Belen Council to Consider $1.2 Million Third Street Improvement Contract

A $1,222,153.25 notice of award for Third Street improvements headlined Belen City Council's Monday meeting, with TLC Company, Inc. identified as the city's recommended contractor. The amount excludes gross receipts tax, establishing a baseline that residents and budget-watchers can use to track spending as the project moves toward construction.

The notice of award, if approved, sets in motion a chain of administrative steps: city staff finalizes contract documents, establishes a construction schedule and coordinates traffic and pedestrian management plans before crews can mobilize. For residents and business owners along Third Street, that process carries immediate practical implications around lane closures, parking access and temporary disruptions, alongside the longer-term benefits that typically accompany a capital improvement of this scale, including upgraded pavement, curbs, sidewalks, drainage systems or lighting.

Third Street was not the only item on the table at Belen City Hall, 100 S. Main St. The same agenda included a Technology Infrastructure Fee committee proposal to purchase new computers for the public library, a request for code-enforcement staff to attend an out-of-state International Property Maintenance Code training class, and consideration of a memorandum of understanding with the Farmers Market. The council also took up appointments to the Belen Public Library Board of Trustees, with Mary Swenson, Charles Rundles, Frances Zeller and Tim Torres all listed as candidates for those seats.

The full scope of the Third Street work, including funding sources, utility relocation plans and a projected completion date, should be detailed in the official council minutes and staff reports now that the meeting has concluded. Those documents, available through the city, will confirm whether the award to TLC Company, Inc. was formally approved and set the clock on when construction activity along the corridor can be expected to begin.