Stimulus: Bad for PDV foes, good for bond proponents

By Eric Maddy
The SCORE

To paraphrase former president Gerald Ford, "Our long local nightmare is over."

While the debate over Paseo Del Volcan is nowhere close to the Watergate scandal that Ford called a national nightmare, it does appear the decade-long argument over the roadway is about to end. 

Mayor Tom Swisstack said Friday that the federal government has authorized $14 million from its economic stimulus package to complete construction of the controversial roadway that will divide the Enchanted Hills section of Rio Rancho.

Residents who object to the Paseo Del Volcan, which will be a two-lane road in it initial form but has the capacity to expand to six lanes, have protested for years that the environmental impact from noise, pollution and traffic would cause their homes to lose value. As studies, governmental decisions and time have taken care of many of these issues, opponents of PDV still had one ace in the hole -- nobody had the money to complete the road.

But now the stimulus package seems to have ended that part of the debate. The $14 million in new money, coupled with $14 million the city says it has been promised by the state, is enough to complete the $28 million project.

Though he's not necessarily pleased to have PDV in his neighborhood, longtime critic Todd Hathorne seems to realize the road will be constructed sooner rather than later, no matter how Tuesday's bond issue vote turns out.

"The money is coming from the place where it was supposed to be coming from in the first place," said Hathorne, a former Enchanted Hills Homeowners Association president. "I don't have an opion on stimulas package versus highway funding thorugh normal sources. To me it is just an acceleration of the the same process."

Hathorne, a member of MRCOG's Public Involvement Committee, still expressed some concerns. 

"It  (the funding) does sound a little short to me. I was hearing $16 million and now it's $14 million, and that concerns me. It is always interesting to watch budget shortfalls get worked out."

One concern Hathorne has is no formal plan regarding noise-mitigating landscaping for the section of PDV that will divide the Enchanted Hills area.

"We don't have anything in writing yet from the Mayor or our Councilor (Kathy Colley) committing to landscape isues," he said. "I think htey will come through with that. It's a long-term conversation and we have to work on it. Actually, the ball is in our court. We need to get a list of people working who are interested in working on the landscaping.

"I hope it's positiive. I hope it works. Is this a better situation? the answer is yes. I'm still
still concerned how it gets spent. The quality of construction is still a concern for Enchanted Hills residents.

"I'm happy to see that it's true. I know how close they are to (being) shovel ready. Build away -- just make sure you protect the values of our homes."

The new federal money couldn't have come at a better time for Swisstack, who is hoping to lunch a two-year cycle of bonds to continue to improve roads in the city.

"if the bond passes now, it will help us start to do more local roads," he said. "It will bring them up on the calendar so they are done sooner rather than later."

Swisstack said the federal funding of PDV "takes away one of the issues" some voters might have had with the bond issue.

"Whether it will persuade anybody or not (to vote for the bond remains to be seen)," Swisstack said. "But it makes mee feel good that it takes away one of the issues. If we can get on this cycle, i truely believe well start to address our road infrastructure needs."

Swisstack said he is "trying to get constrution going by August. If we can use some of that stimulus money then, this will allow us to strech those dollars even more beore costs go up again."

Recent construction projects have come in as much as 50 percent under estimates because of declining prices in materials.

Local insurance agent Charles Wilkins, who opposed the bond issue, now says he will vote for it now that the stimulus money will pay for some of the roads going to the downtown area.

"I'm happy to hear it. I actually plan on voting for it now since a majority of the money isn't going for the Cit Center now," Wilkins said. "My whole concern the whole time is where the money was going. The old streets need it. I'm for that. I was just against 72 perent of it going toward City Center.

"Now that (the stimulus money) will free up a big majority of money for the older part of the city, I'm all for it."

Wilkins said he believes the bond issue will pass.

"You will probably see some no votes because people in Enchanted Hills are worried about quality of life," he said. "But in my going to meetings the majority of people seem to be for it. Those who were against it had the same concerns I had about the money going downtown and not to the rest of the city."

"The $14 million is specific for Paseo Del Volcan," Swisstack said. "Any other stimulus money ... we're still going to try to work on for things like wells, water issues and law enforcement issues.