Managers discuss wastewater treatment plant, flooding, and local issues

GRANTS, N.M. – Cibola County Manager Kate Fletcher and City of Grants Manager Vanessa Chavez made themselves available to the public during their second official ‘Coffee with the Managers’ meeting on Thursday, August 5 at 8 a.m. The gathering took place in a backroom of the Coyote Del Malpais Golf Course clubhouse.

Manager Chavez addressed those in attendance first, immediately acknowledging the city’s departure from their longtime business relationship with Jacobs Engineering Group. At a recent city council meeting, the city officially decided to cut ties with the company, therefore putting the city directly in charge of responsibilities concerning the local wastewater treatment plant, leaks and pipe issues, and the overall water department. Chavez acknowledged ongoing leak and pipe issues, saying that the city is taking care of those issues and asking for patience during this transition process.

Chavez proceeded to speak on what she believes are the benefits of this new arrangement, including saving tax dollars in Grants and being able to increase the salaries of city employees, which is a promise the city has been trying to fulfill despite difficult financial times. Chavez also said that overall communication among city employees and departments is much better, and that, “Our city employees care about our community.”

When asked if the decision to cut ties with Jacobs only had to do with their maintenance of the wastewater treatment plant, Chavez said that although it was a large contributor, the issue was more complex than that. She did expand on how serious the treatment plant issue was, saying that the plant had been giving off an “unhealthy” stench, all four aerators for the plant were down, and the plant almost went septic. Now, the city is working to put the plant back on track towards full capacity, and the water is “much more healthy than it was,” reported Chavez.

Chavez said there would be no lawsuits or legal action taken against Jacobs. About six or seven Jacobs employees were laid off, and although negotiations were tense, Chavez was able to speak with each employee, including Jacobs Regional Manager in Farmington, Ron Rosen, and they were able to reach resolutions regarding the issue and the bill for the plant damage.

Chavez sounded hopeful for the city’s future and her role in it, saying, “I feel like it’s my opportunity to make change…. Everyone is communicating – no one is trying to pull for their own group so to speak.”

County Manager Fletcher agreed and acknowledged Chavez for her hard work and all that she has done so far as city manager. Fletcher then continued by talking about the American Rescue Plan, and the county’s efforts in providing the Cibola County Commission, the Grants City Council, and the Village of Milan Board of Trustees with information regarding the ARP and what the funds can be used for. Fletcher did clarify that the City of Grants did not borrow, nor did the county lend any money to the city for emergency wastewater treatment plant damages. Fletcher said the different local entities are simply working together to accomplish their projects. One audience member asked if any of the ARP funds could be used to fix a well for the city, and the managers said no because the city has other funds for the well issues, and they want to use the ARP funds in an efficient way that will benefit the largest number of people.

Fletcher then discussed why the county took the proactive measure to declare an emergency in regard to recent flooding in Cubero, New Mexico. According to Fletcher, there was quite a bit of damage caused by the flooding, but for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to get involved, around 72 percent of homes in the area need to be destroyed. Essentially, the point of declaring the emergency was so that if more flooding and damage were to occur past that point of declaration, the county would be prepared to ask for help from FEMA if they had to.

Fletcher let the audience know that at the last commission meeting, the board approved the budget for fiscal year 2022. The meeting then opened up more to where those in attendance could ask questions or simply discuss local issues. In this open discussion, Fletcher talked about wages going up and responded to an audience member who brought up local businesses and a lack of better benefits. Fletcher said that the county does not really have much control in that area because they have a contract with Erisa Administrative Services Inc., a third-party administrator for the State of New Mexico, which basically delegates benefit negotiations over to the state. However, Fletcher said that she would continue to seek out help from the state in any way that she can regarding local businesses and better benefits.

Finally, Fletcher talked about the possibility of some ARP funds being utilized for affordable housing in the Cibola County area. Fletcher then passed the floor over to Cibola County Projects Coordinator Judy Horacek, who gave a presentation on the county’s Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan (ICIP). During this presentation, audience members began voicing their opinions on the need for substance abuse in Cibola County to be addressed. Grants High School Culinary Arts/ProStart Instructor Patricia Downing talked about the large number of students at GHS who are passionate about this issue, not only at the school level, but at the county level as well. These students formed a club called Peers Against Destructive Decisions and are working together to combat this issue, not just for teens, but for adults too.

Fletcher told Downing to contact her so they could discuss the issue further. The managers thanked everyone for coming and invited them to be involved in the community by coming to commission and city meetings if they wish, as well as reaching out and asking questions when they have them.