Villa Mora Dam Park approved; two years of dog park rules finally land

If you read nothing else

• The board approved the Villa Mora Dam Park design concept unanimously — a true neighborhood park on a site that no longer holds water.
• Dog park rules cleared two administrations of the Dog Park Coalition and two legal reviews; the survey ran 163 for and 33 against out of 196 responses (83% / 17%).
• A pickleball player asked that the Meerscheidt cap rise from 44 to about 50; the Aquatics Administrator warned more players means less play time per person.
• Disc golf was constructed in 2024 and is complete except for signs, delayed by trademark and branding negotiations; installation was to begin the following week.
• Chair Raish proposed replacing the February 20 meeting with a park tour field trip. No motion was taken on it.

Who was in the room

Public comment

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

6.1 Disc golf update

Katherine Harrison-Rogers stated the disc golf course was constructed in 2024 and is complete except for signs. The signs were delayed by negotiations over trademarks and branding, which had been worked out; the signs had been delivered.

Installation was to begin the following week, with completion hoped for by the end of February. The course has no fees and is first come, first serve.

6.2 Dog park rules and survey — the final update

Franco Granillo said he has been working on the dog park rules for a couple of years. He had feedback from two administrations of the Dog Park Coalition, which are currently pleased, and the City has gone through two legal administrations and two reviews by legal. The item also went through the community constituent process for the survey.

The survey returned 196 responses: 163 for the changes and 33 against — 83% for and 17% against. There were 59 comments, 11 of which agreed, and several raising issues the City cannot oversee.

There are three dog park facilities and staff said they all need the same rules. Comment themes: the age of participants (children should have parents to help and take care of them when young); food and treats (when you have something in your hand, dogs see it and fight over it); behavior of dogs in certain situations; parking, which staff are working on; and the water bowls, which staff said simply have to be pushed really hard.

Staff said they can suggest vaccination of dogs but cannot mandate it. Dogs must be on a leash before and as they enter the dog park. Dogs in heat, non-neutered male dogs, and aggressive dogs were raised as possible issues, so the rules exclude dogs in heat, intact male dogs, and aggressive dogs of any gender.

SNAP (Spay Neuter Action Program) information is being added to the rules, along with the animal control number, which should be called with issues; codes enforcement will help if need be.

Granillo said these are more than guidelines — they are actual rules — and the reason for rules is that you can implement them, see how it goes, and change them if they are not working. He said he will document feedback, is ready to make the signs and put them up, and that staff would eventually like an ordinance concerning the dog park rules. Staff will move forward with signage and placement.

6.3 NMDOT I-25 / Lohman Ave. landscape improvement

Katherine Harrison-Rogers described a collaborative project with NMDOT, paid for and constructed by NMDOT, with the City taking over maintenance of the landscaping. It was finalized in September 2024.

She said the goal is to beautify the gateways and major interchanges, and that more can possibly be expected in the future.

7.1 Villa Mora Dam Park design concept

Harrison-Rogers shared the Villa Mora Dam Park conceptual plan. The site was a series of check dams and used to be a dam utilized by the City before the giant Las Cruces Dam was built; it no longer retains or collects water the way it used to.

There is interest in making it a more usable site, and the City is interested in developing a true neighborhood park with turf area, play areas, and areas for socialization. A public engagement event held in December was well attended.

Although it is a neighborhood park, staff said it is in a key location and so parking is needed. The concept includes a trail circling the park with some native species and some signage. A concrete slide was described as something that would be nice at some point when budgeting allows.

A question was raised about whether being so close to Apodaca would be an issue. Staff answered that Apodaca is approximately three-quarters of a mile or more away, that Apodaca is a community park intended to serve a larger area, and that this park is really intended as a neighborhood park.

Staff comments — what is being built and who is showing up

Jake Gutierrez said all facilities are gearing up and offering daily services, ready for spring, and that they hosted an aquatics tournament with at least 14 major universities.

Franco Granillo said the department has a community forester on staff who educates the public, visits possible hazardous trees, checks tree health, and handles tree maintenance; he will bring the community forester to a meeting in the near future. Volunteer tree stewards are being established again but the number is low. His staff spend a large amount of time decorating the plaza for Christmas and then putting it all away. Staff are removing unwanted vegetation and detailing within the parks, and prepping athletic fields — 57 tournaments across various sports are already planned.

Katherine Harrison-Rogers listed projects finishing in the next couple of months: High Noon concession, Veterans Park parking lot, and Highland Park. New projects starting: playground replacement, finishing construction design documents for a new skate park, and Chandler Tank, which they are trying to get under contract. She said she is working on getting a consultant for the Young Park master plan.

Ryan Steinmetz, sitting in for Robert Nunez, said the Out of School Time programs all came back for the spring semester with lots of kids. The Weed and Seed program at A. Fielder Safe Haven is at capacity with 60 participants; water fountains are going in there, and hopefully a shade structure outside over the basketball courts. After-school programs run in seven different schools. For spring break, students go to Meerscheidt and another facility for a full-day camp; Fairacres Elementary will be on site, and staff hope to get another site soon. Teen Connection has 60 signed up but regularly 30 show up, and the challenge is that staff have to pick the kids up to bring them to the Frank O'Brien Papen Center; the program is still growing. Youth Development and Diversion programs are going very well. Keep Las Cruces Beautiful is gearing up for a busy spring, with an Earth Day celebration April 19 and the Great American Clean Up April 26.

Steve Bingham said there have been a lot of exciting things and that he greatly appreciates all feedback.

Board member comments

Board Member Bradley asked whether there are ribbon cuttings when parks are finished. Harrison-Rogers said it has been an intermittent practice but staff are trying to establish some standards for it, and hopefully some this spring.

Board Member Beard asked that when staff put together the pickleball presentation, it include all of the pickleball courts, and also include tennis and how that is going.

Vice-Chair Haas gave thanks and kudos for the events through the busy holiday season.

Chair Raish said he spoke with Steve and they would like to propose a field trip for the board in place of the February 20 meeting — a tour of some of the parks. The record shows no motion and no vote on the proposal.

Minutes corrections

The November 21, 2024 cancelled meeting minutes were approved without changes.

Chair Raish had changes to the December 19, 2024 draft: item 6.1 should be 7.1; item 7.1 should be 6.1; item 7.2 should be 6.2; item 7.3 should be 6.3; and item 7.4 should be 6.4. Under 7.1, the final statement on the Realize Las Cruces endorsement should note that Vice-Chair Haas proposed endorsing the Parks section of Realize Las Cruces as is, seconded by Board Member Tellez, and should further state "that the motion passed unanimously by each Board Member individually stating name and vote." Under item 10, adjournment, the duplicated "Haas" after Beard should be removed.

Recorded votes

Left open at the gavel