During the recent Board of Trustees meeting, the Village of Santa Clara Mayor announced that while projects have slowed this month, village improvements will move forward thanks to a newly awarded state grant. The mayor reported that the New Mexico Department of Transportation has granted the village $535,000 to support work on Maple Street, scheduled to begin next spring. He also noted that exterior renovations on the historic Bradley Hotel will continue in the upcoming weeks.
As of the most recent update from the Gila National Forest, wildfires continue to ignite across the area. Last week alone, 23 new fires were reported, all caused by lightning strikes. According to a recent Forest Service report, nine fires remain active and are being closely monitored. With the exception of the Turkeyfeather Fire, most of the incidents are small, averaging approximately 0.10 acres in size. The Turkeyfeather Fire, however, remains significant, burning in Catron County about 22 miles southeast of Reserve and currently spanning 24,178 acres.
The City of Lordsburg recently announced that its water system has violated a drinking water requirement due to fluoride levels exceeding the maximum contaminant level (MCL). Routine monitoring confirmed the continued presence of elevated fluoride concentrations. In response, the city is moving forward with plans to replace the aging ion exchange fluoride removal system with a new reverse osmosis treatment plant. Public notices and updates will continue to be provided as progress is made on this improvement.
In other news:
Housing New Mexico has introduced a new process for collecting public input on environmental review projects associated with federally funded housing and community development initiatives. Beginning this month, the organization will publish environmental review legal notices on its website in accordance with updated U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations. These notices will give New Mexicans the opportunity to review environmental documents, assess potential project impacts, and participate in the public comment process. The length of each comment period will vary by project and will be specified within the corresponding legal notice. To learn more and submit public comment visit, website.
