By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Raton City Commissioners met Tuesday evening June 11 for the first regular meeting of the month where the ICIP plan was once again discussed, and they discussed and made decisions on the proposed pickleball courts to be built at Roundhouse Park.
Warren Walton talked about a group that was organized by Patty Link who met to talk about crime in Raton and it has since expanded to include the beautification of Raton. Their mission is to do clean-up work around Raton and are calling their effort Talkin Trash. The group was present to say thank you to the city staff for all the work that they did during the pickup day. They picked over 48,000 pounds of trash that was turned into the transfer station.
Beverly Baca and Amanda Segura told commissioners about the flag retirement ceremony that will be held Friday June 14, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. at Roundhouse Park.
Kathy McQuery told commissioners about the museum and some upcoming events and what will be available to little league players that visit the museum during the district tournament. There will be several items of baseball history on display at the museum.
The ICIP plan is a five-year plan that the city uses for grant proposals and legislative requests. It gives the legislature an idea of what the city needs for the next five years. There are over $87 million in projects that the city has on the plan. The five top items include work on the Lake Maloya Dam, drainage needs in the downtown area, Multi-Modal center work and a new animal shelter and additional solar panels for RPS.
Commissioners discussed the site selection, engineering and construction of the pickle ball courts at Roundhouse Park. The cost of the courts is expected to be close to $500,000 for the engineering and construction of the courts. Depending on the type of construction will determine how many courts may be built. The construction recommended is a post tension concrete slab. The soil samples are at the lab according to Karen Stearns with Engineering Analytics and they are waiting on the results for the final engineering to be done. Commissioners approved the post tension construction for the courts and the city will now go out for bid on the construction.
The event form for the Raton Little League district all-star’s events that will be held June 14-17 and June 21-25. The event is expected to bring in almost 500 athletes and up to 1500 others including parents. 14 different teams will be playing during the tourney. Commissioners approved the event form for the Raton Little League district tournament.
After making a minor change the fire fighter’s union contract it was back in front of commissioners for final approval with the changes having been approved by the fire fighters. Commissioners also approved the change order for the new ambulance utilizing the Houston-Galvestopn Area Council contract. The change order covers graphics for the unit at a cost of $6749.97. The total cost of the two change orders, including the one that was approved at an earlier meeting is $15,428.
Commissioners approved the appointment of Lenore Barfield to the Library Board.
Molzen-Corbin brought a task order for the new electrical vault at the airport. The total cost of the task order is $66,142 for the engineering phase of this project. The city will be asking for funding from the FAA and the state as the total cost of the project will be over $700,000.
Commissioners then discussed an amendment to the Convention Center use agreement rules and regulations that have been in use since 2008. The meeting room fee will increase from $50 to $75. Kitchen use will also increase from $50 to $75. Setup fees will also change slightly if city staff are required to help with the setup. The dining room rental fee will be $125.
Commissioners heard details on changes to the Per Diem pay for public employees while on city business. The city receives a memo each year from the state with the changes the state has made and the city then adjusts the city rates to meet those of the state.
Commissioners heard from City Treasurer Michael Anne Antonucci about budget adjustment #14 for FY24. She noted that there should be one more adjustment in this Fiscal Year. Most of the adjustments are to start the end of the fiscal year. (Link to FY24 Budget Adjustment #14)
Rick Mestas gave his report noting that they met with Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez on June 2nd. They also welcomed World Champion Terri Cruz back home. The Fire Department received Drone Training while the Public Works department is spending time on the storm drain system around Raton digging ditches and cleaning out sediment. The Public Works are continuing work on the ball fields, concession stands and bathrooms for the upcoming district tourney. Musical offices are under way with the Planning and zoning moving to the Highlands building and Grow Raton moving into the Visitor’s Center to help facilitate economic development.
Boy Scout crew 610 N from Palestine Indiana lead by advisor Rob Bindewald contacted the city and chose to help hand weed Heritage Park as a Community Service project along with help from Public Works employees Adrian Mendes, James Holling and Carson Trujillo. The Scouts are on their way to Philmont for a scouting adventure.
