ALAMOGORDO, N.M. — The Alamogordo City Commission moved through a seven-item agenda in unanimous fashion Tuesday night, approving a golf course fee increase, signing off on the transfer of an Albuquerque liquor license to a new North White Sands Boulevard dispensary, and lifting the condemnation on three properties — but the sharpest exchange of the evening came over a third change order on the Fire Station No. 2 project, which commissioners tabled until Sept. 22 after learning the trucks the station was built to house could not sit on the asphalt pad that had been planned for them.

The meeting, held at 6:30 p.m. in the Donald E. Carroll Commission Chambers at City Hall, was called to order by Mayor Sharon McDonald with all seven members present: Mayor Pro Tem Josh Rardin and Commissioners Baxter Pattillo, Stephen Burnett, Warren Robinson, Al Hernandez and Mark Tapley. Commissioner Robinson delivered the invocation and Commissioner Burnett led the Pledge of Allegiance. Every vote of the night was 7-0. The commission then adjourned into executive closed session under the Open Meetings Act to conduct City Manager Robert Stockwell’s performance review, and no further public action was taken.

Fire Station 2: “This is going to nickel and dime us to death”

Community Development Director Shelley Dowhanik-Baron and Fire Chief Ramirez presented Change Order No. 3 to National Construction’s contract for Fire Station No. 2, priced at $143,368.79. The largest piece swaps asphalt for concrete on the apron immediately in front of the apparatus bay doors. Dowhanik-Baron told commissioners she halted that portion of the work after a site visit several weeks ago when she saw the pad was scheduled to be asphalted.

Chief Ramirez said the Class A pumpers the city intends to park in the bays weigh roughly 75,000 pounds. He described what happened at Fire Stations 1, 5 and 6, which were built with asphalt in the early 2000s: the heavier trucks left indentations, water pooled in the ruts, and at Station 5 the pressure from ladder trucks ruptured a main water line running beneath the pavement. Those stations were eventually torn out and replaced with six to eight inches of concrete.

The change order also proposes asphalting the driveways around the building — surfaces Dowhanik-Baron said date to 1970 and are “really not asphalt” but dirt and rock that vehicles sink into during monsoon season — along with relocating exterior patio lighting to the building and tinting the windows of the firefighters’ living quarters for privacy.

Commissioner Burnett pressed on whether three inches of asphalt on the driveways would hold up any better than the pad, noting that on a 110-degree day a heavy truck can groove asphalt quickly. “I would prefer if we have to do it one time instead of two or three years down the road, we’re right back here at the same situation,” he said, asking whether the whole approach should be concrete from the street to the rear exit.

Commissioner Hernandez asked why, given the city’s own experience at its other stations, the issue was not addressed before the project went to bid. “Who was the engineer and the architect on this project? And did city staff not meet with them to discuss these issues prior to this going out to bid?” he asked. Dowhanik-Baron said the decision predated her tenure and that the project manager at the time chose to phase the work — building and adjacent pads first, driveways later — but she could not explain why the bay apron was not specified as concrete from the start.

“This is going to nickel and dime us to death on this,” Hernandez said, recalling that the first change order for the bay doors was likewise not in the original bid.

“I think this project is a prime example of what will never happen again. The idea of doing it piecemeal, the idea of not gathering all of the input from the department as the project went through the design phases — those are the mistakes that were made.”— City Manager Robert Stockwell

Stockwell interjected to take responsibility for the process going forward, telling the commission that future projects will not be brought forward for bid award until the department has signed off on a complete design. He agreed with Burnett that concrete “from the street all the way around the building back to the exit” is the right answer, and said dead trees around the site — which he said should have been part of the original design — will be removed.

On funding, Stockwell said the original grant of $423,000 was spent early in the project and the remainder, including this change order, comes from Fund 69. Commissioner Tapley put the total project cost at roughly $1.3 million with the third change order. Asked for a ballpark on full concrete, Stockwell said he would be guessing but estimated a change order of $500,000 to $600,000 — at which point Tapley said the item should come back with a firm number. Dowhanik-Baron said the building itself is due for completion between Sept. 14 and 17, but Chief Ramirez noted apparatus cannot be moved into the bays until the apron is poured, and the added concrete and paving could push completion to mid-October.

