Plans are now underway for the construction in Taos of a new workforce development and conservation training center geared for younger people.
Funding for the project, which will belong to the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, is coming through a $1.3 million grant issued by the Commerce Department. That grant will be matched by some $315,000 in local funding and private giving.
Headquartered at 1203 King Drive, the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps focuses on educational and workforce training programs for young men and women between the ages of 17 and 25. Part of that training is centered on outdoor conservation and environmental education projects.
In a statement accompanying the announcement of the $1.3 million grant, New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich said that the funding will allow the group to “continue providing up-and-coming outdoor leaders and advocates with restoration and conservation skills.”
As planned, the new facility, as designed by the Living Design Group of Taos, will go up on the southwest side of the city at the intersection of Salazar Road and Este Es roads on a 20-acre site owned by the corps. It is expected that altogether it will cost around $1.8 million to build the new building.
Work could begin in June, with a rough late year completion date. Upon that completion, the corps will move out of its King Drive location.
With offices in Albuquerque, the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps is a part of the larger national AmeriCorps, which fosters programs for young people designed to address community education and poverty issues.
By Garry Boulard
