Photos and article by Mary Alice Murphy

[Editor's Note: Apologies for the quality of some of the photos. The lighting was difficult that day, with it being cloudy and sunny and in between.)

Southwest New Mexico ACT Executive Director Lee Gruber welcomed everyone to the awards appreciation for those who have worked and volunteered on the landscaping of the Silver City Waterworks building.

"This is the first of our Five Points Project," Gruber said, as she apologized for getting emotional. "This was and still is a labor of love, with the entire community participating. Years ago, we talked to (Silver City Manager) Alex (Brown) about our plans and he said: 'Just run with it.' We've been running ever since. We owe great thanks to the community, our young people, including Americorps and YCC (Youth Conservation Corps), all of whom have been involved and have devoted their time and energy to fix this place up."

"I also give tribute to Bridgitte (Johns), the project manager," Gruber continued. "She gets a lot done and I don't lose my temper. We are a perfect match for these projects. Southwest New Mexico ACT has supported the project. It's not complete, but look at it now. It's something we can be proud of."

Silver City Mayor Ken Ladner welcomed everyone on behalf of the town. "This is a great community because of our community of volunteers." He also recognized Brown and the Assistant Town Manager James Marshall, who Ladner said was often seen on a tractor spreading gravel. He also recognized Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments Executive Director Priscilla Lucero, who helped get funding for the project, and also Jacquie Olea, town community development director. Other dignitaries in attendance included County Manager Charlene Webb.

He then began announcing the awards of appreciation, which Mayor Pro Tem Guadalupe Cano handed out. Many are pictured in the slideshow below, but others that were not in attendance included volunteers Steve Collie, Mitch Baruch, Perry Loeffler, Jeff Cramm, Suzanne Gershenson, Fred Fox, Brent Flenniken, Kenny Moon, LeRoy Apodaca, Josh Burke, Zeb Clarke and Trish Kirchhoff. A member of the Aldo Leopold Charter School Landscaping crew, Christine Dalmedo was not present. 

Ladner noted that more than 200 student have participated in trail restoration crew over the past four year, totaling more than 3,000 hours. "Without their dedication and commitment, a significant amount of this project would not have been possible.

He also recognized others not in attendance, including contractors Chuy Moreno of Family Frameworks, Steve Shatzkin and team of Shatzkin Enterprises, Tobias White, Martha Egnal and Tucker Looney of Looney Lumber.

Partnerships that were not in attendance included Allyson Siwik of Gila Resources Information Project, Gabriel Feldman of HoneyHawk Homestead, Melanie Zippin and Jeff LeBlanc of Whiskey Creek Zocalo, Fowler Brothers Inc. which donated boulders, Kuester Well Drilling, which contributed a large donation of drill pipe, and Victoria Hill, who, along with her husband, Dave, donated boulders from their house building site. 

He recognized funding supporters with no representative at the event, New Mexico Clean and Beautiful grant and New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division Trails+ grants. 

Gruber led tours into the building itself. She said the building was constructed in 1886, using local rocks and lime. She pointed out original railings that surrounded the well equipment area, which would be replicated, as well as the original doors. She showed the area where the water superintendent and family resided on one side of the building, which had three bedrooms up steep stairs. "When the building is renovated, I want lime plaster used, not any other kind of plaster. I want the original plaster to be replaced by the same material it was constructed with."

She noted that they expect to have people camping at the facility in early 2025. "We need a camp host."

"Thanks to the town of Silver City, we can expand to the property next door," Gruber said. "The town purchased the former Royal Scepter building. That's next on our list for development. Ultimately we want this building and that one open to the public. It's a labor of love and we thank you all."

Susan Berry, Silver City's keeper of history, in answer to some questions from this photographer and author, got back to me later that afternoon and said the last water supervisor to live in the building was Claude "Jonesy" Jones. He died at the property in 1967. She said the original well at the facility continued dispensing water for contractors into the 21st Century.

Her research tells the story of the most recent history. It is posted below:

In 1983 ,the Silver City Museum nominated the Waterworks to the National Register of Historic Places. It was listed in 1984, the same year a Town Councilor proposed demolishing the historic building. Mayor Lucy Stermer appointed a committee to investigate alternatives. An architect sent down by the state Historic Preservation Division Preservation conducted the first structural evaluation of the Waterworks and determined that the building was sound. The Town installed new temporary roofing on the building's two-story section.

The Museum became increasingly active in Waterworks preservation efforts in the 1990s, securing a $21,000 grant for updated structural evaluation and emergency stabilization. A task force was organized and the first of many public meetings was held to discuss possible future uses of the Waterworks. In 1999 the first interior tour of the building drew over 80 participants and the Waterworks was named one of New Mexico's 11 Most Endangered Cultural Resources.

In the early 2000s, Town Brownfields Coordinator Joseph Gendron obtained funding for EPA hazard assessments at the Waterworks. The Museum secured grants for engineering and planning, including the presentation of a two-day design charette. An early outcome was the development of a botanical garden across Silva Creek by a group of local residents. Meanwhile others began visualizing a trail system linking open space and Town-owned amenities, including the Waterworks and reservoir site. The Town Council endorsed this effort and approved a new roof for the two-story portion of the Waterworks. The Gila Conservation Education Center took the lead on Waterworks planning during this period.

In 2011, Nancy Gordon volunteered to shepherd the Waterworks through its next phase, one that would entail the help of over 100 volunteers. She coordinated engineering, master planning, and educational projects funded by a Preserve America Grant and raised over $300,000 in grants and private donations for hands-on rehabilitation. All exterior stonework was re-pointed with lime mortar, the original porch reconstructed, window and door openings secured with faux-painted panels, the pump room re-floored and the pumping pit cleared of debris, hazardous materials abated, interior plaster patched, and new roofing installed on the one-story section. This work, completed in four years, left the historic Waterworks ready for its next chapter.

To pause the slide show, mouse over the image.