CCEDF Director says airport is an asset
CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. - The Cibola County Board of Commissioners held a meeting on April 22, 2021 at 5 p.m. The meeting was available via Facebook Live. All commissioners were present, and they started off by hearing a financial report given by Financial Director Paul Ludi and a brief summary of the Assessor’s annual report given by County Manager Kate Fletcher in the place of the County Assessor, Dolores Vallejos. These can both be found on the Cibola County website, www.cibolacountynm.com.
Next, the Board of Commissioners were given a presentation updating them on plans for the Milan Industrial Park. Presenters were Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments (NWNMCOG) Director Evan Williams, Cibola Communities Economic Development Foundation (CCEDF) Director Eileen Yarborough, and Wilson & Co. Engineer Mario Juarez-Infante. Village Manager Sarah Austin could not be in attendance. In the presentation, Yarborough provided a bit of background information about Milan, New Mexico, which has a poverty rate of 25.2 percent, a median household income of $40,855, and about 1,584 available workers. Yarborough also discussed the many benefits of the proposed location for the Milan Industrial Park, including close access to Interstate 40, lots of open land, railroad access, availability of self-service fueling, and the Grants-Milan Municipal Airport.
Yarborough emphasized the importance of the airport, especially in regard to the industrial park, saying, “We have a municipal airport, which has the ability to handle corporate jets that come in. We had a call last week from one of our tenants that said he’s interested in coming out, and he just bought a jet, wondered if we had any room for it. We said yes, absolutely, please fly in and we’d be happy to show you around. So we just want to make a note of how important the airport is – what a great resourceful asset it is to have in the game of recruitment...”
Second Vice Chairman Christine Lowery inquired about the condition of the airport, to which Yarborough responded, “The airport is in very good condition actually. It went through major renovation I believe two years ago. The terminal has been totally renovated. It’s very nice. The runway has a new layer of pavement over it, so we can accommodate up to corporate jets as far as the weight goes. But it is a seventy-two-hundred-foot runway which can accommodate commercial jets for emergency landings, and we are one of the sites for emergency landings for the Albuquerque International Airport. And so it is in very good condition.”
Overall, Yarborough wanted to point out that the intended location was going to be a prime location for business, and they were very excited about the project. Lowery also inquired about environmental factors and how they play a role in the project, and Yarborough reassured the board that the project’s plans were environmentally safe. Plans for the Milan Industrial Park have been in the works since 2003, according to a slide presented by Engineer Juarez-Infante, and the final design should be complete around July 2021. “This is going to get very exciting very fast,” said Juarez-Infante. The project team also pointed out that county involvement and support was going to be very important to the overall success of the project. First Vice Chairman Martha Garcia also pointed out that she would like to see the local communities involved as well.
After the industrial park presentation, the board went through and approved five items under number ten on the agenda. Those being: 10a. Consideration of Proclamation Making The Month of May Motorcycle Awareness Month; 10b. Consideration of Resolution 21-26 Budget Adjustment Number 8; 10c. Consideration of Resolution 21-27 Declining to Impose a Liquor License Tax and Providing Remedy for Collection; 10d. Consideration of Budget Workshop dates and time; and 10e. Consideration to approve requisitions over $20,000 a.) Road Dept-Tools and Supplies-Grants Auto and Truck Parts-$21,370.54.
The board decided to pass item 10c due to recommendations from Kate Fletcher and Anna Larson, who explained that the tax imposed on liquor licenses only brings in a very insignificant amount of revenue and declining to impose it this year would be a way to help local businesses after a tough year. The date and time that was decided upon for the Budget Workshop was May 4, 2021 at 5 p.m. It will be held at the County Chamber and will also be available through Facebook Live. The board proudly passed item 10e after Manager Fletcher stated, “We need to take care of our employees.”
The board also went into executive session and came out stating that no final actions were taken. A motion was approved for giving directions to staff regarding 1423 E. Roosevelt Ave., Grants, NM 87020 and 114 McBride Road, Grants, NM 87020. The specific directions were unclear.
The next regular Cibola County Commission meeting will be on May 27, 2021 at 5 p.m., available via Facebook Live.