City revamps its volunteer policies

Correspondent

The Tucumcari City Commission approved a volunteer policy Thursday that addresses volunteer screening and background checks, insurance, volunteer use of city vehicles and equipment and the kind of work volunteers are allowed to do for the city.

City Manager Jared Langenegger said the plan is designed to “bring success for our volunteer programs and protect the city.”

During the city manager’s report that followed the vote on the volunteer policy, Langenegger announced the city is seeking volunteers to help clean up some property. The first site is the abandoned Relax Inn property at 1010 E. Route 66. Langenegger said the cleanup effort will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Commissioners also on Thursday heard an overview of how an Albuquerque architectural and design firm will develop a plan to improve the looks of downtown Tucumcari, and approved a contract for engineering some downtown improvements.

In a public workshop held before the commission’s regular meeting, representatives from Sites Southwest, an architectural and design firm, outlined a plan that includes a review of existing structures and uses of those buildings downtown.

In the regular meeting, commissioners approved a $65,500 contract with Consensus Planning, Inc. for planning and engineering services for improving downtown sidewalks.

Previously, the commission approved a contract with Site Southwest for $50,000 for its planning and design work.

Both contracts are funded through the Great Blocks on Main Street program of New Mexico MainStreet, a division of the state Department of Economic Development.

The commission also gave final approval to grant city-owned property at 1200 W. Railroad Ave. to Nashville Construction Co., owned by Ignacio Villegas of Tucumcari.

The property is granted under terms of the Local Economic Development Act. Villegas plans to use the property to store construction equipment and has agreed to construct an office and storage facility on the property and fence it in. Villegas has pledged to create two new local-hire jobs at the site.

The terms of the agreement must be met within the first year of the two-year term of the agreement.

In other action, commissioners:

• agreed to install water-detection equipment for fuel lines at Tucumcari Municipal Airport.

• approved an environmental impact study by Parametrix, an Albuquerque consulting firm, of farm land next to the city’s wastewater treatment plant to determine whether treated water could be used to irrigate that land.

• approved spending $20,000 in Lodgers’ Tax funds to install a power line to energize lighting on the western exit to Tucumcari from Interstate 40 to help make the exit more inviting to travelers.