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BELEN — With little discussion at its July 7 meeting, the Belen City Council recently adopted its Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan for the years 2027-31. The total cost of the 24 projects is $141,073,000.
“On June 25, we had a workshop where we worked out the projects on the ICIP plan,” Belen City Manager Roseann Peralta said. “We did remove a couple because they were fulfilled in the legislative session.”
The city’s Top 10 priority list includes:
1. Firefighting ladder truck: $2 million
2. Wastewater treatment plant rehabilitation: $14,340,000 The city currently has $3 million in its coffers for this project. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich recently announced he was able to include $1,092,000 in federal funding from the Senate Appropriations Committee for the city of Belen to rehabilitate their wastewater treatment plant. The bill will now go before the full senate.
3. Westside flood improvements (Frontage Road pond): $4 million
4. Vivian Fields upgrades and improvements: $$600,000
5. Anna Becker Park upgrades and improvements: $500,000
6. North Belen Interchange: $11,665,000 (The state Legislature appropriated $1,665,000 toward this project)
7. Wastewater collections system on Rosedale Circle: $950,000. Peralta said the city does have $100,000 for the project, and will be applying for the funds for construction next year.
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8. Westside booster pump station expansion: $800,000
9. Bosque Drain study: $250,000
10. Historic facilities rehabilitation: $2.8 million
Other projects on the city’s ICIP list include an airport sewerline extension, improvements at the Veterans Memorial, renovations at the Belen Business Center, roadway improvements, city sidewalks and trail improvements and more.
The most costly item on the list — at No. 23 — is $76 million for an I-25 frontage road, which would connect to the west side of the Hub City at the northern most exit.
Belen City Councilor Steve Holdman said he believes the projects on the ICIP list are critical for the city, and says the firefighter ladder truck is a very important investment.
“This is a wish list for the city,” Mayor Robert Noblin said. “Keep your fingers crossed and talk to your legislators. These things are very important to our town. The council did have a workshop to prioritize these items and took input from our community.
"There was a lot of thought and time put into this,” the mayor said. “Thank you, council, for your efforts as well.”
The city council approved the ICIP unanimously.
