Coffee With the Managers

GRANTS, N.M. – Route 66 is one of the greatest assets in Cibola County, both City of Grants Manager Donald Jaramillo and Village of Milan Manager Cooke agreed. The asset brings tourists from all across the country to Grants. Now, a brewing movement in the city is beginning the process of getting Santa Fe Avenue renamed to Route 66. Manager Jaramillo expressed support, and stated that the Grants City Council appears to be very interested in seeing the name return to its historic, original name.

Manager Cooke received questions about recreation opportunities for young people in the village, speaking at length about the state of the Milan Pool and explaining some of the issues the government has ran into, but stated that the government is working to have the pool reopened in the month of July.

Both managers spoke briefly on the state of lighting on the Mother Road, Route 66. The Village of Milan has a series of lights in the medians of the street that have not worked since this past Winter, the village is actively working with Continental Divide Electric Cooperative to replace the light poles. The City of Grants is currently working to replace the traffic light that was destroyed during a car accident in late March, on the west end of town on the intersection of Santa Fe Avenue and Highway 53. Due to supply chain issues, the traffic light pole won’t be available for nine months.

Managers also discussed the Anti-Donations Clause of the New Mexico State Constitution, which bars elected officials from giving or receiving donations, which is why the Village of Milan cannot give away free passes to the Milan Pool, a suggestion from the community.

Route 66, The Mother Road

Championed by historians as “The Mother Road,” Route 66 starts in Chicago, Illinois, and goes through seven states. At one point, Route 66 was the economic engine of the Greater Grants area, bringing industry, tourism, and money into the community.

As Interstate 40 came through the town, industry lessened and tourists had an easier way to travel from point-to-point without needing to come through rural towns like Grants and Milan. Eventually, the Route 66 was named Santa Fe Avenue.

Now, a grassroots initiative has spurred a movement to rename Santa Fe Avenue back to Route 66. Grants Main-Street Project is passing along a petition to rename the road. The petition was inspired by Councilman George Garcia, who mentioned at one of the first meetings of the new government which formed this year that he would like to see the road taken back to its original name.

Manager Jaramillo said the city is aware of the petition and the city council appears to be on board with the idea of changing the road’s name. Saying that he expects a resolution to be brought soon that is backed by the petition. Jaramillo called the road, “Our greatest asset.”

Businesses or individuals interested in the petition should visit Grants MainStreet at 523 West Santa Fe Avenue.

Milan Pool and Recreation

The Milan Pool has been closed for several months; the pool is the county’s largest public use recreational pool. Village of Milan officials have been working to get the pool repaired and reopen the facility for use, but supply chain issues have delayed the necessary mechanical parts from arriving. The project is nearly complete, however, and Manager Cooke expects the pool to be operational again in the near future, with the village currently training lifeguards.

“Although it’s frustrating that it’s been taking this long, it looks like we can see the end of the tunnel. We will let everybody know when we reopen the pool,” Manager Cooke said.

Recreation in Cibola County was a dominate discussion point at the coffee meeting.

Cibola County Commissioner Ralph Lucero began to talk about the need for more recreational opportunities for Cibola’s youth. He said that keeping young people engaged and involved in real world activities, instead of on-screen activities, is a benefit not only for the young people, but the community also.

While most in attendance agreed with Commissioner Lucero, one citizen argued that youth recreation was a waste of taxpayer money and had no benefit for the youth.

After the short exchange, both Manager Cooke and Jaramillo expressed their commitment to youth recreation and a desire to expand the recreation opportunities.

Manager Cooke explained that the Village of Milan cannot offer free passes to the underprivileged youth of Milan due to the New Mexico State Constitution’s Anti-Donations Clause, which prevents governments or elected officials from accepting or receiving donations, including passes to the pool. The Anti-Donations Clause is also what prevents the village and city from offering recreational opportunities, like youth sports, for free. A community member then suggested an area business could purchase the passes on behalf of the area youth, to which Cooke explained was possible, if there is a business interested in doing so.

Coffee With the Managers is the first Thursday of every month inside the Coyote Del Malpais Golf Course Clubhouse, 2001 George Hanosh Blvd, Grants, N.M. The event is usually at 8 a.m., check the Cibola Citizen for updates on the time.