Four corners - economic development and tourist spots in San Juan County, New Mexico, and Durango, and Cortez,Colorado, Arizona and Utah

New Mexico Business Journal, Sept, 1991 by Margaret Cheasebro, Jack Hartsfield

FOUR CORNERS

Hub of the Four Corners: San Juan County

The economy in San Juan County, New Mexico -- the hub of the Four Corners area -- is recuperating with new activity in the oil and gas fields and a strong retail trade center and tourism.

"We're flying on all four cylinders," says Dan Graham, director of the San Juan Economic Development Service Inc., whose board is composed of representatives from San Juan County and the cities of Aztec, Bloomfield and Farmington.

In the last year, the local economy has grown considerably, bringing with it both opportunities and problems. Cities report rising gross receipts revenues, but people can't find apartments or houses to rent.

"We have a good bit of tourism," he says, "and we are definitely a retail center. The coal mine and power plant operations are fairly strong as is the oil and gas industry.

"And agriculture at Navajo Agricultural Products Industry (NAPI) is doing well."

The yet uncompleted Navajo Indian Irrigation Project, that brings water from Navajo Reservoir to NAPI, is already providing water for 55,000 irrigated acres under cultivation.

Located on the Navajo Reservation south of Farmington, NAPI employs 400 people and has an annual payroll of from $5 million to $6 million. It grows many crops, among them potatoes, beans, alfalfa and onions.

More than 1,500 coal seam gas drilling permits have been issued in the area, says Frank Chavez, district supervisor of the state Oil Conservation Commission in Aztec.

San Juan County and the three area cities are working with the Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments to study the feasibility of building a rail line.

It would provide another form of transportation to the area, which lacks an interstate or an airport that can accommodate large jets.

Though some companies find the lack of major transportation facilities a drawback, others have found the area excellent for business.

Independent Mobility Systems of Farmington is the only company in the nation to use an assembly-line approach to convert vans for use by the disabled, says Greg Anesi, founder and major stockholder of the corporation.

Some companies have played important roles in projects of statewide or national interest, among them CDK Contracting Company, whose U.S. corporate headquarters is in Farmington; and Dawn Trucking, also of Farmington.

With its recent purchase of Air Midwest Inc., for over $36 million in cash and stock, the Farmington-based Mesa Airlines has expanded its airline service area to 19 states.

San Juan Regional Medical Center, which has more than 75 doctors on staff and employs 650 people, provides health care over a wide radius.

The area has a 54-bed Suncrest Mental Health hospital, a Veterans Administration Community Clinic and the Four Winds Addiction Recovery Center. Presbyterian Medical Services provides health care and human services in 16 areas.

The largest two-year comprehensive college in the state, San Juan College had 3,200 credit students in 1990 and more than 1,500 enrolled in non-credit community service classes.

During the first three months of 1991, Farmington generated gross receipts of $118,953,973 in the retail trade business, almost one third of the $302,792,742 gross receipts from all industries in the city.

Aztec has seen an upswing in its gross receipts tax revenues, which were $369,992 during the 1889-91 fiscal year as compared to $314,852 the year before.

Bloomfield's gross receipts revenues were two-thirds above projections during the last quarter of the 1990-91 fiscal year. The city received gross receipts revenues of $979,385 during the 1990-91 fiscal year, up from $750,628 the year before.

Margaret Cheasebro is a free lance writer based in Aztec, N.M.

Durango: A refreshing respite

Durango, Colo.--The nation may be reeling from the pinch of recession, but in the high-mountain, crisp air of Durango, the atmosphere is one of growing prosperity.

The real estate market is booming; the tourism industry is soaring.

And even if the tiny Western town of 12,700 may face a minor economic slump down the way (the local economy tends to lag behind national trends), Durango is moving ahead with confidence -- healthy and thriving.

Real estate sales, for instance, exceeded $100 million for the first time by the end of 1990 in Durango while real estate and construction nationwide were taking a thumping.

Throughout La Plata County, small businesses are proving to be the backbone of the economy, with about 80 percent of the total work force of about 15,800 employed in small businesses.

The county's top 10 employers meanwhile account for about 3,500 workers and an $85 million payroll, which includes Fort Lewis College, 9-R School District, Mercy Medical, federal agencies, La Plata County, state government agencies, Purgatory-Ski Resort, Tamarron Resort and the city of Durango.

During any month, serious negotiations are underway with about 40 prospects to relocate in Durango and southwestern Colorado, according to Will Williams, executive director of La Plata County Economic Development Council.