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Residents urge Mesilla trustees to remove EBID fence and oppose University Avenue enforcement lights
Summary
Residents told the board they were surprised by 10‑foot fencing on a lateral and by new traffic‑control lighting on University Avenue; trustees and staff said they had contacted EBID and DOT to halt or review the work and will schedule follow‑ups with the community.
Several residents used the March 23 public‑comment period to press trustees for immediate action after large poles and backstop‑style fencing were erected along a ditch lateral and new traffic lights were installed on University Avenue.
Trina Witter described seeing "10‑foot tall poles" and said she had sought design plans from the New Mexico Department of Transportation; she told trustees she found an MOU between EBID and the State Historic Preservation Office that recognizes portions of the ditch system as historic and asked whether EBID or SHPO had consulted the town. "Certainly doesn't sound like it because I don't think this is something that SHPO would have approved," she said, and urged removal of the poles.
Other residents amplified the concern. Martha Mulvihill thanked trustees for intervening to pause the work and asked whether the University Avenue lights were intended for speed enforcement or traffic monitoring, noting the town lacks a local court to process citations. Beverly Estado echoed the call to bring the poles down and argued Mesilla's local ordinances can impose higher standards than state practice in matters affecting the town's historic character.
Public works and community development staff said they had visited the site, contacted the project manager and the agencies involved, and asked EBID and DOT to pause work while the town reviews design standards and code compliance. Trustees agreed to pursue a public meeting with DOT on the university corridor project and to ensure staff are included in any future EBID or DOT work affecting Mesilla's historic assets.
Next steps: trustees directed staff to coordinate meetings with EBID, DOT and residents, to check the EBID/SHPO consultative record, and to assess alternative fencing treatments that are visually consistent with Mesilla's preservation priorities.
