Meetings roundup: Farmington weighs incentive for downtown gym, food truck proposal
AZTEC — A new food truck plaza could be coming to downtown Farmington in the future, and the developers have asked the City of Farmington for help making this a reality.
William and Kim DuTremaine are planning on opening a gym that will help with the physical rehabilitation of their clients at Cottonwood Clinical Services, Inc. As part of that proposal, the DuTremaines have proposed creating a food truck pavilion at 324 W. Main St. that would be known as Locke Street Eats.
The gym would be located in the former Bank of the Southwest building at the corner of Main and Locke streets. This building has been vacant for two years after the bank relocated to the adjacent building.
When the DuTremaines acquired the building, they also acquired a parking lot that they hope to transform into a food truck pavilion.
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They have submitted a request for a $113,000 incentive through the MRA Incentives Program. This program is intended to assist with projects that will bring economic vitality to the Metropolitan Redevelopment Area, which includes the downtown.
Funding for the incentive would come from the Community Transformation and Economic Development fund and would be used to renovate the building that will eventually house Ironwood Gym and to create the food truck pavilion. If approved, the city would be reimbursed after the project is completed.
The incentive application states if it is not awarded the gym will still open, but the food truck pavilion project will be put off until another year.
The Farmington City Council will discuss this proposal when it meets at 9 a.m. Jan. 19 via Zoom.
City staff has recommended denying the request due to the current funding priorities. People wishing to attend the meeting can get a passcode by contacting 505-599-1101 or emailing ajones@fmtn.org.
The agenda also includes possibly turning down federal funding for broadband development in rural areas as the City of Farmington did not receive grants for as many census blocks as it had hoped. Instead, the city could switch its focus from the rural areas of the Farmington Electric Utility Service territory to the urban areas. By switching this focus, the city would then work to gauge community interest in having Farmington become an internet service provider.
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Solar energy dominates County Commission agenda
The San Juan County Commission is set to hear a presentation regarding Rockmont Solar Project when it meets at 4 p.m. Jan. 19. This meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube.
Rockmont Solar is one of three solar projects in San Juan County that the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission approved to replace electricity that Public Service Company of New Mexico currently receives from the San Juan Generating Station.
Dan Nelson, the vice president of 8 Minute Solar, will present details about the Rockmont Solar Project during the meeting.
Additionally, the County Commission will discuss issuing industrial revenue bonds on behalf of the San Juan Solar project, which was also approved as a replacement resource for PNM. These bonds are issued on behalf of a private entity and the county will not be responsible for paying them.
BLM Resource Advisory Council meets via Zoom
The Bureau of Land Management’s Northern New Mexico Resource Advisory Council will have its first meeting of 2021 from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Jan. 19 via Zoom.
"The Resource Advisory Council provides the agency with valuable partnerships, representing multiple interests, assisting the agency by collaborating to manage public lands more effectively," stated Farmington District Manager Al Elser in a press release. "The Farmington District and Rio Puerco Field Offices look forward to engaging with the Resource Advisory Council, as well as members of the public, for our upcoming meeting."
The public can provide comments at 1:15 p.m. during the meeting.
To register to attend, go to https://bit.ly/3st1Mw6.
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Other meetings
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is hosting a coordination meeting for Navajo Dam operations at 1 p.m. Jan. 19 via Microsoft Teams. For more information, contact Susan Behery at 970-385-6560 or email sbehery@usbr.gov
The Farmington Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Commission meets at 4 p.m. Jan. 19 via Zoom. A passcode can be obtained by calling 505-599-1282.
Hannah Grover covers government for The Daily Times. She can be reached at 505-564-4652 or via email at hgrover@daily-times.com.
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