Magdalena Village Hall, 108 N. Main St.

Thanks to the approval of a loan by the Magdalena Village Board of Trustees, Marshal Michael Zamora will be getting a new vehicle for the Marshal’s Office.

Mayor Richard Rumpf said the loan for the Ford F-150 is $54,358.85, but no Village money will be required.  “It will be paid for through Law Enforcement funding,” he said. “We already have the money from the state to pay for it.”

Rumpf said the truck is at the dealership and has already been selected.

“It’s already up there,” he said. “As soon as we can get the paperwork signed, they’ll put all the police equipment on it.”

In other business at the Aug. 14 meeting:

The Board approved a request by Catherine De Maria to apply for a $100,000 Creative Industries grant from the New Mexico Department of Economic Development. She said the grant must be applied for through the governing body which would assign funding as the fiscal agent. “This will promote and support our art business and ongoing creative projects such as the Annual Magdalena Art Gallery and Studio Tour, the Fiber Arts Guild, Magdalena Stage, and local independently owned art galleries,” De Maria said. “It can be used for everything from advertising costs to operating costs for each proposed project.”

Rumpf got approval to proceed with work on the rodeo grounds. “The community building is getting sandblasted and repainted,” he said. “The paint was peeling off and we tried to powerwash it but still couldn’t get it off. Next, they’re going to prime it and then paint it some shade of yellow. We’re also trying to get a realistic price on replacing two furnaces.”

The building is primarily used for Roadrunner Food Bank commodities distribution and is also available to be rented for parties. “There’s a group of young folks that come in and set it up for pickleball,” Rumpf said.

Plans also include renovating the kitchen building at the grandstand.

“We’ll get that building cleaned up and paint it the same color as the community building,” he said. “The grandstand is in good shape. The cowboy action group quite a few years ago repaired the bleachers and replaced all the wood that needed it. That’s in pretty good shape.”

In the meantime, fencing and gates at the rodeo arena will be repaired or replaced.

“Some of the gates are not quite adequate and need maintenance,” Rumpf said. “What they’re doing now is for safety for animals and safety for people working with them. And they’re dressing up the announcer’s booth. Basically repairing all the things that are needed to be done to get ready for a rodeo coming up in September.”

John Larson, El Defensor Chieftain