Roosevelt commissioners approve roof project

PORTALES -- Roosevelt County commissioners on Tuesday voted to move forward with only half of a roof replacement project.

Commissioners were shown the roof in the hog show arena at the county fairgrounds and given two options for the roof repair following the June 2020 hail storm.

County Manager Amber Hamilton explained to commissioners that one option was to replace the internal gutter system that already exists within the building, but it would likely begin to leak again at some point. The other repair option is to go with a cricket gutter system, which would be outside the building on top of the roof and would connect with the two buildings on each side of it, serving as a gutter system for both barns.

Hamilton said the cricket system would cost approximately $34,000. The insurance would only cover $7,000 of that cost as the adjuster only approved the replacement of the current gutter system. She said insurance will cover the full cost of the buildings’ roof replacements.

“I’d rather fix something for the long-term than fix it to where we’re going back and patching it again then patching it again. Whatever we do, I’d like to do it right,” Commissioner Rod Savage said.

However, Commissioner Shane Lee expressed concerns about the structural integrity of the rafters in the wall that would have to be repaired with the placement of a new gutter system. He said they could be getting into some heavy expenses if the wall has more damage than anticipated and has to be replaced altogether.

Lee motioned to start the process of putting in a cricket gutter system between the poultry barn and the hog show arena.

The motion was approved.

Commissioners tabled deciding on the system for the other side of the building until the next meeting, so Lee and County Facilities Director Gary Spinks could do a more thorough inspection with members of fair board and other contractors.

Also at Tuesday's meeting:

• Commissioner Dennis Lopez asked about repairs to Boston and Lime streets and whether Hamilton had spoken to the city about those repairs.

Hamilton said she had spoken with the city, and it is within its budget to help repair Boston Street from Lime to Spruce. She said the goal is to have it done by June 30.

• Brandon Miller of New Mexico Game & Fish gave a report to commissioners regarding an inquiry by Lee regarding whether an ordinance could be put into place allowing the use of off-road vehicles on county roads.

Miller told commissioners if the county were to put such an ordinance into place, Game & Fish would recommend not allowing off road vehicles over 35 mph and no one under the age of 18 operating them. He also said the county would have to designate which roads the vehicles can operate on.

Miller clarified that allowing off road vehicles in the county would not include city roads or state highways, but the state statute allows for off road vehicles to cross state highways to get from one county road to another. People just can’t drive down a state highway.

The following items were approved by commissioners:

• A resolution adopting an amendment to the Roosevelt County Detention Center policies and procedures manual to incorporate the use of tablets that have been provided to inmates. It entails expectations of both detention center staff and inmates.

Lee asked detention center Administrator Justin Porter how the tablets were “going over” so far.

“It has been a very successful project,” Porter said. “It has created an uptick in morale, because during COVID times, it was limited on what we could do with visitation and so on.”

He said the tablets are also valuable behavior modification tools in that if behavior becomes volatile, they can remove the tablets until the behavior subsides.

• A memorandum of Agreement with the cities of Portales, Clovis, and Tucumcari and the counties of Roosevelt, Curry, Quay, and De Baca to commission a feasibility study for a psychiatric hospital in Clovis.

Hamilton said the sole responsibility for the cost of the feasibility study would not be on just the county governments. She said a majority of the cost falls on the city of Clovis, because of its population. She said Roosevelt County would be responsible for 9 percent, which would be $5,400.

“The detention center cannot continue to be a defacto mental health facility for people that law enforcement cannot deal with and the hospital cannot house,” Hamilton told commissioners.

Commissioner Dennis Lopez said there are a lot of questions in regard to this kind of project, but “with this feasibility study, all of these questions will be answered. It is a needed service within our communities.”

• A request for approval for scope of work with the Behavioral Health Services Department and Roosevelt County for the Medicated Assistant Treatment Program, which helps people addicted to opioids and alcohol to stay sober and get back on their feet once the leave the jail.

Hamilton said they requested $386,000 for the program from the state, and the full amount was awarded.

• Re-awarding an offer for a used tractor for the Road Department to Bee Equipment for a 2014 John Deere tractor for $110,000

• Awarding the contract for the replacement of the Roosevelt County Health Center Roof Replacement to WWRC, Inc. for $174,459.92

• The disposal of miscellaneous county small assets for public auction and the disposal of a 2008 GMC and 2009 Ford trucks from the Road Department.

• Investing $1.5 million into the Moreton Capital Improvement Investment Fund and up to $100,000 into the Moreton General Fund Investment Account

Hamilton said this would be “a huge relief of the operational fund for large repair projects for specific departments.”