A move is on to save a hotel in Belen that was built more than 100 years ago and may be on the verge of demolition. Located at 100 Reinken Avenue, the two-story Hotel Kuhn was opened in 1906 and for decades served as a pleasant resting stop both for visitors as well as those working at the next-door Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe rail station. With 35 rooms and a pleasant front balcony decorated with a series of decorative trellises, the hotel for years provided meals, baths, showers, and a barber service, among other amenities. In the 1930s it was also the home to the Albuquerque-Chicago College of Beauty Culture salon. The hotel fell on hard times in the 1970s, with fewer and fewer guests, and has since been owned by several different parties. City officials, meanwhile, have long taken note of the deteriorating condition of the building. Late last month, members of the Belen City Council finally voted to demolish the structure, describing it as an “immediate menace to the public comfort, health, peace, and safety.” City documents indicate a multitude of issues with the structure that include a collapsing roof, mold infestation, and crumbling walls. The property has also been subject to vandalism. Now the owner of the property has announced that an effort is underway to sell the building to an investor who has indicated an interest in purchasing the old hotel and restoring it. That potential new owner has told the council that he wants to enter into an agreement with the city that will keep the building from being demolished, while at the same time trying to determine just how much it will cost to bring the Hotel Kuhn back to life. The council, in response, agreed to hold off on any demolition plan for the next several months. By Garry Boulard
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Signifying a surprisingly resilient economy, spending on architectural projects is on course to substantially increase for the rest of the year, with only a slight tapering off in 2024, according to a new industry survey. The Washington-based American Institute of Architects is reporting in its most recent Consensus Construction Forecast that spending on building projects is slated to improve by 20%, "a torrid pace not seen since the construction boom years leading up to the Great Recession." A press release issued by the group adds: "Leading the charge is the manufacturing sector, where spending is projected to increase by more than 50% over last year's exceptional performance." The increase is a reflection of a larger trend playing out across the country seeing new and big building projects in everything from the commercial and industrial sectors to the institutional sectors. The new positive trends define a 2023 that, to date, has been good news all around. In a statement, Kermit Baker, chief economist with the AIA, remarked that the "industry got off to an extremely strong start in the first half of the year, and that momentum will ensure healthy gains for the year before moving to a much more moderate pace of expansion in 2024." In the nonresidential sector, hotel work has been leading the way this year with a 24% increase, followed by retail and other commercial work at 10.8% and office work, up by 8%. In the institutional sector, a close competition for work from three sources is seen with a 10.5% increase in education projects, followed by a 10.4% increase in health industry projects; and a final 10.2% increase in amusement and recreation projects. Religious institutional work saw a smaller increase at 8.4%, followed by public safety work at 3.9%. Architects are also feeling guardedly upbeat looking at overall national economic trends, notes the AIA release: "With inflation in construction moderating, there is optimism among industry professionals about what lies ahead for nonresidential building projects this year and beyond." By Garry Boulard Construction could begin in another two years on the extension of a multi-use paved path on the north side of Boulder. The Colorado Department of Transportation has announced that it is awarding a $936,000 grant to the City of Boulder to build out a path along US Route 36, between Four Mile Canyon Creek to Jay Road. The path will be 10 feet in width and will connect to a part of the extensive Rocky Mountain Greenway regional trail system which runs from Denver in the southeast to just outside the Rocky Mountain National Park in the northwest. In a statement, Melanie Sloan, principal project manager, said the pathway extension project will provide "an important connection to parks, schools, and other popular destinations for people who choose a car-free route in North Boulder." Altogether, the project is expected to cost around $1.1 million to complete, with the City of Boulder kicking in some $234,000. This month the Transportation Department of Colorado has awarded upwards of $42 million in grant funding for 37 similar transportation infrastructure projects across the state. In awarding those grants, Governor Jared Polis remarked that "investing in roads and transportation saves people time and money, helps communities, our economy, and cuts pollution." The planning, design, and construction of the Boulder path extension work is expected to launch sometime in 2025. By Garry Boulard Work could begin soon on the restoration of one of the most archetypal movie houses in southern Colorado. Built in 1917 when Charlie Chaplin was the nation’s number one film star, the Fox Theater of Walsenburg originally stood out for its distinctive brick parapet and decorative ironwork. Located at 715 Main Street, the theater underwent a renovation in 1941 that saw the addition of a more contemporary Art Deco exterior. While the structure, which was donated to larger Huerfano County in 1994, has continued to serve as an entertainment venue, showing independent films and presenting live musical performances, it has in recent years begun to show its age. According to local documents, the Fox has been challenged by a leaking roof, electrical system issues, and a deterioration of its masonry. Now the State Historical Fund, which is operated by the group History Colorado, has announced the awarding of a $250,000 grant that will be paired with local funds to begin the process