New businesses economic holiday gifts for the region

QCS Managing Editor

Quay County has received a few Christmas presents this month in the form three new business ventures seeking to expand or start up here.

One is Adam and Kim Nichols’ assembly operation for Adams invention that he calls the Firelight. It’s a flashlight-like contraption that will be useful for first responders, emergency medical, firefighters and police, as well as serious outdoor types, he tells us. While he doesn’t go into detail, Nichols says his invention is a survival tool.

Nichols said he plans to hire up to five people to help him.

Another is Dale Harapat’s naturopathy and massage practice, which he will combine with a store that sells the same medicinal herbs and New Mexico gifts that he purveys in his successful Las Vegas outlet.

The third is the solar power generating plant that Infigen, the Australian company that owns the Caprock Wind Farm seeks to install on the wind farm property. That’s on the Caprock south of San Jon.

The county and San Jon Schools have signed off on the complex “industrial revenue bonds” that will give Infigen a property tax break for the life of the bond, which could be as long as 30 years.

In the meantime, however, “payments in lieu of taxes” that were negotiated as part of this deal will bring as much as $58,330 per year to the schools and up to $84,425 per year to the county.

The other two ventures still require public hearings and final approval on the ordinances that will release $60,000 in Local Economic Development Act funds to boost their business developments.

Pat Vanderpool, executive director of the Greater Tucumcari Economic Development Corporation, had more good news Thursday.

The New Mexico Finance Authority, he said, has approved $1 million in LEDA funding the commmission approved last month to help out in the Tucumcari Mountain Cheese Factory’s $4.1 million expansion.

It seems that only a few months ago, plans like this may never have made it to the commission.

Something seem to have changed for the better.

The city commission seems to be making good use of its new-found unity. The new city manager, Jared Langenegger, seems to be showing a bias toward action. The economic development corporation seems to be bringing more plans to the commission.

In conversations with economic development specialists, I keep hearing that the economy of Quay County and northeast New Mexico will build itself step by step—no magic bullets.

What we’ve seen over the past month or so from the county and city seem to be the kind of small steps that may lead to more.

While a racetrack-casino would certainly give this area a big economic boost, it seems that it’s becoming more likely that the economy may grow with or without the racino.

The real gifts of these recent developments are signs of hope.

Merry Christmas, everybody!