[This is part 1 of a multi-article series on the Grant County Commission long work session on Nov. 15, 2022. It will begin with public comments and go into the first presentation.]
By Mary Alice Murphy
Rosemary Shoemaker, a property owner in Gila, spoke first during public comment at the Grant County Commission work session on Nov. 15, 2022.
"I want to talk about flood damage," Shoemaker said. "A lot of us are concerned about the hold up of funding for repairs. We are grateful that the commissioners immediately approved an emergency declaration. We've been waiting for three months. Three more months, it will be too late. The sandhill cranes this year are not happy. If we don't get repaired soon, it will not be an emergency, it will be a crisis. Have we done everything we need to do? Have you done what you need to do?"
Gail Stamler spoke next. "I am a retired nurse. Thank you for inviting Mary Feldblum to present to you today. I understand the burden you've taken on to keep our hospital going. We blame ourselves. If we just hadn't chosen a certain CEO; if we hadn't spent money on IT that was a flop. Many rural hospitals are still at risk. It's a systemic problem. Big hospitals make money, but small hospitals lose money. We have to come up with a better system, instead of little bandaids. With health costs continuing to go up, bandaids don't work. I tell you, as providers, it's hard to keep picking up the pieces. I appreciate your time and all you do."
Gail Simmons and her husband Craig Wentz retired in 2017 from their electric and solar company. "Our largest cost was health insurance. There are lots of different programs, but we experienced double digit inflation every year. At that time, we became interested in the Health Security Plan [which Feldblum would promote during her presentation]. We have a fragmented health care system. The U.S. system gives the worst care at double the cost of other countries. Grant County should support the Health Security Plan. It's better for individuals, and it's better for business."
Robert Lucero spoke about his problems living in Hanover. "It has turned into a pile of crap. People are bringing in trash. The amount of animals is increasing because of people moving there. One family has brought in livestock. It's not a place for livestock. It is a residential area. The stench and flies are terrible. I have spoken to the code enforcement officer. Things seem to be improving, but we need more help. People are dealing drugs. I wake up in the morning and put on a firearm. I don't like to have to do that. We need some help."
Lisa Jimenez spoke in support of Lucero and "what I've seen. He is part Apache and a good steward of the Earth and life. I've seen people squatting and have seen people dumping trash into the canyon and creek. I've seen drug problems, and they are likely doing drug manufacturing. His neighbor drives fast and is loud at all hours. I came on a resident who operates a feed lot in the middle of the residential area. German shepherd dogs regularly run loose and kill other residents' chickens. My concern is for Robert's safety and well-being. Stress is debilitating. He wants to live in peace. He has been physically attacked. No one should have to endure that. His elderly neighbors deserve peace and harmony, too."
The first presentation addressed the County Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation and Trails Master Plan, presented by Drew Pollak-Bruce and Julia Randall of the SE Group.
[Author's Note: Bruce-Pollak's Zoom connection was not clear and it was difficult to understand him. Randall's was quite clear.]
They presented the final draft of the plan.
Pollak-Bruce said he wanted to start the presentation by remembering former and late county Planning Director Priscilla Shoup, who was planner for this effort. "We are honored to have been able to work with her. I hope this plan reflects her forward thinking. We are dedicating this plan to Priscilla."
Randall said the SE Group members who consulted on the draft include Mark Kane, Annaka Egan and Caleb Weathers and she and Bruce-Pollak. The group is also working with Mark Heil of Terradynamics. LLC.
The steering committee members included John Stephen Haynes and Kendrah Madrid of the Bureau of Land Management; Gabe Medrano of City of Rocks State Park; Stephanie Schneider and Devin Wiseman of the National Park Service; Eric Flood, Kyle Grambley and Henry Provencio of the Gila National Forest; and Tahnee Robertson and Julia Sittig of Southwest Decision Resources.
The planning team included Southwest New Mexico Forest Collaborative, Silver City Trails and Open Space Committee, Sheila Hudman of the Village of Santa Clara, Martyn Pearson of Gila Hike and Bike and Bridgette Johns of the Southwest New Mexico Arts, Culture and Tourism.
Randall said the project goals included collecting data and developing a plan of an integrated system of recreation in the area. Public engagement included site visits, in person and virtual focus groups to enhance the benefits of outdoor recreation.
Bruce-Pollak said he tried to meet people where they were, including at the annual rodeo held in Grant County. He noted that seven themes came out of public engagement. "We are adding an executive summary of the major recommendations and creating a recommendation map in concise form, so the map can be useful for identifying places and opportunities for recreation."
The plan offers sustainability, including fire management. "Since the June draft, we also added an appendix and put in a lot more details on motorized use priorities. One of the main things was that both users and non-users of the recreational opportunities were in favor of separating the motorized and non-motorized activities. We dropped in at Power Sports, because we knew the motorized group was under-represented at the public meetings. We got 60 additional surveys as a result of that visit."
The major recommendations include:
1. Create a One-Stop Shop for Outdoor Recreation
2. Establish Critical Trail Connections to Communities
3. Prioritize Maintenance of Existing Trails and Recreation Acres
4. Increase Access to Trail Information and Promote Responsible Recreation
5. Support a Diversity of Recreation Opportunities and Experiences
6. Ensure the Protection of Grant County's Unique Landscape and Remote Character
Bruce-Pollack noted that there was not a great need for new trails.
Randall said they heard a lot about No. 6, because many had a fear that increasing recreation use would threaten the character of the area. "People didn't want to move too quickly to increase usage."
The connectivity map is intended to live beyond this plan for grant funding, Randall noted. When the plan started development the website getoutsidegrantcounty.org was created to house the surveys, as well as the timeline of the process and the goals.
She said the primary pathway to implementation of the plan is through partnerships. The matrix at the end of the plan gives the timeline of each action and the basic cost estimate and responsible party for the action.
Bruce-Pollak noted Grant County would be responsible for the memorandum of understanding and coordination among the various partners, which would include local municipalities, non-profits and state and federal agencies in the area. "SE Group can help consult with this. You will need oversight for volunteers It would help all entities to have one group heading up the efforts."
Funding agencies could include the federal and state agencies.
District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne said he appreciated all the work put into the plan. "I also appreciate the comments you heard about not moving too quickly. How do we proceed in digesting all this information you highlighted? You mentioned the Southwest Forest Collaborative. It strikes me that it is close to the group we need to head up these efforts."
Bruce-Pollak said he might recommend it. "It's its own entity. It may have staff for it to be the guiding group. Or it could be highly related to that group. The group will need staff with an executive director and staff to write grants and do self-sustaining activities."
He also suggested a citizen advisory group to include all the user groups. "The collaborative said it would like to continue the conversation. Is the county willing to ask them to do that?"
County Manager Charlene Webb, who before she left and came back, participated in the collaborative. "I intend to attend their meetings."
Browne asked about having a trail crew. "I'm familiar only with seasonal crews."
Bruce-Pollak said it should be a permanent trail crew that could do other activities off season, but permanent so they are available in the season.
Browne noted the need for a "fix" for the Continental Divide Trail, so hikers do not have to walk along major highways. "The obvious fix is to bypass Silver City, 11 miles to the west. Did you make it easy to come into Silver City without having to walk 11 miles on the highway/"
"That bypass will likely take decades to create," Bruce-Pollak said. "It is important for people to come into Silver City to rest, refresh supplies and get a feel for the area. Our thought would be to close the gap on the CDT but maintain a robust connection to Silver City. The goal is to cut as much on-road walking as possible."
District 3 Commissioner Alicia Edwards also thanked the SE Group for the "incredible work. It justifies my support for spending the money on it. I'm concerned about how to get going with all this intimidating information. I appreciate your extra work on community input, including the extra visit you made here, and I appreciate your including getting responses from motorized users. Most of my questions are for the county, although I did see some grammar errors. I haven't had a chance to look at the appendix, but I see that the project in Idaho that you mention costs them $376,000 a year. Do you think the Forest Service could provide more than $4,000?"
Bruce-Pollak said he knows the Boise project depends on Forest Service funding. "Usually, the local community is the backstop for the funding. The scale is different in Boise. It's a larger project. I think Grant County could probably do well with about 50 percent of that amount. If there is local funding, it could pay for staffing and the feds could come in with project funding."
District 2 Commissioner Javier "Harvey" Salas noted Bruce-Pollak had said there is no needs for new trails. "I'm part of the motorized group. We have a lot in the Mimbres and Mule Creek areas. I did notice as you broke up the county into sections, that many on the east side of the county have numbers. Are those Forest Service trail markers?"
Randall confirmed they were.
Bruce-Pollak noted the Forest Service is good at numbering trails, but the Bureau of Land Management is not as good with marking the trails. "The mayor of Silver City is interested in a tourism map."
Salas asked if the markers show whether they are for pedestrians, hiking, motorized or what they can be used for.
Bruce-Polla said the data include that information. "We recommend your designate specific trails for motorized use and make sure they are signed better."
Salas asked if the SE Group had to go to the various agencies to get them all together.
Bruce-Pollak said the New Mexico Land Conservancy had started putting them together, "but we went to all the agencies to get their information. Many stakeholders may be interested. We recommend you let all the groups access all the information."
Salas said: "I am part of the older generation. Did you get information from older ones who may require motorized use?"
Bruce-Pollak chuckled and said: "Hugh Epping was vocal on that. We did hear from several stakeholders in that space."
Randall said the plan has an equitable access section that include different activity levels. "We had some discussion on the perspectives. My recommendation is you start with the perspectives section. You can then conceptualize further recommendations."
District 1 Commissioner and Chair Chris Ponce said: "We refer to Grant County as a retirement community. How much did you reach out to others, not just one individual? For example, my dad, when he turned 80, I had to drive him around."
Bruce-Pollak said: "We had more than 100 people involved in the meetings, and I read hundreds of surveys and looked at the demographics. We did focus groups. We did have representation from the older group, although no specific engagement to retirement facilities."
The next presentation will address the Health Security Act for New Mexico.