City to ask for state funds to complete Mendoza Boulevard

By Zsombor Peter
Staff Writer

GALLUP — One-and-a-half weeks after helping break ground on the extension to Mendoza Boulevard, the city has decided to ask the state for another $3,480,000 to help finish the job. The City Council approved the request Tuesday evening.

The money is part of the $250 million Gov. Bill Richardson is proposing to spend on local, city and county owned roads around the state, the second phase of GRIP Governor Richardson's Investment Partnership. The first phase directed hundreds of millions of dollars toward state road projects, including the reconstruction of Interstate 40 west of Gallup and the yet-to-begin widening of U.S. Highway 491 north of Tohatchi to four lanes.

Former County Commissioner Harry Mendoza has been trying to build the extension for the past decade, but he and his successors managed to round up the $4.5 million they needed only recently. They hope the extension, which will run west from the current Mendoza Boulevard to Gallup High School, will relieve traffic congestion on the only road that leads in and out of the school now and eliminate a persistent safety concern.

The $3,480,000 share the city is asking for from the partnership to be matched by $870,000 from the city and county would pay for the installation of storm and sewer lines along the extension and for the overlay and restriping of the current boulevard.

None of the money is in the bank yet. It still needs the approval of the New Mexico Legislature, which is now in session. Although the bill passed the House Tuesday, it still needs to make it through the Senate, where it died last year.

New name for golf course
In hopes of inspiring renewed public faith in the Municipal Golf Course, which has inspired more criticism than praise lately, the City Council also voted unanimously Tuesday on a new name for the facility: Fox Run.

Inspired by the foxes golfers occasionally spot running across the greens, the name was the first choice from among 65 suggestions of the Golf Course Committee, which passed its recommendation on to the council. The name came from Micah Clark, 17, who won $500 for having her suggestion selected.

The city has pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into course improvements over the past few years, and hired a superintendent to grow a healthy bed of grass there last summer. The change of name, the city decided, was only fitting.

"When we get ready to open the golf course for this season, you're going to see a lot better situation," Councilman Bill Nechero said. "We thought it would be very fitting to start off the new year with a new name, a new image, hopefully a new attitude."

Now that the course has a new name, it needs a new logo. The city will start soliciting suggestion, with a $500 prize for the winner, soon.

Budget requests
Before the regular council session even got started, the council convened an hour early to kick off its planning meetings for next year's budget. It was a chance for department heads to tell the council what they'd like their 2008 budgets to look like.

At the top of Police Chief Sylvester Stanley's wish list was an additional $425,000 for more overtime pay, another $36,000 for holiday pay, and an extra $58,000 to give his officers from lieutenant through captain raises. He also asked for six new officers, 15 new police cruisers, four used cars for narcotics enforcement, two new vans for crime scene investigation and two more for its protective custody unit. Stanley's list also included a $40,000 increase to cope with rising fuel prices, more shotguns, and video cameras for the police station's interview rooms. Recording the interviews, he said, would help save the department from losing cases.

Fire Chief Robert Garcia asked for six new fire fighters to man the fire station being build on the west end of town, more money for overtime and training travel, $45 for a new truck to pull the department's hazardous materials trailer, and other facility equipment.

Recreation Director Esco Chavez asked for $400,000 to fix up the Larry Brian Mitchell Recreation Center, $1.6 million to add on a new gym, and $400,000 to renovate the Fitness Center.

Gallup Development Commission Director Glen Benefield also made his pitch Tuesday. The rest of the department heads get their chance this afternoon.

Although the city hasn't projected its expected revenues for fiscal year 2008 yet, Assistant City Manager Larry Binkley expects a three to four percent increase in the general fund. Most of the increase, he said, should be taken up by salary increases.

The city must have its budget into the state for approval by June 1. The fiscal year starts a month later.