The board kills the Veterans Park renaming on purpose — tabled indefinitely so no precedent attaches

If you read nothing else

• The renaming of Veterans Memorial Park was tabled indefinitely — which, as Community Development explained on the record, kills the action. It was the board's stated intent.
• Board Member Montgomery said a straight vote would set a precedent against the board ever revisiting a renaming; tabling indefinitely leaves it open.
• The Veterans Advisory Board's vice-chair said they are not so much wanting to change the name of the park as change the usage of the park.
• Delgado disclosed that the Assistant City Manager had asked staff to stop permitting Veterans Memorial Park as of August 12, 2022, except for outstanding permits.
• Board Member Schuller's motion to correct the July 21 minutes received no second. A second motion, with corrections as presented, carried.
• Las Cruces has one recreation center. Delgado said another is needed, asked the board to send funders her way, and said staff are looking for city land.
• The pools ran short-handed all summer: 25 lifeguards where 32 were needed, forcing one outdoor pool to close during the week. The new 50-meter pool will need 38.
• Board Member Engle read a former board member's complaints into the record — water fountains, ADA compliance, restrooms — and asked for a public list of non-compliant facilities. The Chair agreed.

Who was in the room

Public comment

Kept at length on purpose. Every point raised is listed, in the order the minutes record it.

How the renaming was ended, and why it was ended that way

Board Member Schuller said the action item reads "Renaming Veteran's Memorial Park," and that to proceed forward and essentially kill this action item, the board will need to vote on it at this meeting and bring it up as a new action item at the September meeting. She said that if the veterans are going after more than just a name change, the agenda item should be more inclusive than just the name that has been talked about up to this point. She said that if the board lands on something at this meeting under an item titled "Renaming," it may not facilitate whatever course of action comes with new business, and they would have to go through the whole renaming process again. She said she likes coming back with more of an umbrella approach to how to address the park and what is being asked in its entirety, and that the board does not want to prolong this but wants all the information on the large picture rather than solely the name of the park as it stands today.

Larry Nichols, Community Development Director, gave the history: this initially started as an endeavor and a means of trying to find a way to have a respectful use of Veterans Memorial Park, because there were many incidents where memorials were being defaced and graffitied. He said the initial discussions thought a name change would be the way to go, but it brought on more difficulties than it would solve, because it is a neighborhood park. He said that after further discussion and evaluation, the way to address the defacing and the disrespectful use of the park was to ask for a special use designation — which was already in the park master plan — and that this is what the Veterans Advisory Board would like to pursue at this time.

Board Member Montgomery moved to table indefinitely. He said his concern with taking a vote on the item is that it sets a precedent, should the board see a renaming of Veterans Memorial Park in the future, that the board has already made a decision on that factor. He said tabling indefinitely allows the board to come back and revisit this without any previous precedent.

Vice-Chair Engle said tabling indefinitely is a good option, as it sounds like the Veterans Advisory Board wants to pursue the special use park, which makes more sense for the memorial aspect of the property. He said coming back to this when the VAB has the new information is a viable course of action.

Board Member Coppedge said he is less concerned about the name change, since the goal seems to be more about the usage of the park, and they do not have all the information to decide.

Permitting at Veterans Memorial Park has been stopped

Under staff comments, Delgado advised the board that she has been asked by the Assistant City Manager to stop permitting Veterans Memorial Park as of August 12, 2022, except for outstanding permits, until staff knows what is going to happen with the park.

She said there is still discussion about people not necessarily paying the respect due when visiting that facility, and that trying to get from A to Z on this will be a tough challenge.

Keep Las Cruces Beautiful — a year in numbers

James Woods, KLCB Program Coordinator, reported that the end-of-year report was submitted the previous month for the New Mexico Clean and Beautiful Grant, and shared numbers from what he called a productive year, post-COVID.

Volunteer numbers went up across Toss No Mas, Great American Clean Up and Team Up to Clean Up — over 800 volunteers, who collected over 15 tons of trash.

Over 1,500 graffiti abatements for the fiscal year.

A youth stipend fundraiser paid 22 groups $250 each to do cleanups at their school or in the community.

NMSU interns go out to Las Cruces Public Schools and City After School Programs to educate students on litter control, recycling and graffiti — presentations to over 800 students, some Libby visits and some education visits with activities.

KLCB was awarded a Youth Conservation Corps grant to restore some murals in the city and is hiring youth for the program.

KLCB was awarded the New Mexico Clean and Beautiful grant for Fiscal Year 2023. Woods told the board KLCB is totally run by grant funds from New Mexico Clean and Beautiful.

Board Member Coppedge asked the total amount of grants received for the upcoming year and how funds would be used. Woods said the funds go to supplies to address graffiti, education presentations, Libby books and other activity and promotion items for children, things to beautify the community, and intern hires. He said the amount of the grant was $29,000.

Chair McClure asked who Libby is. Woods said Libby is KLCB's mascot, a young Labrador that assists in presentations for children. McClure said she would like Libby to visit the board.

Capital projects

Catherine Mathews reported the WaterSMART grant project is coming to a close — finishing the purchase of a booster pump for the irrigation system at Soldados Field, which she called important for water conservation and for increasing the level of service for residents who use the field.

August 17 is the kickoff with consultants on the Trail Wayfinding project. Consultants will develop a plan for a wayfinding system among trails, parks and other Parks & Recreation facilities, working with a stakeholder advisory group to get input from the public and from groups throughout the city.

Staff anticipate a kickoff before the next board meeting with the design-build team for the skate park renovation.

A grant application was submitted for additional funding for Benavidez Community Center Park.

Trail projects are moving forward. The Las Cruces Lateral Trail project will move into construction in the coming months; design was just completed and the design package submitted to the New Mexico Department of Transportation, which will extend the construction grant to the city.

Parks operations — vandalism, water fountains, trees, playgrounds

Franco Granillo reported the RecTrac registration program is now online, has been online for three registrations, and has been working very well with most issues being user issues.

Staff will attend the National Recreation and Parks Association Conference in September.

On emails about water fountains being down: staff have an inventory of water fountains and their condition, working or needing parts. The Facilities Department holds this information and is helping fix them, because park staff are irrigation employees who do not deal with fresh leaking water, and Facilities has plumbers.

There has been a lot of damage at parks recently, mainly at Lion's Park, where windows were broken over the past weekend with work orders out for replacement. There has been lots of graffiti and a lot of loitering, which causes other issues people are concerned with. Overall there is a lot of graffiti and a lot of damage to amenities and walls, and staff are doing their best to keep up.

The Community Forester is retiring in December. Granillo said he is doing a good job stocking up the nursery for planting season to ensure trees are on hand to reach a goal of planting 250 trees; there are about 300 trees in the nursery currently.

Last fiscal year money was requested for playground replacement, mainly repair throughout the city. Construction staff is now installing slides, covers and swings. One thing staff is doing this year is improving surfacing, moving from wood chips to rubberized surfacing, which is safer, does not deteriorate, and does not blow away in the wind.

Staff are getting several complaints when the lightning meter goes off on the Hadley strip, because people have to clear the fields and return to their vehicles. Granillo advised the board to refer any complaints to him, and he can send the policy and procedures staff have to follow.

Chair McClure asked whether the board could get a report on progress status for the water fountains, the schedule, and how they are being fixed, so the board can respond to complaints. Granillo said one issue is waiting on parts, but he will work with Facilities to get the information for the board.

McClure asked about RecTrac payments and whether it all worked out for Treasury. Granillo said Treasury was pleased and did not see any issues with reconciliation.

McClure asked whether there has been any more patrolling by LCPD regarding the vandalism. Granillo said that for the kind of vandalism the parks are getting, more patrolling is what would help, as they really do not have funds to hire a security officer. He said he has requested city management check with LCPD about getting more patrols. Asked what the Parks & Recreation procedure is for contacting LCPD, he said for this kind of thing he would ask Delgado to contact the Police Chief.

