Santa Clara decision to purchase Bradley Hotel approved at Feb. 16, 2023 regular meeting

By Lynn Janes

The Village of Santa Clara held its regular meeting February 16, 2023. Mayor Richard Bauch called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Pro Tem Albert Esparza, trustees, Olga Amador, Arnold Lopez, and Peter Erickson attended.

The council approved the agenda for the meeting.

The council approved the minutes from the January 26, 2023, meeting.

The council approved the January 2023 department reports.

Mayors report

Bauch said "We received the new police units, and they are very nice." They had gotten two, but they are black. "I was concerned originally because they are the SUV type, and I was concerned about the access to the officer, but I saw it was done well." Each unit has four-wheel drive.

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Santa Clara holds work session 021423

By Lynn Janes

The Village of Santa Clara held a work session February 14, 2023. Trustees, Olga Amador, Arnold Lopez, and Peter Erickson attended. Mayor Richard Bauch and Mayor Pro Tem Albert Esparza did not attend.

First on the agenda had to do with the possible purchase of the Bradley Hotel by the village. Sheila Hudman, village administrator, gave the council the information about the property. The price of the property would be $120,000. It consists of six city lots. Each lot size is 25 feet by 150 feet. The building sits on two of those lots and has a square footage of approximately 4,000. The structure needs a lot of work. A portion of the adobe needs repair. Adobe Techniques will be coming to give an estimate. The first floor has been gutted and the floor joists replaced by concrete. The electric had been done as residential and will have to be upgraded to commercial. All plumbing would need replacement. In the past they had a fire and some of the roof joists would need repair. The top floor would need to be gutted. Hudman said an architect had come and looked at the property and said it could be saved but it would be time consuming. She pointed out that if the city owned it, they could get funding and it would be designated a historical landmark. The property has also been made part of the Five Points projects. The project has promised to help with the repairs also. Currently the city has funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021which came from covid money and was made available to help communities make improvements. Hudman said they had several people look at the property and could buy it but not afford the repairs. A couple of nonprofit entities have approached the village interested in renting office space. "This building is the only adobe in the village left that they could save."

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SE Group holds public input session 030823

Photos and article by Mary Alice Murphy

On Wednesday evening, March 8, 2023, SE Group, the consulting firm chosen by Grant County to do a study and determine needs for improvement of Grant County parks, held a public input session at the Grant County Veterans Memorial Business and Conference Center.

Although turnout was not as many as they hoped for, the representatives from SE Group, including Senior Recreation Planner Drew Pollak-Bruce, Lindsey Romaniello and Caleb Weathers, said they appreciated all the feedback they could get, and had received a lot of input at a visit earlier in the day about the Gila Community Park.

The five parks under review include the park in Gila, the Grant County Fairgrounds, the Hurley Community Park, the Hachita Park and the Bataan Memorial Park.

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Don't forget to set your clocks ahead Saturday night

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Sunday, March 12 at 2 a.m., you lose an hour so some people who want to golf later in the day can have an extra hour in the evening after work.

So Saturday night, before you go to bed set your clock ahead one hour to officially go on Daylight Saving Time, unless you're living in Arizona, where you don't have to.

Image by Freepik

Grant County Commission work session held March 7, 2023, part 2

[Editor's Note: This is part two of the Grant County Commission work session on March 7, 2023, and the regular meeting held March 9, 2023. This one begins with county reports at the work session.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

County reports at the Grant County Commission work session on March 7, 2023 began with Detention Center Administrator Joseph Andazola presenting his report.

"We have two new officers in training, and we have five openings, including one sergeant who left us," Andazola said. "Because of the bad weather last week, we rescheduled our job fair to this Thursday, although I did receive an application from the session I held with the Western New Mexico University Police Academy, and two applications were picked up. I completed and submitted the proposal to continue the RISE program for an additional three years. The state is pleased with what we have done so far."

He reported the jail had 69 inmates at the end of February, with an average for the month of 79 inmates. "Today, we have 71," he said. He also noted the detention center had a Covid outbreak, with inmates, officers and medical staff involved. Some are still in quarantine.

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Fort Bayard annexation passes House Committee unanimously

[Editor's Note: This would usually go into 2023 New Mexico Legislative Session, but I believe it is so important for the county that I decided to post it to front page. It still has a way to go in the full House and Senate, without many days remaining, but hopefully, it will finally go through.]

luis support fort bayard

Santa Fe – Today the NM House Government, Elections, and Indian Affairs Committee passed HJM 8, a measure that will annex Fort Bayard into the village of Santa Clara. HJM 8 is sponsored by Grant County Rep. Luis Terrazas, a long-time supporter of Fort Bayard and Grant County communities. Fort Bayard is the only historic fort in New Mexico that is registered as a national landmark.

"First, I want to thank the village of Santa Clara and its Mayor, Richard Bauch, our County Clerk Sheila Hudman, the town of Silver City, and Mayors of Bayard and Hurley and the many Fort Bayard volunteers for their support of this effort. Fort Bayard holds a special place in our community's heart. I think most of my neighbors have enjoyed using the public space and attended community events there," said State Rep. Luis Terrazas. "It is important for our community to have this historic venue stewarded by the Village of Santa Clara. This effort is something Santa Clara has long requested and will ensure that Fort Bayard is well maintained and remains open to our community for years to come."

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Grant County Commission work session held March 7, 2023, part 1

[Editor's Note: This is part one of the Grant County Commission work session on March 7, 2023, and the regular meeting held March 9, 2023. This one begins with public input and gets into presentations.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

Grant County commissioners on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at the first work session of the month, heard public input from a resident of Cliff.

Marilyn Rosenbauer said she is concerned about losing access to her home. "There is a cliff on one side of the only way into and out of my property and the Gila River on the other side. I have no other access to the home and the bank is caving in."

In a photo she showed to the Beat, it showed the riverbank eroding and the erosion-caused hole encroaching within inches of the roadway.

The first presentation from Hidalgo Medical Services Chief Executive Officer Dan Otero was tabled due to his being out of town.

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Silver City residents oppose new bike trail

By Lynn Janes

Silver City held a regular meeting February 14, 2023. The meeting started with Mayor Ken Ladner calling the meeting to order and leading the Pledge of Allegiance and salute to the New Mexico state flag. Council members attending the meeting included Lucian Farmer, Jose Ray, Nicholas Prince (phone), and Guadalupe Cano.

The council approved the agenda.

Ceremonies none currently.

Proclamations none currently.

Council comments

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