GRANTS, N.M. – City of Grants councilors approved one construction project and the design of another during the April 12 meeting. Compass Engineering was awarded construction of Phase Two of the Second Street Channel Project, which includes a new bridge into the Grants High School Performing Arts Center. Wilson & Company was awarded planning/design for a grading structure on the south side of the Roosevelt Avenue Bridge.
Second Street Channel
The New Mexico Water Trust Board awarded the City a $1.2 million grant/loan (90/10) agreement earlier this year for the Channel Project. Phase One included two other bridges entering the high school property and a pedestrian bridge on the south end of the channel. The City and the Grants/Cibola County School District are collaborating on the project. Construction on the drainage improvement project is expected to start in May.
The City will seek funding for Phase III following the completion of Phase II. Phase III connects the walk/bike trail by looping around the high school
property following Roosevelt Avenue to Washington Avenue near the old jail property, which sits on the south facing hill above the school. The trail will turn east at Washington Avenue and continue to the new pedestrian bridge, creating a bike/walk loop around Grants High School.
Roosevelt Bridge Grading Structure
Wilson & Company was awarded design of the grading structure at Roosevelt Bridge, $123,000. The project is funded through an agreement between the New Mexico Department of Transportation and City of Grants, 75 percent State and 25 percent City. The agreement is valued at $920,000. The City administration anticipates completion of the design within the next six-seven months; construction of the grading structure is scheduled to take place mid to late next year.
The Rio San Jose Flood Control District provided $50,000 to the City in 2019 for a Preliminary Engineering Report on the bridge and grading structure.
First Street Phase Two
The groundbreaking ceremony for First Street Phase Two reconstruction has been postponed until April 19 at 10:30 a.m. The change is due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent Texas power outage, according to city officials. State Representatives Harry Garcia and Eliseo Alcon along with NM Department of Transportation District Commissioner Charles Lundstrom and Mayor Martin “Modey” Hicks have been invited to speak at next week’s event.
The $6 million project includes roadway, drainage, and water and wastewater systems. An added lighting alternative will be included if funding becomes available.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation, Capital Outlay, and the City of Grants provided the funding. Compass Engineering of Albuquerque was awarded construction of the project in February. Wilson & Company provided planning and design and will provide construction management. Construction is expected to be completed by year’s end.
The current construction traffic plan includes: First Street will be closed from Roosevelt Avenue to Washington Avenue until December 2021; Second Street will be utilized as a two-way street, north and south, from Roosevelt Avenue to Washington Avenue. While schools are open through May, extra traffic precautions will be implemented from 7:35 -
8:10 a.m., Monday through Friday, in front of Grants High School on Second Street.
First Street Pond & Pump Station
The construction award for the First Street Pond and Pump Station will go before the city council for approval on April 26. The $1.2 million project is also funded through Water Trust Board 90/10 grant/loan agreement.
“With the upgraded drainage improvements being made on First Street, it will alleviate flooding in the long term,” the City’s project coordinator said. “Drainage inlets on First Street are being added from Roosevelt Avenue to Adams Avenue and the entire drainage system is being upgraded to mitigate flooding. “
The new station will pump drainage between Roosevelt Avenue and Adams Avenue to the Rio San Jose.
It is being built on the old Knights of Columbus property on Geis Street between Monroe and Jefferson Avenues. Cibola County donated the property for the project, according to Special Projects Coordinator Donald Jaramillo.
Public Meeting: Bio-Park Economic Feasibility Study
The City of Grants is hosting a virtual April 20 public meeting via its Facebook Page for a proposed Bio-Park along the Rio San Jose from Anderman Avenue to the bridge at George Hanosh Boulevard. The City is studying longterm options for an outdoor recreational facility and economic development. Officials are seeking residents’ input.
Questions to be asked include:
How can the area best serve the community? What recreational amenities do residents want to see in the area? Can the area also be used for economic development to attract visitors and create new shopping and dining options for residents? Which ideas are economically feasible and which are not?
City officials urged community members to view the meeting and to participate at facebook.com/cityofgrants.
Contact the Grants project coordinator office, 505-658-6506, for additional information.