![]() More than $5.6 million in capital outlay funding has been approved for facility and infrastructure projects on the Roswell campus of the New Mexico Military Institute. Lawmakers earlier this year voted to approve the Institute’s projects as part of an overall $23.7 million in capital outlay funding allotted for Chaves County. As proposed, just over $1.2 million would go for campuswide walkway and driveway improvements; with $350,000 slated for equipment and enhancements for integrated technology. Another $200,000 will go for the construction of a mobile science lab and outreach center, while $163,000 is set for general sewer infrastructure improvements. Additional outlays: $150,000 for equipment to be used in technical educational programs, and a final $75,000 for the establishment of solar-powered outdoor workstations to be used by students. The school is currently in the midst of several large facility projects, having secured last November up to $4 million in general obligation bonds for the planning, design, and construction of an expansion of its historic Bates Dining Hall. Located on 300 acres at 101 W. College Boulevard in downtown Roswell, the New Mexico Military Institute was founded in 1891 and has a current enrollment of just under 1,000 students. By Garry Boulard
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![]() Construction jobs were off by around 24,000 in March, according to the most recent numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although the decline was noted in several sectors, the overall numbers, notes an analysis of the latest report produced by the Associated General Contractors of America, shows that overall construction employment is up by 196,000 when compared with where things stood a year ago in March of 2022. Looking at those sectors, jobs in residential construction were off by 7,000 from February to March of this year; with nonresidential construction, which takes in heavy and civil engineering firms, down by 1,800. The seasonally adjusted average construction industry hourly earnings for nonsupervisory and production employees are now at $33.82—a healthy 6.6% jump over March of 2022. Overall, the U.S. saw a jobs increase of 236,000 in March, with the nation’s unemployment rate dropping to 3.5%. That 236,000 is the lowest increase since December, when the BLS recorded job gains at 239,000. In January and February, the gains stood at 472,000 and 326,000 respectively. The largest job gains in March were seen in the leisure and hospitality industry, with 72,000 new jobs; followed by the education and health services sectors, at 65,000 in additional employment; and the government, adding 47,000 to its payrolls. The manufacturing and financial activities sectors were off by around 1,000 each; with retail trade seeing the biggest decline, losing 14,600 jobs in March. The somewhat lackluster jobs report has fueled renewed forecasts that the nation is either already in or about to enter a recession. The publication Forbes reported that a continuing increase in jobless claims is “about as large as increases in recessions dating back to the 1970s.” “A contraction is already evident in an expanding range of industries, as retail, manufacturing, construction and real estate finance—those more sensitive to borrowing costs—have either lost jobs or stayed flat over the month,” noted the New York Times. While acknowledging that “the red-hot labor market cooled some in March,” the Wall Street Journal said the country’s labor market “remains solid but is showing signs of easing demand.” By Garry Boulard ![]() A building housing a well-known bar and restaurant in Scottsdale is on the market with an asking price of $8.5 million. Located at 4321 N. Scottsdale Road, the nearly 10,000 square foot, two-story brick structure, which is designated as a Class B building, was built in 1963 and substantially renovated in 2007. In recent years, the building has been the home to Barstool Scottsdale, a bar and grill that is part of a chain that includes locations in Chicago and Philadelphia. The building includes a wide-open bar and gathering space, as well as balcony seating area, and a 9,551 square foot front patio. The property is being listed by the Scottsdale offices of real estate company CBRE. Located in a section of the city populated with restaurants and retail operations, the property was formerly the home to the Two Brothers Tap House & Brewery, the Western-themed Saddle House Chop House, and in the 1980s the Famous Pacific Fish Company. By Garry Boulard Small New Mexico City Near the Border May Soon Receive State Funding for a Wide Array of Projects4/7/2023 ![]() The southern New Mexico city of Anthony is in line for more than $3.6 million in capital outlay funding for five building and infrastructure projects. The funding was approved several weeks ago by members of the New Mexico State Legislature but has yet to be signed into law by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. The