Nogales Mayor Arturo Garino
By Clara Migoya | Arizona Republic
Nogales Mayor Arturo Garino emphasized recent and ongoing street improvements and the need to expand the city’s borders to annex nearby growing areas Tuesday in an 80-minute “State of the City” address.
From 2019 to June, the city spent $1.2 million on trucks and pavers, the fleet and equipment being used now by the “efficient and professional crew” carrying out in-house paving projects and sewer repairs, Garino said. He blamed not being able to hire outside contractors and obtain pipes on the COVID-19 pandemic and said the city was successful in working with the resources available.
The city spent $1.6 million replacing water lines in several streets and $1.1 million on sewer department projects. Some of these projects are completed, while others are ongoing.
More than 30 streets and avenues will get improvements in the near future, Garino said.
The city applied for a Water Infrastructure Finance Program loan that was approved and will be used for the next three years.
The breakdown, he said, will be $10.6 million for drinking water projects and $4.3 million for clean water projects. Garino claims this “jackpot” will be used for street improvements because infrastructure includes paving projects.
