The March 19 Grants City Council Meeting lasted nearly three hours, beginning with comments from the public.
The first speaker, Carol Peterson, addressed the council. She recognized the cleanliness of the city and said that it is the cleanest it has been in years. She emphasized the importance of volunteers and informed the board that the Cibola Art Council is looking for a new director. “Always need more board members.”
Golf Course Board
Two people have been approved of a two-year term on the Golf Course Board, one of which is John Philips. He is a local at the Grants senior center, eating lunch their often. Philips wants to put his time and effort into helping Grants. With about eight years of experience in golf courses and working for the city for approximately eight years, separate from the golf course, he has knowledge and experience that will be able to help with improvements. Philips admitted “I am not a golfer, but I love the golf course. It does not matter if you do not play golf. You need to be up there to eat a hamburger.”
The second new member of the golf board is Stephanie Rivard. Mayor Garcia recommended approval, saying “This is a good one. I want to thank her very much for wanting to volunteer. This lady is an expert in the restaurant business, and she is a local and she is just one cool person.”
Animal Care Board
Barbara Wesley was reappointed for a two-year term on the Animal Care Board.
Wesley has volunteered to help the city of Grants for many years. Mayor Garcia explained how Wesley has volunteered in Grants for many years, cares about her community, and has continued to want to be on the board, having attended many board meetings and being good at keeping minutes. She thanked the board for the privilege of being allowed to serve on the board, before explaining what the animal shelter currently deals with. According to her, the washer and dryer run during all working hours, with every item the animals have being cleaned daily. She explained how dangerous this job is, with some vicious animals coming in or animals having ticks or fleas.
She recalled how staff once transported ninety animals out of the shelter, only to receive eighty-five more the same day. Emphasizing how the animal care center is not designed to hold as many animals as they have, and they currently work on that challenge, she informed them of the animal smell issue. She informed the board that years ago, when someone else ran the shelter, an issue with the filters was discovered, that caused the smell. The one who discovered this issue was able to get the city to clean the filters every month, which got rid of the smell that has returned, as the city no longer does that. There is not a budget for cleaning the animal care center and it costs $14,000 each time the filters are cleaned. Wesley challenged the board and crowd to spend a day at the animal shelter and emphasized how the staff have managed to stay there for many days out of the week for long hours.
She added that they have submitted a new ordinance and that there is a county with a great animal shelter because their ordinance is enforced by the city police.
She then moved onto another pressing matter, explaining that many people let their animals loose once they become a problem, unintentionally leading to the overcrowding of the shelter.
Wesley said “It is not a nice job. It is a filthy, dangerous job.” She wishes she were able to give her workers bonuses and solve their problems, but is unable too, despite their amazing dedication. However, she noted, the city can solve some of these problems. “I do care for our city. I think our city has so much promise. So many opportunities right here. I want us to be a prosperous growing, economically strong city. So, thank you again for letting me serve on your board.”
With that said, Councilor George Garcia admitted “I am glad to have you applying for the board. You have always been good for our community.”
When she was approved, Wesley spoke “Thank you for the confidence that you’ve placed in me.”
Clean Ups
On March 24, a survey from one side of Grants easements to the other was promised and then the work is to begin in cleaning the railroad. The areas of concern for the railroad corridor cleanup are the south and Northside from Diamond G to Fifth Street and all other areas that can be seen from parks and businesses, or residential or commercial. The overgrown weeds and trees not only need to be removed to make the city look better, but because they are fire hazard.
Another cleanup that has only been discussed, while action will be taken during the next meeting is the Rio San Jose Ditch Cleanup. Similar to the railroad corridor cleanup, this one will be from Diamond G and passed fifth street. Debris and elm trees will be cleared out, as the debris could be an issue when fires or floods occur. This stretch of about 1.52 miles will be paid with the one-million-dollar flood money, which will be approximately $100,000. Though action has not yet been taken the board seems to agree with this idea. Mayor Garcia intends to keep the ditches clean, saying “Just to clean it up, it would be a dream.”
“It’s a good idea that we tackle that.” Council member Fred Rodarte agreed.
In a previous meeting, the idea of using a sandblaster as a quick and efficient way to remove graffiti throughout the city was discussed, but after realizing that it would be expensive due to special gear, cleaning up all the sand, and the expenses of the sandblaster, other options are being looked into that will be cheaper and cleaner.
One hope is that on a website used by the cleanup crew, there will be an area where someone can identify where they see graffiti. This would immediately alert them, and they will clean it up as soon as possible. If it is on private property, it is to be selfidentified in order to be dealt with, to ensure that they do not enter property they should not. The idea is still in discussion and an ordinance being written, to work out all the details.
Approvals
The police department requested a roofing installation, which will require complete removal of the current roof. Using the general fund, this will cost approximately $488,879. The installation will be completed by EverGuard roofing and have long term durability.
Another approval concerns a machine that will be able to clean ditches. This excavator is hydraulic, which includes the wheels, making it capable of going into these ditches instead of reaching. More ditches will be able to be cleaned and three people in the street department will be trained to use this machine.
Upcoming
Streets that will be dealt with, if all goes as planned, are High Street, Second Street, and Smiths Street. Deer Trail, located in North Hills, has been washed out several times by water leaks, so it is planned to get rid of the air and overlay. Due to the new road on Jefferson and sidewalk and road on Washington, redoing the infrastructure on Smith Street is something that the road crew hopes to do. These projects will be completed from fundings or their budget, which will help them determine which roads they will be able to do.
May 2-3: Mt. Taylor Music Festival.
September: Mayor’s annual state address.
The recent city meetings have shown that the City of Grants is moving forward, this one specifically with plans to clean up the city and repair roads.
“A volunteering community is a strong community.” Barbara Wesley said “Depending on what your interests are, go out and volunteer. That makes us a stronger and more profitable community.”