Alamogordo delays sale of fairgrounds parking lot for five years

The Alamogordo City Commission voted 7-0 to adopt a resolution delaying any sale of the fairgrounds parking lot for a five-year period and to remove language that would have required the county to identify an alternate site and develop a phased plan.

The move came after an intern, Priam, presented a short summary of the proposed resolution and commissioners debated wording. Priam said, “This resolution, gives time to the county to make a plan, a phased plan, and, develop an alternate location for the Otero City Fairgrounds County Fairgrounds.” Mayor Susan Payne and multiple commissioners discussed edits to avoid language that might be read as forcing the county to take specific actions.

The commission agreed to simplify the resolution to read that the city will delay any sale of the fairgrounds parking lot for five years; commissioners struck a “whereas” clause that said the city had agreed to give county staff and the fair board time to identify a site and develop a phased plan. After the changes were read into the record, Commissioner Crystal Guthrie moved to approve the resolution and a second was recorded; the vote was 7-0 in favor.

Commissioners said the intent is primarily to provide a clear, short-term signal to the county and the fair board that the city will not sell the lot while discussions about the fairgrounds’ future proceed. Commissioners also discussed community impacts such as event parking and hotels that see spillover parking during fairs; one speaker noted concern about hotel guests’ access if public parking is redirected.

The resolution is limited to delaying any sale for five years; it does not transfer ownership or obligate the city to finance relocation. Commissioners said the measure can be rescinded or revisited by future commissions.

The motion passed with the amended wording and no additional expenditure or specific county commitments were made by the commission at the meeting.