CARLSBAD — The Eddy County Commission will finalize the ranking of its Fiscal Year 2026-30 Infrastructure Capital Improvement Projects (ICIP) during its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday.

Planning and Development Director Steve McCroskey reported that two previously ranked projects have been removed from the proposed list and four others added, including the creation of two regional fire stations, an Eddy County Events Center, and a covered arena for the Eddy County Fairgrounds.

The finalized list must be submitted to the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) by July 12. Current proposed rankings include:

• FY 2026: 1. Eddy County Complex site preparation 2. Edd County fire/safety facilities 3. Carrasco Road realignment 4. Eddy County Complex detention center 5. Eddy County Complex administration

• FY 2027: 1. Fire service training ground enhancements 2. Carrasco Road extension (U.S. 62 – U.S. 285) 3. Creation of a regional fire station on Tumbleweed Road in Artesia

• FY 2028: 1. Radio Boulevard and Boyd Drive bridge 2. Creation of a regional fire station in the McNew Subdivision in Carlsbad 3. Avalon Alacron Drainage Project 4. Eddy County Complex – judicial 5. Creation of an Eddy County Events Center 6. Construction of a covered arena at the Eddy County Fairgrounds The two projects removed from the ICIP rankings include the Southeast Loop Road and a fire services dormitory.

The board will also consider a bid for improvements at the Eddy County Shooting Range. The Finance Department will recommend granting a bid for the shooting range project to White Sands Construction in the amount of $1,377,000.

The county has been awarded $1.2 million in Recreation Centers and Quality of Life Grant funding, leaving a balance of $177,000, which would be paid out of the General Fund. The Finance Department also noted that the Legislature recently approved extending the expiration date for the use of recreational grant funds to June 30, 2027, though the county is still awaiting agreement extension amendments from the Department of Finance and Administration.

Two bids were submitted for the project, the second coming from J. Carrizal General Construction Inc. with a quote of $1,498,043.38.

Elsewhere on the agenda, the commission will:

• consider setting a public hearing regarding a 10-year non-exclusive franchise agreement with the Riverside Mutual Domestic Water Association.

• consider submitting a letter of support to the New Mexico Superintendents Association on behalf of the Loving Municipal Schools; Loving wishes to continue the four-day school schedule it has been operating under for the past eight years, which has shown success in student growth and attendance, as well as district savings.

• hear an informational presentation from Sheriff Mark Cage regarding the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office’s submission of an application for federal funding, at the urging of Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, for a Rapid DNA system. The award will be announced in the next 30 to 90 days. If successful, the county would receive $550,000 for the new system.

• hear a request from Eddy County Fire and Rescue for permission to apply FY 2025 Firefighter and EMT Recruitment Fund monies to apply toward its five vacant positions.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 18, in Commission Chambers at the Eddy County Administration Complex, 101 W. Greene St., Carlsbad.