By Lynn Janes

On May 22, 2025, the commission had a regular meeting at the city annex building.

New business

Raymond De La Vega, Stantec, had an update on the project. One of the main things they have been working on has been to determine and contact property owners on highway 152. What they will need for the owners will be right-of-way. The right-of-way seems to be a bit of a mess depending on what records are looked at. Currently two entities have been trying to decide ownership between the Forest Service and New Mexico Department of Transportation (DOT). If the decision comes to Forest Service, it will make it federal land and then would require NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) and not just for that area but the whole project of 22 miles. In working with the two entities De la Vega said it seems more likely to be DOT. If NEPA has to be observed on the whole project, it will take a lot more money and time.

Sheila Hudman, Santa Clara village administrator, said they had run into the same thing, and it came down to the land ownership being Forest Service, but DOT had a maintenance agreement for the highway, so all they had to do was obtain a permit.

They all thought if it came to the Forest Service and having to comply with NEPA requirements it could just be in that stretch as long as each section had a separate contract for the phases. The location of all the lines came into the discussion and what land they would be needing easements from and talked about just asking for wider easements where they could. That idea will be checked on and could be a cost savings.

Currently Stantec has been waiting on results that will let them know how much rock they will have to deal with. Other than that, they will be working on the final proposal and will have it ready by the end of the month. The technical specialist has it and will be reviewing it. The Santa Clara proposal will also be ready, so as soon as the funding comes it can be started.

De la Vega said they had not had the best of luck with the water operators subcommittee attendance. He had a few wrong email addresses. Stantec has a few things they want to go over with all the water operators. He really wanted to address the water stand in Hanover and what condition it is in and did it need to be relocated. Hudman needed him to clarify more. They went over the past system and how it had been set up. Some confusion had happened with the Hanover water association. Hudman said she thought the stand would be in good condition. A lot of back and forth on events with Hanover, Santa Clara and Freeport McMoRan (FMI). They hoped to keep the tank and stand in the same place.

Indira Aguirre, Rural Community Assistance Corporation, went over what had taken place at the administrative joint powers agreement (JPA) subcommittee. They had gone over some things but discussed the chlorination and where it would be done. They also discussed creating a political subdivision for the Grant County Water Commission in the form of an authority and how to pursue legal resources regarding the creation of an authority that ensures the ability to acquire and secure funding. She will be following up on this. Aguirre went over some of the funding debt and how that would be handled.

Aguirre said they had looked at the different phases of the project and funds that had come in. They included looking at a 40-year regional water plan and added some items that came up. She asked about a Grant County hazard mitigation plan. Priscilla Lucero, director, Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments, said they have one and it includes all entities, and they have a resiliency plan that includes this project.

Lucero had a rural infrastructure program fund update. They have all the funding to do the wells in Santa Clara and had also done the agreement with FMI required for some of the funding applications.

Brown said they had a status on all the projects and the engineers will be meeting every first and third Tuesday.

Lucero had some information on colonias funding. Originally, they had been told the funding total available would be $62.5 million. It turned out to be $80 million for funding allocation. They didn't have enough projects that could be funded due to audit noncompliance and will do another round of awards in August. She hoped those that had not met compliance would be by then and could be funded. If bids came in over what funding a project received, they could possibly obtain that additional funding to cover the whole project.

Brown said they had received $1 million to move a sewer line and the bid came in at $1.4 million and that had been the low bid and the high came in at $1.9 million. "This is something we will start seeing a lot of probably. We need to be careful."

Lucero said they had made a change and as of July 1, 2025, as long as you had only been a year behind on your audit compliance you could still be eligible for funding.

Funding would be available in May or June to apply for legal fees on the regional water project. She had other information that would help the individual municipalities with projects such as a 40-year water plan.

Lucero said the DFA has been pressured to spend the federal dollars available. One challenge has been the $1 million for Hurley they have not been able to have extended. This money had been allocated to be used for equipment on the wells by the airport. They have gone out to bid but the bids will not come in time to meet the deadline. The $1.5 million received for capital outlay will now fund that project in part. The state will require a binding agreement with Freeport McMoRan to use funding to drill on their land.

Lucero went over some of the other funding available and trying to apply for the ones that would best serve the water commission. It had been hard to keep up with the many sources.

Next meeting will be held June 19, 2024. (tentative)

Adjourned