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The city of Las Cruces held events for two projects funded by the 2022 general obligation bond last week as work on the projects came to fruition.
Staff and officials held a ribbon cutting for eight pickleball courts at the East Mesa Recreational Complex on Sept. 13 and a groundbreaking for a new fire station on Las Cruces’ far-north end on Sept. 17.
Both projects were a part of the $23 million GO Bonds approved in 2022.
Voters approved the East Mesa Recreational Complex bond, with 19,389 in favor (63 percent) and 11,396 against (37 percent).
The vote sent $5 million to further construction of the complex, adding to the first bond of $7.8 million from a 2018 vote.
“This facility doesn’t come without the support of voters,” said Parks and Recreation Department Director Steven Bingham.
Mayor Eric Enriquez said the process of building the complex really began in 2012, when the city agreed to lease the land from the Bureau of Land Management. Two years later, the lease was approved.
The 10-acre park features pickleball courts and two multi-sport fields. The area's yet-to-be-completed amenities include a stake park, basketball court, sand volleyball courts and public art.
“What makes a community special and what makes it easier to recruit business is a great quality of life,” said Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Debbi Moore during the ribbon cutting.
“This is a place that we can count on that’s going to draw people,” Moore said.
Voters approved the Fire Station 9 bond, with 22,974 voters in favor (77 percent) and 7,900 against (26 percent).
The vote sent $10 million to construct a new fire station in Las Cruces’ East Mesa-North Sonoma Ranch area. The region is one of the fastest growing corners of Las Cruces and home to under-construction Metro Verde development.
The goal of the new fire station is to reduce response times across Las Cruces and provide the service to new residents as development continues.
“On a larger scale, I also thank our community because they’re the ones who made this possible by voting yes in our last general obligation bond,” said city communications director Mandy Guss during the groundbreaking.
City Councilor Becky Corran, in whose district the fire station rests, said the residents were excited about the first fire station located north of Highway 70.
“This building will be all-electric, in the style of the Metro Verde Community,” Corran said.
Jason Smith, the Las Cruces Fire Department chief, said the new station represented an investment in the whole city.
“As we break ground today, we’re not just building a fire station; we’re strengthening our city’s safety, investing in our firefighters, and reinforcing our promise to protect this community,” Smith said.
