Taos County approves $740,863 contract to repave county complex parking areas

Taos County commissioners approved contract TCC2025-18 with GM Emulsion to repave the front and back parking areas at the Taos County Complex. County Manager Gilberto Jaramillo presented the item and said the contract total is $740,863.25, inclusive of gross receipts tax.

“...this is a contract with GM Emulsion for both the front and back parking lot in the amount of $740,863.25 inclusive of gross receipts tax,” Jaramillo said.

Commissioner Brush asked whether the project could incorporate water-harvesting measures described at a recent Rio Fernando collaborative presentation, such as curb cuts to direct stormwater and help protect nearby cottonwoods. “I’m just wondering if we could utilize that information about how to have, like, a healthier, more water conscious paved environment,” Brush said.

County staff reported they had followed up after the earlier presentation and determined the lot’s elevation relative to the cottonwoods made the proposed measures infeasible. “They both… deemed that it was impossible in our parking lot,” a county staff member said.

Commissioner Brush moved approval of the contract; the motion passed on a roll call with all commissioners voting yes. A county official noted that incorporating stormwater-harvesting measures at this site could increase costs because the parking base would need to be raised to achieve different elevations for capture.

Why it matters: The project is a major county capital-improvement contract and will alter surface runoff and maintenance at the county complex. Commissioners asked staff to consider water-wise design for future projects and noted that retrofitting the current lot may be impractical now.

Ending: The contract was approved and staff will proceed with execution; commissioners discussed broader policy implications for future site design but took no additional formal action at the meeting.