City approves infrastructure list

The Tucumcari City Commission approved its five-year Infrastructure Capital Improvements Plan, but not without some projects being moved up in priority, including street equipment and improvements to the dog pound.

Commissioners discussed the plan with city manager Paula Chacon and community development director Vicki Strand during a work session Thursday before the main meeting. The city faced a Friday deadline to submit the plan to the state. The ICIP serves as a guide to state lawmakers when they allocate capital outlay funds during their legislative session.

All told, the city’s ICIP contains dozens of projects. Chacon said the top 10 have the best chance of receiving capital outlay funds.

Commissioner CJ Oglesby and Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Lopez recommended moving purchasing street equipment, including a vacuum street sweeper and loader, from the No. 9 spot to No. 4 in priority. It requests $2.4 million in funding over four fiscal years.

Lopez said a sweeper would help keep streets and curbs better maintained. It prompted discussion about one of the biggest complaints from residents — potholes.

Referring to $5.8 million in street resurfacing money that U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan said might be available, Lopez said such funds wouldn’t go far. He noted the cost of fully repairing a street is about $1 million per block.

“We hear their frustrations,” Lopez said. “We go over the same potholes. We’re not lining our pockets.”

Mayor Mike Cherry recommended implementing a street asset management plan that would assess streets based on traffic and condition. Chacon said she recently found such a plan created by previous city manager Mark Martinez and would examine it.

Chacon noted she looked at an option of voter-approved bonds for street repairs, but the city’s bonding capacity is low.

Lopez also suggested moving up the repair of fire hydrants.

Cherry, a former fire chief in the city, said about 30 of the city’s 300 hydrants are inoperable. Chacon said a new hydrant costs about $5,000, not counting installation.

Commissioner Renee Hayoz recommended moving an estimated $494,000 animal control building remodel and fencing from the No. 18 spot to No. 10.

Though the animal control project was moved up, Cherry voiced skepticism on how effective it would be.

“If we had room for 100 animals, it’d still be full,” he said.

Later during the regular meeting, Cherry said he hears complaints daily about dangerous dogs, but the crowded pound often can’t accept them.

“We don’t need any more of that liability,” he said.

Cherry during previous meetings advocated euthanizing more dogs to free up space at the pound.

Lopez said the city needs to enforce existing animal-control laws.

Commissioners moved down repairs and renovations to the Tucumcari Recreation Center from the No. 4 spot to No. 9 due to planned work on the facility this year.

Remaining at No. 1 on the city’s ICIP is East Route 66 wastewater improvements. It asks for a total of $2.6 million over three fiscal years.

Second on the list is West Route 66 wastewater improvements for one wet well and two lift stations for $1.75 million.

Third is upgrades on water and sewer lines at the Date Street lift station. Chacon said a planned truck stop on South Mountain Road and its infrastructure may reduce pressure on the Date Street station.

In the top 10 are water, street and sewer improvements, including the costly wastewater reuse project that would enable the city to comply with federal requirements.

Other action

Commissioners approved resolutions and agreements for work on Third and Fourth streets just south of Main Street, plus Aber Street in that area.

The project would include $73,520 from the state’s Co-op program, plus $391,467 from the Municipal Arterial Program. Project manager Ralph Lopez said the city would apply for a waiver of matching funds for the MAP program, potentially saving $97,867. The city is matching $18,380 in funds from the Co-op program.

— Commissioners approved several state agreements involving the Tucumcari Senior Center.

One $325,631.64 pact allows the center to continue providing congregate meals, home-delivered meals and transportation to senior citizens.

Another $20,668 pact will purchase U.S. agriculture commodities and other food for the senior nutrition program.

A $106,153.86 agreement continues the foster grandparent and senior companion programs.

— Commissioners approved $250,000 in supplemental funding from the federal Community Development Block Grant program to install a new roof on the Recreation Center.

The city already received $500,000 in such funding for the project. According to an April quote from WWRC of Clovis, the total cost for the roof will be $692,859.59, including tax. The work will begin once asbestos is abated.

— Commissioners approved using $10,000 in lodgers tax funds to fulfill a $60,000 annual contract with Tucumcari MainStreet. The city previously approved the use of $50,000 in Local Economic Development Act funds for the rest.

Loveland said use of the lodgers funds was appropriate. She estimated $45,000 of Tucumcari MainStreet’s services are tourism-related.

Lopez said the city will need “a long-term solution” for MainStreet’s funding once the Greater Tucumcari Economic Development Corporation restores its nonprofit status. The EDC also uses LEDA funds.

— Commissioners approved a golf professional and course consultant contract with M&M Golf for $125,000 a year for Tucumcari Municipal Golf Course. The agreement is a four-year deal.

Charlie Maciel, who has been the golf pro at the nine-hole course since 1983, said “this probably will be my last contract” with the city.

— Commissioners approved the use of $5,000 in lodgers tax funds to buy trophies and other prizes for the Mesalands Community College Foundation tournament on July 28-29.

The lodgers tax board recommended use of the funds earlier in the week.

Oglesby said the golf course is one of the city’s few offerings that pull visitors from Santa Rosa. Maciel said the course has gained in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic. Jerry Lopez urged the city to do more to publicize the course, including billboards.

— Commissioners deleted an item from its agenda to purchase a vehicle for the police department and animal control. Lopez said he wanted laptop computers purchased for the police department before vehicles.

The laptop purchase has been delayed repeatedly because of uncertainty over the city’s finances. Chacon said later in the meeting that city-hired accountants had reconciled accounts through May and were halfway through June. After finishing it, the city would perform a trial balance and check for discrepancies. Once that is done, the data would be sent to the auditor.

Manager report

During her manager’s report, Chacon said KTNM-KQAY radio has decided to no longer broadcast commission meetings. She said meetings would continue to be streamed and archived on the City of Tucumcari’s YouTube channel.

Chacon said she still wants the city to partner with the KQAY’s streaming app because it creates advertising opportunities, including for city job vacancies.

— Chacon said she would have a meeting with New Mexico Department of Transportation officials about repairing street lights on Route 66 and crosswalks, replacing signs and other needs.

— Chacon said she would recommend forming a Route 66 centennial committee to help promote Tucumcari before the highway’s 100th anniversary in 2026. She said such a panel could help land grants for varying projects.

— In response to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s recent visit to Portales, Chacon said she has been in touch with the governor’s staff to come to Tucumcari or have a meeting with them. Chacon said she would request a staff meeting to talk about priorities before the 2025 legislative session.

— Chacon said she decided to abate asbestos at the Recreation Center after finding that an air concentration of over 1% of the carcinogen is considered dangerous.

— Chacon said she recently toured the dog pound. She said the facility has 21 dogs, with most of them spayed or neutered and ready for adoption.

— Chacon said she would recommend using $8,000 in lodgers tax funds to pay for the balance of the July 4 fireworks display. She said the Elks Lodge contributes $3,000 for the show, and the county usually contributes $1,000.

Chacon also thanked City Commissioner Jonathan Brito for his role in setting up a successful July 4 parade.

Comments

— During commissioner comments, Hayoz said gravel in a crosswalk in the 1700 block of South First Street needs to be cleared so wheelchair users can use the ramp.

She said she received complaints about a resident who has eight dogs at his home, with allegations of lack of care and the animals being a nuisance.

Hayoz passed along complaints about loud vehicles in the 800 block of Aber Street.

— Lopez said a resident measured a 14-inch-deep pothole at Jackson Street and Hancock Avenue that bottomed out his vehicle and damaged its oil pan.

Lopez passed along complaints about standing water on Second Street, plus at North Fourth Street and Maple Avenue.

— Oglesby urged the weeds around the Little League diamonds be better controlled, or else the weeds would creep into the fields.

He said the city should set up an online scheduling system so residents can book the Tucumcari Convention Center. Chacon said she is about to hire an internet technology specialist who could be assigned to that task.

— During public comments, Haley Place thanked the city on behalf of his daughter and her friends for last month’s reopening of Tucumcari Municipal Pool for the first time since 2019. He also praised the new owners of the Odeon Theatre and new police officer Rusty Callaway.

Place also vowed to petition lawmakers to change the juvenile justice system. He said he incurred thousands of dollars of medical bills after a juvenile hit him on his head with a water bottle from a moving vehicle. Place also vowed to sue the juvenile’s family.