By: Rebecca Hauschild

Life Saving awards were presented to four Artesia Police officers by Artesia Chief of Police Kirk Roberts, during the August 27, 2024, Artesia City Council meeting. Roberts shared the circumstances for each award.

On April 23, 2023, Artesia Police Sergeant James Contrares, was responding to a call of a male subject who had cut himself in an apparent attempted suicide. When he arrived on the scene, a woman was trying to hold up a man leaning against a pickup. Contrares noticed three deep lacerations to the man’s arm causing heavy blood loss. Contrares applied a tourniquet to the man’s arm, saving the man’s life, evidenced by the heavy blood loss.

On April 14th, 2023, officers were investigating a vehicle located at an Artesia address that was connected to recent burglaries. Artesia Police Sergeant Xavier Aniya, along with the detective, were waiting for the approval of a search warrant when they heard a pop inside the residence. A woman came out of the residence screaming, “He shot himself.” Sergeant Aniya entered the residence and found a resident with a serious gunshot wound to the leg. Aniya quickly and correctly applied a tourniquet to the man’s leg to stop the heavy bleeding. This likely saved the man’s life.

On October 30, 2023, Artesia Police Officers David Barlow and Alexander Williams were dispatched to a local residence regarding a possible overdose. On their arrival, the officers found an unresponsive subject who was not breathing and whose lips were blue. Officer Barlow administered a dose of Narcan and started CPR. The two officers administered two more doses of Narcan and continued CPR until the subject began breathing without assistance. If not for the actions of Barlow and Williams, the subject may not have survived the overdose.

During the Government committee report Mayor Pro tem, Jeff Youtsey, reported the City is in the process of bringing in a consultant to help maneuver the City’s animal services program.

The Council approved the Artesia Rotary to install Little Libraries (library boxes) at city parks and properties. Initial locations will include Central Park, Eagle Draw, Jamaica Park, and Jaycee Park. Each little library will cost $400. Student Rotarians will help install and manage the little libraries. The City of Artesia library already sponsors one little library located in Heritage Walkway. There is a little library app that allows users to punch in their zip code and the app will show little libraries in the area on the map.

Community Development/Infrastructure Director Byron Landfair, shared the following projects that will be starting around the first of the year. These include; the Grand Street project, ADA ramp construction on the southeast quadrant of Artesia, the 2nd Avenue and Richardson rehab, and the 8th street waterline replacement, which will be in second quarter of 2025.

The council also approved Resolution 1879, to implement criteria governing the potential approval of service and/or consumption of alcohol on, or within, City-owned property, as authorized in Ordinance 1136. This resolution is a policy governing how someone can come in and apply for an event that will either serve or sell alcoholic beverages, said Valverde. “It sounds complicated,” said City Attorney Cass Tabor, “but it’s not.” To boil it down, applicants will go through the City application process just like they do for events now, and City departments will review and approve/disapprove like they do now. If preliminarily approved, then the applicant must complete the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department (NMRLD) Alcohol and Gaming Division Special Events Permit application, after that comes back, it must pass the City Council. The City recommends submitting the initial application at least 8 weeks prior to your event.  

The Council then approved a public celebration permit to NMRLD for the Red Dirt Black Gold festival, to utilize the Balzano Family Vineyard, Drylands Brewing Co. and Downshift Brewing Company LLC.

The Council took no action on Resolution 1869, a resolution that would amend language within the City’s 401(A) Money Purchase Plan 457(b) with First American Bank to offer/allow distributions to employees in certain “emergency” situations. Examples would be; medical expenses for the employee or beneficiary, costs directly related to the purchase of an employee’s principal residence (excluding mortgage payments), tuition or related costs for post-secondary education for the employee or beneficiary, payments necessary to prevent the eviction or foreclosure of the employee from their principal residence, funeral expenses for the employee or beneficiary, etc.

The council approved the following requests for City facilities:

Artesia Mainstreet to hold Red Dirt Black Gold Pickleball Tournament at the Heritage Plaza on September 28, 2024, from 8am to 1pm.

Artesia Arts Council to hold a Red Dirt Run down Eagle Draw on September 28, 2024, from 7:30am to 10:00 am.

