By Rebecca Hauschild

Traffic at the Artesia Airport is expected to be heavy when Roswell hosts the National Championship Air Races (NCAR) in September, Artesia Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Hayley Klein told the City Council at its meeting March 25.

Klein, along with chamber staff and Artesia councilors, recently met with Fred Telling, CEO and chairman of the board for the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) and other RARA staff regarding the impact on Artesia of the upcoming air races.

Klein said Roswell will be closing its airport from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. beginning Sept. 6 and continuing through Sept.14. The races and related events are scheduled for Sept. 10-14.

“We feel like this will push a lot of traffic to Artesia,” she said. “Most of the traffic we expect will be small airplanes owned by pilots coming to attend the air races.”

“We have heard all the hotels in Roswell are already full and Artesia hotels are starting to fill up,” Klein said. “We are talking about how to get people out of the airport and to their hotels. We are hoping to get some rental cars and potential shuttle services. We are encouraging community members to rent out their vehicles through Turo, the online vehicle sharing/rental marketplace.”

Klein also said local officials and event organizers talked about “how area vendors can be involved. They are giving priority to New Mexico True vendors first but will be open to our vendors after that.”

The Artesia Chamber of Commerce has added an air-race page to its website that includes airport information, how to get around, area events, a countdown of rooms available in Artesia hotels, and a list of homes, RVs and other accommodations that aren’t listed on Airbnb or Vrbo but are available to rent, Klein said.

In addition, she said, six committees have been created to prepare for various aspects of the air races: airport, hospitality, transportation, events, marketing, and retail/food.

Artesia Main Street is planning entertainment downtown during the week, Klein said, and the chamber is planning to market Artesia throughout the air races.

“We are working on ways to market Artesia to the attendees, hoping they will see it this year and stay here next time,” she said.

Klein said there is some uncertainty about what to expect as this is the first time in 60 years the event has been held outside of Reno, Nevada, where it has typically drawn 80,000 visitors each year.

Other business

Klein reported that the Artesia Chamber received a letter from the AMC movie theater chain offering to donate the shuttered Land of the Sun Theater in downtown Artesia to the city of Artesia. City Attorney Cass Tabor is currently reviewing the offer.

Mayor Jon Henry asked Police Chief Kirk Roberts bring a proposal to the council to legalize the use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in the city. Roberts agreed but noted he opposes the idea due to safety concerns. Henry, who also represents District 54 in the New Mexico House of Representatives, said the Legislature passed two bills during its recent session to broaden the use of ATVs. “I think it’s time to start looking at that and bring us a proposal back. I know it opens us up to some things, but I have a lot of citizens ask me about it,” Henry said.