By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Raton City Commissioners received the final Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan for the City of Raton Tuesday evening, August 14th as they began their regular meeting.
The top five projects for Raton include street improvements and reconstruction as well as storm drain and drainage improvements. East side street improvements as well as additional funding for the Great Blocks Project and dam safety improvements at Lake Maloya. The document is used by the state for capital improvement funding. (Link to ICIP Document)
Prior to the adoption of the ICIP, Emma Green approached the commission asking that a TAP project be included on the ICIP for Raton. The project would seek to help develop a biking/hiking trail from Raton to Sugarite Canyon State Park. As part of a match in funding for a project, Green proposed to widen a half mile of highway 72 to include a bike/walking lane from Allen’s Alley road to Highway 526. She has been working with DOT and Sugarite Canyon State Park to get project costs and necessary planning with the full funding of the project already included on the Colfax County ICIP document. All the commissioners are in favor of the project and placed it on the ICIP in the eighth position.
Commissioners approved the street closures for the Gate City Music Festival over the Labor Day weekend and the Raton High Homecoming Parade on September 28th.
They also approved a resolution requesting the NM Racing Commission to delay the August 17 deadline for racing applications to be submitted to the New Mexico Racing Commission. Commissioner Ron Chavez asked that this has sat idle for years, why are they in such a hurry now. City Manager Berry noted that the two-week deadline would preclude a couple of those applicants from Raton from making the deadline. The Commission also passed a resolution to support bringing Racing Back to Raton. (Link to Resolution Horse Racing License Application Deadline) (Link to Resolution to Bring horse racing back to Raton). Mayor Segotta told the Commission that he Berry would attend the next racing commission meeting on August 23 in Ruidoso.
Commissioners also approved a TAP application for $600,000 to fund the NM MainStreet Great Blocks Project with a city match of 20%. (Link to TAP Application Resolution)
The Commission also gave a thumbs up for the City of Raton to help out the Village of Maxwell by being a fiscal agent for an $800,000 water project to help repair and rebuild some of the water system in Maxwell.
Commissioners also approved renewing the lease for another year to L3 Doss Aviation for the Armory on the airport property. The handover of the building to the City as been delayed by the Armory Board for over a year because of lead remediation. They are still finding small amounts of lead and is in the process of being cleaned for the fifth time.
Commissioners approved the introduction of the ordinance to provide interim funding for the water treatment plant upgrades, in the amount not to exceed $1,754,000. Raton Water Works General Manager Dan Campbell explained the interim funding is basically a construction loan until the USDA funding is provided. The interim loan is simply part of the government paperwork for the project.
City Manager Scott Berry told commissioners about the Regional Agency Intervention Network (RAIN) meeting today with Congressman Ben Ray Lujan and that the major topic was about Tri-County Community Services closing shop and what to do about it.
There will be a SW Chief meeting August 21 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., a location has not been set as of yet. The agreement with Amtrak on the depot was received from Amtrak with a few concerns mostly dealing with insurance. Those details are being worked out and the agreement should be brought to the commission for their approval soon.
The preconstruction meeting for the Hospital Drive project was held and construction should begin in early September. Berry noted that the construction will cause travel issues to and from the medical complex and is asking for people to be patient during the project.
Good news from FAA in that they will almost totally fund the Taxiway A project at Crews Field Municipal Airport with a 5% or $65,000 match by the city.
There will not be a regular meeting at the end of August as the New Mexico Municipal League annual meeting will be going on in Roswell with most of the commissioners attending that meeting.
Commissioners will meet on September 11, 2018 for their next regular meeting which will be aired on KRTN AM 1490.
