by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
UNM officials announced at an Aug. 17 news conference that the University will trade $6 million worth of land for 216 acres in Rio Rancho, which will be used for a West Side campus.
David Harris, UNM's acting president, and Patrick Lyons, New Mexico commissioner of public lands, have approved the deal.
The regents will vote on the swap Tuesday.
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Lyons said the trade is good for everyone involved.
"It's a win-win for everyone. We promote education on the West Side, and we encourage students to stay in school," he said. "We got a fair exchange."
The State Land Office can choose land from four parcels in Bernalillo, San Juan and Cibola counties, according to the letter of agreement signed by Lyons and Harris.
Kim Murphy, director of UNM's real estate office, said he was happy with the exchange.
"I think it's a fair deal all the way around," he said. "That's what makes a good transaction. It has to work for both sides."
The new campus provides an important option for people who want to go to UNM, he said.
"It will be able to provide an alternative for people coming to main campus," he said. "We're so constrained at main campus, both facility-wise and land-wise, that we need to start really looking at these satellite campuses in the metropolitan area."
Krista Wymer, a UNM student who commutes from Rio Rancho, said the campus is a good idea.
"Living in Rio Rancho and driving across town is horrible - especially in rush hour," she said.
She would have gone to a Rio Rancho campus if it had been an option, she said.
Harris said about 5,000 UNM students commute from Rio Rancho.
"This is an important service we can provide for them," he said.
UNM has had a campus in Rio Rancho since 1990, but it does not offer most of the classes available at the main campus.
The UNM main campus is about 10 acres bigger than the proposed Rio Rancho campus, said Jamie Koch, president of the UNM Board of Regents. The Rio Rancho campus will be able to accommodate about 15,000 students, he said.
"I predict that the University's presence will be felt as much in Rio Rancho as it has ever been felt in Albuquerque," he said.
The land in Rio Rancho is worth about $7.6 million. Walter Grodahl and GSL Properties, Inc. hold a planning and development lease for the land.
By increasing the value of the land by building infrastructure, the developer earned about $1.6 million. Grodahl donated the money to UNM to help pay for the land, Lyons said.
The new campus will make it possible for UNM to expand as enrollment increases, Murphy said.
"I think we're expanding because of the demands new students are placing on our facilities," he said. "We have limited land, and we certainly have a limited building area. It's not going to happen tomorrow, and it may not happen in five years, but we're going to reach a point on main campus where we just can't build any more."
Joseph Cecchi, dean of engineering, said the location of the school will help students.
"I think it's a great opportunity, because there's a great deal of high-tech here, such as Intel," he said. "There will be a focus of high-tech companies and a real need for computer students and engineering students."
UNM will begin looking for building funds for the new campus during the next legislative session, Harris said.
Koch said New Mexico Tech and New Mexico State University will be able to offer classes on the new campus.
The Albuquerque Journal reported Aug. 7 that Koch and Regent Mel Eaves thought Lyons was trying to price them out of procuring the land.
Koch addressed those concerns.
"It is understanding that allows us to reach an agreement," he said. "When we understood land commissioner Pat Lyons' viewpoint and he understood ours, we were able to work out the differences."
