Ten projects in one sitting, and a gazebo whose lights nobody will claim

If you read nothing else

• No action items. Two discussion items and staff comments filled the meeting.
• Ten capital projects were run through in one block: Apodaca, Benavidez, East Mesa (bike park and complex), Chandler Tank, Doña Ana Move Trail, La Llorona, Pioneer Women's, Veterans Memorial and Villa Mora Dam.
• Meerscheidt's 2026 slate is finalized: 23 programs and leagues plus three new youth camps — 26 programs out of one rec center.
• The Pioneer Women's Park gazebo is rebuilt in steel, but four interior lights near it are gone and its outlets are off at the breaker after vandalism. A neighbor was told the city did not put up the Christmas lights.
• Bingham said that as long as Veterans Memorial Park is a park, it needs to be allowed to be a park — after veterans said soccer and a playground were inappropriate there.
• The record does not show an adjournment motion; the entry is unreadable.

Who was in the room

Public comment

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

8.1 Fall sports program

Zach Hernandez presented athletics for fall and winter 2025. Completed youth leagues: flag football with 138 participants, and youth basketball with six divisions and 434 participants. Adult sand volleyball finished at capacity, as it does every year — 64 teams and 512 participants. The Spooky Spikes Volleyball Tournament and the Holiday Hits Volleyball Tournament were also named.

Daily programming ran August through November. A new facility calendar now runs through January 3rd. It includes adult volleyball Monday, Wednesday and Friday; adult pickleball daily with a single session on Saturdays; adaptive sports for volleyball and basketball on Tuesdays and Thursdays; corn hole; Zumba Gold tailored to senior women Monday and Wednesday; and Dancercise for a slightly younger crowd Tuesday and Thursday.

For 2026, adult indoor volleyball is taking place now with four divisions, 52 teams and an average of 416 participants. Youth indoor soccer is registering.

All 2026 programs have been finalized — 23 programs and leagues, plus three new youth camps to be offered, so 26 programs run just out of Meerscheidt Rec Center.

Grass volleyball has taken off; staff can set up six courts for adults. They did the first-ever dance camp for young ladies aged 6-10. Teen nights and Friday-night sand volleyball are running. Some programs are also held at Provencio and Notre Dame. Youth soccer is offered at six and under, eight and under, and 10 and under. There is room for expansion if needed.

Jake Gutierrez said a balance for recreation programs is that there are other options within the city, so there is lots of variety. One issue is not enough volunteers; the department does some wonderful things for volunteers including a luncheon and goodie bags. Baseball runs one to two volunteers per team, sometimes three to four.

Franco Granillo said End Zone has used and reserved the fields and pays a fee, and also uses the schools. The goal is always how best to serve the community; End Zone is for profit so things are a bit different. Several organizations do rent sports spaces.

8.2 Project updates — the funded work

Apodaca Park: staff are developing an aquatic playground and a multiuse path, with a grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to execute a portion of the master plan. The existing restroom will be used to put in a splash pad — staff call it an aquatic playground because it will be more than just a splash pad. The work also includes a trail around the entire park, addressing parking, and a plaza near the pickleball courts, with more amenities at the pickleball courts because they are quite popular.

Benavidez Community Center Park: also supported by a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant, matched one-to-one, with the match coming from park impact fees. Staff will update the practice area — it is not large enough to be a full baseball or softball field — bringing in turf grass, trails, and added trees.

East Mesa Public Recreation Complex bike park: the intention is to take part of the 350 acres leased from BLM and build a bike park, so mountain bikers will have a place to go.

Chandler Tank Park: a stormwater management area and facility, to which staff are bringing neighborhood park amenities — a playground, picnic shelters, some grass, and a bit of parking.

Doña Ana Move Trail: supported by a lot of funding sources, including capital outlay funding and a grant from the Paso del Norte Foundation. Staff are partnering with Elephant Butte Irrigation District to underground a portion of the EBID Las Cruces Lateral from University to College to Union, and from Union all the way to Main Street, with the trail built over the top.

8.2 Project updates — under construction and proposed

East Mesa Public Recreation Complex: Phase 1 is constructed. Phase 2 is under construction — the sports complex and recreation complex, plus a parking lot. A skate park is already completed in the southern end. Under construction are a playground, a restroom, and basketball courts, with sand volleyball courts eventually. Signage is very expensive and not currently funded; staff said that as the site is under construction, signage at this time is not appropriate.

La Llorona Park: supported by General Obligation Bond money. The restroom is being replaced and upgraded, the existing playground space maximized, the parking lot resurfaced and restriped, and trails have been upgraded and made accessible. Drinking fountains, signage and wayfinding signage are included.

Pioneer Women's Park: the gazebo project is completed, with the wooden structure replaced by a steel structure. The current phase is adding pergolas back per the original gazebo. People can make reservations online to use the gazebo and can ask for the lighting, which staff will program. The electrical outlets are turned off at the circuit breaker because they were vandalized.

Veterans Memorial Park: has some recent and ongoing improvement. The extended parking area was completed last year. Staff are upgrading the restroom and extending the memorial walkway so people can more easily get around the park and into the disc golf area and the area behind the dam with trails. The playground is in the master plan to be returned.

Villa Mora Dam Project: at Triviz and Madrid. On the west side of the dam staff propose to build a three-acre park, ensuring pathways will not interfere with any running water. It will be phased as funding is limited, and would include a trail system, a turf grassed area, a picnic plaza with shade structure, and a small playground.

A question was raised about the La Llorona trail and some cracks in the trail. The city is aware of the issues outside of the park boundaries, but it is not part of the current project.

9. Staff member comments

Jake Gutierrez said he is filling in for Robert Nunez. Keep Las Cruces Beautiful neighborhood dumpster day will be Saturday the 13th, 8:00 to 12:00, with roll-off locations at Young Park, East Mesa Recreation Center off of Porter, Henry Benavidez Community Center, Mesilla Park, and Frank O'Brien.

Out-of-school-time winter break programming runs December 22nd through January 2nd, 7:30 to 5:30, at Jornada Elementary and East Mesa Recreation Center off of Porter.

The Youth Development and Diversion Program will partner with CYFD, Doña Ana County, and the communities of Las Cruces, Hatch, Sunland Park, Anthony and Chaparral, offering developmental, social and educational community-engaging programs and activities to strengthen youth and family relationships.

On athletics: adult indoor volleyball is in week two; youth indoor soccer registration is ongoing and will reopen for a few more spots, with the league beginning February 7th. On December 26th the facility will be open from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

The wellness area for city staff has multiple programs going on, with 184 employees participating.

Aquatics: on December 26th the aquatic center and natatorium will be open 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and the gym at the aquatic center will be open until 3:00 p.m. On a question about being closed during the lunch hour, staff said data has been tracked from 12:00 to 4:00, there have to be a certain amount of staff on board, staffing is the issue, and their staffing is largely from the university.

Zach Hernandez said they are wrapping up the season for maintenance, removing the final cedar posts that were deteriorating, and sending staff to recertify. Tree lighting was held this past weekend. He reported that Karen Woods, former VAB chairperson, wants to install a wind phone in Veterans Park — an old-fashioned phone mounted on a square tube installed in a planter area or within the park, giving a veteran the opportunity to make the phone call and have a conversation.

Steve Bingham wished everyone a Merry Christmas and good holidays. He reported that veterans felt playing soccer and a playground were inappropriate at Veterans Memorial Park. His position, as recorded, is that if they want to make it a memorial and not a park the city is open for that, but the park funds used in building the park would have to be repaid so that a park could be built in the area — and as long as it is a park, it needs to be allowed to be a park.

10. Board member comments

Board Member Charles Beard said he missed the opportunity with the skateboard park issues. He reported that City Council has had two closed sessions to discuss progress and resolution, and that the city is still pursuing completion of the skate park.

11. Next meeting date

The next meeting was set for January 15, 2026.

Recorded votes

Left open at the gavel