By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Raton City Commissioners heard a presentation about putting the Sugarite Coal Camp on the National Register, heard from Sharon Young about the Raton Adventure Center and deliberated on a zoning change request at their regular Tuesday October 13 meeting held in City Hall.
Colonel Gilbert San Roman was honored for his participation in the American Legion 250 Challenge walk-a-thon where he achieved the highest tier level of fundraising for the event. Despite a heart attack that delayed his progress San Roman managed to walk about 12 miles a day and was able to walk 2039 miles and was able to make $2800 in donations. San Roman was fifth out of 3615 participants.
Robert Stokes New Mexico State Parks Program Support Bureau Chief made a presentation to place the Sugarite Coal Camp on the National Register of Historic Places. State Parks maintain the coal camp trails and some buildings associated with the coal mine. State Parks started the process in 2016 to make this happen, but it got dropped when Stokes took another job and he is now back and wanting to move forward with the process. Registration will help with tourism, and the parks department wants to promote it better. Can increase the opportunity for funding. Stokes wants to make some improvements to some of the buildings and the designation will help with grant requests to help care for them. State Parks was awarded $70,000 and the state will add $30,000 State parks will use a consultant to do the documentation for the request. Commissioners approved the request.
Sandra Young presented the commission with the annual report for the Raton Adventure Center located in the old Coors Building. According to Young they have continued to keep the work going and have had to adjust to changes in the business environment in the downtown area with the loss of eating establishments, less foot traffic and the addition of sporting goods at Ace Hardware. They continue working with Philmont and Vermejo specifically the Charcoal Burners race. The lease runs out in 2028 and where and how the business will continue will be a topic of conversation for the lease renewal.
Commissioners approved the Blü Dragonfly public celebration permit for the High-Country Meats Fall Festival to be held on October 17th and 18th.
Resolution 2026-54 was presented for consideration to rezone 1301 Cedar from a MHP Mobile Home Park district to a C-3 General Highway Servicing District. This was brought before the commission earlier and is now back for final approval with the approval of the Raton Zoning Board. Commissioners approved the rezoning.
MES provided a quote for the Raton Fire Department for the purchase of wildfire hose, reducers, wyes and nozzles utilizing a Sourcewell purchasing contract. Total cost of the purchase is $43,142 which includes about 5300 feet of hose and parts. The equipment will be housed in the canyon and ready for incidents in the park and surrounding areas. Chief Anthony Burk noted that they have really developed partnerships with Colorado after the recent events in the area and the cooperations that occurred during the summer’s incidents have led to the purchases of equipment that all departments can use for incidents in the area.
Raton Fire will utilize fire protection funds for the purchase of two wildland fire cameras at $37,500 each. Pano gave a presentation in the spring on wildland fire detection cameras and the city wants to move forward with the cameras. In Colorado there are two cameras, one in Starkville and one in Weston. The Post Fire was detected by the Starkville camera. The proposed plan is to place one camera on Eagle Tail and another one on Johnson Mesa or on Bartlett Mesa. State Forestry have purchased 15 cameras and are wanting more. Fire Funds will be used for this purchase. This is a 2-year contract and if things go well the contract may be extended.
Resolution 2026-55 covers the disposal of surplus defibrillators and is asking for authorization to use the equipment for trade in to purchase new equipment. The estimated trade in value of the existing equipment is $16,000.
Commissioners discussed and considered a grant application for the heating system in the Kearny School from Cornerstones-Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization in the amount of $200,000 but only received $150,000. The proposal from Mosark was well over $300,000 for the work on the boiler system. The city will not be able to get an occupancy certification until the heating system is up and running.
Stoven Construction change order covers drainage inspection at the Animal Shelter. The problem occurs from allowing water and feces to be washed down the drains instead of cleaning out the kennels and not allowing feces to be washed down the drains. The cost of the inspection work is $3510.00.
Southwest Hazard Control Inc presented a proposal for Asbestos Abatement at 904 Sugarite Avenue utilizing the CES contract to speed up the procurement process. The cost of the work to be done will be is estimated at $19,412.53 including NMGRT.
Commissioners heard from City Treasurer Michael Anne Antonucci about a budget adjustment for the Juvenile Justice Grant that the city administers. This adjustment is waiting on CYFD to finish their payments to the city. The city will move $1500 of travel expense to be used for restorative justice temporarily.
The second budget adjustment of FY2027 included one line-item transfer to cover the HVAC at the education center. Other items included transfers for the street department and Buck Ridge Ranch transfer.
Commissioners approved the change of ordinance numbering as the number presented at the September 22 meeting should have been 1041 not 1039.
Work continues on South Second street with new pavement cuts on the northbound side and has had a weather delay so hopefully it will be done by October 31.
NM self-insurers meeting was held in Santa Fe. Talked about cybersecurity issues since recent attacks have been on utility organizations and the city is not covered by the fund for that type of event.
The remediation work on the Burro Canyon line is ongoing and make take as long as two years. Hunting schedules and weather will affect the work.
Housing was discussed, The Colfax County provided $100,000 for the last couple of years and was not sure if they were going to continue to participate unless some of the municipalities will also participate in the ROCK housing projects. Segotta noted that there has been a couple of houses located in Springer and one in Miami. Segotta invited Monica Abeyta who is in charge of the New Mexico Housing Project to come up and give the commission a presentation.
The house that exploded on the east side is not the responsibility of the city and is issue of the Housing and Urban Development and the city will have to do paperwork and ride rough shod over the cleanup.
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