Joerg Wehrenpfennig with Bixby Electric installs traffic detector wire Tuesday at the intersection of Cerrillos Road and Cordova Road. The New Mexico Department of Transportation announced Friday it had partnered with the state Tourism Department to assist Santa Fe with “critical” maintenance work.
Joerg Wehrenpfennig with Bixby Electric installs traffic detector wire Tuesday at the intersection of Cerrillos Road and Cordova Road. The New Mexico Department of Transportation announced Friday it had partnered with the state Tourism Department to assist Santa Fe with “critical” maintenance work.
The city of Santa Fe is doing such a lousy job filling potholes, patching streets and picking up litter, the state of New Mexico has been stepping in to help.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation announced Friday it had partnered with the state Tourism Department “to make critical street repairs, maintain medians, and clean up litter in high traffic areas” in the capital city.
It cited Santa Fe’s ongoing effort to complete overdue financial audits, which have prevented the city from accessing some state funding for the work.
“As the city continues to work toward completing annual financial audits required to access unspent funds earmarked for improvements to roads, medians, and parks, it agreed to allow the state to step in to assist,” according to a news release, which the department issued after inquiries from The New Mexican. “This effort is ongoing and aims to make Santa Fe a better place to live, work, and visit.”
The state has already spent nearly $650,000 on work in Santa Fe.
The Department of Transportation has contributed more than $500,000 in worker hours and materials to address cracking asphalt, potholes and other road deterioration problems. The Tourism Department has provided $147,000 in additional funding to address litter in targeted areas, including Cerrillos Road, St. Francis Drive and St. Michael’s Drive, along with nearby arroyos.
“There is no place in the world like New Mexico, and we should take pride in how it looks and feels for residents and visitors,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement.
“This is by no means an isolated effort — we can all do better to keep our roads in good shape, medians maintained and litter cleaned up,” she added. “New Mexicans will be seeing a significant, statewide effort launched in the coming weeks to make sure that pride is evident in every New Mexico community and along every highway. Let’s get to work.”
The governor’s administration told the city earlier this year it was redirecting $1 million allocated for Santa Fe park projects to a state agency to expedite improvement work. The funds were part of the legislative capital outlay blocked due to the city’s lack of compliance with state audit rules. However, the governor halted the reallocation after meeting with state lawmakers from Santa Fe.
City Manager John Blair wrote in an email the city welcomed any state, federal or private investment to help make Santa Fe one of the best cities in the world.
Asked whether it was embarrassing for the state government to take on city services, Mayor Alan Webber responded.
“I really appreciate the Governor providing extra funding for Santa Fe, and I hope she continues to send more money and support our way,” the mayor said in a statement. “There’s never enough funding for basic infrastructure and services, so all help from the State is gratefully accepted.”
Sen. George Muñoz, a Gallup Democrat who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, questioned why the city of Santa Fe is receiving preferential treatment from the state.
“Why do they get their potholes filled for Christmas and all the rest of us don’t get anything?” he asked.
“I guess we should all not be in compliance of our audits so we can have the state do the work for our roads,” he added. “If you want your potholes filled, don’t complete your audits.”
Muñoz also questioned what state projects the Department of Transportation is forgoing to do Santa Fe’s work.
“When are they going to fill the potholes on I-40?” he asked. “When are they going to fill the potholes on state roads I drive on? Is every city entitled to have DOT workers?”
Kristine Mihelcic-Bustos, who served as clerk and community engagement director in Santa Fe before leaving to take a job as spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, said the agency is using the state road fund to pay for the labor and materials.
“We are a state entity helping a local entity,” she wrote in a message. “We do what we can to help.”
Last week, she wrote, state transportation crews were in Mora County assisting with snow removal “to ensure residents could access their home.”
Muñoz, who also chairs the Legislative Finance Committee, said the department may be overstepping its bounds. He indicated the department could be jeopardizing its state government funding.
“I guess we’ll have to appropriate every penny out of DOT so no funds can be used for the benefit of one city over another,” he said.
The news release issued by the Department of Transportation states the city selected initial road repair locations.
“The NMDOT has since identified 20 additional priority locations in need of critical repair,” according to the news release. “The state will continue work in the coming weeks as weather allows.”
