[Editor's Note: This is the first of a multi-part-series of articles on the work session of May 14, 2019.]

By A.J. Ward and Mary Alice Murphy

The Grant County Commission work session of May 14, 2019 began with county reports.

Road Superintendent Earl Moore said his crews have begun chip-sealing roads. They have finished Mangas Valley Road and are working on school bus routes. "It's business as usual."

Detention Center Administrator Mike Carillo reported Officer Javier Jurado and Officer Ashley Verbena were selected by their peers as officers of the year.

General Services Director Randy Villa asked Airport Manager Rebekkah Wenger to report on the grant application to the Federal Aviation Administration for $50,00 for design of the airport apron, with FAA having the 95% cost share, and the county responsible for $1250 and the state for $1250.

Community Development and Planning Director Michael "Mischa" Larisch said he is still working on getting a 30-year permit for the County Shooting Range. "The Forest Service would prefer a longer permit time, so we are working through it." He said the Visioning meeting for the old jail went well. "I was pleasantly surprised with the attendance. Several of you were there. We have to wait to see what the data is, so this was sort of the cart before the horse. We need Phase 2, but we can't get the funding for that until we have the data. Will it be remediate to remodel or remediate to tear it down?"

He reported he had held the first public hearing for the Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan the previous evening. "We did have a couple of members of the public. They talked about SPIN (Supporting People in Need) and if the county could put it on the ICIP." Other meetings were set to be held in Cliff at 5 p.m. Monday, May 13; at 5 p.m. in Mimbres on Wednesday, May 15; and at 2 p.m. in Hachita on Thursday May 16.

Larisch said he had met with Classic Industries on the Bataan Pavillion, was waiting on subs for pricing, and he hoped he would have prices by the end of the following week for the design build.

"On the Whiskey Creek Volunteer Fire Department station addition, we are still waiting on the metal building to be delivered," Larisch said. "We have a progress meeting on May 21 and will get more information on where everything stands."

The reseeding project at the Hanover VFD station would likely be scheduled in a contact call that afternoon. "It is critical that we work through the VFD on that."

He reported the Complete County Committee for the 2020 Census had its inaugural meeting, "which went pretty well. We have set the next meeting for June 4. An item on the agenda is to add a few more members. Some that we approached have agreed to step up."

"We opened the bid for Rosedale Road yesterday," Larisch reported. "We want to move forward with the project pretty quick.

On the Tyrone ADA project, the county was awarded $920,000 by the Colonias Infrastructure Fund. "We are trying to get that one ready to bid and get the agreement ready with Colonias, usually sometime in August, so the engineer can get the bid documents ready and we can move through it a little faster."

The New Mexico Department of Transportation sent out a letter saying it has $50 million available for projects. "We have two that are shovel ready and those are the ones that we feel would be the best on-call projects for the funding."

Colonias grants have a 10% project match and a 10% loan component. "Typically, we can use Earl and the Road Department crew on projects like Rosedale Road, but since this one is ADA-compliant sidewalks, it is not possible."

Commissioner Harry Browne commended Larisch for putting together the Visioning meeting for the former detention center building and site."Do we have a timeline for getting back a report from the Kansas State folks?"

Larisch said he should have the information back within a month. "We want Kansas State and the EPA to come back and give us more information."

Browne said it was his understanding that the private developer of the organization would finance the building. "Why do they need capital outlay?

County Manager Charlene Webb said she asked the same question. "She said they needed it for the capital improvements, the life station for the sewer, a parking lot and additional furniture. You are exactly right. The developer gets the tax credits; they finance it; and they get up a facility that is debt-free, but she is looking for any potential funding that the developer would not be able to do. She will be meeting with a town councilor. They do have a plan B and will be ready to apply again."

Browne said he was impressed with their organization, but hoped they realized their choice of location would not be the best.

Webb said it is not a homeless shelter, but a supportive housing project.

Browne said they have a place and had an open house a few weeks ago. "It has, in fact, helped the neighborhood.

Webb said one of the "frequent customers at the Detention Center had found a home there and seems to be happy."

