MCC delays vote on foundation leases

Trustees for Mesalands Community College delayed until at least November the approval of $54,800 in leases with the college’s foundation until the college’s financial condition could be clarified.

The board of trustees had placed approval of the leases with the foundation on the board’s agenda for its Sept. 26 meeting.

The annual leases included the Alco building for $10,000, an Interstate 40 property for the radio tower for $4,000, EDC property and equine center for $31,500, property at 924 W. Route 66 for $4,000, a utility trailer for $500 and a stock trailer for $4,800.

However, Mesalands interim president Allen Moss said the leases are not included in the college’s current budget after it had to cut expenses earlier in the year.

“At this point, I don’t know we if we have any money to pay leases,” he said.

Moss said the state’s higher-education officials also questioned the value of the Mesalands Community College Foundation, which foundation member Phil Bidegain disputed.

Moss said the equine center and radio tower are well-used by the college, and the parking lot for the Alco building recently was used for commercial driver’s license training.

Bidegain also noted the foundation played a role in landing the Stampede Village student housing complex and a storage building for the dinosaur museum.

Moss said it was his preference to have the leases signed.

“I don’t want to change things the way they were set up,” he said.

Board Chairman Richard Primrose questioned how to pay for the leases if they were approved.

Board member Phillip Box also wondered aloud what would happen if the leases were approved but Mesalands had no money to pay for them.

Josh McVey, vice president of student affairs, said he recalled the foundation charging only $1 for leases in 2017 or 2018 when the college encountered financial difficulties. None of the board members and Bidegain, however, remembered that occurring.

Moss said he would not consider a loan to spread lease payments for two to three years, as suggested as a possibility by Box.

Moss said the college will have better clarity of its financial position by November, when it might have another budget adjustment request for fiscal year 2023 on the board’s agenda. An audit for 2022 might be finished, as well.

Moss said he hopes the college will “scrape by” financially in the coming months, making the next fiscal year look better.

With that, Primrose suggested tabling approval of the leases until November.

“I think I can get that by the (foundation) board,” Bidegain said in response.

On a related note, the board approved a budget adjustment request for FY2023 that increased expenditures by $1.097 million.

That number startled board member Tom Sidwell: “It’s hard to imagine a million-dollar difference. How can that happen?”

“I don’t know if we had all the numbers,” Moss replied, which reflects the college’s financial disarray months ago.

Moss said the FY2022 financial data still is incomplete, but “the numbers are much closer than they’ve been in a year or two.”

Moss said financial data and budgets are being migrated to the Jenzabar system, which will provide more reporting capability.

The college’s chief financial officer since August 2022, Blanca Pauliukevicius, resigned effective Sept. 28, but not before preparing the latest budget adjustment and financial reports.

Moss said Judy Scharmer, a retired CFO from New Mexico Military Institute, has been hired as a consultant for the college. Mesalands’ business office also is adding a retired controller from NMMI, he said.

In other business:

— Loni Monahan, director of the dinosaur museum, said during her annual report that visitor numbers plummeted 80% due to the loss of all but one billboard advertising the museum along Interstate 40.

In recent weeks, Mesalands added three billboards for the museum, and Monahan said she already was seeing signs of a bounceback in visitors.

Monahan said the museum has added six displays, including one for petrified wood and more sites for children. She detailed a face-lift for the gift shop and a rise in admission prices.

She said she was pursuing a partnership with Sinclair Oil Co. to install painted dinosaurs around town, possible sponsorships of area athletic teams, a movie screen in the gallery, a dedication to former director and board member Craig Currell and an affiliation with the Smithsonian.

— Mark Martinez, executive director of operations and procurement, said a $212,294 state grant, plus $100,000 in savings from an unused armory building project, will be used for a dual-axis tracker for the solar-generation project.

— Primrose said a recent site visit by the Higher Learning Commission “went very well.” HLC’s visit was required after Mesalands was deemed financially distressed earlier this year.

Joel Kiser, vice president of academic affairs, said one HLC official pulled a Mesalands official aside and said it was unique its faculty and staff work well together to help their students.

— McVey reported there were 232 students on campus this fall, plus 248 students taking classes in corrections facilities and 129 students in dual-enrollment courses.

— Kiser said three paleontology students in April were awarded the Lucille Pipkin Book Scholarship by the New Mexico Geological Society. The dinosaur museum also recently hosted students from Sam Houston State University and Appalachian State University.

— Kiser presented the annual community education report that details efforts with non-traditional students, including the Strong Seniors program, tai chi, yoga, ballerina classes and Summer Adventure Camp that involved 125 participants. He said the programs help bring revenue to the college.

— The board approved a $22,000 contract with Mike Johnson of Claude, Texas, to provide livestock for two successive rodeos at Mesalands on Oct. 13-14.

Moss said Dine College asked Mesalands to host one of its rodeos during that time, which he said was a testament to Stampede coach Matt Hughes and his athletes.

— The board approved a $33,932.48 bill from Mooring Recovery Services of Grand Prairie, Texas, for mold remediation in Building E. Moss said the college’s insurer is covering that expense in the wake of May’s severe storms.

— The board approved a $34,500 contract with Larry Wickham of Vexx Consulting of Tucumcari to help reimplement Jenzabar.

— The board approved updates to bank account authorizations and signatories to reflect the imminent resignation of Pauliukevicius and the addition of Primrose and Tammy Hall.