Alamogordo Main Street reports downtown recovery, director says he will step down this fall

Nolan O'Hada, executive director of Alamogordo Main Street, briefed the City Commission on June 23 about the downtown Main Street district’s recovery from a large capital project and outlined activities planned for the coming year.

O'Hada highlighted the organization’s small staff and volunteer board model, noting more than 2,000 volunteer hours contributed to downtown projects and programs. He said the facade program raised $30,000 and leveraged matching funds to create roughly $60,000 in improvements at 17 downtown buildings; New Mexico Main Street capital outlay funding for the Main Street Makeover totaled $2.9 million with nearly $2 million in city infrastructure investment. He also said the district attracted nearly $1 million in private investment, 32 businesses had been directly affected by construction, and several new businesses opened during the year.

O'Hada described upcoming placemaking investments, including a murals and memories program with about 27 historical placards and a self‑guided tour on the Main Street website (staff are assessing QR codes and audio recordings by local residents). He said Main Street will continue downtown events such as Downtown Nights and July 3 street closure and street dance events tied to the 250th of the United States.

Before closing his remarks O'Hada told the commission he plans to transition out of the executive director role in the fall; he said interviews for his replacement are starting and that he is not part of the hiring process. He also agreed to provide quarterly updates to the commission going forward.

What’s next: No formal action was requested; Main Street will supply follow‑up materials and coordinate with staff if the commission requests quarterly updates or additional documentation.

Sources: Nolan O'Hada’s presentation and Q&A at the June 23, 2026 Alamogordo City Commission meeting.