DESERT EXPOSURE
DECEMBER 2015 • 51
TOWN NEWS • JENNIFER GRUGER
Tularosa is Up to Something Vision to revitalize moves into the future he village of Tularosa is up to something. Every day, it is up to something. If it’s Friday night, Wildcat fans are rallying around their football team, no matter the score. The fourth Monday of the month, the Red Brick Schoolhouse Restoration Foundation is meeting. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights free exercise classes are available at the Community Center. Weekend mornings, fresh tamales are available (if you get there early enough) from Laredos Restaurant and Bakery. Every day, this small town with a rich, albeit largely unknown, history is up to something. Formally established in 1863, mapped with 49 blocks, water rights were distributed and recorded. Tularosa’s name is from the Spanish description for the red or rose-colored reeds growing alongside the banks of the Rio Tularosa which runs along the north side of the village. The original acequia (ditch irrigation system) remains virtually unchanged since then and provides water for the trees, gardens and landscaping of many properties. In 1979 the Tularosa Original Townsite District, consisting of the original 49 blocks on 1,400 acres – including 182 buildings – was declared a historic district and recorded in the National Register of Historic Places. Most of the people who live in Tularosa (population just under 3,000) have lived there for their entire lives and have generations of stories to tell. While there are books, photographs and online resources, the history of Tularosa lives largely inside the memories of these residents. Visitors can hear the stories the old timers tell and see the old buildings and catch a glimpse of the past. Highway travelers through southern New Mexico might just think of Tularosa as “that town where I have make that turn to get to Ruidoso,” or “the last place to get gas before Carrizozo.” The Greater Tularosa Foundation hopes to change that kind of thinking and bring the history front and center. The foundation is working to create a public plaza and has worked alongside the village of Tularosa and other organizations to facilitate the creation of a visitor center and assist in the renovation of Tularosa’s historic main street – Granado Street. Ultimately, the vision is to create community activity spaces that support the needs of local residents as well as to make Tularosa a destination of choice. Instead of just passing through on the way to somewhere else, it will be a place to plan to go to with friends and family to explore history, shop, eat and see what this town is really up to. The GTF has been conducting informational sessions about their efforts in and around Tularosa for quite some time, but a recent community event organized by GTF board members, along with many additional volunteers, brought a whole new perspective to the possibilities. The “Halloween on Granado Street Festival” event brought families and friends together from not only Tularosa,
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GETTING WET
Rural Projects Approved Garfield, La Luz receive federal loans, grants for water projects SDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said the USDA has given out loans and grants for 141 projects to build and improve water and wastewater infrastructure in rural communities across the nation. Two of those projects are in southern New Mexico. “Many rural communities need to upgrade and repair their water and wastewater systems, but often lack the resources to do so,” Vilsack said. “These loans and grants will help accomplish this goal. USDA’s support for infrastructure improvements is an essential part of building strong rural economies.” “Clean drinking water is essential to the survival of any Tom Vilsack rural community and the improvements made to these water systems will help ensure the residents of Garfield and La Luz will have access to clean healthy water for generations to come,” USDA Rural Development State Director Terry Brunner said. In New Mexico the communities of Garfield and La Terry Brunner Luz in the southern part of the state will receive funding to upgrade their water systems through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program. The Garfield Mutual Domestic Water Users Association was approved for a loan of $551,000 and a Colonias grant for $6,340,500 for a total of $6,891,500. The financing will be used to replace water lines in some of the service areas. The funding will also pay for a new water well in Arrey and the installation of a new automatic meter reading system, and related equipment. The new water lines will address high leakage rates by replacing old waterlines. A new computerized management system will also be installed to assist with system operations and reduce water loss from tank overflows. Also, by adding the new well, the growth restriction will be removed. The La Luz Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association was approved for a loan of $414,000 and a grant of $1,787,100 for a total of $2,201,100. The funding will be used to upgrade approximately five miles of the 63-year-old, undersized water line system, and the outdated and undersized treatment system. Once completed, the improvements to the water system will provide a reliable and safe water delivery system for the community at reasonable rates. Both the Garfield and La Luz communities fall in an area of persistent poverty that USDA has targeted for special assistance through the StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity Initiative. Funding of each award is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the grant and loan agreement. USDA Rural Development is accepting applications for loans and grants to build rural water infrastructure. Applications may be completed online through RDAPPLY, a new electronic filing system, and at state and local Rural Development offices. Public entities (counties, townships and communities), non-profit organizations and tribal communities with a population of 10,000 or less are eligible to apply. Interest rates for this program are at historically low levels ranging from 2 percent to 3.25 percent. Loan terms can be up to 40 years. For more information, visit http://www. rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rd-apply.
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Granado Street parade in the 1920’s or 1930’s. (Courtesy photo)
Proposed Granado Street intersection rendering. (Created by Hadley Yates for the Community by Design for Frontier Communities Initiative Program) but neighboring communities including Mescalaro, La Luz, Cloudcroft and Alamogordo. Instead of just imagining how a revitalized Tularosa downtown could look in the future, the event showed attendees the possibilities live and in real time. Feedback from this event has been immensely positive and while there are more questions and a lot of work to do the foundation is hopeful there will be even more support than ever before. The Greater Tularosa Foundation has four primary development/revitalization projects: Plaza – The foundation’s focal project is the creation of a historic-style plaza about a quarter-block in size located along St. Francis Drive just south of St. Francis de Paula Church and to the north of Granado Street businesses. The plaza would include shade trees, seating, sculptures, and parking. An archeological dig on the land will be completed before plaza construction begins. The foundation hopes that archeologists break ground in the next year or sooner, and will look for remnants of the founding settlers of Tularosa. Granado Street – The foundation will assist the Village of Tularosa to revitalize the public streetscape and sidewalks on historic commercial Granado Street with a focus on the three blocks between St. Francis Drive and east to 1st street. This area is often referred to as Tularosa’s historic downtown. Tularosa Visitor Center – The foundation is assisting the Village of Tularosa
with efforts to build a new structure to house a visitor center at the NE intersection of Granado Street and St. Francis Drive. If enough funds are raised, the visitor center would have educational exhibits that promote Tularosa’s businesses, agriculture, vineyards, farming, culture, history and annual activities. It could also be used for the community’s nonprofit organizations to hold meetings. Outdoor market – The foundation is exploring the possibility of facilitating the creation of an outdoor market and performance space to replace the burnt-down grocery store at the corner of Third and Granado streets. Interest has been garnered to create a space to accommodate artists, antique dealers, fresh local produce, food vendors and live music. The GTF believes that such a market would support local commerce and attract highway travelers to stop and shop in Tularosa. All of these projects are currently dependent on donations, grants and community support. Although the GTF has secured property donation commitment letters for the visitor center and plaza projects and the Granado Street funding from the NMDOT for the village, as mentioned above, they still need to raise a substantial amount of money and support to make these projects a reality. For more information on all of these initiatives and how to get involved or give your feedback, go to www.thegreatertularosafoundation.org.
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