Thank you to everyone who assisted with the dedication of the Law Enforcement Memorial in front of the Janell Whitlock Municipal Complex on Monday. There are currently five names on the memorial, ranging back in time to 1897: Sheriff James Leslie Dow, Sheriff George Washington Batton, Deputy Sheriff Bud Johnson, Patrolman Melvin Lee Hodges and State Police Officer Darian Jarrott. We also offer our condolences to Artesia Police Corporal Thomas Frazier, who was killed in a crash in May of 2021. We will be adding Corporal Frazier to the memorial. These officers made the ultimate sacrifice to make the world a better place, and we are honored to make certain that they will not be forgotten.
Thank you to those who assisted with Monday’s ceremony, including Steve McCutcheon, the Eddy County Sheriff’s Honor Guard, Voncile King, the Rev. David Prell, New Mexico State Police Chief Tim Johnson, Eddy County Sheriff Mark Cage, Carlsbad Police Captain Jessie Rodriguez and Carlsbad Police Chief Shane Skinner. Thank you to everyone with the City of Carlsbad who helped set up the event and made the event special. A very special thank you to the members of Officer Jarrott’s family who attended. Finally, thank you to Angee’s Flowers for doing such an outstanding job with the wreath.
Please visit this beautiful memorial if you haven’t already. It was made possible by a group of anonymous donors who just wanted to make sure that members of our law enforcement community were recognized.
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Last week, I had the honor of visiting with VanZandt Controls and Eagle Automation, who held a grand opening at their Carlsbad Location at 1506 Airway Drive. The company has 13 offices and 200 employees in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Oklahoma. They provide valve automation, flow measurement and instrumentation. VanZandt Controls is the product distribution brand while Eagle Automation is the solution and services brand.
I especially enjoyed getting to meet with CEO Don Maness and Lance VanZandt, who founded VanZandt Controls. Their business is a great success story that shows the value of hard work and dedication. They’ve been seeing a lot of business in Carlsbad, and we welcome them here.
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On Saturday, the City of Carlsbad held another household waste takeback day, which allowed individuals to drop off items that are normally hard to dispose. The Carlsbad Police Department also offered people an opportunity to hand in pharmaceuticals. There were 181 participants at this most recent event, including 15 individuals who disposed of only tires. These days are very important to our community, and we appreciate all of the hard work in setting them up.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway