BELEN — The Belen City Council approved its 2021-25 Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan with a unanimous vote earlier this month.
The multi-year plan contains projects worth $143,839,956, which councilors hope will be in part or total funded by legislative appropriations.
Belen City Manager Leona Vigil said during an ICIP workshop in August, the council reached a consensus for the top five 2021 projects.
They are West Aragon Road reconstruction and utilities, $1,842,000; quality-of-life improvements, $908,260; asset management plan and GIS software, $65,000; North Belen interchange, $480,000; and senior center improvements, $500,000.
The quality-of-life improvements would include city properties such as historic buildings, baseball fields, Eagle Park and the Belen Harvey House Museum.
The asset management plan has already received $65,000 and is projected to total $365,000. None of the other projects have been funded to date.
Councilor Wayne Gallegos noted the plan was needed to comply with audit findings.
At their Sept. 3 meeting, the councilors voted 4-0 to approve the plan.
The top 12 projects for 2021 also included $528,000 for a SCADA system, which is a computer system for gathering and analyzing real time data; wastewater pipeline rehabilitation for $369,000; $217,000 for infrastructure improvements for various streets; $400,000 for a sewer line extension at the Alexander Municipal Airport; $300,000 for an arsenic removal facility; $285,000 for westside flood prevention and $1.5 million for an airport parallel taxiway.
Julia M. Dendinger began working at the VCNB in 2006. She covers Valencia County government, Belen Consolidated Schools and the village of Bosque Farms. She is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists Rio Grande chapter’s board of directors.
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April 18, 2024