largest of the outlays, at $1.7 million, will go to the construction of the Anthony Health Center, and will also pay for the planning and design of the structure, as well as the acquisition of needed easements and rights of way. Exactly $1 million is allotted for the planning, design, and construction of a long-discussed multipurpose facility, which will also house space for the city’s police and fire departments. Lawmakers additionally approved $500,000 in capital outlay funding for the planning, design, and construction of new streets in various parts of Anthony; while the city also stands to receive $300,000 to design and build a solid waste transfer station. A smaller $100,000 is targeting improvements to the existing Farmers’ Market Youth Center, off New Mexico State Road 478. That work will include upgrading the facility’s irrigation system as well as its produce processing room. With a population of around 8,800, the city of Anthony was incorporated as its own community as the result of a voter referendum in 2010. By Garry Boulard ![]() The first generation to come of age in the green-grass suburbs, listening nonstop to the Beatles, and believing that “Make Love, Not War,” was a both a political as well as romantic statement, is now the largest group of home buyers in the country. According to a new report issued by the National Association of Realtors, the Baby Boom Generation, that massive group of nearly 76 million people born between 1946 and 1964, now makes up the largest generation of U.S. homebuyers. That group, reveals the NAR’s new report, Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends, currently represents 39% of the homebuying marketplace. Those belonging to the 72 million strong Millennial Generation, born between 1981 and 1996, represent the second largest homebuying segment at 28%. While the numbers may seem logical on the surface, they represent a demographic flip flop that for the last 6 years or so have seen the Millennials as the largest homebuying segment, following by the Baby Boomers. What’s changed in the last year is that an increasing number of Millennials, having purchased their first home within the last decade, are not necessarily currently in the market for a second home. The restless Baby Boomers, meanwhile, appear to be increasingly interested in buying a new home now that they are entering their retirement years. “Baby Boomers have the upper hand in the home buying market,” remarked Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist with NAR, in a statement. The majority of those Baby Boomer homebuyers, continued Lautz, “are repeat buyers who have housing equity to propel them into their dream home—be it a place to enjoy retirement or a home near friends and family. They are living longer and making housing trades later in life.” Members of Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, are numbered at an equally large 68 million, but so far represent only 4% of the market. Given their ages and earnings potential, this is obviously a group with significant growth potential. And, in fact, their home buying presence doubled from 2% in 2021. “Their desire for homeownership is strong,” noted Lautz of the just-emerging Generation Z, “and many are relying on family support systems to help make their first real estate purchase.” By Garry Boulard ![]() Plans are now underway to renovate one of the iconic and treasured structures in Greeley, Colorado: the more than 100-year-old Warnoco Roller Skating Rink, located at 1407 2nd Street. Opened when Warren Harding was president, the skating rink boasted a 160 foot by 80-foot maple wood skating floor. Music was not of the piped-in nature but provided by an organist. Named in honor of the person who originally bought the property, local businessman Warrack Norcross, the rink, underneath a unique curved roof, thrived well into the 1980s. A decline in business, among other reasons, prompted the Norcross family to sell the structure to the Greeley Urban Renewal Authority in 2002. Late last year the Boys & Girls Clubs of Weld County purchased the structure for $1.1 million. Plans now call for upgrading the building, while keeping its essential architectural elements in place. According to reports, the Boys & Girls Club is expected to spend around $6.5 million bringing the building up to date, and adding classroom space as well as an outdoor patio, soccer field, and basketball court. Work could begin on the restoration by this summer with a general 2024 completion date. By Garry Boulard ![]() Three existing fire stations in Las Cruces may be in line for substantial improvements, depending upon whether New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham approves a capital outlay for the work. Lawmakers earlier this spring approved up to $100,000 in funding for the planning, design, and overall improvement of the city’s Fire Station #2, located at 1199 Foster Road. The work will include an