[Editor's Note: This is part 5 of the Grant County Commission first work session of the month held April 9, 2024. It continues county reports.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

The next county report at the Grant County Commission April 9, 2024 work session came from Planning and Community Development Director Randy Hernandez.

[Editor's Note: This is from his report, which is always so long and he speaks so fast, that it's impossible to get good notes.]

Funded by Colonias:
• BOP: Trail Ridge, EOP: Tanglewood Circle.
• Crum Road (Design): Design fee proposal will be submitted by April 12.
• Franks Road (Design): Design fee proposal will be submitted by April 12.
North Hurley Road Phase 3 (Const.): Bid documents are being prepared. Anticipated bid release by April/May 2024.

NM Department of Finance and Administration:
• Bataan Park Veterans Memorial Walking Path: Reviewing quotes from Contractors under price agreements. Will proceed with contract or re-bid.
• Hamilton Bridge Replacement (Design): Design is 60% complete. On track for completion by June 2024.
• Bataan Park Small Field Turf Replacement: Public Works Director working to complete this project.
• Capacity Support: Incite Network working on grant opportunities and technical support for IT Director and Emergency Manager and working on an SOP (standard operating procedures) for streamlining processes for pre/post grant awards.
Conference Center Computer Lab & A/V Upgrades: Computer lab equipment has been received and will be set up for use by mid-April.

NM Department of Transportation
• Fleming Tank Road Improvements: Final completion in April, pending utility pole removal by PNM and seeding.
• Truck Bypass Road (Const.): Final completion in April, pending punch list items. BOP/EOP: Entire Road

Others
EDA Grant: Free workforce development trainings; registration remains open to the public. Proposals for a contractor for the comprehensive plan update are being reviewed.
• Old Jail Brownfields Project: Bids are due April 10 and hope to award in May 2024.
• Upper Mimbres VFD Underground Water Storage Tanks: Pre-construction meeting
• SWNM Collaborative: Working with the facilitators to interview key partners/groups on outdoor recreation efforts and begin prioritizing recreation projects across the region.
• Code Enforcement Officer Quarterly Report: Jan. 2024 to March 2024, attached.

FUTURE PROJECTS:
Ridge Road Improvements - Phase II Construction
0.85 Miles; Estimated Cost: $2.3M
• Colonias Application & TPF Application
•Arenas Valley Road Improvements – Phase II Construction
• 1.3 Miles; Estimated Cost: $3.5M
• Colonias
• Little Walnut Road Improvements – Phase II Construction • 2.58 Miles; Estimated Cost: $6.8M
• Colonias

KEY EVENT DATES:
April 15-16, 2024: Colonias Project Presentations (Anthony, NM)

He said several items were on the agenda for approval. "I will present on the three Colonias requests."

Airport Manager Rebekah Wenger reported that it was maintenance season "when we get the navigation aids spruced up and fight the tumbleweeds. We are also repainting for better visual contrast."

"I am finalizing the paperwork for the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) grant applications for airfield light conversions and testing systems for firefighting foam."

She noted that a Type 1 helicopter is positioned at the airport with a team from Anchorage, Alaska. "This is the second year, they have been based here, although it is not yet on contract."

Gila Regional Medical Center provided a person to give CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), AED (automated external defibrillator) and First Aid training which all the airport staff completed.

Wenger said county fleet maintenance is facilitating the repair of the 2006 Ford F-550 ARFF (aircraft rescue and firefighting) truck by arranging for onsite repairs with a vendor. "It has several worsening oil leaks. By regulation, we are not allowed to take the truck offsite for an extended period of time due to the requirement for it to be ready for emergency services. We ordered a new ARFF truck about a year ago, but due to supply issues, we are still waiting for delivery. We are looking at possibly another year, so we're trying to keep this one up and running."

With no questions, the next report came from Corey White for Fleet Maintenance. He noted the department in March had finished 25 PMs (preventive maintenance), 29 diagnose and repairs, 7 tire repair or replacement, one dealership warranty repair, one windshield and replaced one blade's cutting edge. "For April we will finish PMs on the Road Department heavy equipment in preparation for chip sealing."

In addition, in April, the maintenance employees plan to do repairs on the airport mower deck, as well as PM. "We will manage the installation of two new post lifts and remove the worn out ones. We also plan to prep and install accessories on new blade operator pickups arriving in April, and we will start fluid sampling on the new CAT blades, which we have to do every 250 hours."

He noted three employees completed the CPR and the last one would complete it the following day. "We pumped out all the used oil barrels from the yard to a larger storage tank. I'm waiting to hear from Safety-Kleen and we will schedule for recycling pending sample analysis."

White said up on Little Walnut, a pneumatic pavement roller had a hydraulic failure. "We did the repair ourselves and probably saved about $5,000."

District 1 Commissioner and Chair Chris Ponce thanked White for cleaning up the Road Department yard. "It's been rather unsightly, so we appreciate your cleaning it up."

Jason Lockett, public works director, gave the maintenance report. he said the back bathrooms behind the Commissioner Chambers are 98 percent complete. "We are working on the concession stand roof. There was some sub-contracting work back in the day that wasn't quite up to par. We're doing some level 3 PM work on the generator at the Detention Center, and we're working on installing a concrete ramp on the north side of the Courthouse for easier access to the grounds. Bataan fields are ready for upcoming use. Last weekend there was a tournament there and the parking lot was packed. We're trying to get a quote on the turf replacement on the upper field. We've done the fire riser and over 300 sprinkler upgrades here in the Administration Center. The next big project will be sprinkler heads above the ceiling. They have eight to nine years of life left, so that's something we are planning for the future."

He said about 80 tons of red infill dirt for Bataan and for Cliff are being delivered.

"Jay Urbaniak, the new maintenance supervisor, has a list of things we want to do at Cliff to get it in good shape for them," Lockett continued. "Future projects look about the same—the laundry room washer upgrades and configuration at the Detention Center, Bataan Park electrical service upgrade at the Pavilion and vault toilets, ceiling tile replacement at Ace Hardware, manager's office break room remodel and reconditioning the area dirt at the Fairgrounds. The correct letters for the conference center are on order and should be installed in the next couple of weeks."

District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings asked about the turf at Bataan fields, and what would happen to the old turf.

Lockett said they would likely begin replacing it in the next few weeks. "The old turf is about worn out. I would not recommend repurposing it for anything else."

He also gave the Road Department report. "Blade men are on routine maintenance taking advantage of moisture when possible. In the month of March, operators averaged 150 miles of road bladed. The road crew poured the sidewalk on Torbernite Drive in Tyrone, replacing uneven and broken sidewalk. The road crew continues trimming trees on various roads, and truck drivers are concentrating on hauling chips for the upcoming chip seal projects."

Lockett noted the road crew was doing routine and project patching now that the hot mix plant is up and "kind of running."

He said operators had participated in a "rainwater management techniques" with Stream Dynamics in late March. "It 's about new techniques to prevent more erosion and to help the water drain better. It was pretty beneficial and help put new practices in place."

Ponce said he doesn't know if other commissioners approve of what he is suggesting, but "I see some of the personnel wanting to get to work. I'm wondering if we could split some of these director reports with some on this work session and some on the second work session of the month."

Commissioners agreed it was a good idea.

The next article will begin with the review of the regular meeting agenda and decisions made during the regular meeting on April 11, 2024.

To read the previous articles, please visit https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/84008-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-040924-part-1; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/84035-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-040924-part-2 ; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/84075-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-040924-part-3 ; and https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/84093-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-040924-part-4