Mayor McDonald asked whether Stockwell’s pledge meant projects would not be awarded at all when the city cannot fund the complete scope. “If we don’t have the money to do it, then we won’t bring it to you,” Stockwell replied. “That’s what I wanted to hear,” the mayor said. Stockwell also recommended that future project budgets carry a contingency line, which he said the city has not been doing.

On a motion by Rardin, seconded by Burnett, the commission tabled the change order to its Sept. 22 meeting, when staff is to return with a firm cost for concrete drive surfaces. Dowhanik-Baron told the commission she does not anticipate further change orders on the project.

Golf course fees go up; no complaints yet

Stockwell presented a fee increase for the municipal golf course, telling commissioners the cost of play across the region has risen significantly and the proposed schedule, based on a survey of surrounding courses compiled by the course’s management contractor, would place Alamogordo “not at the top, but not at the bottom either.” He framed the increase as groundwork for the long-term operation of the course and a stronger financial footing. Specific fee amounts were not read into the record during the presentation.

Mayor McDonald asked the golfers on the dais whether they had fielded any calls about the increase. None had. “We probably will tomorrow,” Pattillo said before moving approval, which passed on a second from Rardin.

Liquor license transfer for Sips on 6th

In the evening’s lone public hearing, the commission considered whether the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Division should approve a transfer of ownership and location for dispenser license DIS000927 to Sips on 6th LLC, with on-premises consumption and patio service, at 523 N. White Sands Blvd. The license is currently held in Albuquerque. Staff confirmed the notice was published twice, with the first publication at least 30 days before the hearing, and that the nearest church is more than 1,000 feet away — well beyond the state’s 300-foot rule. A representative for the applicant was present but was not called on. Hernandez moved approval, Tapley seconded, and it passed 7-0.

Robinson afterward asked whether the 300-foot church rule is still enforced, recalling that during his prior service on the commission roughly two decades ago a license was issued to the Allsup’s at 10th Street and Scenic Drive on the strength of a letter from the church’s pastor. “My concern was, what happens when that pastor moves or changes? Do they pull that license?” he asked. Staff said the distance requirement remains a state rule on the application.

Let’s Grow Alamo: a 20-year plan, and a request for “brutal honesty”

Dowhanik-Baron, joined by Bohannan Huston planner Liz Treat, briefed the commission on the city’s new comprehensive plan, a 20-year visioning study awarded under the firm’s on-call task order for $144,578.16. Work began in June and is expected to run about a year, with a final report and actionable project list targeted for roughly June 2027.

The steering committee draws on department heads for fire, police, parks, community services, finance, public works and utilities, the city manager, and two outside members: Josh Ramsey, owner of the area’s McDonald’s restaurants, and Tom Furman, housing director for the Sacramento Mountains Foundation. Dowhanik-Baron said that based on gross receipts data, Ramsey’s restaurants feed roughly 20 percent of Otero County’s population in a given week.

Early census work shows Alamogordo has a larger share of residents aged 18 to 34 than anywhere else in New Mexico — a function of Holloman Air Force Base — alongside 22 percent under 18 and roughly 20 percent 65 and older. “So we’ve got those two polar ends of our demographics,” she said, pointing to affordable housing, workforce development and services accessible across age groups as planning priorities.

“We want brutal honesty. We don’t want fluff. Tell us the honest truth. What’s wrong with Alamogordo? What needs to be fixed? What’s right about Alamogordo? What do we treasure?”— Community Development Director Shelley Dowhanik-Baron

Public input is being gathered through the Let’s Grow Alamo website, which hosts a community survey and an interactive map where residents can pin comments to specific parts of the city; a booth at Washington Park on the last Friday of August; printed surveys distributed at the meeting; and planned virtual focus groups with business, school and community stakeholders. Dowhanik-Baron asked commissioners to share the site on social media and said a facilitated work session with the commission is planned within the next six months. The transportation management plan being prepared by Lee Engineering and utility data on water and wastewater will feed into the study through GIS.

She distinguished this effort from prior plans — one in the late 1990s, one in 2011 and one around 2020 — by promising a documented pipeline of projects with cost estimates and schedules that can be carried directly to state and federal funders such as CDBG. “A lot of people think this is just a study that sits on a shelf and gathers dust,” she said.

