ENMU regents approve repairs, equipment

PORTALES — Athletic facility repairs and funds for public broadcasting are a step closer to realization following Saturday’s meeting of the Eastern New Mexico University Board of Regents.

Money from the recent legislative session includes $750,000 “towards the re-roofing of Greyhound Arena” and $497,633 “to replace end-of-life digital TV transmitters and translators for KENW-TV operations,” documents show.

Additional funding of $600,000 on the roof project “was secured as a result of a lawsuit the University pursued and won against a roofing contractor who installed a failed roof on the flat part of Greyhound Arena,” according to a letter on the project from vice-president of business affairs Scott Smart.

The combined funds of $1.35 million will allow for the replacement of both the domed portion at the arena as well as the flat portion of the roof that covers the east side of the facility. The project will now be presented to the state Board of Finance and the Higher Education Department.

The KENW funding comes from an appropriation of $1,550,000 to the New Mexico Higher Education Department toward “improvements to public educational television stations for a consortium of higher educational institution statewide” and distributed between ENMU, New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico, according to a letter from Capital Projects Director Gerald Hoehne.