The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) recently awarded the City of Raton an Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant in the amount of $150,000 for the replacement of water, sewer and electrical systems in the 109-year-old Shuler Theater.
The grant was applied for in October of 2022 and recipients were just announced by the NEH, which will include a local required match to bring the total to $300,000. The grant was the only award given in the State of New Mexico, and the proposed project would refurbish the plumbing and electrical systems “that have reached the end of their useful life”.
The City has proposed completing the project in three phases the first being due diligence, which would select a professional design team that will coordinate with NM Historic Preservation and other stakeholders including the Shuler Restoration. Next, the design phase and then the construction phase which would be awarded to a qualified contractor.
The City’s team that helped obtain the grant includes City Manager Scott Berry; Public Works Director, Jason Phillips; Communities Facility Manager and the Project Director, Jolene Greene; and City Clerk/Treasurer and Procurement Officer, Michael Anne Antonucci.
