The Fort Bayard Historic Preservation Society has sent out a statement, see http://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/8112-fort-bayard-historic-preservation-society-issues-statement-on-old-fbmc, agreeing to the demolition of the old Fort Bayard Medical Center hospital if the Historic Preservation Division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs approves.
Grant County has expressed willingness to take over the fort and use it for economic development. The stumbling block for the county is fiscal. The upkeep and maintenance of the old hospital runs more than half a million dollars a year.
The county has requested leases in the near future of the old trailer park infrastructure to sublease the area to someone to run an RV park. The county also has asked for the Commanding Officer's Quarters building as a museum, and the New Deal Theater (which is younger in age than the old hospital, which was built in 1921) for plays and events, especially to use when the County Business and Conference Center is being renovated on the inside within the next year or two, if funding is received.
Many ideas, including tourism, use of historic houses and buildings as museums, galleries, bed and breakfasts, small restaurants, veterans' group meetings, as well as re-enactments of historical happenings, have been promoted and some entities have agreed to using and restoring individual buildings.
I, the editor of the Grant County Beat, and an involved member of the Fort Bayard Restoration and Development Coalition, wonder WHY the state is maintaining the old building at such a cost.
I understand that if the utilities, including water, natural gas, steam plant and electricity, were turned off, grandfathering them would be impossible, and the cost to replace astronomical.
What I wonder is why the water, heat and electricity are not being used in the buildings, such as the popular museum in the Commanding Officer's Quarters, that are utilized by the historic preservation society.
The state has put in thousands of dollars to turn the historic steam plant into a successful biomass plant, which has heated the buildings on the site. However, as far as I can tell, it is no longer being put to use.
New Mexico legislators, including deceased Rep. Manny Herrera, saw to it that the theater on the Fort Bayard campus received new electrical systems, and other upgrades including a new curtain for the stage. More state money put into the fort.
This money came from us, the taxpayers. We should insist that the state use its funding wisely when considering the maintenance of the fort.
The village of Santa Clara has expressed interest in taking over the whole fort, but the state seems not to listen to the village's request or concerns. The county has agreed to work with the village, as well as Western New Mexico University, to put the site to beneficial use.
The fort cannot be successful without its water. It is blessed with 19 natural springs, which are piped to the storage tanks viewable on the campus, and then piped to the buildings. However, that water is often seen running down the streets because the state has not maintained the underground pipes.
Why does the state not fulfill its obligation to maintain the facilities under its control? Yes, money is always an issue, but, if you're like me, you've noticed that the state often builds NEW buildings and puts them into its inventory, without maintaining those it already owns.
Do you, if you own your house, build a new structure on your lot, before you maintain the one you live in? I doubt it.
Also, with liability as a constant concern, the state does not allow volunteer labor to fix up and maintain the deteriorating historic structures. If a group has its own liability insurance, it still must request specific permission from the state to do any sort of maintenance, including painting.
I totally understand and admire the county for being fiscally responsible, before agreeing to take over the old fort, and I hope that once the fort is leased to the county that local control will be at the forefront. Also hoped for is that private money can help sustain, promote and develop the fort to its potential.
Other forts have been successfully put to re-use, notably the Presidio in San Francisco. The public-private partnership has done an admirable job of preserving the history, while utilizing the site to its highest potential.
Let us hope that Fort Bayard, in the not too distant future, can begin its re-incarnation as a thriving economic asset to Grant County, the region, the state and the nation, which originally built the fort in 1866.
Mary Alice Murphy
Silver City
Yes, Fort Bayard should be used wisely
- Category: Editorials
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