of restoring the theater. In a statement, Mike Peters, executive director of the non-profit group Fox Theater Walsenburg, which operates the building and its programming, said the grant funding “extends far beyond the walls of the Fox Theater, positively affecting the entire community.” Additional work at the theater is expected to see a repairing of the building’s dressing rooms, which in the past have been subject to flooding, and the installation of a new heating and cooling system. The building was originally opened as the Star Theater, and later featured a massive Wurlitzer pipe organ. It became the Fox Theater in 1941, showing movies from Hollywood's Golden Age produced by studio giant Twentieth Century Fox. By Garry Boulard Salaries for construction workers have seen a strong 5% increase in the last year, leading to an unprecedented $58,000 overall average nationally. Those figures, just released by the Roseland, New Jersey-based ADP Research Institute, appear even stronger when compared with an overall salary median of $49,000 for all other industries combined. The $58,000 figure is only the latest in a series of ever-increasing salary averages enjoyed by construction workers, according to the ADP report, noting that wages increased by a substantial 5% in June of this year over June of 2022. That 5% growth rate is in contrast to an average 3.8% increase in all other industries combined for the last year. "New construction hires--those who started at a new job within the last three months--had an average starting salary of $43,680, up 2.5% from a year earlier," notes an ADP narrative accompanying the latest report. The salaries for those new hires, continues the narrative, is markedly higher than the starting $35,360 salaries currently being offered in all other industries. And while the 2.5% represents new hires wage growth, wage growth in the other industries has remained flat in the last twelve months. The ADP report also notes how profitable it is today for construction workers to move around from one company to another: "In-demand workers can boost their pay a lot by switching employers." "Job changers in construction saw their pay rise by 14.6% year-over-year," adds the narrative. That' a significantly larger increase than the 11.2% wage gain secured by job changers in all industries. The average $58,000 construction salary looks particularly startling when compared with where things were only four years ago. Then, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average was just under $36,900. By Garry Boulard In yet another move to find new housing opportunities for homeless residents, the City of Tucson has announced a plan to purchase a durable 1950s-era motel for use as a new shelter space. For a purchase price of $2.6 million, Tucson has now acquired the long-standing two-story Amazon Motel, whose official address is 1135 W. Miracle Mile. Located some 4 miles to the north of downtown Tucson, the motel was once advertised as offering "Color T.V., heated pool, and phone." Funding for the project is coming from a $6.1 million grant awarded to the city by the Arizona Department of Housing. City sources have said that work on the motel will include refurbishing the more than 30 rooms on the property, while also building an additional apartment complex on the site. The Amazon Motel project is in keeping with an ongoing City of Tucson effort to purchase older motel and hotel properties to provide housing not just for the homeless, but also those who may be regarded as "house-cost burdened." In the spring of 2020 during the initial weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic, the city purchased three hotels to be used for the homeless with funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In a just a few short months, nearly 400 rooms were reconverted for permanent housing use. In June, the City of Tucson's Department of Housing and Community Development announced it had received $2.7 million to be used for both preserving existing bed space for the homeless, while also expanding ongoing shelter services. A survey released earlier this year revealed that the homeless population of Tucson and larger Pima County had increased by more than 60% in the last 5 years for a total of just over 2,200 people. Although the numbers are large, city officials have said that progress has been made: in 1999, according to a study partly undertaken by the University of Arizona, the figures were in excess of 3,000. By Garry Boulard Fast-Growing Convenience and Gas Station Chain Founded in Roswell May Build New Deming Location7/24/2023 A legendary and iconic gas station and convenience store chain founded in New Mexico wants a new presence in Deming. The convenience center would belong to Allsup’s Convenience Stores, Incorporated, and would go up on a currently vacant four-acre site off of W. Pine Street on the west side of the city. As envisioned, the project will see site landscaping and the building of a station that would serve both truckers as well as regular motorists. Plans also call for the creation of a pet relief area. Founded in 1956 in Roswell as a drive-in grocery store, the Allsup’s Convenience Store chain has been ranked as the number one privately owned company in New Mexico and the largest convenience store chain in the state. The company’s locations are particularly known and treasured for their deep-fried beef and bean burrito offerings. The site Mexicali Blue earlier this year hailed Allsup’s burritos as “not only a great option to have for lunch or dinner, but they are packed with protein and fiber to keep you full and energized throughout the day.” Allsup’s locations generally feature up to five lanes for truck stops, and well over a dozen fueling positions. Its center buildings, housing convenience store space, measure in the neighborhood of 6,000 square feet. In 2019 the Fort Worth-based convenience store operator Yesway announced its purchase of the Allsup’s company and its more than 300 stores in New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. As part of the purchase, it was agreed that Allsup’s would keep its name. In the wake of that purchase, the opening of new Allsup’s locations have been announced in both New Mexico and Texas. Although a public meeting has been