The Council approved the consent agenda with the following items:

Contracts, leases and agreements:

Agreement between State of New Mexico Tourism Department and the City of Artesia for Clean & Beautiful Grant Program

Memorandum of Agreement with the Eddy County DWI Program to file a joint application for FY25 CDWI MOU

Appointments:

Replacement appointment of Susan Idoy to the Commission on Aging Advisory Council (term to expire June 2025)

Hiring of:

Porfirio Segura, COA Van Driver, at $2600 p/mo

Briana Rojo Planning Code Enforcement Officer, at $3478.80 p/mo

Louis Vizcarrando Jr., IT Technician, at $3478.80 p/mo

Kyle Luna, Solid Waste Equipment Operator, at $2756 p/mo

Simon S. Flores, Police Officer, at $4860.26 p/mo

Promotion of:

Christopher Munoz, Facilities Maintenance, Community Improvement Tech, at $2920.66 p/mo

Armando Lucero, Fire, Division Chief at $8694.68 p/m

Travel and training:

F&A – two employees to attend the 2024 Budget Conference in Albuquerque, NM.

Planning – one employee to attend the Code Enforcement Training in Hobbs, NM.

By Mike Smith
Carlsbad Current-Argus

Eddy County is set to receive $1.3 million over the next three years to hire 10 new corrections officers for the Eddy County Detention Center, said Warden Billy Massingill.

The New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration (NMDFA) offered $24.8 million for 189 new correctional officer’s positions to 22 local entities and the New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD).

In Eddy County, the funding was welcomed to address staffing needs and improving operations within the Eddy County Detention Center (ECDC), said Savannah Cabezuela, Eddy County spokesperson.

Massingill said ECDC had 48 total staff vacancies and the NMDFA money would help with recruitment of new officers.

In a memorandum to the Eddy County Board of County Commissioners, he said the funds would be phased in over a three-year period starting in 2025.

NMDFA Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives Henry Valdez said the millions in state funds offsets the cost of new correctional officer’s salaries reinforcing the state’s commitment to enhancing security of correctional facilities and safeguarding New Mexico communities.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the investment showed New Mexico was serious about public safety and well-being for all communities.

“Correctional officer recruitment is essential for upholding safety within our facilities,” NMCD Cabinet Secretary Alisha Tafoya Lucero.

“By investing in these positions, the state reinforces its commitment to public safety and our agency mission to strengthen New Mexico communities.”

NMDFA Cabinet Secretary Wayne Propst said the state was addressing crucial public safety needs to boost law enforcement, police support staff and fire emergency services.

“The results are clear, we’ve already funded 190 firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and now 189 correctional officers,” he said.

Eddy County Sheriff Mark Cage, who served as president of New Mexico Counties in 2023, said the funding from NMDFA was a team effort as the State of New Mexico and all 33 counties worked together to acquire money for the new detention positions.

Mike Smith may be reached via phone at 575-308-8734 or email at msmith@currentargus.com.

by Rev. David Grousnick

According to Greek mythology, Sisyphus was once a cruel King of Corinth. And when he died, he was eternally condemned to push a giant boulder to the top of a steep hill. The closer he got to the top, the steeper the hill became, and the harder it was to push the boulder.

Every time he had almost gotten the boulder to the top of the hill, he would lose control of it. It would roll over him and down to the bottom of the hill, where he would have to start all over again.

On this Labor Day weekend I hope that none of you are feeling like Sisyphus. I hope that you don’t wake up every morning feeling like you have to push a giant boulder up a hill. Some people do.

Like the teacher who was complaining about her job. She told about her principal who was lecturing the faculty quite unmercifully.

One by one, he presented them with a painful list of all their failures, flaws and shortcomings. He rebuked them for over an hour for all the mistakes they had made over the year.

Then he announced that the science club was sponsoring a blood drive and that he would donate the first pint of blood. An anxious voice piped up from the rear of the room and asked, “But whose blood?”

I hope your work environment is a little better than that. At least I hope your boss is a little more sympathetic.

Eiton Mayo, a professor at Harvard, once did a five-year study at the Western Electric Hawthorne Works in Chicago to find out what effect fatigue and monotony had on productivity. He stumbled onto a motivation principle that revolutionized the theory and practice of management.

Mayo took five workers off the assembly line and put them under the watchful eye of a friendly supervisor. Then he started to make frequent changes in their work conditions. But he always discussed the changes in advance.

He changed their work hours, number of breaks, and lunch times. Occasionally, he would switch back to the original, more difficult working conditions. To his surprise, changing back to the tougher conditions didn’t adversely affect production. Instead, it kept going up.

