Silver City Mayor Ken Ladner, Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small and NM Sen. Gabriel Ramos at beginning of Chamber of Commerce luncheonPhoto and article by Mary Alice Murphy

At the October 3, 2019 Silver City-Grant County Chamber of Commerce luncheon, featuring Silver City Mayor Ken Ladner talking about ongoing and upcoming projects in the town, surprise visitors showed up.

Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small popped in with state Sen. Gabriel Ramos, both of whom were attending the Outdoor Recreation Economics Conference in the large room at the Grant County Veterans Memorial Business and Conference Center near where the luncheon was taking place.

Torres Small said she had a great meet and greet with members of the chamber last time she was in town. "I just toured Silver City schools, and I saw the great work they are doing in vo tech."

Chamber board President Sabrina Pack welcomed them, and then introduced Melanie Curnutt as the new administrative director of the chamber. She also introduced Kalee Ruebush, who will graduate from Western New Mexico University in business management and wants to be an event director. She is working part-time in the chamber office.

Ladner said the town has projects ongoing. "We are chip sealing and striping roadways. We have completed the Welcome to Silver City signs. We are enforcing the ROV ordinance now. The honey-bee ordinance will be easy. We have a non-stressful short registration form. It's up to the owner to keep the bees non-aggressive."

Silver City Town Manager Alex Brown said one of his visions for the town, during his 23 years with the town, 18 of which he has served as town manager, is being worked on. "We bought Boston Hill. It has turned out to be a quality of life opportunity. We have worked on trails. We own the building where Washington Federal Bank is. We leased it to them. We have informed them that we will not renew the lease in three years. We are looking at how we can use the building. We want to consolidate city hall and the annex (which is in part of the building that Washington Federal leases). When a person can't find a parking place downtown at City Hall and they are already upset about their water being cut off, it's not a good situation. We want to expand Gough Park and take advantage of other quality of life assets. We've been working with University of New Mexico architects and we asked them for some drawings. They've done the first conceptual ideas. We will look for money for design. We want to take the annex building and instead of redoing it, we will do a wraparound, with the idea to close 12th Street We want to get locals downtown and for residents, we have the idea of a splash park. We have Big Ditch access behind the police department, and we can connect to Penny Park. We want to use the Rock House on Little Walnut as a trailhead for the Continental Divide Trail and tie it also into Scott Park. We want a small amphitheater with a stage and screen. These are all wishful ideas."

Ladner said Silver City MainStreet Project is working on its MainStreet Plaza project downtown. "It's a bustling place downtown now."

Charmeine Wait, Silver City MainStreet Project director, said the Silver City program is one of the original three projects in the state and is the longest continuing project.

The MainStreet Plaza is between 7th and 8th streets," Wait said. "Phase 1 was the public restrooms, thanks to Freeport McMoRan funding. The plaza is a dedicated event space. The area will remain dirt to take in water. Lions Park is just north of the plaza and has picnic tables. The Big Ditch is a riparian area right in the middle of Silver City. Only 2 percent of New Mexico and Arizona are riparian. The best way to make it safe is to use it. It will be two levels, with lights similar to those on Bullard Street. We want to connect it to Lions Park and Gough Park."

She showed artist renderings of what structures will look like. They will be created using concrete that looks like wood. "There will be a timber-framed arch in the plaza. We will have public art. A mural will be on the back of the old Dominoes building and a tile mural by the restrooms. A small stage area will be there. We have funding from the town of Silver City and New Mexico MainStreet capital outlay dollars. The Freeport MeMoRan Foundation provided the funding for the restrooms, and chipped in for Phase II, also."

With AARP funding, MainStreet has had a calming design painted on the street at Kelly and Bullard. "Did you know that two blocks of downtown walking is less than walking from the parking lot to the other end of Walmart?"

Ladner said the town also has a project underway on Chihuahua Hill, redoing gutters, sidewalk and streets. Starting downtown, "we will do the same from Pinos Altos Street to Market Street to Bullard, Yankie and back to PInos Altos Street. Another chip sealing project and fog sealing will be on Swan Street from 12th. On Ridge Road, we're planning sidewalks, gutters and light, as well as sidewalks and lights behind the Visitor Center."

The Colonias Infrastructure Fund has provided funding to replace the headworks at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, Ladner said. "We will do a drainage study on Market Street. On the Boston Hill issue we have an ongoing study. These two will come out of the General Fund. The Little Walnut Road project will connect to Silver City trails. The design and engineering are 80 percent done, but we need to obtain more rights-of way. The golf course, which was under the management of Western New Mexico University, is in transitional phase back to the town."

He said the town still requires people to "Cover Your Load" on the way to the dump. "We have been enforcing the ordinance along Ridge Road. We have full-time code enforcement. If a load is uncovered, the vehicle driver will receive a citation, which will cost $160 with court costs. If you get a ticket, you can go buy a tarp at the landfill for $10. Use it to cover your load."

Ladner said volunteers in town pick up litter. He pointed to Anita Williams, who attended the luncheon. "I know she spends a lot of time picking up litter. Litter control is really important. The first time a person comes to Silver City, it's their first impression that counts. We want the city to be a place which shows pride. You can sign up for one or more stretches of 2/10s of a mile at www.pickitupsc.com. The WNMU Athletic Department will do upper Market Street to Alabama."

Pack said the chamber is planning an awards banquet in January. "We are also accepting applications to the chamber board."

Bart Roselli, Silver City Museum interim director, announced several events coming up at the museum, including one on Nov. 14, when Alex Ocheltree will discuss the history of the LC Ranch.

Karen Beckenbach, Grant County Community Concert board president, said the next concert is Nov. 8, Burlap to Cashmere, a folk group. She said Hidalgo Medical Services is a new sponsor of the concerts.

PNM representative Bruce Ashburn said El Refugio, Inc. domestic violence shelter had been awarded $5,000 to redo lights around the facility.

Rose Lopez, Gila Regional Medical Center chief nursing officer, announced GRMC EMS would be sponsoring a Halloween Trunk or Treat in the south parking lot of the hospital on Oct. 31, 2019.