Multiple local soccer teams competed in the 2022 3v3 Live National Tournament in West Palm Beach over Thanksgiving and one team, New Mexico United FC’20 08 Boys, from Carlsbad, reached the semifinals in this highly competitive tournament.
Congratulations to team members: Lennon Ananins, Bailey King, Diego Fuentes, RD Sanchez, Edwin Minjares and Jaylen Jarrell, as well as their coaching staff and parent volunteers. This was a great experience for the players and their family members.
Speaking of soccer, former Cavegirl standout Alexa Dugan recently finished her freshman soccer year with West Texas A&M. Alexa saw 169 minutes of play time over 11 games, according to the school’s web page. West Texas A&M reached the second round of the NCAA playoffs before falling to Dallas Baptist in mid November. Best of luck to Alexa, a former Gatorade Player of the Year, in future seasons.
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Work on the Bataan Memorial Bridge is underway. According to a press release, the New Mexico Department of Transportation District Two and Hasse Contracting Company began bridge repairs on the westbound lanes of the bridge beginning Nov. 14. Construction consists of bearing and pier cap replacement, epoxy overlay and concrete and joint repairs. You can see some unique equipment at the site that allows crews to work safely under the bridge, and it is great to see this process taking place. This NMDOT project has an estimated completion date of February 2023, weather permitting.
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What’s the value of tourism to a community? According to a report by the Economic Development Department’s Outdoor Recreation Division, outdoor recreation contributed $2.3 billion to the state’s Gross Domestic Product in 2021. Outdoor recreation is also responsible for 28,475 jobs and about 3.5 percent of New Mexico’s jobs. Additionally, outdoor recreation has continued to grow across New Mexico over the past few years. We’re very proud that Eddy County and Carlsbad Caverns National Park in particular play an important role in these numbers. Thanks again to Carlsbad Caverns National Park Superintendent Carmen Chapin for keeping us up to date.
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As a reminder, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the Lesser Prairie Chicken is listed on the Endangered Species List. Oil and gas operations, as well as private landowners, may want to consider enrolling in CEHMM’s candidate conservation agreement, if you have not already. CEHMM allows enlisted members to implement conservation plans for the species in a way that allows continued operation. For more information, please visit www.cehmm.org.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway