New mayor backs $12M courthouse renovation

Bill Donovan
Special to the Independent

GALLUP — The proposed plaza in front of the county courthouse became a step closer to reality Tuesday when the Gallup City Council agreed to go along with some sort of development as part of the courthouse renovation.

County Commissioner Harry Mendoza asked for a commitment so that the county could go ahead with plans to purchase or condemn the houses just north of the courthouse.

He stressed that the county was not asking the city at this time to commit to what kind of development they would do but that they would do something other than make the area north of the courthouse into a giant parking lot.

The reason the commitment is needed, he said, is that the county is now going ahead and making final plans to let out the bid for the renovation and expansion of the courthouse, which is expected to cost the county about $12 million.

At the same time, the county is going to start making preparations, using its own funds, to purchase the houses just north of the courthouse for a sum that is expected to be about $682,000. This will be more if the county has to condemn the houses and go through court proceedings.

The funds for the renovation and the purchase of the homes will come from a 1/4 of a cent gross receipts tax approved by county voters last year.

Tom Leatherwood, a Santa Fe consultant hired by the city and county, has come up with a proposal to develop the area into a park and community memorial center, going all of the way from Hill Street to Coal Avenue.

Mendoza said the city doesn't have to accept Leatherwood's proposal but would have to agree that some sort of development of the area will occur.

"What you do and the scope of the work you do is your decision," he said.

It was also the city's decision, he said, on how fast to complete the project but it appeared that the city council was in favor of getting the project done all at once instead of doing it in phases, mainly because the cost of developing Leatherwood's proposal is not expected to cost the city very much in new funding.

Going ahead now with Leatherwood's idea would cost about $600,000.

Of this, some $234,000 would come from the city in various in-kind services, giving up alleys and streets. The city has also set aside $50,000 as matching funds for downtown development grants.

Another $30,000 would come from funds the city has received from the state for the development of a Northside Arts Park. City officials said efforts are now underway to get the state to allow use of the funds for the downtown development project.

The city also has $175,000 in the bank that was collected as part of a previous community development grant which could be used for the current project.

The city is also looking at some outside funding for the project, including a $200,000 grant from the Japanese American Korean War Veterans, a $3,000 donation from Western Bank and $5,000 from the Navajo Nation on behalf of the Navajo Codetalkers.

Council member Pat Butler at first was a little reluctant to give a commitment at this time, wanting instead to wait until the city went through its budget process for next year so it could set aside any needed funds to complete the project.

Mayor Bob Rosebrough, sitting in his first council meeting in that capacity, said, that while Butler raised a legitimate concern, he felt comfortable in the fact that almost all of the funding for the project has been committed.

"One way or another we can do this project," he said.

Butler finally changed his mind when Mendoza kept stressing that the county needed a commitment now so it could go ahead and begin the process of purchasing the property to the north.

If everything goes as planned, the county will go out to bid on March for the renovation, open the bids on April 24 and award the contract on April 29. This would mean that actual renovation would begin in mid-May.