Questa Mayor John Ortega:
On behalf of the Village of Questa, I am happy to announce that the village has been awarded multiple grants through Capital Outlay, the New Mexico Department of Transportation, the New Mexico Department of Finance, the New Mexico Department of Tourism, and the New Mexico Finance Authority. These grants were made possible by the due diligence and dedication of the village staff.
Because of these awards, residents, neighbors and visitors can expect to see multiple projects implemented in 2024. These projects range from infrastructure road and bridge improvements, recreational furnishings, a community recycling project, and a community planning opportunity. These projects in 2024 are in various stages of implementation.
Some projects people can expect to see include a Taos Bakes expansion with construction, the planning, design and engineering for a new water well, Cabresto Road phase 2 & 3 drainage and improvement project, Embargo Road plan and design, Embargo Bridge (Llama Bridge) plan and design to create a pedestrian walkway, Shirley Drive reconstruction, road improvements throughout town, a new playground, and acquiring new recycling receptacles.
The village is also working to create a new comprehensive plan for the village. We are also eager to continue working with the Green Hydrogen Project, and we are seeking further funding to plan and design a wastewater treatment facility to increase sewer capacity so we can extend sewer lines in new areas of the community. Additionally, the Village of Questa will also have two police officers attend the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy to become certified police officers, for a total of five certified officers protecting the Village of Questa.
I want to ensure our residents know I am accessible to talk about any issues or concerns you may have. My calendar will have dedicated office hours to speak with our community. You can contact Valerie Vigil at 575-586-0694 or email at vvigil@villageofquesta.org for scheduling.
In addition to office hours, I would also like to invite the community to Coffee with the Mayor and the Chief of Police every first Monday of the month from 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Overall, it’s been a great year, and I hope 2024 is even better. I would like to see continued community events such as Fiestas, the car show, Christmas Parade and many more. These events bring the community together and unite us as Questeños, and that’s a good thing. I am also hopeful to see a continued drop in property crime, with our continued law enforcement presence. I am also happy to see a reduction in speeding through our community. I would also like to see continued support for our fire and EMS teams.
As a reminder, the fire department is always looking for volunteers, so if you are interested contact Chief Raynelle Sanchez Cordova to join. We are always recruiting EMT’s to join our staff, so if you know anyone looking for EMS work, we got it.
Red River Mayor Linda Calhoun:
It’s hard to believe that 2023 is quickly coming to an end. As we look forward to 2024, Red River has a lot of exciting projects on the horizon.
We’ve received funding for a new public works/public safety maintenance and storage facility and are planning on breaking ground any day now. We have also awarded a contract to a housing developer and are looking forward to finally tackling the workforce housing shortage. These along with a major sidewalk project on Main Street and repaving High Street should prove to keep us very busy.
One of my biggest hopes for the new year is to be able to finally see construction and material costs begin to stabilize and see more interest in bidding on some of our larger projects. 2023 was an election year and elections always highlight where improvements can be made. We will be implementing a new town government website to improve communications with our residents. This website will also give us the capability to be more transparent with all our meeting agendas and recordings more readily available.
As we begin 2024, we are praying for lots of snow not only for our ski season, but also to help with any threat of forest fires going into the summer. We were very fortunate to be named Best Ski Town in North America by USA Today for the second time in the past couple of years. Tourism is our only economic driver, and we are always looking for ways to improve. The event that occurred over Memorial Weekend was devastating to our community. We are looking forward to seeing that event evolve into a family friendly event with the emphasis on remembering and honoring our Veterans. We are excited for 2024 and wish everyone a Happy New Year.
