By Vanessa Dabovich
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/krwg/local-krwg-958771.mp3
Las Cruces, NM – On Monday the City Council approved two resolutions between the City and the Federal Transit Administration for facility construction.
One gives the green light for city officials to apply for three hundred and ninety-four thousand dollars in federal funds that will be used for construction of a transportation intermodal center at the corner of Alameda Boulevard and Lohman Avenue.
The second allows the city to apply for around six hundred and seventeen thousand dollars in funds that will build the architectural and engineering design portion of proposed city transit maintenance and operations facility on Motel Boulevard.
Transit Administrator Mike Bartholomew says obtaining the funding for a new transit facility is crucial.
Bartholomew-"The current transit facility is too small to meet future growth needs of the city and regionally of transit. It's already a pretty overcrowded facility there. Currently, the facility can't expand on the Hadley complex due to the master planning of that area for parks and recreation facilities. This has been a fairly high priority project in terms of requests that council has made to congress every year when we go with a wish list to congress for projects."
Bartholomew says the federal funds have already been earmarked for the City, but the funds must be obligated by September and have a local match. For both projects the City will have to provide over two hundred and fifty-two thousand dollars in matching funds.
The funding and budget adjustments will apply to fiscal year 2012 which is also when the facilities department would like to begin design work.