New Mexico citizens will take to the polls Nov. 6 to select the next president of the United States. Also on the ballot will be a call to approve the state legislature’s plan to reissue a series of general obligation bonds to cover various capital improvements for senior centers, libraries and institutions of higher education statewide.
All of the capital improvement projects planned throughout the state are packaged together under the bond reissue. Voters will not be asked to vote for or against specific projects; the bond reissue vote is “all or nothing.”
If the bond reissue passes, the Española Senior Center would receive $250,000 for building code compliance improvements, including roof repairs and revamped handicapped access; $21,000 for purchase and installation of kitchen equipment and $9,360 for purchase and installation of other equipment.
“Our immediate need is to do something with the roof,” Community Services Director Len Cata said. “When it rains, we get a lot of leaks.”
Cata and Senior Center Director Josephine Velasquez arrived at the $250,000 figure based on a rough estimate of the roof’s critical need of repairs.
“With costs (fluctuating) up and down, we’re not sure how bad the roof is until someone gets up there and takes a look,” Cata said. “We’ve been requesting it for a couple of years now.”
Interim city manager Joe Duran said the roof’s deterioration is simply due to weather and time, causing the leaks to which Cata referred. The leaky roof could eventually cause a dangerous, unsafe situation for clients and staff.
“The hazard of having the roof leak on electrical components or fixtures, and leaking moisture on the floor, creates a slippery area to customers,” he said. “I am not saying it is at that point currently, but a prevention goes a long way.”
Cata said a portion of the $250,000 would fund improvements to the Center’s handicapped access, including a new entrance ramp and doorway.
If the bond passes, the Center would receive the full $250,000 that Velasquez applied for to pay for roof repairs and improved handicapped access. However, the Center would not be approved for the full amounts Velasquez applied for in regard to the kitchen equipment or other equipment.
Velasquez applied for $22,500 for kitchen equipment, however, the Center would receive $21,000 if the bond passes. She also applied for $19,660 for other equipment while the total the Center would receive would be $9,360.
Funding for new kitchen equipment would cover a dishwasher, washer and dryer, commercial mixer, oven, steam table and prep table. Duran said the Center currently has these items but they are in need of replacement.
“These are the original appliances that are used daily,” Duran said. “Observably, the equipment is worn out, reflected by the constant maintenance repairs and leaky equipment. The steam table leaks, dishwasher leaks due to the wore-out gaskets and plumbing.
“The commercial mixer is evidently working at a stress level showing bearing and brush wear,” Duran said. “In general, things wear out when using them on a daily basis and it’s time to replace them to more efficient equipment.”
Duran added the improvements would support the Center’s staff as well as its clients.
“The benefit of replacing this equipment provides efficiency, productivity and excellent employee morale,” he said.
Client Bennie C. Romero is a regular at the Center and said she would certainly vote in favor the bond re-issue.
“I think that’s wonderful,” Romero said. “I think that the seniors deserve it.”
Fellow client Anita Trujillo said the Center would greatly improve its operations if the funding is approved and that options for local places for seniors to congregate are limited.
“That’s a good idea to make things get better,” she said. “This is about the only place we have to go for entertainment.”
Senior Center officials submit applications for building improvements every year and while the roof repairs and kitchen equipment would certainly be welcomed, Velasquez said a couple of previous requests have gone unfunded as some improvements have yet to be carried out.
In 2008 and 2009, Velasquez applied for $350,000 to replace the heating and air conditioning system. Also in 2009, Velasquez applied for funding to convert the Center’s lighting system to T5 fluorescent lighting. According to the Lighting Research Center website, T5 fluorescent lamps are T-shaped and the number 5 represents the width of the lamps, 5/8”. The T5 lamps provide brighter and more efficient lighting than smaller-sized T-lamps or traditional light bulbs.
Velasquez said she will keep plugging away to get the necessary funding for a replacement heating and air conditioning system as well as the new fluorescent lighting.
“We’ll just keep applying because it’s important,” she said.
If funding for these improvements continue to be denied, the Center will have to make do with the current heating and air conditioning system, which is in need of an upgrade, as well as the fluorescent lighting fixtures already in place, which could certainly be brighter to benefit the Center’s clients who may have vision impairments, Velasquez said.
According to Leo Valdez, who served as consultant for the Española School District’s Sept. 18 mill levy, if the Nov. 6 general obligation bond reissue passes, tax rates would not be affected. Valdez said taxes wouldn’t go down because taxpayers would still be paying off the old bond and would be taxed the same amount of money.
Last week, State Rep. Nick Salazar (D-Ohkay Owingeh) said taxes wouldn’t increase because the state legislature would allocate the funding to cover the statewide civic and education improvements. The funding would not have to be raised, as in the case of the District’s mill levy. The state already has the money set aside. Funding would only have to be allocated if the vote passes.