Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Peralta town hall, roadwork for county, arsenic control on wish lists

News-Bulletin Staff Reports

With money tight in Santa Fe and infrastructure needs a reality in Valencia County, local governmental entities are submitting their requests for help to the State Legislature.

Valencia County

Valencia County Manager Eric Zamora said legislative requests from the county would stay in line with the infrastructure capital improvements plan (ICIP) the county developed and prioritized last August.

Zamora, who had been in Santa Fe for part of last week, said it was hard to say how things are going so far. "We'll just have to answer questions from the legislators and see what we get next month," he said.

Zamora said he met with Rep. Andrew Barreras, D-Dist.7, on Thursday. "He indicated that he would be meeting with other local legislators to go through all the requests and see what they can do," Zamora said.

Last August, county commissioners set their top three priorities on the county's infrastructure capital improvements plan (ICIP). The list included nearly $25 million in requests for funding from the Legislature. After discussion, the first priority on the list was funding for the hospital, followed by roads and then a countywide solid waste program.

Named as the No. 1 priority was a request for $11.2 million to begin planning, design and initial construction of a county hospital.

No. 2 on the list was county roads, which included a $300,000 request for the purchase of heavy equipment for the road department, $250,000 for the construction of a new road department substation in the southern part of the county and a request for $350,000 per district to maintain and upgrade roads for each commission district. Those requests totaled $2.3 million.

The third priority on the county's ICIP list was solid waste. A request of $750,000 for countywide solid waste convenience centers, $300,000 for landfill closure and clean-up of Conejos and $180,000 for solid waste transfer station equipment brought the total to $1.23 million.

The request for convenience centers would provide facilities in locations, in order of priority, Jarales, Casa Colorado, Meadow Lake and Highland Meadows. The funding requested for the landfill closure would ensure that the county is able to comply with an Environmental Protection Agency mandate to clean up and close the dump.

The county's top three requests total $14.73 million.

Los Lunas

Los Lunas has arsenic compliance at the top of its Legislative list of needs this year.

Village Administrator Phil Jaramillo said the village has five Legislative priorities that total $4.39 million.

The village is requesting $1.75 million for improvements to its water system to get the village compliant with federal arsenic standards that kick in 2009.

Jaramillo said the total project will cost $7 million and is the village's "No. 1 priority.

"We have to be in compliance in 2009, so we're running out of time," he said.

Also on the agenda is $1.25 million for construction of a fire station west of Interstate 25. Jaramillo said the money would be used solely to construct the fire station and not to equip it.

The village is also asking for $750,000 for reconstruction and pedestrian amenities on N.M. 314 from the intersection N.M. 6 (Main Street) all the way to the Rail Runner stop at Courthouse Road. The money would go toward putting in curbs, gutters, sidewalks and a bike trail.

Another appropriation is being sought for the new Los Lunas Museum of Heritage and Arts at the corner of Luna and Main streets.

The $140,000 the village is asking for would go for parking and lighting around the building as well as plasma-screen televisions and mounting equipment for the TVs, which would be used for presentations.

The final piece of the funding pie for the village is $500,000 for improvements for the Los Lunas Sports Complex at Morris and N.M. 314. The money would go toward improving parking areas with paving, curbs and gutters.

Jaramillo said he wasn't sure if funding would be found for all five projects.

"I think it'll be difficult," he said. "The state is having problems with capital outlay. We'd love it if we were able to get something on every project. At the same time, we're realistic. Our legislators have to do the best they can and get something. Anything in each of those fields helps us out somewhere."

Belen

The City of Belen has six items on its wish list totalling $5.975 million for this legislative session, with arsenic removal compliance topping the requests.

The city is requesting $2.175 million to design and construct an arsenic treatment facility that would bring two wells into compliance with the rule that lowered the acceptable level of arsenic in drinking water seven years ago from 50 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb.

Also on the list is a request for funding to replace the pumps and additional equipment at the westside booster pump station. The city has received funds from previous legislative sessions in the amount of $425,000 but still needs an additional $175,00 to complete the project.

Funding to complete the multi-purpose park is also being sought in the amount of $1.5 million to construct restrooms, concession stands, spectator facilities, paving, curb and gutter, parking lots, picnic shelters, landscaping and lining the arroyo running through the park with a rock lining.

Although partial funding was received from the legislature to make improvements to Christopher Road, the city is requesting an additional $875,000 to complete the project that would put curb and gutter, sidewalks, drainage, street lighting and a new waterline both west and north on the street leading behind the high school.

Relocating old water and sewer lines, as well as manholes and fire hydrants on Delgado, is another project on this year's wish list. The city is requesting $250,000 to complete the project, which would entail putting in new eight-inch lines and capping the old existing lines. The project would require the removal and replacement of asphalt in that area as well.

The final project on the list is the drilling and rehabilitation of well No. 5. The current well's production has seen a decrease in production, and the city is requesting $1 million to re-drill the well and modify the existing building to house hypo chlorite generation equipment used for disinfecting.

Bosque Farms

Bosque Farms officials met with legislators last week and presented them with a list of six items the village hopes to get funding for during the 30-day legislative session.

The wish list includes help with compliance with federal arsenic regulations, a de-watering system, an automated water meter reading system, library addition and improvements, an ambulance cot and automated external defibrillators, and a permanent shade structure at the recreation complex.

Peralta

Valencia County's newest municipality, the Town of Peralta, has submitted an infrastructure capital improvement plan totaling $1.095 million for the 2009 fiscal year. The top priority for the town is the procurement of administrative facilities. That request is for $650,000.

Mayor Edward Archuleta said the town is for the most part sticking with the requests it prioritized in August. "The money we are requesting for the building also includes money for equipment and other start-up costs associated with setting up an office," he said.

Also on the list is a request for a $100,000 legislative appropriation to pay back the emergency loan the town received from the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration. "They requested that we request money to pay back the loan," Archuleta said.

The town council is also requesting $25,000 to develop a comprehensive plan for the town.

There is also a request for $250,000 to do a comprehensive study on sewer line extension. The town would like to partner with either Los Lunas to the south or Bosque Farms to the north and have one of the municipalities extend sewer services into the new town.

Archuleta said he would like the money, if it is appropriated, to be used to do a comprehensive plan of the area to determine which municipality would offer the best service for Peralta.

"I have made initial contact, and both municipalities are open to talking," he said. "This study would better tell us which is more feasible, either Los Lunas or Bosque Farms or maybe a combination. It will also give us an idea of what kind of costs we're looking at to implement service."

The fourth priority for this year is $170,000 for the first phase of intersection improvement at Chug-hole Lane and N.M. 47. The second phase of that project is the town's fifth priority and is a request for $763,000 in the 2010 fiscal year.

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