Photos and article by Roger Lanse
Silver High School Lady Colts state champion softball team, coached by Dwayne Tweren, far right, facing camera
June 18-24, 2017 was proclaimed “Silver High Lady Colts Softball team Week” by Mayor Ken Ladner at the Silver City Town Council June 11 meeting. The Lady Colts won state in the 4A division this year. Pictured are team members and coaches.
Fiesta Latina organizers
Another proclamation by Ladner declared June 16-18, “Fiesta Latina Days.” The event will be held at the Western New Mexico University Gardens and Light Hall Patio and will feature children’s activities, an artisan mercado with 26 artisans from Mexico, dancers from Colombia, a huacha contest, and much more, according to Raul Turrieta event director.
Beate Sigriddaughter and Jack Crocker, Silver City’s third poets laureate, at right and at left, surround Jeannie Miller.
The last proclaimed Beate Sigriddaughter and Jack Crocker Silver City’s third poets laureate. Jeannie Miller, co-chair of the Southwest Festival of the Written Word, introduced the two.
District 1 Councilor Cynthia Bettison and Ladner praised the work of volunteers putting in thousands of hours to make Silver City a great community and so many events successful.
Ladner said the idea to have “Welcome to Silver City” signs at the entrances to town to encourage tourism had been shelved in the face of possible budget cuts. However, Town Manager Alex Brown said it’s the right time to go forward with the idea, Ladner said, so, “at the next council meeting Assistant Town Manager James Marshall will be making a presentation on how this will work.”
Brown introduced former Silver City Fire Marshall Milo Lambert, who was recently appointed by Brown to be chief of the Silver City Fire Department.
Peggy Hutchinson, Secretary of the Grant County Community Foundation reported that the 2017 Give Grandly program netted $116,000. She said that not all that amount was new money but also included help with advertising, work space, and such.
Hutchinson also related that a family foundation from northern New Mexico wanted to start “making inroads in rural areas in the southern part of the state.” This Lineberry Foundation contributed $200,000 to eight local nonprofits which qualified for the grants.
Priscilla Arredondo, planner from the Silver City Planning and Zoning Commission, and Linda Rouse, representing Turkey Creek LLC, came before council recommending that a 4.3-acre tract of land on the west side of Pinos Altos Road bordering on the Silver City Fire Station No. 2 to the south, presently zoned as part Commercial and part Residential A, be amended to Residential A Single-Family (RA) in its entirety. The reason for the change in zoning was to make it easier for the present owner to sell. Council approved the amendment.
Council also approved a resolution to continue participating in the New Mexico Transportation Department’s Local Government Road Fund Program. Under this system, for the 2017/2018 fiscal year, $43,615 would be available for chip sealing town streets in August and September of 2018, 75 percent coming from the state and 25 percent from the town. Chip sealing scheduled for August and September of 2017 is already similarly funded, Brown told the Beat.
Ladner reappointed David Kirsch to the Library Board and appointed Denise Smith to the Recycling Advisory Committee.