Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Office Use And Modular Building topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Jemez Springs council discusses repurposing vacant modular unit as community center
Summary
At its Aug. 19 special meeting the Jemez Springs Special Village Council heard a proposal to keep municipal offices at the Village Plaza and dedicate the 24'x60' modular building at the Community Park as a volunteer-run community center for seniors and local groups; no formal vote was taken.
The Jemez Springs Special Village Council met Aug. 19 to discuss whether to relocate municipal offices or repurpose a vacant modular building at the Jemez Springs Community Park.
Mayor Michael Nealeigh opened the meeting and verified the agenda was posted in compliance with the Open Meetings Act. Council members present were Trustees Judy Boyd, James McCue and Manolito Sanchez; Robert Wilson was absent.
Susanna Cooper, chair of Jemez Aging in Place, presented a written proposal asking the village to keep municipal offices and police services at the Village Plaza and to dedicate the 24-foot-by-60-foot modular structure at the Community Park as a community gathering space. Cooper framed her recommendation on three points: that there had been little interest in leasing the current municipal office space, that the modular unit has been largely unused for roughly two years, and that the modular building could meet local needs for senior programming and other community activities.
The presentation traced the property's history: neighborhood notice in 1996; a May 1999 loan of $230,000 to fund economic development infrastructure (the loan was repaid in June 2010); purchase of the land in June 1999 for $160,000; and a Planners Ink Community Center Master Plan that estimated three-phase improvements at $1,217,640. Council materials also note a Certificate of Occupancy for the park stage issued Dec. 10, 2009 and recurring ICIP (Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan) entries through 2023 that supported site improvements.
Council materials record that fiscal-year 2023 capital outlay funds were used to purchase and install the modular unit on a permanent foundation. The minutes list site improvements and utility hookups completed in 2024'electricity connected in June 2024 and water and sewer in December 2024'followed by construction of front and rear decks with an ADA ramp in January 2025 and conversion to LED interior lighting in February 2025. The modular unit is recorded as 1,440 square feet.
Cooper outlined specific community uses for the facility, including musical and theater events, classes and workshops (cooking, writing, crafts, exercise, Tai Chi), seniors'art exhibits, regular weekly groups (writers, knitters, hikers), game nights, dances and film screenings. She suggested volunteer staffing on half- or full-day shifts, pursuing state and county grants and donations to pay utilities and supplies, and coordinating senior services with regional partners.
The minutes note an earlier Request for Expressions of Interest, published May 6, 2025, soliciting parties interested in leasing some or all of the existing municipal office space on the Village Plaza. The Council adopted an ICIP on July 24, 2025 that included remodeling of the municipal building at the Community Park; the Aug. 19 meeting was framed as a discussion rather than a decision point, and no motion or vote to relocate offices or repurpose the modular building was recorded.
The meeting adjourned at 5:41 p.m.