Commissioner Billy Billings asked if the developer were local. Webb said the developer is from Albuquerque. "He needs tax credits first, but he has done other projects in New Mexico, although this would be the first in a rural area."

Commissioner Alicia Edwards noted the developer has been successful, not just in New Mexico, but nationally. "There is a ton of research that housing makes a difference. It is a huge positive thing for this community."

Commissioner Javier Salas asked how commissioners give their input on what they want at Bataan Park? Larisch said he would love to hear from him. "I will meet with you any time. Please get your ideas down on paper, the sooner the better. We do have deadlines on the ICIP, so we have to have a draft for the Commission in June. There are several elements and we have asked for them to be priced out. They include ADA parking and then a ramp or open gate and ADA parking at the building itself, as well as ADA issues within the pavilion, including the countertop height and heating and cooling. Matt Beck from J&S Plumbing met us out there to see if electric heat is a possibility, if there is enough capacity. The best option might be propane."

Salas asked if any of the work could be done by the county, but Larisch said it much be done by a contractor for the ADA work. Right now, we don't have the correct grade and the county doesn't have the equipment to shoot the grade and slopes."

"What I want in the ICIP is to address the major hazards out there," Salas said.

Moore said his crew had done some concrete work in front of the Administration Center, "but contractors got upset we were doing the work and we got shut down. The work had to be permitted and the Road Department isn't qualified to do it. We have a commercial license and can do small things, but we don't have the equipment for larger projects."

Commission Chairman Chris Ponce noted the county has hired an electrician, but the wiring at the pavilion won't hold the capacity required. "What can we tackle here and there to save some costs and not just farm out the whole thing?"

Larisch said the county can ask a contractor for certain things that the county can do to save costs. "That is always our prerogative."

Edwards said she was concerned about the giant bay doors and possibly sending heating or cooling outside. "Are we going to seal the doors?"

Larisch said they did not ask them, for the sake of cost, whether they would seal the doors or change them out.

Edwards said there are two kinds of costs—first time and long-term. "I want to continue the conversation about whether it makes sense to invest in propane, given the percentage of heating and cooling that would be going to the outside."

Salas said the building was constructed primarily for public use and the person who had it put in was Horace Jaramillo when he worked for the county. "He went to Roswell and saw their building before the county put up this building. There were plans to make it ADA compliant and the concrete was poured for the parking lot. He got ill and wasn't able to continue the project and the project died."

Ponce said the county would have to look at regulating the propane, with people going in and out and maybe leaving it on. "That may be more costly than investing in something a little easier."

Edwards also asked how the area is patrolled. "I am assuming the sheriff's office patrols out there. I ask because conversations have come back to me multiple times that drinking happens out there, particularly underage drinking. Whose responsibility is it to see that doesn't happen? And What is the county's liability if someone goes to a party in that pavilion, underage and drives out on 180 and kills somebody?"

Sheriff Frank Gomez said his deputies patrol the area because of the pavilion and the new Fort Bayard Hospital, as well as old Fort Bayard. "We can do more."

Ponce asked that it be patrolled regularly because it is county property.

"There are only three deputies, and it is a safety issue," Gomez said. "We still have the rest of the county to patrol and we are short-staffed."

Edwards again asked about liability.

Salas said he talked to a private owner of a similar business, who said he requires a process to identify minors and a policy to require no alcohol. "He also requires security."

"The concern to us is that people believe the county has deeper pockets," Edwards said. "Maybe it's time to have a discussion about private security with things in place to make sure nothing happens. Is there one company that does private security here?"

Webb said the county would have to look at it " (County Attorney Abigail Burgess) can look at the legality of things."

Ponce asked if it would require a policy change.

Browne asked if the commissioners could direct the manager to take care of the issue.

Salas said the old Armory was rented out and gatherings held there. "They specifically had a policy for drinking. I think they banned drinking in totality. But they had a policy."

Edwards said she appreciated that, but it was one thing to create policy and another to enforce it.

