Repaving project short on money

CLOVIS - Curry County's Community Development Block Grant project has hit a financial roadblock. And so the Curry County Commission will be asked to provide direction on how to proceed at today's meeting.

Curry County Administrative Services Coordinator Doria Rey said cost estimates for the CDBG project, the paving of Curry Road 11 between Curry Road N and State Road 311, have come in higher than expected, between $1.3 million and $1.6 million.

CDBG grants top out at $750,000, with a 10 percent match from the county, bringing the total available funds for the project to $825,000 at the most - not enough to complete the three-mile paving project.

Rey said the county's options are to shorten the length of the paving or to use caliche instead of chip seal, because it's too late in the process to select a new CDBG project.

Also on the agenda for today's meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. in the commission chambers at the Curry County Administrative Complex, 417 Gidding St.:

• The board is scheduled to vote on three separate resolutions pertaining to road improvement projects in agreement with the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

All three agreements call for NMDOT to pay 75 percent of the project and the county pay 25 percent of the project. The total cost to the county would be a little over $400,000 if all three resolutions are approved.

• Included on the consent agenda, reserved for routine items not expected to spark debate among the commission, is a memorandum of understanding with the village of Melrose.

The agreement calls for the county to pay Melrose $5,000 for waste management and Melrose to pay the county $5,000 for the housing of inmates.

• Also included on the consent agenda is a resolution to increase Road Superintendent Dennis Fury's salary from $67,400.75 to $74,275, the maximum for the position.

In a letter to the commission, Curry County Manager Lance Pyle said Fury has submitted a letter announcing his retirement but will agree to stay on for an additional year if his salary is increased to the maximum.

Pyle said Fury has over 25 years of governmental experience and that by staying for an additional year Fury would ease the transition to a new superintendent and ensure the completion of the county's current road projects.