We hope you’ve had a chance to check the new Carlsbad Miniature Golf Course, which opened its doors last week. We’ve received reports of great turnout at the course, despite the wind, and everyone seems to be having a good time. The course was financed through lodger’s tax discretionary funds, which are funds collected when people stay at hotels in Carlsbad. These funds may be designated for purposes related to tourism, such as the miniature golf course, the water park and the sports complex, as a way of drawing people to Carlsbad. Thanks again to Carlsbad City Council for supporting this effort.
There’s a lot more going on down at the beach area right now. In fact, you may have noticed that the docks on the Muscatel side of the Pecos River have been removed. This is part of a plan to tie in the services offered at the two sides of the river. This will be done by adding an additional footbridge that runs from the island near the beach area over to the Pecos River Village, where the docks were previously located. Long-time residents of Carlsbad may recall that a similar bridge existed many years ago. This will be in addition to the smaller footbridge that exists near the Riverwalk Recreation Center. In fact, the area between the two footbridges will now be ideal for smaller crafts such as paddleboats.
What is the goal? We want to make it easier for people to get back and forth across the river when they are accessing facilities such as the miniature golf course and the water park. This will be an extra wide bridge easily accommodating cyclists and wheelchairs. We are also working with the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce on a new setup for Christmas on the Pecos that is accessible for everyone and puts both sides of the river to good use. You’ll be seeing a lot more development in this area over the next few months.
At the same time, you’ll also be seeing additional pickleball courts going near the existing course. We’re very proud to be adding so many high quality recreational facilities.
***
Congratulations to Carlsbad Municipal Schools, who celebrated a groundbreaking for a new performing arts center that will be located at the high school. This center will take about two years to complete, but will add a 1,100 seat facility to the high school. Members of the Carlsbad High School band attended the ribbon cutting and cheered when they were told about the development.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway