Editor's Note: This is not local news, but was of interest because of Grant County's Fort Bayard. An upcoming meeting at the Santa Clara Armory will feature the newly completed business plan of the village of Santa Clara to highlight the "Future of Fort Bayard." Santa Clara has requested the state to turn over the 468 acres of Fort Bayard to the village to manage and promote. However, the state has not come back with a definitive answer.

By Mary Alice Murphy

"In an effort to 'improve efficiency and decrease payroll costs,' New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs Historic Sites Division will be reorganized in the following manner: All Historic Sites managers will be terminated (except one at Bosque Redondo) in a reduction of force and manager jobs will be dropped from the rolls. Three new Regional Manager jobs will be created to oversee combined historic sites (Stanton/Lincoln, Selden/Camino, Jemez/Coronado). This is to take effect August 3, 2016 pending final State Personnel Board approval."

The Grant County Beat received a forwarded email with the above information and called the site manager listed in the message.

Larry Pope, Fort Stanton site manager, said seven managers, including him, would lose their jobs. "This will destroy the complete fabric of the Historic Site Division," he told the Beat. At present the division has 29 people on the payroll, including managers, rangers, maintenance and a few other positions.

He also said he was told the three regional managers would be hired at a higher rate, because they would have more responsibility.

"The division has unrealistic expectations for the managers to take on two sites, when it is a daunting task to take care of one site," Pope told the Beat.

He said they were already understaffed and sometimes shared resources with other historic sites, when needed.

Fort Stanton has 240 acres and 85 buildings to take care of. Lincoln Historic Site has 17 buildings, plus the town to oversee.