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U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján intends to support a city of Roswell application for a $2.5 million federal grant that would provide part of the funding needed to expand a Roswell Air Center hangar now used by CAVU Aerospace.
Luján, a Democrat from the town of Nambé who was elected as a senator in 2021 after 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, visited the city-owned Air Center for the first time on Wednesday, meeting with county and city elected officials and administrators.
“The purpose of the visit was to get an idea about the expansion opportunities that would create more jobs right here in Roswell and create more jobs in smaller towns near Roswell as well,” Luján said. “I think the goal here is, what would it take to make the Air Center a center of excellence in America? What a great opportunity I think it is for those kinds of job opportunities and expanded investments here in the community.”
He said one specific outcome of the talks with Roswell Mayor Dennis Kintigh, City Manager Joe Neeb, Chaves County Board of Commissioners Chairman Will Cavin and County Manager Bill Williams, as well as other city and county leaders, was to support the city’s grant application to the Economic Development Administration, a unit of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The city has been working with the EDA for about 16 months to obtain a grant to help pay for an $8 million expansion for Hangar 84, an expansion that would entail adding a “doghouse” to one end of the hangar so that it can accommodate larger aircraft, which is expected to mean more business and jobs for the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company. Taxiway improvements near the hangar also are planned for the project.
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Kintigh said the EDA grant could be for as much as $2.5 million. Other sources of funding discussed at previous public meetings have included state grants and private funding, including possibly from CAVU.
“We are going to work in partnership to help advocate,” Luján said. “I will reach out to the other members of the delegation to try to get everyone on board and show support. But, at the very least, I will show that support and work with the local leaders.”
Kintigh said the one-hour tour with Luján “scratched the surface” of what the Air Center does, but that the group also discussed possible future federal investment at the airfield and airport.
“From my perspective, we had an opportunity to share with the senator what an incredible economic engine the Roswell Air Center is and how it benefits not just the city but the entire state,” Kintigh said.
Cavin said he also talked with Luján about several topics, including career technical education and how supporting educational training for jobs that can be found at the Air Center would be helpful to businesses and residents.
Lujan’s visit in Roswell was part of a larger trip through southeastern New Mexico that included stops in Portales, Clovis, Hobbs and Carlsbad. He met with municipal, county, school, university and health care leaders to talk about community needs.
He also discussed how the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill could bring lots of money to New Mexico. The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 69-30 on Aug. 10, and it is due to be considered by the U.S. House of Representatives this week.
White House and Senate supporters are stressing that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a bipartisan initiative. According to a White House fact sheet, it would provide about $3.73 billion for New Mexico over five years, including $90 million for New Mexico airports.
The bill is expected to face opposition from Republicans in the House, including from New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District Rep. Yvette Herrell, as well as possibly from some of the more progressive Democrats, who want to pressure Congress to pass budget and “soft infrastructure” bills at the same time.
Besides the airport funding, other allocations in the bill would provide New Mexico over a five-year period with $2.5 billion for highways; $225 million for bridge repairs or replacement; $366 million for public transportation; $38 million for electrical vehicle charging stations; $100 million for broadband internet; $38 million for wildfire prevention efforts; $13 million for cybersecurity initiatives; and $355 million for water and wastewater improvements.
Another $21 billion nationwide would go to remediate environmental hazards such as mines and Superfund sites, with $4.7 billion nationwide allocated for plugging about 6,000 abandoned oil and gas wells in the United States. Luján indicated that New Mexico has about 700 orphaned wells.
Lisa Dunlap can be reached at 575-622-7710, ext. 351, or at reporter02@rdrnews.com.
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Luján supports federal investment in Air Center - Roswell Daily Record
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