ABQ committee adopts wish list of projects
City hopes initiatives like Rail Yards upgrades will attract funding from state
Albuquerque’s Intergovernmental Legislative Relations Committee on Thursday adopted a wish list of significant local and regional projects and programs it hopes will attract state funding next year.
The full City Council could consider the recommended priority resolution that includes the wish list as soon as today, with a goal of finalizing the list in time for the next session of the Legislature.
Coordinating with other governmental entities, the committee, whose members come from Mayor Tim Keller’s administration and the council, identified significant projects that they deemed “have regional impact and require the joint efforts and resources” of the city and state.
The priority regional projects recommended by the committee are:
LAN radio system: $30 million for modernizing the regional land/mobile radio system for central New Mexico first responders.
Emergency shelters with crisis triage support: $28 million for construction of shelters with triage support to provide services seven days a week, 24 hours a day, for indigent care, mental health crisis treatment and addiction treatment.
Law enforcement science technology: $3 million for updating the Albuquerque Police Department’s crime firearm analysis capacity and acquiring automated DNA testing and antiauto theft technologies.
Public safety capital outlay set-aside: Asking the state to develop and adopt a program that would set aside 1 percent of capital outlay funds for public safety agencies throughout the state.
Film credits: Asking the state Legislature to adjust the film production rebates program to increase rebate caps with an emphasis on adjusting the rebate for television series to the level in place for television pilot productions.
Albuquerque Rail Yards: $30 million for redevelopment of the rail yards facility, including site remediation and installation of new roofs, utility lines and connections.
Balloon Fiesta Park access improvements: $7.5 million to improve Balloon Fiesta Park access, which would include constructing a slip ramp from Interstate 25 to the frontage roads and constructing a rail spur into the park for the purpose of providing Rail Runner Service.
Paseo del Norte and Unser Boulevard improvements: $2.5 million for improvements to Paseo del Norte from Calle Nortena to Rainbow Boulevard NW and for Unser Boulevard from Kimmick Drive to Paradise Boulevard NW.
New childhood development centers: $4 million to construct two new childhood development centers on the city’s West Side.
The wish list resolution adopted by committee members also includes 57 neighborhood improvement priority projects recommended by councilors for their districts in hopes of receiving state funding. That list could grow as more projects are identified.