The Artesia City Council is asking the public for its input on the future of the Splash Pad at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex.
The Splash Pad — the concrete slab adorned with various water features, just south of the skate park — has been closed for two years and is currently inoperable. Following a discussion at Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting, the council determined that public opinion was needed before deciding the pad’s future.
The following courses of action have been proposed, and methods by which the public can provide the city with their thoughts will be published as they become available:
• Option 1: For $5,000-$7,000, the Infrastructure Department estimates it could repair around 90% of the Splash Pad for an undetermined time period.
• Option 2: $125,000-$175,000 would fund new plumbing and render the Splash Pad fully operable in its current state; however, portions of the pad would still be operating on obsolete parts that would eventually need replacing in the future.
• Option 3: For $300,000, the city could tear out and rebuild the Splash Pad, making it new, enlarged and upgraded. New equipment would monitor itself, eliminating the need for staff to oversee the facility.
• Option 4: The Splash Pad would be permanently removed.
In other business Tuesday, Infrastructure Director Byron Landfair provided an update on the impending completion of Phase I of the 20th Street Reconstruction Project.
Landfair says the current phase — which has seen 20th Street closed from just north of Grand Avenue to the center of the Sunwest Villa townhomes access road since early June — is currently on schedule for completion around mid-September.
Phase II will follow, which will see 20th closed to all traffic from the center of the Sunwest Villa access road south to the center of the entrance to the Village West Apartments parking lot. That phase of the project is anticipated to last 90 days.
Also Tuesday, statistics were presented for the month of July by the Artesia Police and Fire Departments.
The APD saw a drop in all crimes from the month of June, with the exception of stolen vehicles, of which four were reported in July compared to two in June. Auto burglaries continued to be the most frequently reported crime, with seven in July.
The AFD responded to 263 total calls in July, including 143 EMS and 56 fire calls within city limits and 57 EMS and seven fire calls within the county.
As part of its consent agenda, the council granted permission for:
• approval of the 2022-23 Outside Request PSAs for
– Artesia Advocacy/Chaves County CASA ($25,000)
– Paws & Claws ($9,981)
– Artesia Clean & Beautiful ($42,500)
– Artesia MainStreet (not to exceed $42,700 for downtown and community revitilization services, $19,950 for holiday expenses, $50,500 for maintenance expenses, and $40,000 for Greenway Project expenses)
– Artesia Drug and Crime Coalition ($15,000)
– Artesia Chamber of Commerce ($35,000)
– Greater Artesia Foundation/My Neighborhood ($16,000)
• approval of an agreement between the City of Artesia and the Children, Youth and Families Department for an AJJAC grant.
• approval of a junior bill appropriations agreement between Aging and Long-Term Services and the City of Artesia to expand programs, meals, services and transportation to the Senior Center.
• the hiring of Flavio Chacon as a Human Resources Department generalist at a pay rate of $4,278 per month; Israel Mariscal as a garage apprentice mechanic, $2,271 per month; Naomi Madril as a Wastewater Department assistant, $2,507 per month; and Benjamin Mettke as a Solid Waste Department equipment operator, $2,507 per month.
• the resignations of Lisa Waller, Administration Department executive assistant, effective Aug. 5; and Blake W. Ledbetter, Water Department water technician, effective Aug. 4.
• one police employee to attend an AR-15 Armorer course in Lubbock, Texas.
• one police employee to attend a First Line Supervisor – Leadership course in Albuquerque.
• one police employee to attend an IR8000 Operator Certification course in Albuquerque.
• two police employees to attend a Shooting Incident Reconstruction course in Greely, Colo.
• a request by EOG Resources for the use of the alleyway between Fourth and Fifth streets behind the property at 104 S. Fourth St. between the hours of 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• the approval of a resolution amending the classification plan to change the job title of Facilities Maintenance Manager to Facilities Maintenance Foreman.
