GO Bond 3 approval would provide $4 million to UNM-Gallup

GALLUP, N.M. - The University of New Mexico-Gallup will receive $4 million for the phase 3 renovation of Gurley Hall if voters approve New Mexico's General Obligation Bond 3 for higher education during the 2024 General Election.

This fall, GO Bond 3 will ask voters to authorize the state to issue more than $230 million in bonds to fund public higher education institutions, special public schools and tribal schools. Approval of the bond would not raise taxes.

"GO bonds are a valuable tool for supporting essential public infrastructure projects, including building renovations at UNM-G," UNM-Gallup Chancellor Sabrina Ezzell said.

What is a GO bond?
GO bonds are the primary source of capital improvement funding for New Mexico's higher education institutions. GO bonds come before voters every two years and are funded by property taxes.

New Mexico colleges, universities and specialty schools need GO bond funding to:

• Renovate and repair equipment and facilities.
• Replace old and outdated facilities that are past their useful lifespan and cannot meet current educational demands and safety standards.
• Keep up to date on technology to attract top students and faculty.
• Maintain the resources and infrastructure needed to deliver quality online education to rural students.

If approved, this year's GO Bond 3 would create nearly 2,300 new jobs and contribute to the economies of 29 communities in 23 counties across New Mexico.

Early voting beings Oct. 8 and ends Nov. 2. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Transforming fine arts at UNM-Gallup
With the approval of this year's GO Bond 3, UNM-Gallup would receive $4 million to transform the fine arts department inside Gurley Hall into a safe and welcoming space to aid student success.

The project would renovate fine arts classrooms and spaces, including studios for pottery, painting, jewelry, drawing and other mediums.

Ezzell said the fine arts disciplines cannot be taught virtually like many other subjects. She said the specialized equipment and spaces required in jewelry, for example, make it necessary to have state of the art facilities to teach these skills on campus.

The existing fine arts classroom and lab spaces in Gurley Hall are dated. They have not been renovated since the fine arts department initially opened in the mid-1980s.

"This project will directly affect student success, graduation rates and students' potential as future members of the workforce because it will provide quality new spaces where students can learn, study, work in groups, gather with peers, meet with faculty, and generally feel supported in their pursuit of higher education," Ezzell said.

Renovation of the fine arts area is the third and final phase of improvements to Gurley Hall, which is the largest building on campus.

Gurley Hall renovation phases
Thanks to the two most recently approved GO bonds for higher education, UNM-Gallup received $3 million in 2020 for the first phase of the Gurley Hall renovation and $3 million in 2022 for the second phase.

The first phase of the project involves the renovation of the career and technical education spaces inside Gurley Hall, including the welding and automotive technology areas.

Construction for the first phase of the project started in July 2024 and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2025.

The second phase of the Gurley Hall project is meant to improve the student experience. These improvements will create spaces for students to study, gather and eat, improving the overall student experience in accessing all services that UNM-Gallup offers.

The second phase is in the planning and development stages.

For additional information, visit GO Bond 3.