By Charlie McKee for the Grant County Beat

In addition to approving prior meetings' minutes and the Oct. 10 Expenditure Report in Thursday morning's meeting, the Commission approved two proclamations to take effect in the month of October. They are:

·       Proclamation declaring Oct. 20 to 22, 2011, as “AmeriCorps Days” to honor over 200 AmeriCorps members' gathering in Grant County. They will be here as part of a statewide event to provide volunteer services to the community, as well as providing a boost to the local economy as a result of their stay. Sam Castello, Executive Director of The Wellness Coalition, accepted the Proclamation from the Commissioners.

·       Proclamation declaring Oct. 23 to 29, 2011, as “Pro Bono Week” to raise community awareness of free legal aid services donated by local attorneys and judges. James Manlowe, Attorney at Law, accepted the Proclamation from the Commissioners on behalf of Judge Quintero.

The Commission also approved the following appointments, contracts, and agreements:

·       Three new members appointed to the Grant County Community Health Council:  Pete Walden, Colleen Boyd, and Mike Trujillo;

·       Amendments to the following agreements with the Juvenile Probation and Parole Office:  Lekisha Marquez, Yolanda Manzano, Randall Compton, Irene Saenz, and Mary Lorraine Zunich;

·       Project agreement with the NM Department of Transportation Traffic Safety Bureau for the Community DWI Program;

·       Memorandum of Understanding with the Bayard Police Department for the Grant County DWI Program;

·       Grant agreement between the Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department and Grant County on behalf of the Tyrone Volunteer Fire Department; and

·       Cooperative Law Enforcement Agreement between the USDA Forest Service and the Grant County Sheriff's Department for the 2012 Annual Operating and Financial Plan.

The Commission then convened as the Grant County Indigent and Health Care Claims Board to approve the Indigent Burial Certification dated Sept. 30, 2011.

During the public input portion of the Commissioners' Meeting, local citizen James Baldwin raised two issues. The first issue was that, since Grant County took over the management of the Silver City Senior Center, he has been asked to fill out a three-page form consisting of what he considers to be intrusive questions when he visits the Center. This was not the case prior to the County's management. The questions are related to ethnicity, income, healthcare status, and other very personal information that Baldwin resents being asked when he visits the Center for a meal. County Manager Jon Paul Saari assured Baldwin that he would check into the matter and respond at a later date.

The second issue raised by Baldwin during the public input portion of the meeting was to question what had happened regarding the move of a new business to the County. The business was an airport mechanic shop. The County Manager explained that the new business is still very interested in relocating to Grant County; but the move is contingent upon the business's ability to sell its existing property outside New Mexico, and the state of the economy has prevented that sale.

Lastly, under New Business items, the Commission received two updates.

1)   WNMU Football Program - Coach Adam Clark informed the Commission that the WNMU Football Team completed over 1,000 hours of community service in the past year. This service has comprised significant presence of the team in the elementary schools working with the kids, helping seniors with cleanup or other work they can no longer manage on their own, and working with local organizations including the Health Council, Chamber of Commerce, and Kiwanis. The coach believes that the team's service to the community helps build the character of the team, making it a winning team both on and off the football field. The Coach wants the WNMU Team to be Grant County's team and to see Grant County's citizens - both children and adults - attending the games and supporting the team, as much as the team supports the community. Coach Clark asked for the support of the Commission to continue this effort of community service on the part of the team, and the Commission can communicate any ideas for community service for the team to the coach at 538-6544 or aclark@wnmu.edu.

2)   Grant County Community Health Council - Tiffany Knauf informed the Commission that the Health Council has organized 14 events for the community over the past 16 weeks with great success. Some of these include Sexual Assault Services (SAS) education with the WNMU football team, the Red Hot Children's Fiesta, Breast Feeding Week, and the Mimbres Health Fair. Ms. Knauf also reported that the Health Council is well positioned to conduct its April 2012 Community Assessment, which will require a minimum of 30% community response to the assessment.