With several large federal facilities in our area, many local eyes are on the national budget. Congress passed a stopgap-funding bill on Saturday, keeping the federal government open through Nov. 17.
This means, for the time being, that there will be no interruption of services at locations such as Carlsbad Caverns National Park, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and the Bureau of Land Management.
Had a shutdown taken place, the Caverns would have closed access on Monday. The situation was complicated at WIPP. Some processes, such as Tuesday’s public town hall, would likely have been postponed, while other essential WIPP services would have remained intact, due to reserve funding. We will keep all of our local federal employees and federal contractors in our thoughts during this stressful time.
The WIPP community forum and open house will still take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at 4021 National Parks Highway. This will include an in person and virtual meeting to provide a short update on WIPP, as well as a question and answer period. We appreciate these opportunities for people to ask questions about this project.
***
We received some additional upsetting news last week concerning one of our most popular recreation spots. Lincoln National Forest put out an announcement on Sept. 29 stating that Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area will be closed due to an ongoing worker shortage. The site will remain closed until required staff is available.
Workforce shortage is an ongoing issue, which ties in to affordable housing and rapid population growth. To apply for a job with the U.S. Forest service, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r3/jobs/?cid=FSEPRD521225&fbclid=IwAR17PSQX97QGqkPBaGeZhOHdTYyqioo3gRlsoeToWU4ZZDZw9UnpsnHpmJE. Sitting Bull Falls has had closure periods in the past, due to fires and other natural disasters. It’s a beautiful location, and we look forward to it being open again soon.
***
We do have some great news from Dr. Amanda Ryan, who reports that the Advanced Heart and Vascular Center of NM has moved into its clinic at 1619 Skyline Drive and is now open for business there. This clinic, funded through a partnership between Dr. Ryan and Clay and Linda Wilson, includes nine exam rooms, cardiac rehab facilities, stress tests and ultrasound testing capabilities.
It took an incredible amount of work to get this clinic open, and Dr. Ryan and her staff have a lot to be proud about. The surgical center will be open at the new location soon as well.
Sincerely, Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway