![]() Lawmakers in Washington are close to giving final approval to a spending agreement that will keep the government running, maintain and even increase defense spending, and reduce appropriations for other items. “The topline constitutes $1.590 trillion,” Speaker Mike Johnson announced in a letter to House members, noting that that figure is the statutory level defined in the Fiscal Responsibility Act. A negotiated agreement between the House and Senate leadership, continued Johnson, “includes $866 billion for defense and $704 billion for nondefense.” In a separate statement, Johnson particularly underlined the importance of funding the National Defense Authorization Act, which he said would both strengthen national security while also supporting “our service members by providing them with the tools necessary to continue to continue to be the most lethal and effective fighting force in the world.” The new debt limit deal is mostly modeled after an agreement forged between former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden last year. But while that deal ultimately prompted a small group of Republican lawmakers to declare their opposition and risk a shutdown, Johnson is thought to have more wiggle room. Calling a shutdown a “bad idea,” Ohio Republican Dave Joyce remarked to The Hill publication: “When we shut down, it costs us $60 million a day.” Among the other funding issues that legislative leaders are hoping to tackle in the coming weeks is a proposal for $23.5 billion for disaster relief response. President Biden, hailing the latest news from Capitol Hill, said in a statement that the “bipartisan funding framework Congressional leaders have reached moves us one step closer to preventing a needless government shutdown and protecting important national priorities.” House and Senate members are now tasked with trying to write and pass a series of underlying bills designed to fund the government at the very time that several federal agencies are getting close to running out of money. Those agencies include the Department of Transportation as well as the much of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Internal Revenue Service would cease examining and auditing work, while its automated tax collection service would remain operational. By Garry Boulard
0 Comments
![]() One of the most popular entertainment/education venues in Colorado may soon be undergoing an unprecedented multimillion-dollar renovation. Located at 2001 N. Colorado Boulevard, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science is yearly visited by more than 1.1 million people who come to view its vast collection of anthropological and natural history materials. Opened in 1908 the facility, in a more than 700,000-square-foot building, has been listed by the publication Art Newspaper as one of the top ten most visited museums in the country. Now officials with the museum have announced that it has received a $20 million gift which will be used to redesign the structure's theater and lobby. Additional work will go into upgrading the museum's plaza on the east side of the building. The gift was made by the Sturm Family Foundation, a Denver non-profit that provides funding for any number of educational, civic, and scientific endeavors. In a press release, George Sparks, chief executive officer of the museum, remarked that what is known as the East Wing Project will go "far beyond bricks and mortar." "We are creating a new connected landscape of indoor and outdoor spaces that aligns with our community's desires, while empowering the Museum to carry out new programs, sustain our operations through business opportunities, and drive our mission forward," continued Sparks. Work on the museum has already been underway in what is described as phase one of the upgrading effort. Phase two will center on a new eastern entrance, and what is described as "state-of-the-art" indoor and outdoor spaces. Work on that second phase is expected to launch sometime later this year, with a projected unveiling the following year. By Garry Boulard Traffic Signals, Lanes, and Signage Improvements to Be Funded in El Paso By New Federal Grant1/8/2024 ![]() Funding has been received for a project that will see long-desired traffic improvements made to N. Yarbrough Drive, which runs north to south through El Paso. The project will foster improvements to current right turn and left turn lanes, reducing lane widths, and building curb extensions, along with improved signalization. Support to the tune of nearly $10 million is coming through a Safe Streets and Roads for All grant, which is administered by the federal Department of Transportation. Such grants are specifically designed to improve street lighting, build new sidewalks, create more shared-use paths, and install increased signage and traffic signals where appropriate. El Paso was one of a host of cities last month to be targeted for the grant funding program, described by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as an initiative to "confront the crisis of safety on our nation's roads, helping communities work to reduce traffic deaths to the only acceptable number: zero." Altogether, 48 cities are receiving Safe Streets and Roads for All Grants, with a total dollar value of more than $813 million. Funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the grants were originally pegged at the $5 billion level when the project launched in 2022. According to the Transportation Department, there is still some $3 billion left to be spent between now and 2026. In announcing its funding for El Paso, the Transportation Department noted that Yarbrough Drive is "the second highest in the region for bicycle and pedestrian-involved crashes and is ranked among the top ten city-wide segments for motor vehicle killed and serious injury crashes." In a statement, Joaquin Rodriguez, City of El Paso director of Grant Funded Programs, characterized the new funding as a "significant step forward in making our roadway transportation network safer." By Garry Boulard ![]() In what is being described by economists as an either a shocking, or depending upon who's doing the talking, slightly surprising result, last month saw a gain of 216,000 new jobs nationally. According to a just-released report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job gains were in almost every segment, and significantly higher than the consensus 160,000 to 175,000 jobs that most economists had predicted for the month. The gain was significantly greater than November's numbers, which came in at around 173,000, and even more, were above a three-month final quarter rolling average of 164,000. The most recent figures, said Labor Department Acting Secretary Julie Su, "demonstrate an economy that's growing at a strong and steady pace, which was a consistent story throughout 2023." Su added that looking at the entirety of last year, "jobs grew by an average of 225,000 a month, totaling 2.7 million jobs created in 2023." Remarked the Washington Times: "The latest data reflect an economy and a job market that are decelerating back to pre-pandemic norms." Among the gainers: the government sector, with 52,000 new jobs in December; leisure and hospitality, up by 44,000; technical services, with a 25,000 gain; and social assistance, up by 22,000. Construction employment witnessed a healthy jump of 17,000 new workers. Of that figure, 8,000 were in nonresidential building. Nonresidential specialty employment was up by 4,300; with the residential specialty sector up by 1,600. In a countervailing trend, the heavy and civil engineering sector lost 500 jobs in December. "Construction employment increased for the ninth consecutive month, with the nonresidential segment adding jobs at a particularly rapid pace," noted Aniban Basu, chief economist with the Associated Builders and Contractors. But taking note of increased construction worker pay, Bass cautioned: "The combination of faster wage growth and a smaller labor force suggests that interest rates could remain higher for longer." By Garry Boulard ![]() A growing microchip manufacturer based in Colorado Springs may be about to embark upon a major facility upgrade, thanks to a new infusion of federal funds. The company Microchip Technology produces a wide variety of microcontrollers, power, and battery management analog services, not to mention linear, interface, and wireless products. Launched in 1989, with its headquarters in Chandler, Arizona, the company has long had a wafer fabrication facility in Colorado Springs, as well as Tempe, Arizona and Gresham, Oregon. Now the Department of Commerce has revealed a preliminary agreement that could send upwards of $90 million in funding for Microchip Technology to modernize its Colorado Springs operation, with another $72 million to be used to expand the Oregon facility. The funding would come through the CHIPs and Science Act and would be used to target increased microchip production at both the Colorado and Oregon operations. Although the deal has not yet been finalized, Laurie Locascio, Commerce Department undersecretary, remarked that by "investing in the production of semiconductors here at home, we are capitalizing on the ability to strengthen our domestic supply chain." Locascio continued that such investment also empowers America to "produce systems and the components we need, and our allies need, and we rely on for our collective national and economic security." Early last year, Microchip Technology announced its intention to spend upwards of $800 million on its Colorado Springs campus, which is located at 1150 E. Cheyenne Mountain Boulevard, on the southeast side of the city. By Garry Boulard ![]() An organization representing the governments of all 33 counties in New Mexico is hoping to see state funding set aside for the building, upkeep, and renovation of district courthouses across the state. The group, New Mexico Counties, hopes to see funding secured for such efforts during this year's short session of the New Mexico State Legislature, which will start business on January 16 and wrap things up one month later. Noting the ongoing expense of building and upgrading those courthouses, New Mexico Counties wants to see lawmakers establish a fund of some $20 million for such work. Although county magistrate courts and state district courts often share space in larger combined judicial complexes, it is the counties that usually foot the bill for maintaining such facilities. "This is something that we have considered as an unfunded mandate for many years," Joy Esparsen, the executive director of New Mexico Counties, recently remarked to legislators. In a document submitted to the Revenue Stabilization & Tax Policy Committee last month, it was noted that state district courthouse construction can often "reach well over $50 million, and the addition of a single judge can cost a county $2 to $3 million for renovation and increased operational support." The New Mexico Counties document also asserts that maintaining district courthouses should be regarded as an increasing state responsibility, adding that the "rising costs of construction, security, and IT necessitate a shared revenue stream." By Garry Boulard ![]() Construction and professional business associations are vowing to spend time in court in the months to come challenging the newly implemented Project Labor Agreements signed into law by President Biden in December. The ruling is expected to immediately apply to up to 120 individual federal construction projects. Federal construction projects exceeding $35 million will be required to enter into a PLA to establish the conditions and terms for workers on such projects. It is estimated that nearly 200,000 workers on federal construction projects will be impacted by the PLA’s ruling. While the controversial ruling comes with some flexibility, allowing various federal agencies in some cases to opt out of adopting it, critics says the mandate is likely to significantly raise the costs of construction on the projects where it's implemented. The Associated Builders and Contractors has called the PLAs both anti-competitive and inflationary, charging that it will “reward special interests with government contracts at the expense of taxpayers and the principles of free enterprise and open competition in government procurement.” The Associated General Contractors of America isn’t too crazy about the ruling either. In a statement, Stephen Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer, said PLAs “discriminate against contractors and workers by essentially only allowing firms that employ union workers to compete for federal projects.” Sandherr also said the PLAs will “force taxpayers to pay more and wait longer to see new federal projects built.” In officially endorsing the PLAs rule, President Biden said the mandate means that projects funded via the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will “move faster and without delays, giving taxpayers better bang for their buck.” Biden added that “workers will have the security and peace of mind that collective bargained wages and benefits bring, better pathways to good-paying jobs, and stronger health and safety protections.” Biden’s move has won widespread support throughout most of the country’s labor movement. In a statement, Steve McGarvey, president of the North America’s Building Trades Union, asserted that PLAs have in the past prevented work stoppages, while also achieving “substantial, direct cost savings by standardizing contract items for highly skilled craft workers.” The PLA is set to go into effect on January 22. By Garry Boulard ![]() One of the largest privately held agricultural equipment manufacturers in the country appears to be making plans to build a new facility in southern Arizona. Based in Williamsburg, Iowa, the Kinze Manufacturing company was founded in 1965 and thrives today selling a wide variety of row crop planters, grain auger carts, and high-speed tillage equipment. According to media reports, the company last month purchased for $4 million a site in metro Casa Grande measuring some 443 acres. The purchase, according to the Breaking News Network, may well signal a “likely surge in agricultural activities in the area.” The news service also notes that the Casa Grande project could result in “increased farming innovations and advancements, given Kinze’s reputation for cutting-edge farming solutions.” Those innovations have included an autonomous harvesting solution that can run multiple combines and autonomous carts at the same time; and a multi-hybrid planter, allowing farmers to change hybrids automatically depending on soil conditions. The company has several times expanded its manufacturing space in Iowa, putting up a 128,000- square-foot facility in the last decade to accommodate the building of a popular planter model, as well as a 2,800-square-foot engineering facility in the nearby city of North Liberty. By Garry Boulard ![]() Plans for the construction of the Rancho Viejo Solar array project on the south side of Santa Fe remain very much up in the air as it works its way through the approval process. Proposed exactly one year ago by the Arlington, Virginia-based AES Corporation, the project, to be built on some 800 currently vacant acres of desert land, would be capable upon completion of providing 96 megawatts of solar generation, along with 48 megawatts of battery storage. That energy, in turn, according to the company, could power up to 30,000 homes. Founded in early 1981, AES is defined as a utility and power generation company, supplying power to residents and businesses in more than a dozen countries. One of the largest such companies of its kind, AES in 2022 saw revenues in excess of $12.6 billion. The project has met with some opposition from nearby neighbors expressing concerns about the large amount of water that will be required to sustain the facility, as well as the possibility of a fire caused by the heating up of lithium-ion cells. An online petition, which was established last summer and has so far received just under 1,000 signatures, contends that the proposed facility "poses undue risk and/or harm upon the public." The water usage factor is partly centered on what would be a need for up to 50 million gallons during the project's construction, as well as another 980,000 gallons, at the most, to yearly maintain the facility. In order to become reality, the project must first be reviewed and approved by members of the Santa Fe Planning Commission. An exact timeline for when work on the project will begin has not been announced. By Garry Boulard ![]() Architectural designs for residences housing older people are usually centered on such matters as installing grab bars everywhere, non-slip bathroom flooring, and shower spaces with built-in chairs. But an innovative program launched by the American Institute of Architects has challenged architects to come up with designs that address an equally important facet of living: well-being. The AIA's Design for Aging Knowledge Community asks architects to provide "relevant research on characteristics, planning, and costs associated with innovative designs for living." To that end, the association has established a Design for Aging Review Award which, according to an AIA press release, recognizes architects who demonstrate innovative design solutions to improve the quality of life for older adults within specific project constraints." Of the five most recently announced award-winning projects, three are located in the West and include the Aegis Living Lake Union in Seattle. That project, with an emphasis on well-being themes, plays off the aesthetics of the adjacent 580-acre Lake Union. In so doing, the project, designed by the Ankrom Moisan architectural firm, which has offices in Seattle, references wood rowing shells, and provides a subtle nod to the "rhythms of rowing seen in the brick herringbone detailing around windows, the entry canopy, and custom designed steel balcony railings." A second project, heading down the West coast, is seeing the expansion of the Rose Villa Senior Living complex in Portland, a 22-acre campus that has "reimagined senior living communities." The project places an emphasis on wood-formed structures, with a "palpable sense of outdoor living" prompted by oversized windows, garden terraces, and balconies. The Rose Villa complex project was designed jointly by the Scott Edwards Architecture firm of Portland, and Gawron Turgeon Architects of Scarborough, Maine. A western project is seeing the design of the Gramercy Senior Housing complex in Los Angeles, a project with building heights on a campus that provide residents an "extra measure of privacy," while "maximizing the light available to the surrounding parcels." A project belonging to Kevin Daly Architects of Los Angeles, the Gramercy design provides connections to the outdoors via multiple levels, ensuring that "residents can engage with their surroundings and neighbors without feeling crowded. The multiple level design particularly provides outdoor connections for residents "regardless of their age or mobility." The AIA's emphasis on designs for senior housing comes at a propitious time: according to the Census Bureau, there are now around 57 million people aged 65 years of age or older in the U.S., with forecasts that that number will increase to 80 million by the year 2040. By Garry Boulard |
Get stories like these right to your inbox.
|