
It’s less than three weeks away from the Nov. 5 election, and both the University of New Mexico Hospital mill levy and GO Bond 3 for Higher Education are on the ballot.
On Sept. 8, Del Esparza, chairman of the board of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, and Terri Cole, GACC president and CEO, wrote an op-ed published in The Sunday Journal supporting the UNMH mill levy.
The Chamber leaders explained they and other business leaders understand the vital role a robust health care system plays in attracting, and retaining, quality employees and businesses in our community. The GACC Board of Directors voted unanimously to support the mill levy earlier this year.
Esparza and Cole said the funding will help enable UNMH continue to provide its unparalleled high-quality health care, including:
- New Mexico’s only Level 1 Trauma Center — a lifeline for New Mexicans and our workforce.
- New Mexico’s only dedicated pediatric hospital — UNM Children’s Hospital treats thousands of our children every year. The hospital’s cutting-edge technology and specialized care are strong motivators for families moving to, and staying in, New Mexico.
- A teaching hospital — As the only academic health center in New Mexico, UNMH cares for patients with the most complex health needs in the Southwest — regardless of a family’s ability to pay. It is the primary teaching hospital for the UNM School of Medicine, which means providers and their patients are on the cutting edge of medical research, technology, clinical trials and specialty patient care.
- The state’s only NCI-designated cancer treatment center — The UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center is nationally recognized for breakthrough research in genomics, leukemia, nanotechnology, radioisotopes and drug discovery.
Meanwhile at the GACC Board of Directors meeting Sept. 26 at Intel, Chamber members received an update on GO Bond 3 from Olivia Padilla-Jackson, vice president of Finance and Operations at Central New Mexico Community College.
She said GO Bond 3 can improve New Mexico public colleges, universities and specialty schools without raising taxes.
GO Bond 3 will provide more than $230 million in higher education funding statewide, including $94.5 million for the University of New Mexico and its branch campuses. It will provide funding for more than 40 projects at colleges and universities in New Mexico.
UNM has several important projects as part of the GO Bond this year, including a new Humanities & Social Sciences Complex on the main campus and a College of Pharmacy Renovation for the UNM Health Sciences Center on the north campus.
Each of UNM’s four branch campuses, including UNM-Gallup, UNM-Los Alamos, UNM-Taos and UNM-Valencia, have relevant projects to improve amenities.
Additionally, the passage of GO Bond 3 would create more than 2,300 new jobs in architecture, construction, education and related fields and contribute to the economies of 29 cities in 23 counties across New Mexico.
If approved, Central New Mexico Community College would get $10 million for the Center for Technical Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development, as well as $6 million for Health and Safety Improvements on all CNM campuses.
The former would provide expanded space for:
- FUSE Makerspace: A permanent home for the current Downtown location, providing access to equipment and entrepreneurial support.
- Deep Dive Technology Bootcamps: Intensive training programs in various technology fields.
- AI and Blockchain Programs: Specialized courses to address emerging technologies.
- Quantum Science Lab and Quantum Technician Bootcamp: A program in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories offering high-paying jobs.
- Entrepreneurial Development Programs: Support startups and established businesses.
Padilla-Jackson said the total cost for this project would be $35 million. The remaining $25 million would come from CNM. The new center would be located near the main campus off Avenida Cesar Chavez and University Boulevard.
She continued that the Health and Safety improvements would happen on all CNM campuses (main, Montoya, West Side, Rio Rancho and South Valley campuses plus the Advanced Technology Center and the Workforce Training Center) and include:
- Emergency alert improvements that establish and improve a campus-wide communications system for effective emergency response and protection of students, staff and visitors during life-threatening situations.
- Improved code compliance in CNM’s facilities for plumbing, fire protection, electrical systems, emergency lighting and laboratory exhaust.
This project has a total cost of $12 million.
Voters from around New Mexico have overwhelmingly supported these much-needed GO improvement bonds for the past six cycles — 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022.