The professor realized that by singling out certain workers, he raised their self-esteem. They developed a friendly relationship with the supervisor and soon began to feel more like part of a team. Exercising a freedom they never had before, the workers talked, joked, and began meeting socially after work. Mayo and the supervisor had their cooperation and loyalty. That explained why production levels rose even when rest breaks were taken away.

The part of the study dwelling on positive effects of benign supervision and the effort to make workers feel like they’re part of a team became known as the Hawthorne Effect. We still see this used in management today.

There is, I think it is true to say, something a little bit depressing about Labor Day weekend. For Labor Day weekend signals the psychological end, at least, to summer with its periods of refreshment, and the start again, for many of us, of the more hectic rhythm of life and work at school, in college, at office or, in home.

Let me ask you: How is your work? Are you giving of yourself at work? Is work a place where you sacrifice for a cause?

I find it helpful to remember the story of the little girl who, in the process of growing up, discovered that more than anything else she wanted to be able to mow the lawn. But each season she was told that she was too young.

The great day came, however, when her parents decided that, at last, she was old enough to do the task.

She did it with surprising skill and great delight, and having finished admiring her work, she began to cast long, envious glances across the fence at the neighbor’s lawn, which also needed cutting.

The neighbor, seeing her interest, said, “Sally, would you like to cut my lawn?” And the little girl enthusiastically said ‘yes.’

“Well, let’s see…how about $3.00?” said the neighbor. The little girl’s face fell, and she turned away, shaking her head. “What’s the matter?” asked the neighbor. “I only have $2.00,” said the little girl.

May God bless all those who labor. I pray you enjoy a great and restful Labor Day weekend!!

David Grousnick, is the Pastor at the First Christian Church in Artesia.

Adrian Hedden
El Rito Media

A new medical facility is coming to Eddy County as Artesia General Hospital announced plans to build a campus on the north end of town, replacing the hospital’s primary facility in the next five years.

The facility will serve all of Eddy County, including patients from Artesia and Carlsbad, along with smaller communities like Loving or Hope and bigger cities like Roswell to the north.

Project Manager Jeremy Kern said the project began with a “master plan” process developed three years ago by the Artesia Special Hospital District.

The land, about 250 acres near the corner of Mill Road and U.S. Highway 285 near Tractor Supply, was purchased by the district about two years ago, he said.

“We really wanted to evaluate our current building and the functionality of it,” Kern said. “That led us to the conclusion that a new structure would be more cost effective. In the last year, we’ve been really focused on developing this north campus.”

The 157,000 square-foot facility will only require about 65-acres, Kern said, meaning the rest of the property will likely be developed for housing, dining or retail businesses. He said developers are being sought to add to the location.

The property was designed to host 146 houses, likely valued at $300,000 or less, Kern said, along with 82 smaller townhomes in a walk-able area.

“The space itself is a healthcare village,” he said. “You want people to be able to walk and also the appeal of being near a gorgeous healthcare facility.”

But the old facility won’t be forgotten. Kern said Artesia General Hospital plans to continue using the current building on 13th Street for a purpose yet to be determined as the district engages with local stakeholders.

The hospital was first build in 1981 and expanded in 2006. Kern said the new facility will be able to better take advantage of technological advancements in several medical sectors.

The building will expand the operating room capabilities and its emergency room capacity, while growing beyond the currently available 25 internal beds at the facility. Overall, Kern said, the facility will provide a “more modern rural healthcare clinic.”

“Medicine has come a long way since both of those dates,” he said about the initial construction and expansion. “This build will be heavily used by those that use the facility.”

A more state-of-the-art facility, Kern said, will also bring in more well-trained specialists to work at Artesia General Hospital.

“That’s what will attract these people to the medical field to be involved in something on the cutting edge of technology and the healthcare industry,” Kern said.

He said the project is in the “programming phase” when the interior of the new facility is designed. This phase develops the kinds of services, technology and how the facility’s operations are organized. That was expected to last about two years, with construction planned for late 2027, Kern said.

“We’re going to get down to how many steps our nurses take in a day and how we can make that more efficient,” he said. “In the early concepts, you just put the shell on, then you dive into the interior.”

Artesia General Hospital Public Relations Director Khushroo Ghadiali said the new hospital is part of an agenda for the hospital system, which also includes offices in Carlsbad, to improve healthcare for the entire region.

The hospital recently added a cardiologist, urologist and nutritionist to improve its offerings to patients.

“We all know rural healthcare is a challenge,” Ghadiali said. “We’re not going to be able to do everything, but it’s one step at a time.”

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 734-972-6855, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.