Paving Pine St. Gets Closer To Becoming Reality

By John Larson

MAGDALENA – If a request for funding is approved, paving Pine Street from Fourth to Tenth streets may become a reality next spring. The request for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) was passed by the Village Board Monday night. The plan includes installing curb and gutters.
Mayor Jim Wolfe said the CDBG application would be for $500,000.
“We put the project in as a street and drainage project,” Wolfe said. “We’re most concerned about drainage. It’s the main problem on that end of Pine. It was our top priority on the ICIP (Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan) we sent to the state.”
The money would be coming from Housing and Urban Development, and would not be a legislative grant, he said. “HUD dishes out money to states for infrastructure projects, such as those for water, waste water, and streets,” Wolfe said.
The last time CDBG funded a street project in Magdalena was to pave Spruce about nine years ago, he said. “This time we’re asking for the maximum level, $500,000. If we get less we may do it in phases,” Wolfe said. “We’ll find out in April or May. Hopefully it will go through.”
In other action:
•The Board accepted bids on two surplus vehicles from the Marshal’s Office. A $1,010 bid for the 2003 Ford Expedition, and a $900 bid for the 2000 Ford Explorer was submitted by Vince DeMarco. The vehicles will be used by Fur and Feathers Animal Rescue in Pie Town. The two bids were the only ones received by the Village Clerk.
•The Board passed two updates to the Uniform Traffic Code ordinance, one concerning the operation of ATVs; and the other concerning penalty assessments. The previously debated ATV regulations will ban ATVs on paved streets, and institute a 10 mph speed limit.
• Deputy Clerk Carleen Gomez reported that they are still several names on the Secret Santa tree.

Paving Pine St. Gets Closer To Becoming Reality