The effort to develop our independent college has been going on continually, thanks to hard work by everyone at the college, as well as our Higher Education Task Force Chair Craig Stephens and co-chair John Heaton. A very special thank you to Rep. Cathrynn Brown and Senator Gay Kernan, who have remained highly involved in this process throughout the past year.
New Mexico State University has been very helpful with this transition process, which includes transitions related to property, IT and scholarship programs. We are also soon expecting a visit from the state’s Higher Learning Commission and look forward to discussing the developing college and why it is so important to our community.
We’re electing a brand new board this fall for Southeast New Mexico College. The college and Associated Students are putting together a detailed forum on Oct. 5 and Oct. 7. Faculty and staff will be submitting questions and there will be a chance to participate online. We’ll post more details as they become available. There will also be a Carlsbad Candidate Forum on Oct. 14 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Lucky Bull Grill. This forum will cover City Council, School Board and the new College Board. You’ll be able to watch this forum online if you can’t make it. It’s very important that we get Southeast New Mexico off on the right foot, so it’s great that we have several opportunities to learn about our candidates.
The Pearl on the Pecos Arts and Culture District is sponsoring HeritageFest at the beautiful Halagueno Arts Park this weekend. The theme for this year’s event is “Preserving Carlsbad’s Rich History,” and the event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be live music, vendors, food trucks, crafts, games and live demonstrations. There’s also going to be axe throwing and a cornhole tournament.
The New Mexico Environment Department has introduced a new map with information related to drought information and resources for water utilities. You can find this map, and additional information, here: https://nmenv.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=4029d1298b4c42aabda3dfdbe92baff5. For more information, contact the NMED Drinking Water Bureau at drinking.water@state.nm.us or call 505-476-8620.
According to the map, southern Eddy County is one of a handful of locations in New Mexico that is currently not experiencing intense drought conditions, at least as an immediate concern. While it came with its share of problems, this summer’s heavy rains were certainly a blessing in terms of addressing the drought.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway