Alamogordo utilities leaders outline dozens of street, water and wastewater projects, timelines and costs

Good evening, Mayor Susan Paine, Mayor Pro Tem Sharon McDonald and commissioners. So I think the last time I updated you guys was about 6 months ago on projects, so I figured it'd be a good time to end the fiscal year with where we're at now and what we're moving forward to, Justin Boyle, senior project manager in the City of Alamogordo utilities engineering department, said at the commission meeting on Tuesday.

Why it matters: The presentation lays out the city’s near-term construction workload, capital funding implications and where residents should expect street and utility work this summer and next year. Several projects are in design, multiple packages will go to bid in the next two to three months, and construction timelines for large works span years.

Boyle described projects by phase — design, shovel-ready/bidding, construction, warranty and final completion — and walked the commission through roughly four categories: landfill and convenience-center work, numerous water and sewer replacements, drainage basins and channel work, and street and intersection upgrades. He said design work has begun or is advanced on projects that include landfill fencing and a convenience-center rehabilitation intended to improve drop-off safety; a citywide traffic-signal (referred to in the presentation as “traffic headlight”) replacement that could expand into full intersection upgrades after traffic studies; and an auditorium and library telehealth room funded by a grant.

On neighborhoods, Boyle said WSRP 003 (Twelfth–Fifteenth streets from White Sands to Hawaii) is in design and will include ADA ramps, new water mains and curb and pavement work, while a larger sewer replacement will run from Sixteenth Street to Indian Wells and be phased by subdivision. He identified other shovel-ready or bidding-phase packages that will advertise in July, including Oregon Avenue phases 2–3 (part of WSRP 1), striping work citywide, Balloon Park amenities (parking, bathrooms and stage), and several water-tank rehabilitations.

On drainage and larger channel projects, Boyle described the Washington Canal design as a multi‑phase project that could take five to 10 years depending on budget and external grants. Phase 1 will focus on the Tenth Street CBC (concrete box culvert) bridge and related intersection work; the canal design calls for a concrete channel from Indian Wells to McKinley and includes removing some CBC crossings and adding a basin on the north side of Oregon Avenue, with the basin intended to be landscaped and usable as a sports/green area.

Boyle also updated the commission on wastewater facility upgrades: the WRF Phase 3 effort includes replacing contact chambers, headworks, belt filter press and relocating the chlorine injection system. He said the NMED-approved slush disposal expansion is now at 90% design and would create approximately 150 acres divided into 10-acre cells for sludge management.

Completed and current construction: Boyle recapped completed projects this fiscal year and their contract values: Monte Vista Cemetery site work ($247,000), base and sediment removals ($368,000), Hubbard Bridge ($1.8 million), New York WSRP water and sewer replacement downtown ($1.8 million), Lower Heights Tank ($2.2 million) and a citywide striping contract ($87,000). He said that total approaches roughly $7 million in completed projects this fiscal year. Current construction items he highlighted included irrigation replacement at Desert Lakes Golf Course, zoo fencing and restroom work, and the Tenth Street CBC bridge patching and footings (on schedule but weather‑sensitive).

Commissioners pressed staff on timing and traffic impacts. Boyle said Oregon Phase 1 should be completed in September and that he staggers advertisements so projects don’t create concurrent detours. On the Tenth Street bridge, Boyle said footing and wing‑wall work are complete and that a dry stretch is needed for backfill and density testing; he and contractors are targeting the 19th of the month for major follow-up work but noted weather could delay that schedule.

Questions and clarifications from the meeting: - Roundabouts: A commissioner asked whether the traffic-signal project could include roundabouts; Boyle said the city will follow traffic‑study recommendations from their engineering consultant and that a roundabout was unlikely unless the study justified one. - CBC crossings and pedestrian access: Commissioners asked which concrete box culvert crossings would be removed in the Washington Canal work; Boyle clarified the design removes the CBC at Mountain View and City Hall and retains the other crossings, and said engineers are studying a future pedestrian crossing at Mountain View similar to the Washington Park crossing. - Procurement and bidding: Boyle said many packages will advertise in July, staggered to avoid overlapping detours, and that some projects already went out to bid the prior week.

Ending: Boyle closed by noting that many projects will extend into the next fiscal year, that project sequencing aims to reduce traffic impacts, and that staff will return with construction bids and additional design details as packages reach advertisement. Commissioners and staff asked for follow-up materials on irrigation rates and the water-rate-funded projects; the city manager said staff would provide the supporting memos upon request.