Going greener
City of Santa Fe plans over $15M in sustainability projects
New Mexico lawmakers who represent Santa Fe implored city leaders to aim high last year when it came to funding requests from the Legislature.
City officials didn’t take the advice lightly.
Despite recent warnings from the city’s lobbyist in the Legislature, Mark Duran, that the coronavirus pandemic would lead to less capital outlay for lawmakers to divvy in the upcoming legislative session — and concerns from local lawmakers about unspent state funds from previous years — the city is moving forward with a plan to request nearly $30 million for a variety of projects.
“Go big or go home was the theme that you gave us,” Mayor Alan Webber told legislative delegates during a virtual meeting Friday on the city’s wish list. “We’re not going home — we’re going big.”
A $10 million request to renovate and expand the Santa Fe Regional Airport tops the list. The city also requested $10 million for improvements to the midtown campus on St. Michael’s Drive, $1 million for COVID-19-safe equipment at city parks, $8 million for a median maintenance and beautification project, and $890,000 for a proposed south-side teen center.
Webber acknowledged the potential for capital outlay to be tighter when the Legislature convenes in January.
“We know that it’s going to be a tough year for capital allocation,” Webber said. “There is no question about that. We do want to just showcase some of these needs, whether it can make the cut or not, because we are trying to plan investment for the future that will continue this process of healing in a post-COVID world.”
House Speaker Brian Egolf and Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, both Santa Fe Democrats, voiced concerns, however, that only around $210,000 of the almost $11 million in state funding previously allocated to the airport project has been spent.
Egolf noted the lack of momentum might hinder efforts to secure additional funding.
“It is frustrating that it is still sitting there,” he said. “It would be good to know what has happened that has kept this money from going out the door . ... We’re four years in and still planning.”
Renovation plans for the airport began in 2016 after the lawmakers committed $860,000 to a terminal expansion.
City Public Works Director Regina Wheeler said the airport project received $1.1 million in December 2018 and another $8.9 million in July 2019, but changes to the scope of the project, including the need for LEED certification and new terminals, has held up spending.
“We hear you,” Wheeler said. “We need to move quickly, and we need people to see the result of their investment, and we are confident this year that the rubber will meet the road.”
Egolf said funding the midtown campus project, which the city has been eyeing for redevelopment for some time, had a more immediate impact.
The city-owned, 64-acre campus, which previously housed the Santa Fe University of Art and Design, has sat vacant since 2018. In May, the city named a presumptive master developer to overhaul the property, creating a new neighborhood offering new jobs, educational opportunities, parks and housing.
The massive redevelopment is expect to take years.
“Certainly, midtown has a lot of appeal to me for housing and economic development,” Egolf said. “The economic diversification and the film and TV aspect really align with the film and TV priority of the whole Santa Fe delegation.”
Egolf noted the city’s request to fund COVID-19-proof equipment for parks might not be a wise investment. Funds might not become available until at least October, when the pandemic could be receding, he said.
The proposed south-side teen center, planned to be built across from the Southside Branch Library starting in summer, received high praise from state Sen. Nancy Rodriguez, another Santa Fe Democrat. The project, in the works for at least a decade, is expected to include a gym, family space, a performing lounge, game room and more.
Wheeler said the $890,000 request would go toward increasing COVID-19-safe aspects of the facility, including touchless doors and controls, and expanding a lawn.
“Rest assured that we will do everything that we can to get this funded to its very maximum,” Rodriguez said. “This is the least we can do. Not only for the south side, but for our families and our youth in general.”
Webber acknowledged the city was exploring new revenue streams as the pandemic has led to steep losses, particularly in tourist dollars.
He floated the idea of cannabis legalization as a possible windfall for both the city and state.
“We’re looking for new revenue. One idea that has been advanced is to legalize, regulate and tax recreational cannabis, which would make a big difference to our revenue stream,” Webber said. “We could put that money to work fighting against drug abuse, but also putting that money toward an affordable housing trust fund.”