Santa Fe officials hope the state Legislature can find money next year to help pay for the capital city's 400th anniversary celebration, a teen center, the ongoing Buckman Direct Diversion project, reservoir improvements, river restoration and police station remodeling.

The City Council on Tuesday also posed a number of other requests for state capital outlay spending in each of Santa Fe's four council districts when it approved a list of local priorities for the state legislative session that convenes in January.

Among citywide appropriations that contract lobbyist Mark Duran will pursue are $4 million for the Rio Grande diversion at Buckman, a drinking water project; $1.5 million for updates to the McClure and Nichols reservoirs that feed the Canyon Road Water Treatment Plant, and $1 million for Santa Fe River bank and channel stabilization and erosion protection.

The first phase of renovations at the police headquarters on Camino Entrada is already complete and resulted in new stucco, roof and windows as well as a remodel of several rooms. While the second phase is already funded through city bonds and other legislative appropriations, and a construction contract is slated to begin next month, a shortfall of $1.5 million remains to construct a planned second-story addition and reconstruction of the parking lot, according to a city memo.

Another $1.5 million is requested to help convert the idle Tino Griego Pool into a teen center. The city has already issued a contract for an architect to design the renovation and expects to spend money upgrading electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems as well as other changes.

When it comes to the 400th anniversary commemoration, the state has already ponied up $350,000 for a nonprofit organizing the programs and events this year and next year. On Tuesday, the City Council finalized a grant of about $122,000 for the project that came from other unspent state money, but is seeking another $1 million from the 2010 session. A measure expected to come up for a vote next month could funnel more city reserve cash into the effort. About $1.5 million in public money has been authorized to date.

The governing body set priorities even as other state-funded projects appear in jeopardy.

In an attempt to corral available cash to deal with a state budget crunch, Gov. Bill Richardson froze grants and agreements between local governments and the state Department of Finance and Administration for capital outlay projects funded with general fund or severance tax bond funds. Cities have until Sunday to submit paperwork to the state that shows whether a proper contract for third-party work on a capital project is in place.

Although some Santa Fe projects have been identified by officials as being on the chopping block, Public Works Department Director Robert Romero said the city has been judicious.

"Since 2003, we have received $30 million worth of state money, but almost everything we have is under contract," he said. "We are very organized."

Romero said his office has already copied all the appropriate contracts and will forward them to the state this week.

"We are just doing what we can to give them the information they have asked for," he said.

Contact Julie Ann Grimm at (505)986-3017 or jgrimm@sfnewmexican.com.