By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Raton City Commissioner met Tuesday evening February 28, and heard from a large gathering of Pickle Ball enthusiast to transform the El Portal property into an eight-court pickle ball facility in the hopes of bringing tournaments and other to downtown Raton.
Residents turned out to Raton City Hall to address the commission on a proposal to turn the El Portal property into a pickle ball park with eight pickle ball courts and other amenities for picnic area and greenery. The request for eight courts will enhance the groups chances for hosting tournaments which could put heads in beds and promote other economic opportunities for the downtown area. Dr. Brian Nazeri noted that outdoor activates was the reason he moved to Raton. After a trip to Baja California where he was introduced to Pickle ball, he has returned there for more pickle ball. His point was that if people stop for pickle ball, they may see other advantages of the area and return again and again perhaps to partake in some fishing or golf.
Commissioners noted they were impressed with the proposal, but Mayor Pro-Tem Lindé Schuster was concerned with the bathroom issues as was Commissioner Chatterley. It was also noted by the pickle ball group that they had a private donor who is willing to put up $100,000 for the project and if the group could raise an additional $100,000, he would match it giving the city $200,000 for a total of $300,000 for the project. The caveat is the courts must go on the El Portal property. The $300,000 will make a big dent in the estimated costs for the project that has been estimated at $330,000 to over $400,000 depending on the Contractor. Commissioners expressed their desire for the courts to be located at the Aquatic Center to have all sports activities centrally located. Since this was a discussion item only no decision was made to move forward with the proposal.
Commissioners approved the preliminary plat for a subdivision in the Fairview Subdivision. The project will eventually build 10 homes on the property. The plat will now go back to planning and zoning for final approval before coming back to the commission for their final approval at the March 28 meeting.
Commissioners heard from Patricia Duran on her progress with Explore Raton. Duran noted in her report that the google ads are continuing to pull people to look at Raton with about 60% looking for relocation purposes. The social media accounts have also grown in traffic with over 722k hits on social media. She is currently working on a redesign for the Explore Raton web page to draw a younger demographic to the area. The visitor’s guide is due out in May and Duran noted she has hit the break-even point with ad sales.
Commissioners approved the introduction of Ordinance #1021 which begins the process for the lease of the Kearney School for the film production facility and workforce development. The ordinance will be up for public hearing and then final approval in March.
Commissioners approved the lease agreement with Martin Manglesdorf for a hangar lease at the airport. Manglesdorf recently purchased the hangar and as such is required to lease the property the hangar sits on from the city. The lease agreement is for a graduated scale beginning with $.04 a square foot for the first ten years and going up to $.25 a square foot at 41 to 50 years.
Lloyd and Associates were approved for professional services for the train depot renovation project. This will begin phase one of the project which will include going through the building and creating a plan and costs for the renovation project.
Commissioners approved a NMDOT Coop grant application for pavement improvements in the downtown area to include crosswalk markings as well as angle and parallel parking lines in the downtown area. The cost of this project is about $100,000 with a city match of $25,000.
The Map project application will be for work on the north underpass drainage problem and other work the cost of this project is about $400,000 with a city match of $100,000. Match money for both projects will come from the gas tax fund.
Commissioners approved an amendment to the Juvenile Justice grant in the amount of $32,866.00 and an increase of $31,268 for a total of $63,134. This is due to an increase in referrals to the program as well as to increase the director’s salary.
The January financial report shows that Lodger’s tax continues to be strong, but it is down from last year by about 5%. The gas tax is also showing a decline of about 20% from last year at this time. The GRT remains about 20% above budget and that the cannabis excise tax has remains steady just over $3000. City Treasurer Michael Anne Antonucci also noted the small cities tax was well over the budgeted $250,000 at $336,398. (Link to FY23 January Financial Report)
Budget adjustments included transfers for Fire Department training and to cover increases in the natural gas cost at the Aquatic Center. (Link to Budget Adjustment #10 FY23)
The city has received the certificate of occupancy for the greenhouse project and Rammel Family Farms has begun their growing operations. The airport hangar is almost complete. The electrical work is all that is left, and City Manager Scott Berry noted that some electrical parts have been hard to come by. The lighting improvements at the Aquatic Center are about 2/3 done and the contractor will move to the library next.
Commissioners will meet again on March 14, 2023 at 6:00 pm for their first regular meeting in March.
The pickle ball courts would bring a sense of pride to the community. Why not draw more people into our downtown area and nearby business district? Pre-game coffees? Post-match brews/tacos? I love the idea.