Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Tucumcari resident Joe Szaloy on Monday finally got his request to help pay for speed humps on East Maple Avenue on the Quay County commission’s agenda, only for it to be rejected.
Commissioners voted 3-0 to not place anything on the roadway, which has seen an upswing in traffic and speeding in the north Tucumcari neighborhood just a few feet beyond city limits.
During previous county meetings, Szaloy had offered to pay for speed hump materials for the road. He said several families with children had moved to East Maple Avenue, and he feared a speeding motorist would cause an accident.
Szaloy said he requested additional patrols from the sheriff’s department, but the agency responded it is too shorthanded.
At Monday’s meeting, Szaloy offered to pay up to $3,000 in materials for speed humps to deter speeding motorists, plus brightly colored “Children at play” or “School bus stops” signs along the street. In exchange, county employees could install the humps and signs.
Commissioner Robert Lopez rejected the speed humps idea, saying they were more likely to cause an accident than prevent one if motorists drive over them too fast.
Commission Chairman Franklin McCasland said such an arrangement would set a bad precedent, and he receives complaints “all the time” about motorists speeding on other county roads.
“Everyone’s going to want one by their house,” he said of the speed humps.
Lopez and McCasland said, however, they were open to new signs being installed in that area.
“If the county is willing to put up the posts, I’ll buy the danged signs,” Szaloy said.
Szaloy also suggested portable speed-radar trailers with cameras to slow motorists in that area. McCasland responded he’d “look into it.”
McCasland said he wanted to “keep the conservation going” with Szaloy on other possible solutions.
Szaloy said he was “frustrated” by the commission’s rejection of his plan but understood their misgivings.
In other business:
• Commissioners approved a resolution committing expected opioid settlement funds to build a regional mental-health hospital in eastern New Mexico.
During a previous meeting, county manager Daniel Zamora estimated the county’s share would be about $500,000.
Zamora said several other counties have adopted similar resolutions.
Initium Health recently finished a feasibility study on a mental hospital and has concluded it is needed. It envisions a 35-bed facility costing between $15 million and $25 million.
McCasland supported Zamora’s resolution, saying opioid funds need to be used for “a long-lasting project.”
• Commissioners approved a multi-jurisdictional mass casualty plan for the county.
Zamora explained he began drafting the document when he was the county’s emergency manager. He said a mass-casualty incident consists of at least five patients, such as an accident on Interstate 40. Zamora and county fire marshal Lucas Bugg consulted with area fire departments, sheriff’s office and Trigg Memorial Hospital.
Commissioner Jerri Rush, a volunteer firefighter at Forrest, suggested training for all rural fire departments regarding the plan, noting the lack of communication often is an issue during mass-casualty events.
McCasland praised the document, noting “somebody spent a lot of time on this plan.”
• Commissioners approved a resolution to continue its membership with the Clovis-based Eastern Plains Council of Governments for $2,216 in the 2022-2023 fiscal year. EPCOG Executive Director Sandy Chancey said her organization helps with grant writing, researching funding sources, planning and consulting with state transportation officials.
• Commissioners approved a professional services contract with Clinton D. Harden & Associates as county lobbyist for the 2022-2023 fiscal year for $12,000.
Harden, a former state senator, told commissioners that state Rep. Jack Chatfield (R-Mosquero), state Sen. Pat Woods (R-Broadview) and state Sen. Pete Campos (D-Las Vegas) “work well together” in shepherding legislation.
• Commissioners approved a $2,000 subgrant request from Linda Gonzalez, director of the Tucumcari Public Library. Gonzalez said the money is used for the summer reading program for children. She also said the library installed a “maker space” that includes a 3-D printer, sewing machine and knitting machine.
• Commissioners approved a work and financial plan with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services. The county’s cost is $40,250, with about $5,000 of that covered by donations from landowners. Wildlife specialist Aric Costa told commissioners he killed 77 feral hogs in the region, with many near the Canadian River valley or on the caprock.
• Commissioners approved finance director Cheryl Simpsons’ request for several budget adjustments, among them $500,000 for fiscal year 2021-2022 for four capital projects. She advocated the extra money to cover possible shortfalls due to rising costs.