Curry to explore water conservation committee

CLOVIS — Water will dominate the agenda at today's Curry County Commission meeting.

A proclamation will be read declaring April to be water conservation month. In line with that proclamation, the commission will explore establishing a water conservation committee.

Curry County Manager Lance Pyle said he envisions a water conservation committee made up of two commissioners and members of the public, though it will be up to the commission to decide whether or not to establish a committee and what it would look like.

The commission will also hear a presentation on water conservation from Chris Bryant, a Clovis city commissioner and member of the Water Policy Advisory Committee.

Also on the agenda for today's meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. in the commission chambers at the Curry County Administrative Complex, 417 Gidding St.:

• The commission will hear presentations from HB Construction and the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services.

• The commission will vote on the second amendment to a contract with Trane to upgrade the heating equipment at the Curry County Courthouse. Pyle said if approved the 15-month project would likely begin in April and would cost $3,197,422.47.

• The commission will vote on 19 value engineering items related to the detention center renovation project. Pyle said if all 19 cost-saving measures are approved, the project cost would decrease by $607,283.57.

• The committee will hear several presentations as it begins its budget hearings for the fiscal year 2019 budget, which begins July 1.

• The commission will be asked to provide direction to county officials on how to proceed with a pair of Request for Proposals, one for naming rights to the Curry County Events Center and another for professional architectural services for the Curry County Courthouse.

Both items were on the agenda at a previous meeting but the commission voted to table until a future meeting in order to do further research.

• The commission will select the 2019 Community Development Block Grant project application.

• The commission will vote on a pair of contract offers for country concerts at the Curry County Events Center, one in September and one in October.

• The commission will vote on a resolution setting a clothing allowance for certain county employees.

• Included on the consent agenda, reserved for items designated as routine and not expected to spark debate among the commission, is a memorandum of understanding between Clovis Municipal Schools and the Curry County Juvenile Detention Center.

The memorandum of understanding calls for the school district to provide the resources and for the county to provide a space and security for education at the juvenile detention center.