Officials meet with residents presession

Aware of the budget constraints facing state officials, residents met with legislators before the start of the 2017 session to discuss needs and concerns.

Local officials had a chance to meet in Santa Fe with legislators on Jan. 18 during the Quay Day reception, while local and state legislators were able to meet with residents, officials and businesses owners from Quay County.

The state is in a budget crunch with many legislators looking at bills that will draw back funds and sweep some funds from agencies, said Jared Langenegger, Tucumcari city manager.

Langenegger said legislators are doing all that they can to stay in their budget and operate within the state’s means. He said with the need to cut the budget, legislators still don’t know the impact the cuts will have on entities across the state.

“While in Santa Fe, I had a chance to outline the city’s needs with the local legislators,” Langenegger said. “I presented a proposal that identified the top priorities of legislators should any money be available for capital outlay projects.

Langenegger said at the top of the list is the Second Street rehabilitation project. He said this project is a phased project that requires continued funding from the state to complete.

Langenegger said the 2016 capital outlay allocation of $180,000 was used for engineering studies and utility upgrades. He said as the project progresses, there is still a need for state funding.

“The project has to be completed in phases,” Langenegger said. “With current funding, the upgrade to the water and wastewater utilities beneath the street are repaired in sections.”

Langenegger said each section of road is completed in sections of blocks. He said the utility lines are placed, then the road is paved. He said there would be no sense in paving the road in one stretch than having to dig to repair or replace the lines.

Langenegger said the second priority for the city is infrastructure improvements on East Route 66. This improvement includes the replacement of 3,400 feet of waste water/sewage line from the KOA campgrounds to the Route 66 lift stations.

Langenegger said the city has had to make repairs to two sections of this wastewater line in the past two years with the first repair costing $27,000. He said the second repair of the line is still being evaluated by OCAM/Engineers Inc. with the replacement of the wastewater and sewage line that run beneath Interstate 40 from the campgrounds to the lift station.

“A rough estimate of this repair is more than $1 million,” Langenegger said.

The main project in need of state capital outlay funding is the renovation at the Quay County Detention Center, according to Richard Primrose, county manager.

Primrose said the ventilation system inside the inmate housing pods is in need of repair, and the facility is more than 60 years old with many of the systems in need of upgrading or repair.

“The Greater Tucumcari Economic Development Corp. and the Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce put on a great reception,” Primrose said. “ “There are still many issues facing the state in regards to funding, and all that rural agencies can do is wait and see.”

Primrose said the county is aware of the possibility of no capital outlay funding being available this year. He said the county will do the best to fund the projects vital to the county while watching costs to the residents.