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Written by Brad Buck
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The American Resource and Recovery Act was supposed to create or save jobs to help jump-start the American economy.
Closer to home, the stimulus package was supposed to create or save 22,000 jobs in New Mexico. But no one can say how much money Santa Fe County has received in stimulus funds, much less how many jobs have been established or saved here.
Federal and state officials estimate Santa Fe County will receive $29 million from the federal stimulus package during the next two years.
Even if you figure out how much money Santa Fe County has received from the stimulus package, try to determine how many jobs that money has created or saved. The task gets more nebulous.
Federal guidelines will not allow the people in charge to divulge whether the jobs are actually new or whether they prevented a layoff.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that some stimulus money comes directly from Washington, D.C., while the rest goes through the state through grants.
Spokesman Andy Lenderman with the New Mexico Resource and Recovery office can point you to a section of its Web site that tells you several categories under which federal stimulus funding has been distributed to New Mexico counties.
In Santa Fe County, the following agencies are projected to get the following amounts in the next two years:
¦ In a tax credit exchange program, a project called “The Village,” with the city of Santa Fe’s Housing Trust: $8 million. The money is going for material and labor to build Village Sage, a 60-unit affordable apartment complex across from Capital High School. It’s estimated to create 87 construction jobs and four permanent jobs, said Sharron Welsh with the Housing Trust.
¦ Under an area called “federally qualified health center services,” La Familia Medical Center: $353,411.
The IDS grant covers a two-year period and will add one family physician, one medical assistant, one dental assistant and infrastructure support for the medical and dental programs, said Sharon Askwith of La Familia.
¦ Santa Fe’s Police Department: $1.48 million for eight officers.
¦ Santa Fe Municipal Airport: $525,000. The city is reconstructing a taxiway with the money, said airport Director Jim Montman. Nearly nine construction jobs were created from that money, Montman said.
¦ Transit capital grants: $1.37 million for two buses, 60 shelters and mobile security equipment for Santa Fe Trails.
Los Alamos National Laboratory is reaping a lot of money from the stimulus package and, in turn, hiring plenty of folks.
Fred deSousa, a spokesman for LANL, said the Lab has received $212 million in stimulus money for environmental cleanup, and it is competing for, or working with, others for additional grants for things like energy efficiency research.
On Tuesday, LANL demolished a two-story, 22,000-square-foot former administration building at the Lab’s historic Technical Area 21.
Early on, LANL estimated its cleanup projects would create or save about 300 jobs. Since July 22, when LANL received the $212 million, the lab has already created or saved 211 jobs, deSousa said.
Most of those jobs will be with small businesses who win subcontracts to do the demolition or cleanup work, deSousa said.
Four small businesses are pre-selected to bid for this work; three are based in Northern New Mexico or have offices here and employ Northern New Mexico residents.
Another cleanup project involved excavating the Lab’s first waste landfill, used from 1944-48, deSousa said.
In another project, announced Nov. 20 by U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan’s office, two grants for Early Head Start programs in New Mexico’s Third Congressional District.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through stimulus money, awarded $2 million to Presbyterian Medical Services. Early Head Start programs were established in 1995 as an extension of Head Start to serve children from birth to 3 years old and pregnant women.
“In these challenging economic times, it is vital that our community services like Early Head Start are able to continue their work,” Lujan said in a statement. “I’m encouraged that this investment is being made in our children’s futures.”
Contact Brad Buck at (505) 629-4408 or
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