Webb said she participated in a workforce and economic development meeting facilitated by Better Cities, the contractor funded by a Freeport grant through the town of Silver City and the Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments. She reported the primary focus was downtown Silver City, Fort Bayard and outdoor recreation. "It was informative, and I learned a lot."

"We closed on the general obligation bond on April 30 and the funds are in our possession," Webb reported.

She said she also attended a meeting with Sixth Judicial District Judge Thomas Stewart and James Foy, along with Commissioner Edward at the request of Stewart on the judicial needs at the Courthouse. "We have a lot of work in the future that we will need to do there. So, I will have items around that on the ICIP. For your information, the county is statutorily obligated to house District Court and the District Attorney. We consider it an unfunded mandate as we don't get any money to provide them with facilities and we are falling short. We will be working closely with them on their needs and requirements and will make sure you are apprised of what is going on there."

Webb also met with Santa Clara Mayor Richard Bauch about Bataan Park. "He is interested in assisting and partnering with us in our efforts moving forward after we identify the ADA issues. He is well aware of the issues and is willing to be a partner, utilizing Americorps and Youth Conservation Corps kids they use in their community. We also had conversations about security and what they can do to enhance that. He is having conversations with PNM about installation of lights near the gates to illuminate the parking lot better. It is really theirs to do. He has some good ideas and is willing to be a partner."

She attended the Southwest New Mexico Collaborative meeting which also is part of the Better Cities project, all intertwined around economic development. "This meeting centered around outdoor recreation, and we looked at different shared priorities and how it would look moving forward. We will meet quarterly. It has two components the leadership group and collaboration, with two prongs. One group will meet more regularly to talk about different funding opportunities. It is really all starting to mesh with what everyone is trying to do from Fort Bayard to downtown Silver City to trails. Outdoor recreation is one way to really diversify our economy, especially with 3 million acres sitting in our backyard. I will make sure to keep you updated."

The Stepping Up Program meeting took place the previous week. "We looked at all the different intercepts, so we heard from adult probation and parole, pretrial services, and Hidalgo Medical Services gave a report on Tu Casa. We have identified all the intercepts, what our assets are and what we are lacking, so at the June meeting our plan is to map that out and find out what is missing and how we fix those gaps. I've been pleasantly surprised at how much more we have going on here. It has been siloed and we haven't been communicating. So this is an opportunity to open those lines of communication between agencies."

Browne said he and Edwards had attended the Visioning meeting and heard about the perhaps inadequate facilities at the courthouse. "The idea that got the most dots was the one presented by Judge Stewart. He suggested razing the old detention center and putting up something new, perhaps a judicial complex. It is a possibility down the road and will have a rent paying aspect to it. The Magistrate Court is housed in a privately owned building where they pay rent, and there are some complaints about maintenance. Their lease expires in 2020, and I believe if the county can provide that, we could get rent from them and maybe from the District Attorney and generate some revenue for the county."

Webb said she was working on a Magistrate Court project when she left Roosevelt County to come work in Grant County. "You can do it with a Mortgage Finance Authority loan to construct. You can incorporate rent, maintenance and janitorial fees to help pay the loan, so the whole burden doesn't fall on the county. Stewart had a very good vision, I thought, in that we could try to rent to others. It is very doable."

Ponce said he liked Stewart's ideas. "I would still like to explore what is involved with the building, but a full judicial complex makes sense."

Larisch said there is also a safety issue with the Magistrate Court, "but it is not our obligation to fix that, but it would be great especially with the rent component."

Edwards had comments on the Stepping Up Program. "I heard from Amanda Frost that HMS has finally gotten their triage center licensure for Tu Casa, so it can now become 24/7. I spent two hours at Bataan Park with Jason (Lockett, maintenance department manager). I want to give him a shout out for the amount of thought he has put into what is going on out there. They've been doing the best they can out there without a lot of resources and some huge challenges. My hat's off to Jason and Randy and their department."

 She suggested the budget issue be set aside, as people were waiting to give presentations. Browne moved to alter the agenda to hold public input, have presentations and then return to the budget.

The next article will begin with a presentation by Bruce Ashburn of PNM on a proposal for the county to lock in electricity rates created through renewable energy.