Serving the High Plains

Commission approves funding for street

The downtown Second Street resurfacing project in Tucumcari accumulated more funding Thursday as the city commission approved $313,892.08 in New Mexico Department of Transportation and local funding for construction on the project.

The commission approved a combination of $235,4109.06 in transportation department funds and $78,473.02 in local matching funds to help pay for the project.

The project, which will include replacing the roadbed and resurfacing Second Street from downtown to Historic Route 66, will “help with the traffic generated by the completion of the railroad museum and the continued expansion of the downtown area,” according to the city's letter seeking financial aid.

The commission also approved the city's participation in the department of transportation's annual “hardship sale” of the department's used road equipment to municipalities such as Tucumcari that can show they are economically depressed, according to Ralph Lopez, a city Community Development Department project manager. The hardship sale package includes a $25,000 grant to the city to help pay for equipment it may buy.

The commission also accepted a $14,240 increase in money available to the Tucumcari Senior Citizens Center to buy raw foods to be used to prepare meals served at the senior center and sent out for home delivery. The funding increase more than doubles the amount available for the raw food program, making the total available $28,473.82.

The funds are distributed through the North Central New Mexico Economic Development District's Non-Metro Area on Aging.

A new processing system for processing and mailing utility bills also received approval. The new Pitney Bowes system will replace a Wells Fargo system, City Treasurer Rachelle Arias told the commission.

The city will pay $849.27 per three-month quarter to subscribe to the system, according to documents presented to the commission.

Among other matters discussed were:

• The way in which organizations that stage events in Tucumcari are reimbursed for expenses by lodger's tax funds. District 1 Commissioner Ralph Moya said sometimes event sponsors do not have the cash to pay for advertising and other expenses covered by lodger's tax funds, but the city should be able to pay these costs directly rather than wait for reimbursement invoices. “We don't want to lose these events,” he said.

• Difficulty in finding individuals to serve on the city's Community Development Block Grant board, which makes decisions on how federal CDBG funds are spent. City Manager Britt Lusk said the few applicants had not filled out application forms correctly.

 
 
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