Short Commission Meeting Hears Report and Approves Bids

By Marty Mayfield

KRTN Muti-Media

The Raton Adventure Center gave their presentation at the Raton City Commission meeting for September 9^th before the commission went on to approve contracts for street work and work on the aquatic center.

Mayor Neil Segotta noted the passing of Jim Maldonado on September 8, 2025, a former sheriff and county commissioner. Jim was a dedicated public servant who has given many years of service to Colfax County and the City of Raton. Segotta noted that as a leader and a protector of the people, he touched countless lives with his kindness and dedication to justice.

Sandra and Shane Young presented a report on the Coors Building Metropolitan redevelopment project that they entered into in May of 2023. After cleanup began it was determined that structural repairs were needed. Those have been completed, and the Raton Adventure Center was born and continues to grow. Construction continues on the building to allow for the Raton Bunkhouse on the second floor and the Downunder Printing business in the basement. As part of the agreement the business will employ four employees by the end of the first three years. The Youngs are also going to open the Kangaroo Café as part of the venture and hope that will become a year-round venture. This venture is awaiting further construction work.

After the report Commissioner Honeyfield asked several questions one of which dealt with the old house at the bottom of the dam at Lake Maloya. The house is not being used as it does not have potable water but has been considered for a staging area for kayakers and hikers as well as possible bringing in a food or concession truck to provide things like snack and drinks maybe even fishing bait and licensing. it was mentioned the building was considered for demolition but that talk has quieted down and both Segotta and Honeyfield noted that needed further discussion.

The city received two bids for on call street infrastructure maintenance. The low bid was from G.M. Emulsion LLC for $87,000 excluding GRT, the other bid was from Archuleta Construction. According to Mestas this contract will allow the city to call on experienced contractors to address street infrastructure needs.

The city requested bids to upgrade the Aquatic Center control system to improve the operational efficiency of the aquatic center. One bid was received from CEM Sales and Service for $14,692 excluding GRT. The project will focus on replacing the outdated control systems that manage the water temperature and filtration. The upgraded system will reduce energy consumption and lower maintenance costs.

Commissioners then received word that the final budgets for Raton Water Works and Raton Public Service have been approved and are ready for the commission approval to begin fiscal year 26.

City Manager Rick Mestas noted in his report that the city has seen the demolition and cleanup of several properties in Raton and this process will continue as the city ramps up these efforts to continue to clean up the city.

Solid waste department has been dealing with illegal dumping and dumpster repairs while the engineering department has been hard at work on updating zoning codes.

In Rick Mestas’s report he included these final thoughts, “Finally, a few closing thoughts… Misinformation on Facebook poses significant dangers by spreading false or misleading information quickly across a vast network of users. Due to the platform’s algorithms prioritizing sensational or emotionally charged content, these falsehoods can go viral, reaching millions in a short time. This not only distorts public understanding of key issues—such as health, politics, or this week…who runs the utilities in Raton—but also fuels division, creates distrust, and can incite real-world harm. Remember what Abraham Lincon said, “Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet””

The next regular meeting of the Raton City Commission will be on September 23, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the city commission chambers at city hall.