in a partnership with the City of Goodyear, will make units available for households earning 50% or less of the Area Median Income. That figure, in Maricopa, works out to $37,400. Slated to be opened in the fall of 2025, what is being called Suncrest Vista will feature apartments ranging in size from one to three bedrooms. According to the Maricopa Association of Governments, senior homelessness in the county has jumped by nearly 40% since 2021. By Garry Boulard New Federal Funding Secured for a Variety of New Mexico Electric Charging Station Projects1/16/2024 ![]() Plans will soon be in the works for the construction of two medium and heavy-duty commercial truck charging stations on a 135-mile stretch of desert highway in southern New Mexico. The projects will go up off of the stretch of Interstate 10 connecting the towns of Lordsburg and Vado, and are being funded to the tune of $63 million via the federal government's Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program That program, in turn, has been made possible as a result of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. In a statement, Representative Gabe Vasquez said the Lordsburg/Vado project investment "is the largest award in the United States and will go a long way in not just supporting cleaner trucks but boosting economic development in our rural communities." The project funding is a part of a larger total of $68 million in competitive grant funding heading for New Mexico as part of the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure program. Around $3.3 million in the program is allotted for Santa Fe County to fund an electric vehicle charging network of some 33 stations in underserved communities, as well as county-operated transportation hubs and multi-family housing developments. The smallest portion of the $68 million, at $500,000, will target the building of a half dozen charging stations in the Town of Taos. Ricky Serna, in a press release issued by the New Mexico Department of Transportation, remarked on the Lordsburg/Vado project, saying the new stations comprise "some of the first purpose-built charging infrastructure for medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles in the nation." Serna, the state's Secretary of Transportation, added that the new stations will "revolutionize transportation and electric vehicle connectivity routes not only in New Mexico, but for the entire southwest region of the country." By Garry Boulard Chamber of Commerce Head Decries Gloomy Forecasts, Says Things Are Better Than They Appear1/16/2024 ![]() Forget all the dire predictions about the economy in 2024, and dire talk of political turmoil. According to Suzanne Clark things are good and, most importantly, looking better. Delivering the annual State of American Business address, Clark, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, remarked quite simply: “The State of American Business is optimistic. And this country, its citizens and leaders, and our partners around the world, need to hear it.” Clark, who became the head of the 111-year-old business advocacy group in early 2021, remarked that the overall economy remains historically vibrant, while noting: “The optimism of entrepreneurship in this country remains strong, evidenced by the record-breaking 5.5 million new business starts last year.” Clark added that up to 134 million people are expected to “find opportunity and achievement, dignity and pride in a private sector job” in 2024. “Businesses, large and small, are what help bring our ideas to life and share them with others, not just in our own communities, but across the country and world,” said Clark. But the essential dynamic of business growth in the U.S., she continued, is one of constant change: “If you look at the top ten companies by market cap, you’ll see that not one of the companies on the list 30 years ago is still on that list today.” Continued Clark: “If you look at the list over time, you see companies move in, up, out, back in, and so on.” The Chamber head also took note of the country’s ever-growing rate of consumer power. Six decades also, she said, “barely a third of American households had air conditioning.” Today Americans can largely purchase the “things that meaningfully improve life: dishwashers, washing machines, cars, smartphones.” Clark also noted that while the economics of various democratic countries across the world have all grown in recent decades, “wages at every income level increased by 50%; American industry expanded its output by more than half; and unemployment fell to record lows.” In reflecting upon global growth trends, Clark said any move to “throw up trade barriers, impose tariffs, stop doing trade deals, and reactively repatriate supply chains” will only hurt the U.S. economy, robbing business and workers of new opportunities, while “raising prices for every American.” Clark concluded her remarks asserting that the proper role for government in today’s economy should be one of being a partner. “That means letting markets work and protecting them from intrusion,” she remarked, while also contending that government should also pass pro-growth public policies, and “smart regulations that clearly signal to business the rules of the road.” By Garry Boulard ![]() Three floors in the modernistic Colorado Supreme Court building in Denver are scheduled to be repaired and upgraded in the wake of a surreal attack on the structure two weeks ago. On January 2, a man named Brandon Olsen gained entrance to the building by shooting out a window. Once inside, he held a security guard at gun point before setting fire in a part of the stairwell and on the seventh floor of the structure. That fire, in turn, set off the building’s sprinkler system, which, according to reports, ran for several hours. Although Olsen eventually left the building and peacefully surrendered to police officers, the damage done to the structure has proven more long lasting, with water from the sprinkler system seeping to other levels over a two-hour period. “The seventh floor, the sixth floor, and the fifth floor will have to be substantially rebuilt from scratch,” Steve Vasconcellos, State Court Administer, remarked during a meeting of the Colorado's Joint Judiciary Committee last week. Repair work on the structure is also expected to include substantial industrial hygienic cleaning. Altogether, the repair work may cost as much as $35 million. According to a press release issued by the State of Colorado, three floors in the building will have to be “substantially rebuilt from scratch.” The impacted floors are now in the process of being dried out. The higher court building, at 2 E 14th Avenue in downtown Denver, is officially a part of the Ralph L. Carr Judicial Center and was designed by the Denver-based Fentress Architects. The structure was opened in 2013. Besides the Supreme Court courtroom and chambers, the building also houses the courtrooms for the state’s Court of Appeals. A motive in the attack has not been reported, although according to the Denver Post Olsen was said to have told officers that that he was “hallucinating during the incident after smoking methamphetamine and taking fentanyl pills.” By Garry Boulard |
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