Mayor McDonald asked a series of questions: whether the Chamber of Commerce is engaged (yes); whether the census figures reflect updated American Community Survey data rather than the 2020 count (updated); what role the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Commission will play (staff will present to the group and gather youth input on retaining young families); and how the plan squares with the city’s $160 million, 10-year infrastructure commitment. Dowhanik-Baron said the administration is building a five-year capital plan, extended to 10 years, as the specific prioritization tool, while the comprehensive plan sits above it as a broader visioning document. She also confirmed that the Sacramento Mountains Foundation’s housing plan and the Lakota housing study have been provided to Bohannan Huston for incorporation, and that the city is working through how it can lawfully partner with the foundation, since municipal funds cannot go to residents directly.

Three properties uncondemned; follow-up on Cuba Avenue home

Code Enforcement Manager Josh Sides, appearing with Ryan Glidden of the police department, presented Resolution 2026-34 declaring three previously condemned properties no longer ruined, damaged or dilapidated: the Tinsley Trailer Park at 1620 N. White Sands Blvd., 801 Arapahoe Trail and 1803 College Ave. Sides said the violations cited at the trailer park in 2023-2024 have been corrected and that the two houses have been fully remodeled inside and out. JV One Tree LLC purchased the properties, he said, and both homes were subsequently sold after the work was complete. Robinson, who said he had seen 801 Arapahoe Trail in person, offered “kudos,” moved approval, and Hernandez seconded.

Tapley asked Sides about a home on Cuba Avenue the commission condemned earlier this summer, noting a for-sale sign has since appeared. Sides said the owner, a Mr. Braswell, is not deceased as he had initially believed but is incapacitated, and the courts have appointed an executor. He has mailed the resolution to the owner’s last known address and the listing brokerage, posted the property, and intends to contact the real estate office locally if he does not hear back soon.

Mower mechanics for parks and golf

Interim Parks and Recreation Director Heather Casebolt presented two on-call bid awards for commercial lawn equipment repair: IFB 2026-005 to Gary Childress for the Parks Department and IFB 2026-006 to CT Custom Services for the golf course. Casebolt said Childress, who is retired, worked heavily for Parks last year, while the golf course position had gone unfilled and has equipment such as the bunker rake out of service. Neither contract is capped, but Parks has budgeted $150,000 and the golf course $100,000. A commissioner asked why one tabulation listed only a $90-per-hour labor rate while the other included emergency and travel charges; Casebolt attributed it to Childress’s limited availability. Commissioners complimented the condition of the park turf and said the golf course is “looking pretty good too.” Rardin moved approval of both awards; Hernandez seconded.

Public comment: Space Hall of Fame turns 50

The only public comment came from Johnny Powell of the New Mexico Museum of Space History’s Space Hall of Fame Foundation, who thanked the commission and announced the museum’s 50th anniversary celebration on Oct. 3 at the Tays Center, which will include the first Hall of Fame induction since 2016. Powell said he recently attended the Aerospace States Association conference, where states described space commissions ranging from a $600 million operation to a single staffer, and said New Mexico is developing its own. He said he hopes the foundation can represent Alamogordo, the Tularosa Basin and White Sands as that effort takes shape. Powell finished under his three minutes.

City manager’s report: Sunspot cleanup, dark skies

Stockwell reported on a meeting with a deputy regional forester for the U.S. Forest Service, following up on the commission’s resolution of support for the Sunspot observatory site. He said the mercury contamination inside the large solar telescope proved far more extensive than first thought: pooled mercury was removed, but it had migrated into the interior concrete of the structure and the telescope itself, which he was told extends 150 feet above ground and 250 feet below. Contaminated materials are being disposed of as the operating agency, whose name Stockwell said he could not recall, winds down the facility.

The Forest Service is working with the Sunspot community group on alternative uses, including the dark-skies designation the group has sought. Stockwell said that at minimum the roads, electrical and water systems will remain in place, and the agency’s stated intent is to keep the site an active, publicly accessible facility, though its future design and operation are undecided. No commissioner offered remarks or inquiries when the mayor opened that agenda item.

Executive session

The final agenda item was a closed session under NMSA 1978, Section 10-15-1, for limited personnel matters — specifically the city manager’s performance review. City Clerk staff corrected the item on the record from “recess” to “adjourn” into executive session, meaning the public portion of the meeting ended with the 7-0 vote to close the doors. Hernandez moved and Rardin seconded. Any action arising from the review would have to be taken at a subsequent open meeting.

The commission’s next regular meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 1376 E. Ninth St., where the Fire Station No. 2 change order is scheduled to return with revised concrete costs.

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