Saturday, August 27, 2005

Bingaman cuts ribbon on new community center

Haley Wachdorf News-Bulletin Staff Writer; hwachdorf@news-bulletin.com

Belen The City of Belen celebrated the completion of the new community center on Wednesday with the help of Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-NM, who helped the city obtain approximately $1.2 million of the $4.3 million spent for the construction.

Belen Mayor Ronnie Torres said Bingaman was an honored guest at the ribbon-cutting because he was instrumental in making the center a reality.

"We're very excited about our community center," Torres said. "This is something we've been wanting for many years. We want to thank Sen. Bingaman.

"It was because of him that we were able to get the funding to do this. We all have big dreams and big plans and big ideas, but if we don't have money to go with it, it does no good," Torres said.

"Because of people like Sen. Jeff Bingaman, who appropriated the money for this project, we as a city have something to be proud of."

The first phase of the center, which holds classrooms, a workout room and community event space, is 16,000 square feet. The next phase of the building will be a gymnasium with a basketball court and walking track.

Before the ribbon cutting, Bingaman also heard a presentation from the Greater Belen Economic Development Corporation (GBEDC) about the Heart of Belen, a downtown revitalization project that aims to turn Becker Street into a pedestrian-friendly historic district.

Claudette Baca-Riley, executive director of GBEDC, said now that the first step of developing plans for the area is complete, the group and the city have begun focusing on finding money for improvements to sidewalks, lighting and landscaping.

Work on the first two blocks of the seven block project will begin soon, thanks to $333,000 in Municipal Arterial Program (MAP) money, $233,000 in enhancement funding and $70,000 from the city. The first phase will include infrastructure and street improvements, lighting, benches, and the creation of a plaza area and an arch designed to serve as an entrance point into the area at the intersection of Main Street and Becker Ave.

"We're trying to create a plaza-type feel and create a gateway to the historic district," Baca-Riley said. "We want people to come downtown and visit our Harvey House and our historic sites we have down here."

Bingaman also heard an update from the Friends of the Library about plans to renovate and expand the Belen Public Library.

Bernice Boyle, President of the Friends of the Library, said that the renovations needed will cost approximately $1 million. Half of that money has been appropriated through the legislature, and the city and Friends of the Library are researching other funding avenues and holding fundraisers for the building fund now.

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