Las Cruces projects in jeopardy due to state budget shortfall

Some city projects may be on the chopping block when a special legislative session begins in Santa Fe Friday.

The state of New Mexico is facing a $600 million budget shortfall.

The City of Las Cruces had big plans to build an olympic-sized swimming pool at the Las Cruces Aquatic Center. That and three other projects could be placed on hold if lawmakers decide to take back funds appropriated by the state.

“My heart just sank,” said Pamela Angell, CEO of St. Luke’s Health Care, which stands to lose funding for a health care clinic.

Angell showed ABC-7 the cramped rooms and mattresses lining the hallways of its new clinic. They are in the process of renovating St. Luke’s with $900,000 in promised state funds.

Angell is hoping her patient’s health care won’t be compromised. “I might be bawling my eyes out if I find out the funding’s not there,” she said.

The CEO of St. Luke’s spoke with a member of the legislative finance committee. Angell said she was told the funds for the clinic, which are currently frozen, may survive a round of cuts.

“What (state lawmakers) are looking to do is what they call ‘claw back.’ So they give the money as an appropriation of our hard working legislators, the governor signs it, and they decide to take it back,” Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima said.

Miyagishima said plans for an olympic-sized swimming pool at the aquatic center and a new sound stage to attract the film industry are also in danger.

“Another one is a septic tank remediation,” the mayor added, “one of the goals of city council was to eliminate all septic tanks in the city.”

Film Las Cruces, a non-profit group that works to attract filmmakers and production studios to Las Cruces, believes funding for the $1 million sound stage should be safe.