Wastewater plan another step closer to reality

A $5.5 million plan to keep treated wastewater from Tucumcari’s wastewater treatment plan out of waterways came significantly closer to reality Thursday.

The city commission approved publication of the ordinance that will make it official and authorized final payment for land that will host the project.

Before it becomes official, the ordinance must be published and undergo a public hearing, then a final commission vote.

Under the plan, financed by $770,000 in local funds and a $4.7 million loan through the New Mexico Environment Department’s Clean Water State Revolving Loan Program, the city will pump the treated water to irrigate 318 acres of cropland next to the treatment plant.

The commission Wednesday authorized the final payment of $377,000 for that property to Jack Smith, a Tucumcari farmer. The city already had made two $50,000 payments to buy the land.

The commission’s “first reading” approval of the ordinance, which authorizes its publication, came after District 1 Commissioner Ralph Moya questioned city officials how the project will be monitored to assure the city continues to meet the conditions of the $4.7 million loan and how local funding for the project would work.

City manager Britt Lusk said the city would hire an engineer to assure the conditions of the loan would be met, but city employees, especially Ralph Lopez, the Community Development Department project manager for the project, would exercise oversight.

City Finance Director Rachelle Arias said the city’s $770,000 share of the cost would be taken from city wastewater reserve funds, which accumulate with annual allocations of gross receipts tax funds. The reserve fund has more than enough money to cover the $770,000, she said, and the city would restore the money taken out of that fund with allocations from city wastewater and sewer use fees.

In addition, she said, gross receipts tax funds are added to the reserve fund annually.

The commission Thursday also authorized the transfer of that $770,000 to the wastewater operating fund so it can be used as needed.

The commission also authorized a $100,000 professional engineering report in preparation for paving the parking lot at the Tucumcari Municipal Airport. Lopez told the commission the Federal Aviation Commission is paying $90,000, or 90 percent, of the cost. The New Mexico Department of Transportation is picking up 9 percent, or $9,000, and the city is paying 1 percent, or $1,000 for the report.

In other action, the commission:

n Appointed four members to city boards, including Patsy Gresham, reappointed to the Zoning and Planning board; Michael Castelli to the Lodger’s Tax Board; and Amy Garcia and Raul Garza Jr. to the Memorial Park Cemetery Board.

n Granted park use permits to Robert Pacheco for Wailes Park on Oct. 12 for the Outreach for Restoration Church and to the Quay County Health Council for Kvols Park for its annual Fun Run and Walk on Oct. 5.

n Approved acceptance of a Beautification Grant Agreement for $11,085 with the New Mexico Department of Tourism. The grant will be matched by $2,771 in city tax funds to provide a total of about $14,000 for beautification projects. Alex Villanueva, a grant administrator for the city, said the money will be used to support Earth Day educational programs, library and parks beautification, education and internships for young people ages 14 to 25.

In his city manager’s report, Lusk talked about results of social media advertising campaigns, which he said have been very successful.

Online advertising, he said, had been seen by 2.2 million people, and 47,000 had followed up with visits to the city’s tourism website, where they could learn about restaurants, hotels and local attractions. The tourism website can be visited at visittucumcarinm.com.

Advertising on Pandora, an music streaming service, garnered 631,000 impressions, though it resulted in only 293 visits to the city’s website.

Targeted emails sent to people interested in New Mexico reached 500,000 people, Lusk said, and 114,000 opened the emails. Of those, 11,300 clicked to visit Tucumcari’s tourism website.

A promotional video shown at the Albuquerque Sunport was visible to 1.1 million travelers and airport visitors, Lusk said.

Facebook advertising brought 133,000 impressions, and 5,000 went to Tucumcari’s tourism website.

“That’s how many people we put Tucumcari in front of,” he said. “That’s how many had the opportunity to explore the website.”

Moya challenged Lusk, saying he had heard lodging is in decline in Tucumcari.

“If we have this many clicks, why are we declining?” Moya asked.

Lusk said lodgers’ tax revenue had declined $9,000, and that was due to one lodger’s facility failing to report $9,000 in taxes due.

Mayor Ruth Ann Litchfield read a proclamation declaring Friday as Arbor Day in Tucumcari to recognize efforts to plant trees in the community.

In commissioner items, Moya pointed out an abandoned boat still is posing a hazard on a city street, and an abandoned car has been resting along the road at the Highway 104 overpass on First Street.

He also pointed out some properties the city has taken liens on still are overgrown.

With each of those incidents, he added, “the city cites people who don’t clean up their yards, but the city doesn’t take care of its own back yard.”

Lusk said the city is still looking for the owner of the boat but soon will file a lost-title claim to move it.

He said he had not been made aware of the car.

He also suggested service clubs and youth groups be recruited to help clean up some properties in the city.

Moya also said some city water customers who had not paid bills were having water shut off without warning.

Arias said the city warns late payers by phone on the 15th of each month. She suggested customers use online bill pay with scheduled payments.