Dear Editor,
I would like to extend my gratitude to those people who have the vision and belief in Grants to continue transforming into an appealing and prosperous town in the near future. Henceforth, as a visionary, I thought best to bullet-point ideas which might align with others, and to use as a springboard for change. Priorities:
A. Safety, Health, Economic Growth, and Education
B. Focus on what we want Grants to portray to outsiders i.e. Arts, Culture and Historical, Tourism, etc.
C. Building Codes for Grants: do we want a look and feel of a handsome historical mining town, perhaps more pueblo-like, similar to Santa Fe or possibly a mixture of both?
Tourism offering economic growth during all-seasons.
Develop a Thriving Arts & Culture Scene: Native American Cultural Center promoting the surrounding Indian communities. Acoma, Laguna, Navajo, Zuni. Cibola County/Route 66 Cowboy Museum. Film and Music Festivals Wild West Days Festival Continue Farmers Market Continue Quadrathlon-Triathlons (Fall) Rodeos (more often) Promote local Restaurants. Set-up an outdoor area for Food Trucks similar to https://www.thelotbend.com/ with food and entertainment areas. Promote hiking, biking, site seeing, horseback riding and outdoor tour vendors. Small business owners can open bike shops etc. for tourists and the local community. Construct a huge lighted “G” on the top of the NW Mesa to drive additional traffic into Grants for photo ops. NMSU wielding students can create, design and engineer the entire project.
Build and Space Observatory on one of the many local mesas with a restaurant, learning center, and event venue. Use for company meetings, celebrations, weddings etc. Attract tourists and scientists from around the world. Sponsors for added Sporting Events and Competitions in Grants - Golf, Tennis, Skating, Cycling, Archery, Cooking/Bake offs etc. Transportation in and out of Grants: daily bus to Albuquerque. Seek opportunities for a train to move through Grants and Gallup (Route 66) similar to the Roadrunner in and out of Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
Promote Airbnb hosting in the local area in a secure manner.
As the economy opens up restaurants and bars the Grants area can offer incentives for local Uber drivers to make extra income, stop DUI’s for tourists/locals and allow for people to spend more time out dining out safely. Promote Grants along with, Mt.Taylor, Bluewater Lake, Ice Caves, SandStone Bluffs, Chaco Canyon, El Morro National Monument, especially co-promote Grants arts and culture coinciding with the surrounding pueblos. Community Development - Where do the teens, seniors, singles, families hangout safely?
Block off busy streets to through traffic, create additional cul-de-sac’s, and local access only streets for safety reasons. Allow families to feel safe from speeding vehicles and other random acts from too much unnecessary traffic flow. Continue building safe bike/walk paths for all family members. Renovate or develop new tennis courts and offer tennis lessons to a diversified group of people.
Promote Golf and offer opportunities for all income levels and ages. Community Gardens for all ages to interact, grow healthy fruits, vegetables etc.
Create incentives to renovate Roller Skating Rink, Bowling Alley, swimming pools. Use for celebrations and fun for all ages all year round. Develop fun activity venues, indoors and out for the community, including ping-pong, bocce ball, pool tables etc.
Open up community workspaces/office spaces for those who need a small office out of the home and also need event space.
Seek out ways for the retired and seniors to have affordable, safe, fun housing.
Incentives for small business owners. Promote “Sustainability” and “Shop Local” in our Cibola County area. Create ways for the community to learn new ideas, diversify, and meet new people with Meetups. Examples: poetry, filmmaking, geology, astrology, music, world travel, environment, sustainability, how-to’s (fix a flat tire on your bike, how to pack for camping or travel). Create a Nature Trust to commit to protecting natural ecological areas around the Cibola County area for habitat conservation, nature based education and outdoor recreation. Restoration of natural areas and watersheds with community cooperative planning and enjoyment. Building Codes and Renovations - Focus. What does Grants look like?
Historic District along Route 66 or down First StreetLooks like Santa Fe Style Pueblo style, Red River, Ruidoso, Las Vegas NM or Durango, CO.
Renovate Historic Buildings. Example, Lux Theater. Secure financial assistance through various resources, for instance: National Trust Restoration Impact Report and Financial Grants to Restore Historic Buildings Assist land and/or building owners to sell, condemn, or renovate buildings off of Route 66 and in the Grants community.
Allow for and create outdoor dining spaces which include the sidewalk, patios and decks. Think alfresco dining or European sidewalk cafe.
Consider how important cleanliness and safety is to our entire community. Cleanliness and safety in the residential communities and surrounding areas impacts tourism and economic development in a favorable manner.
Sincerely,
R.B Mirabal