upgrading of the structure’s electrical system, as well as a demolition of some walls, bay doors, and cement flooring. Work at the Las Cruces Fire Station #5, located at 5998 Bataan Memorial East, is also funded by a $100,000 capital outlay, and will pay for facility upgrade planning, design, and construction, along with the replacement of bay doors, and parking lot improvements. A final $100,000 is targeting the planning, design, and construction improvements to Fire Station #6, located at 2750 Northrise Drive. That $100,000 capital outlay will also fund the remodeling of the structure’s restroom facilities and general building repairs. The fire station funding requests are folded into the all-inclusive Capital Outlay Bill, otherwise known as House Bill 5050, which could provide up to $1.2 billion in funding for thousands of facility projects across the state. The Las Cruces Fire Department has eight stations located at strategic points throughout the city. By Garry Boulard ![]() Nearly $200 million in federal funding has been released for gas pipe repair and upgrades projects across the country. The funding is coming through the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which is a part of the Department of Transportation, and will repair, replace, or rehabilitate nearly 270 miles of gas pipelines. In the process, the pipeline project is expected to reduce methane emissions by some 212 metric tons. Many of the subject pipelines are old, having been installed decades ago. Reports of the pipelines’ leaking have become more common in the last several years. “Investments in pipeline safety are investments in community safety and our shared environment,” said Tristan Brown, director of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in a statement, in a statement. Continued Brown: “For too long, underserved communities have had to bear the brunt of aging and dangerous pipelines. This funding will finally give communities the resources they need to replace legacy pipelines—improving safety, protecting the environment, and creating jobs.” Nearly 40 projects are being funded by grants through the program, with the first grant award of $10 million going to the City of Las Cruces for the repair of gas distribution pipelines. Other recipients will be made known soon, with upwards of $392 million in additional grant awards expected to be announced later this year. By Garry Boulard ![]() Work could begin sometime next year on a massive cobalt sulfate production facility in southwestern Arizona. The EVelution Energy company, which is based in Yuma, says it wants to build a manufacturing facility large enough to support the domestic production of up to 470,000 electric vehicles on an annual basis. The plant is expected to cost around $200 million to build and will go up on open desert land between the small towns of Tacna and Dateland. Both of those towns have populations of less than 500 people. By design, the new manufacturing facility will be built to be carbon neutral, supplying all its own power. The plant will also provide needed renewable electricity to the vast agricultural community surrounding it. The new facility, said Gil Michel-Garcia, executive vice-president of EVelution, “is expected to have a substantial economic impact on the local economy, generating more than 360 well-paid jobs over the life of the project.” Plans for the new plant come as industry analysts are projecting a compound annual growth rate for the nation’s electric vehicle market of up to 37% in the next 5 years. Construction work on the facility is expected to see completion in 2026. By Garry Boulard ![]() Preliminary plans are now underway for the construction of a slightly over 5,300 square foot structure in Colorado Springs that will house a new QuikTrip convenience store. The project will mark the company’s second outlet in the city, with the first store located in the 3000 block of N. Chestnut Street, some 3 miles to the north of downtown Colorado Springs. The new store will go up at 1510 North Academy Boulevard, which is currently the location of the Polo Center, a one-story shopping center built in 1970 set to be demolished. That roughly 40,000 square foot center has been in decline in recent years. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based QuikTrip company recently entered a contract to buy the Polo Center property. As planned, the new QuikTrip project will include a covered space over eight fuel pumps to the front of the store. The company has nearly 1,000 stores varying in size from 4,100 square feet to 5,700 square feet, mostly located in the Midwest and South. In recent months QuikTrip has been expanding its footprint in the Centennial State, opening new locations in Bennett, Denver, and Firestone. An exact schedule for the demolition of the Polo Center and building of the new Colorado Springs QuikTrip has not yet been announced. By Garry Boulard |
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