The Grant County Regional Water Project has received word that the National Development Council has selected the collaborative project as a semi-finalist for a National Academy Award.
Juan Torres and Johanna Nelson of the NM Economic Development Department nominated the project for the reward.
Presenters explained the project at the NM FUND IT and at the NM Infrastructure Finance Conference meeting. The members commented on how impressed they were with the collaboration of local governments working together to provide a permanent water source to Grant County.
Votes will decide four of the winning projects at the NDC Academy 2017 Conference “Forward Rethinking How We Invest: Home, Jobs and Community” to take place in Washington, DC on October 25, 2017.
Three types of 2017 NDC Academy Awards include: Best in Category (4 awards), President’s Award (1 award) and Chairperson’s Award (1 award):
• NDC Academy 2017 Best in Category – the project in each track or category receiving the highest number of votes;
• NDC Academy 2017 President’s Award – a semi-finalist project selected by the President of NDC that demonstrates extraordinary financial structuring; and
•NDC Academy 2017 Chairperson’s Award – a semi-finalist project selected by the Chair of NDC’s Board that demonstrates extraordinary community impact.
Priscilla Lucero of the Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments, along with Lori Ortiz from the Town of Hurley, will attend the conference.
The Town of Hurley currently receives water under a contract from Freeport McMoRan, which will expire December 31, 2018. The Town, through this project, has secured the final funding for the first phase to provide a permanent water source for Hurley.
“We are excited to be recognized at a national level and that a project from this rural area would be selected as a semi-finalist,” Lucero said.