McClure asked whether LCPD has a specific liaison for city departments. Delgado called it a good question and said it is something staff is addressing as part of the CAPRA process — staff is creating that process, and the Parks & Recreation Director or her Administrators would be the liaison to LCPD. She said in the meantime she has sent an email to the Police Chief. McClure requested an update at the next meeting on what LCPD proposes to do to help.

Board Member Montgomery asked whether staff know the cost difference in repairs due to vandalism this year compared to past years. Delgado said she would need to check with Facilities, as they maintain building structures in parks, and will bring the information forward next month.

Later, Delgado said staff did cover the graffiti on the bathroom walls at Lion's Park, and that when graffiti cannot be removed staff has to paint with a color sufficient to cover it. She said the graffiti team tries to get graffiti addressed within 24 hours, 48 at the latest.

Board Member Montgomery asked who conducts the graffiti cleanup — youth or staff. Nunez said Keep Las Cruces uses general fund dollars and employs two temp employees, and JCP youth also assist as part of their community service.

Youth services

Robert Nunez reported an increase in funding for the Youth Development and Diversion Juvenile Citation Program from the Children, Youth and Families Department — $339,000, an increase of approximately $30,000. He called this very positive for JCP, its contractors and the community, for educational programming, mentorship and all aspects of prevention and diversion programming. A new Supervisor/Continuum Coordinator has been hired.

There has been about a 20% increase in referrals, with the school year starting earlier this year and an almost non-existent summer. Staff are looking to hire the last two members to continue offering the same program in the southern area — Anthony, Sunland Park, Hatch — and hope to offer services in the southern part of the county by October, on Saturdays.

Summer ended quickly for Out of School Time programs, and attendance was good. After School Programs run at eight locations, six at school sites, with four at capacity — three in the schools and one at the A. Fielder Memorial Safe Haven (Weed & Seed Program). Staff are looking to expand to two more locations: one for teen connection currently at Frank O'Brien Papen Community Center, and one on the East Mesa, which would cover Mesa, Camino and Organ Mountain High School students.

A survey at the end of summer reported the programs, which were at no cost, were enjoyed. Cost will be evaluated to see whether fees will be adjusted for next school year. Twelve new teen staff members come on board in the next few weeks, with continuous recruitment to make sure resources are available at all Out of School Time locations.

Vice-Chair Engle asked the status of the Youth Board. Nunez said the Supervisor was just recently hired and they have now met on getting the application back out to students to put a recruitment process in place, so the Youth Board can be in place by the first of the new year.

Board Member Montgomery asked whether the 20% increase in referrals was county-wide or just within the city. Nunez said it is probably 50/50, maybe a bit higher with the county at 53/47%, and that this has been the statistic over the last seven years, with numbers a bit more from the county.

Chair McClure asked Nunez to explain the Youth Board for new Board Member Coppedge. Nunez said staff try to recruit two youth from each District and two At Large from the Mayor's office, and that they are allowed to bring any information they want forward to this board and to Parks & Recreation staff regarding programming and what there is to do in Las Cruces. He said that during COVID there was a large increase in the need for mentorships and tutoring, still seen with Teen Connection, and he would like to bring that to the Youth Board's attention when they are brought on board.

Nunez reported a $10,000 grant received through the Mayor's office, used to purchase 16 laptops and charging stations — half to be placed at Safe Haven and half with Teen Connection. The laptops carry the management system the public schools use, and the schools will help maintain them. They will be available to students to do academics on location.

Board Member Schuller asked the status of facility WiFi. Nunez said Lift Zones provided by Comcast are at six Parks & Recreation locations as well as a Senior Center.

Recreation — leagues at capacity and lifeguards short

Phil Catanach reported youth sports leagues just finished: Youth Outdoor Soccer, Lil Sluggers T-ball and Coach Pitch Baseball. Outdoor Volleyball is coming with 48 teams and over 500 players. Flag Football starts that evening, August 16, with 18 teams. The Meerscheidt Recreation Center parking lot is being paved and will be ready early October. Basketball league starts early October with 48 teams. RecTrac registration is now online and has made registration a lot smoother. All leagues have filled to capacity.

On the recreation side, an e-gaming room has started at the Frank O'Brien Papen Community Center, starting August 19. The WiFi there is not good enough for online e-gaming, so the games will run on the six consoles provided. A card game called Magic: The Gathering begins August 18.

Music in the Park has covered 15 concerts so far with over 13,000 in attendance, and has three more to go at Apodaca Park as part of Lift Up Las Cruces. Concert attendance at Young Park averaged around 800 to 1,000; attendance at Apodaca Park is about 250 to 300, which Catanach attributed to the smaller parking area. The last Music in the Plaza is Thursday, August 18, with a Jazz Trio and a Swing Soloist.

Movies in the Park have been at Apodaca Park this year and attendance numbers there are down compared to Young Park, but the idea of moving them to Apodaca is to add life and energy to that area.

Recreation has been part of Lift Up Las Cruces events and was at the kickoff, and also participated at National Night Out.

Employee Wellness is getting ready for an Employee Basketball Tournament the last week of August into early September, followed by a Softball Tournament at the end of September into early October. A Kickball tournament recently ended, won by the Fleet Department.

Outdoor pools have been successful this year. Drop-ins have been down, but rentals have more than covered for that, selling out every weekend. Outdoor pools are open until September 5, with that day being free swim. Regional Aquatic Center numbers are back to pre-COVID levels and sessions have been sold out, even with back to school.

Staff have started meeting on Christmas tree lighting. Debrief meetings have been held for the Fourth of July: there was a lightning presence for the concert, but the National Weather Service was on hand to help clear the field, with more than 3,000 in attendance. Planning is starting for next year's event, parade and concert.

The year finished with 25 lifeguards for the two outdoor pools and the RAC. At least 32 were needed, and one of the outdoor pools had to close during the week. With the new 50-meter pool, a minimum of 38 lifeguards will be needed.

Board Member Coppedge asked where Recreation will grow with all leagues full. Catanach said there is always room to grow, with staff always looking for things to do for teenagers. Coming down the line is the 50-meter community pool, which will open some things up for the community in early July. A new splash pad is coming online in late October or early November. Staff are trying to hit non-traditional areas like Magic: The Gathering or e-gaming. He said there are always opportunities for growth but not the means to grow, and he is open to suggestions. He noted Meerscheidt, whose 50th anniversary is this year, is the only Recreation Center in town.

One recreation center in the city

Delgado reiterated that Meerscheidt is the only recreation center the City of Las Cruces has. All the other facilities are either a school or a hand-me-down fire station, which are called community facilities and were not built as recreation centers.

She said another recreation center is needed and she is trying to find funding for one, and asked the board to send anyone who can provide funding her way. Staff are hoping to get grants for a recreation center and are starting to look at where the city has land.

She said the athletic programs are busting at the seams and could take in more, but then only one sport would be played and there would be no room for others. She said the Recreation team does a good job offering different types of sports with a decent-size league to play in, and acknowledged the need for growth — but the facilities are needed.

Board Member Schuller said she is tempted to reach out to Economic Development to start talking about what the impacts would be if a new recreation center is added, and whether more programming offsets vandalism and what that means for Economic Development and the impact to Las Cruces. She said Economic Development is a good place to start to push it to multiple avenues and sources, and to City Councilors, for more backing.

Dog parks, the Unidad splash pad, and Lift Up Las Cruces

Delgado said that with the 2018 GO Bond, two dog parks should come online at the end of August or the first part of September. Once online they will be rolled into the parks maintenance plan.

The Unidad Splash Pad will be complete about the same time. Once that happens staff will put together a ribbon ceremony, and the facility will be used for a couple of weeks and then closed down — which will give the Certified Pool Operators a chance to watch the system in action before opening it back up.

Delgado said Lift Up Las Cruces is in District 1, which Recreation has been part of, and staff now have the task of looking at the entire area to see what can be done to beautify it and take that back to the City Manager.

Board Member Montgomery asked whether the Lift Up Las Cruces area in District 1 excludes Apodaca Park. Delgado said it does not include it — it is right on the edge of Apodaca Park — and that there is a pending grant that will help with Apodaca Park. Montgomery said his reason for asking is that it would seem logical for the City Manager's request to include maintenance or improvements to Apodaca Park relative to the neighborhood, because it is adjacent and most likely serves those neighborhoods even though it is outside the geographic boundary, and asked whether that consideration is happening.

Delgado said yes, and that what they are thinking is that the pending grant will have a huge impact on Apodaca Park and make a huge improvement on one portion of it. Staff are going after additional grants to help spruce up some of that area, and she said that when Public Works starts working in that area, puts up rights of way and puts in new trees, it all comes back to Parks.

A former board member's complaints, read into the record

Vice-Chair Engle said he was asked by one of his former predecessors in his position, Frank Carril, to read some of his issues into the record. Engle said the issues were emailed by Carril to the City Manager, the Mayor and to Rudy Trevino. The issues, as Engle read them:

Water fountains — Carril feels the citizens deserve working water fountains, which were off all summer and are now going to be taken offline soon as colder weather comes in.

Carril was discouraged by the 15-by-15 shade structures at Apodaca Park when there are still no good restrooms, water, or ADA compliance.

Carril mentioned concrete cracks on the court and did not reference which park, though Engle said it could possibly be Apodaca, and said the city does not do anything about this.

A fourth comment Engle said he did not understand: sides of fencing replaced but the broken north side left, and it does not look good. Engle was not sure where this was.

Engle said he went back through board minutes from May 26 and it seems to be a continuing issue for Carril, because he did bring up the restrooms north of Apodaca and mentioned non-ADA compliance, even stating an 8.1% grade which is out of ADA compliance — but Engle said he could not find that in the minutes. He said he could distill Carril's issue as mostly at Apodaca Park but generally ADA compliance, working restrooms and working water fountains, and expressed thanks to staff, who have touched on these issues in previous comments.

Engle said it may be a good idea, for transparency, to have a list of actual facilities that are not compliant or having issues, what their status is, and to be able to see progress as issues are taken care of. Chair McClure agreed.

Delgado said Carril is referring to the fencing of the Apodaca pickleball courts. She said Carril did have the state come and do an ADA assessment, and that report with recommendations was given to Public Works, which is working with a contractor to see if there is anything that had to be done to meet some of the requirements. She said that currently the facility meets the minimum ADA requirement, and that when the final report is received she will share it with the board.

On the restroom, Delgado said there is a working restroom at Apodaca Park, but you have to walk to it from the pickleball court, so staff opened the restroom at the baseball park right across the street for pickleball players.

On the shade structure, Delgado said Carril was not happy with the structure put over the playground, but it was part of a grant that was received and happened to be working right alongside the GO Bond. She said she understands some did not want that shade structure there, but a lot of individuals like it.

Delgado said that with the new grant coming from the State through the Federal Government to the City regarding the swimming pool that will be replaced by a splash pad, the north side of the fencing of the Apodaca pickleball court will be addressed. It will address some of the issues back there and bring brand new bathrooms, since the plumbing is already there and it is regulation with a splash pad to have restrooms in place and a shower. She said staff had hoped this project would run right alongside the GO Bond, but it did not happen. She said she understands Carril's concerns and knows Public Works is working hard to address the recommendations.

Delgado added that staff is working through the CAPRA process, and one of the things asked is when ADA inspections are done. Staff have reached out to the ADA coordinator and are looking to start those, but she does not know when. She said they do have a checklist, and that the biggest thing to know is that when new construction happens on a facility, ADA improvements have to be upgraded. She said the ADA Coordinator will be working on these issues but there is no timeline yet, and she will share with the board as it progresses. Engle said it sounds like once this happens, the list he suggested will come about.

Board comments — disc golf, an online ADA map, and an unsigned schools agreement

Board Member Montgomery apologized for his attendance over the past several months due to conflicts, said he is happy to be back and promised to keep a better track record. He said Parks & Recreation is a critical department, because he is starting to hear trends in the city on increases in crime, police deployment, graffiti, youth referrals and facilities maxed out — that these are incredible numbers, and this will be his comments to his City Councilor.

Engle and Schuller both welcomed Board Member Coppedge; Engle described him as a big advocate of the outdoors.

Schuller asked whether it would be possible to put a map on the facilities page designating ADA features or restrooms, so that when people say a facility is not ADA the map is available online and would field some of those questions. Delgado said Parks and Recreation does have an app with all park facilities and amenities and how to get to them, and that staff are trying to figure out how to put an interactive map on the department's web pages, which are being redone with a deadline to go live in January 2023. Schuller also suggested doing something that would interact with the web page for people who are not app savvy or decline to use an app.

Schuller said she will be out for the September 15 board meeting but would like to hear all the correspondence that comes from the new business item on Veterans Memorial Park.

Chair McClure said she went to Sunrise Terrace on a Sunday morning so her children could play, and there were disc golf players who apologetically forewarned them the children might get hit. She said she is not sure there should be playgrounds next to disc golf. Delgado said Sunrise Terrace is the only park with disc golf baskets, but they will be moved once the nine-hole course opens, which should happen this calendar year.

McClure asked the status of the Las Cruces Public Schools agreement, noting it also involves water fountains. Delgado said she sent another email that same day to LCPS asking when the agreement will be sent back, reiterating that there are state legislature funds that can only be spent on High Noon fields 1 through 5, but cannot be spent until the agreement is signed because High Noon is not city property. She said the fields do have access to water — no water fountain, but a water spigot on field one — and that putting water fountains in the fields is one of the things staff wants to do with the funds, along with making fields 1 through 5 part of the Parks system and breaking away from the public schools.

McClure asked whether there is anything the board can do to facilitate getting the LCPS agreement signed, and whether Delgado is copying the Assistant City Manager. Delgado said she has contacted the LCPS Administrator and the City's legal team, and the ACM is aware, and that it may need a little push from the City Manager and the LCPS Superintendent. McClure asked how long LCPS has gone without signing; Delgado said she thinks about a year. McClure asked whether a letter from the board would help, and said she is also going to talk to her City Councilor.

McClure said she attended the Veterans Advisory Board meeting and got a sense they were not sure what they want to do, and at the end thought maybe they needed more signage. She said it was eye-opening for them to hear the difference between a special use park and a specialty park, and that tabling the item until the VAB gets more information was a good idea. She said she will share notes from that meeting with the rest of the board.

Board Member Coppedge echoed McClure's sentiments and especially Montgomery's on trash and vandalism. He said he understood from Granillo that with all the lights on and things going on at Hadley Complex, there is no vandalism, and asked whether there is a correlation between the number of programs offered in an area and the amount of vandalism. He asked: if the city is spending so much money, time and staffing on vandalism, should it change its way of thinking — if we do not want vandalism, can the clean-up crew be changed to offer a kickball tournament once a week, is there another solution? He said this is one thing he has noticed from his first meeting, that he is encouraged by the positive things happening in the city, and thanked the board for having him.

Coppedge said he has had the same interaction with the disc golf team at the park. He said they are mostly NMSU students who are part of the disc golf club and have been working with the NMSU golf course to build a full 18-hole course, and he does not know whether that is a collaboration NMSU and the city could combine resources on. He said he does not know the status of the new disc golf course being built, but he thinks it is in everyone's best interest not to have a playground there — when he was at the park with his children, he did not feel comfortable being there. Chair McClure concurred.

Recorded votes

Left open at the gavel