[Editor's Note: This is part 6 of a series of articles on the Grant County Commission work session on Aug. 8, 2023, and the regular meeting on Aug. 10, 2023. This will continue with the review of the regular meeting agenda and decisions made at the regular meeting.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

County Manager Charlene Webb continued at the work session on Aug. 8, 2023 with the review of the regular meeting agenda for Aug. 10, 2023.

The next agenda items addressed agreements.

The first agreement considered the appropriation agreement from the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration for $80,000 to the Grant County Community Health Council.

Webb noted it was a junior appropriation and the county is the pass through for the funding.

Commissioners approved the appropriation at the regular meeting.

The following agreement amends the CYFD (Children, Youth and Families Department) continuum of graduated sanctions.

"This is a retroactive approval," Webb said. "It's my fault. It got buried in my inbox. We are the fiscal agent for the Juvenile Justice program grant. I've already signed it and submitted it."

Commissioners approved the retroactive amendment No. 5 for the CYFD Continuum of graduated sanctions at the regular meeting.

Financial Officer Linda Vasquez presented the next agreement, a auditor contract for fiscal year 2023 at a cost of $70,469. "It's for a new company, Carr, Riggs and Ingram LLC, which merged with the company we've been using, Krieger and Krieger."

Commissioners approved the auditor contract agreement at the regular meeting.

The last agreement gives the county manager the authority to negotiate the purchase of the Scott Nichols hangar at the Grant County Airport.

District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings noted the purchase would not use county dollars but state funding. Commissioners approved giving the manager the authority to do the deal.

The first resolution addressed the adoption of the ICIP (Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan)

Planning Director Randy Hernandez said the plan covers the fiscal years of 2025-2029. "It is due on Aug. 18, so we need to approve it on Thursday."

District 3 Commissioner Alicia Edwards asked about the two new things in the top five of the ICIP/

Hernandez noted that Detention Center Administrator Joseph Andazola had identified some security issues in the mail room, which he would like to see enclosed and allowing handcuffs to be put onto detainees before they go into the recreation area, as well as an upgrade in the laundry area to make it more secure. The second new item is the airport parking lot. "Airport Manager Rebekah Wenger has asked for this. It will give us an opportunity to get some lighting plus improvement of the parking lot, So we placed it as No. 4."

Webb said they figured it, although it is not critical to airport operations, "we've made a lot of improvements. We used bond money to upgrade the terminal, so it made sense to put in lighting and a better parking lot surface for the passengers to get into the nice new terminal. I've watched people try to drag their luggage through the gravel. It's not conducive. This is an opportunity to get capital outlay as part of our terminal improvement. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) will not fund it, because it is not part of airport operations."

District 1 Commissioner and Chair Chris Ponce said the requested $450,000 for the parking lot could perhaps address security issues for when people leave their vehicles there overnight. "Maybe a gate and maybe with a code?"

Webb said the county could explore options. "We also talked about security concerns."

District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne said he liked the idea of a code to access the parking lot.

The vocational school is the No. 2 priority after the No. 1 Detention Center retrofit, Hernandez noted.

Browne said the $5 million ask seems like a lot of money, "but do we have money for programming?"

Ponce said he and others are trying to pull together a meeting with the Silver and Cobre superintendents. "Last I heard from Dr. (Joseph) Shepard (WNMU president), we will have students to enroll in the school. The last time we talked, the $5 million is for infrastructure. Now, maybe we can use the Santa Clara Armory. I think the $5 million would go to renovations of the building rather than new infrastructure. We don't know yet where the school will be."

Browne noted the huge need for education in the trades.

Ponce agreed and said beyond plumbing, mechanics, and welding, there are solar, electric vehicles and more.

District 2 Commissioner Eloy Medina added medical training for EMTs (emergency medical technicians) and the like.

Edwards asked if planning was far along enough to know whether the armory would be adequate.

Ponce said the suggestion is to start there. "Dr. Shepard has been talking about purchasing land around it for expansion."

Edwards said she was glad to see that direction where there is already infrastructure. "I think it's important to get it up and running as soon as possible. That seems a lot more cost effective."

Ponce agreed and said it would be at least $20 million for a new building, and maybe even up to $30 million with the way costs are rising.

"There are a lot of opportunities beyond the traditional trades," Edwards said. "We need to have a plan."

Browne noted that the Little Walnut bike trails are No. 13. "Will low ranking cause a risk in getting funding?"

Hernandez said, because the project is already underway, with projects like this often being funded by Colonias, as long as the item is in the ICIP in the priority year, it's good. We've had items in the 20s funded."

Ponce asked about behavioral health. "Shouldn't there be money for that in this session? Maybe a different pocket of money?"

Webb said the ICIP is just for capital funding, "but we definitely need to pay attention to the behavioral health issue."

"We have acquired more than a million dollars for Tu Casa," Edward noted.

Hernandez said the ICIP is designed to create new fixed assets, and not programming funding.

Ponce said he believes the university funding and maybe some PED (Public Education Department) will provide programming for the vocational school.

Medina said he thinks there is university funding, "especially if we contract with Dona Ana Community College."

Edwards said : "We will have to attract instructors and develop curriculum."

Billing asked if there were any items that the commissioners could remove from the ICIP that could be taken care of with ARPA funding.

Webb said: "In my honest opinion these projects would be a stretch to say they are a response to the pandemic. We might be able to stretch the Detention Center and No. 20 [Rural Broadband Enhancements.]"

Billings said: "I believe we could use ARPA funding for behavioral health needs."

Back to the expansion of wireless broadband to Fierro and Pinos Altos, Browne said it made more sense to him to extend it to Fierro, more so than to Pinos Altos.

Edwards noted that the expansion should be done now to both areas. "If we don't do it now, it will be much more expensive in the future. It seems better to do it when construction is already happening. I don't see any way to do it piecemeal."

Billings said the $12 million bond issue for hardwiring the schools didn't get approved. "Now it would be obsolete and maybe cheaper now."

Commissioners approved the ICIP at the regular meeting.

The next article will address the rest of the review of the regular meeting agenda at the work session, as well as the decisions made.

For the previous articles in the series, please visit https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/79844-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-080823-part-1 ; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/79871-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-080823-part-2 ; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/79906-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-080823-and-regular-meeting-081023-part-3; and https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/79963-photos-added-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-080823-and-regular-meeting-081023-part-4 ; and https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/79984-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-080823-and-regular-meeting-081023-part-5 .