held in Deming regarding Allsup’s pitch for a new location there, the Deming City Council has yet to take a vote on the matter. By Garry Boulard Investors in new student housing projects may find inspiration in the fact that rents in this sector remain more vibrant than ever, according to a new industry report. Nearly 90% of beds for the coming fall 2023 semester have already been leased, according to the Scottsdale-based industry tracker Yardi Matrix, a 5% increase over where things stood in May, and slight increase over last year at this same time. Surveying some 200 universities, the report also notes that the average rent per bed heading into this fall is $846, which Yardi Matrix describes as a “new all-time record.” Despite this general rising slope, the student housing market remains a tale of many campuses: “Some universities are doing exceptionally well, while others fall short,” says the narrative accompanying the report. “Performance at the university level is mainly correlated to local supply-and-demand dynamics rather than higher-level trends,” the report continues. Student housing has comprised a mostly volatile market since the Covid-19 outbreak in the spring of 2020. Then, hundreds of campuses, and student residential units, were suddenly abandoned as students returned home to live with their families. The fall 2021 semester saw a marginal return to normal campus housing dynamics, with last fall at last bringing things back to where they were before the pandemic invasion. The latest student housing growth comes during a time of increasing rents everywhere and general inflation. Perhaps for those reasons, overall transaction volume though the spring of this year has declined by around 73% over the spring of 2020, notes Yardi Matrix. Even so, off-campus student housing projects in the pipeline stage have expanded by a remarkable 28,000 rooms since January of this year. These dynamics are playing out against a backdrop of increasing national four-year enrollment. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, total undergraduate enrollment is slated to increase to 16.8 million by the year 2031, up from 15.4 in the fall of 2021. By Garry Boulard A major air force base in southern Arizona could soon be receiving nearly $3 million in federal funding for a series of long-planned facility upgrades. Located roughly 15 miles to the west of Phoenix, the Luke Air Force Base was established in 1941 and is the home to the 56th Fighter Wing, the largest fighter wing in the U.S. Air Force. Now members of Congress are reviewing hundreds of proposed funding projects folded into the most recent National Defense Authorization Act that includes $2.6 million for the upgrading of the control tower, fire station, and base operations complex at Luke. The work would primarily take place at Luke's Gila Bend Auxiliary Airfield, which is used for pilot training. The legislation, which has been approved by the House of Representatives and is now under review in the Senate, is also calling for funding for maintenance work at the Munitions Storage Area at Luke. A move is additionally on to secure funding in upcoming legislation for Luke's Child Development Center. Funding for the various projects at the Luke base is part of a larger more than $60 million that could be headed to Arizona for work at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson; Fort Huachuca, near the town of Sierra Vista; the Barry M Goldwater Range, adjacent to the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge; the Yuma Proving Grounds and Marine Air Corps Air Station, both in Yuma; and Camp Navajo in Bellemont. In a statement, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema remarked that "America is stronger and safer thanks to Arizona's military and defense operations." Sinema added that the Arizona military base funding projects represent "critical investments from our annual bipartisan defense legislation." By Garry Boulard A draft environmental analysis is expected to be completed in September looking at prospects for creating one or two sanctioned shooting ranges in northern New Mexico. The analysis is being conducted by the Bureau of Land Management, as officials in both Santa Fe County contemplate designing and building the ranges. Earlier this year the BLM, in a public notice, said it was moving to resolve conflicts with residents living near areas where recreational target shooting in the past few years been the most popular. The BLM said it was also looking at the issues impacting areas where unofficial target shooting has taken place, issues that include “public safety, natural resource degradation, waste accumulation, threat of wildfire, and noise.” Speculation has centered on two sanctioned shooting ranges being created in the Buckman-Alamo Creek and Camel Tracks areas, to the west of Santa Fe. If finally approved, the ranges would see the planting of vegetation, and possible creation of a one-mile buffer between the range and any nearby roads. The creation of the new shooting ranges comes as Utah Congressman Blake Moore has introduced legislation calling for the building out of a network of designated shooting ranges across the country on land owned by the National Forest System and managed by the BLM. That legislation, called the Range Access Act, has won the support of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Ducks Unlimited, and the Safari Club International, among other groups. Co-sponsor of the legislation, California Representative Jimmy Panetta, noted in a statement that “Sportsmen and women too often lack dedicated, accessible shooting ranges on our public lands where they can safely enjoy the great outdoors.” A series of designated shooting ranges, added Panetta, would “promote safety, recreational opportunities, and the continued conservation of our environment.” The legislation is currently being reviewed in the House Subcommittee on Forestry. Construction of a shooting range typically includes the building of an access road, firing platforms, landscaping, and baffles. Other ranges, according to design criteria published by the Department of Energy, may include restrooms facilities, sewer infrastructure, and control towers. By Garry Boulard |
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