Magdalena Public Library receive grant monies

Magdalena trustees approved a $24,893 Rural Library Program grant from the New Mexico State Library for fiscal year 2026, as well as a $5,500 grant from the John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation. Clerk/Treasurer Juanita Puente said the larger grant will support materials and salaries if the previous $43,000 grant does not fully cover salaries for the three new employees.

At the Nov. 24 village meeting trustees also authorized the hiring of a new attorney and steps towards improving security at the senior center.

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Nelson presided, due to Mayor Richard Rumpf having stepped down earlier in November from what he said was due to health issues.

Trustees approved a contract with legal firm Virtue & Najjar, P.C., who Puente said had been referred by the New Mexico Self-Insurance Fund, to provide legal services to the village. The agreement, effective Dec. 1 through June 30, 2026, sets hourly rates for attorneys and caps total costs at $10,000. According to the contract, this attorney shall render legal advice and counsel to the Village, on matters and issues identified by the Village.

Trustees authorized applying for an emergency grant to enclose the Senior Center’s parking garage and install lighting and security cameras. Puente said the amount of the grant will be determined by how much the project is projected to cost.

“I’m waiting on a couple more quotes right now, because if we only apply for one thing, we can’t add to it,” Puente said. “It has to be all written in the scope.”.

Puente cited recent vandalism and theft as reasons for the request.

“There’s people going in there in the middle of the night, and then we already had gas taken out of the hot and cold food truck, they damaged the gas tank,” Puente said, “We had to buy a new one, and we just got the grant and bought the truck, so we didn’t even have it a month, hardly.”

The board also approved pursuing capital outlay grants for future projects.

Trustee Michael Thompson said that members should bring ideas to the board about projects that would need these grants so he can work on them.

A previous proposal to seek a $600,000 grant to purchase and renovate the vacant Family Dollar building for a marshal’s office was voted down.

“If you waited a year, and the place sold out from under us, we’d have a new business in town, which would be better,” Thompson said, “If it didn’t sell, we might even get a better price on it.”

Other actions included renewing a professional services agreement with the University of New Mexico for EMS medical direction at an annual cost of $4,600.

Trustees also approved posting a voluntary airport manager position. According to the position description, this position is purely voluntary but the volunteer “Will be required to attend meetings to include Airport Manager’s Association, Airport Manager’s Conference, NMML Aviation day Conference at the NM Round House, Legislative Day Conference at NM Round House, NMML Annual Conference.”

The village will be required to pay all fees, lodging and transportation for these meetings.

Nelson said that participation in these meetings could be several thousands of dollars per year.

“ I think that if we entertain it, it should be posted as a position,” Nelson said.

Nelson said the position came with a lot of executive responsibility, and Thompson said he wondered if it should have a stipend to go with the position.

While the posting of the voluntary airport manager position was passed, Trustee Donna Dawson made a motion to postpone the decision on a stipend, which was seconded and approved.

During public comment, resident Ray Martinez asked the board for budgets to get help for senior transportation funding.

“I hope I can get that information from you guys for that budget, so I can present it and say, this is what we’re spending now, this is what we need for the next four four years,” Martinez said., “Transporting our seniors, not only seniors, but people that need a ride to go to the doctors. We need to look at ways to help them out.”

Martinez said he has suggestions for capital outlay grants to be applied for before February to add an exercise room and sewing room to the senior center, as well as a walk-in cooler for more food storage.

Resident Linda Montoya said she had concerns about when the deck for the library would be worked on, and Trustee Thompson said the deck is being examined before quotes are available.

“It may need a little bit of work, but not as much as we were afraid of,” he said.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for Dec. 8.