BY LWV OBSERVER CORPS
Editor’s note: Members of the League of Woman Voters of Los Alamos Observer Corps have been providing LWV members with reports on certain meetings in the County for many years. These reports have been included in the LWV’s monthly newsletter and now, at the invitation of the Los Alamos Reporter, will also be submitted to the Reporter for publication. The video of the full meeting may be seen at https://losalamos.granicus.com/player/clip/4425?view_id=2&redirect=true
Bicycle Park Study, Adopt-a-Trail Program, Brewer Arena Improvement Project, Tourism Marketing
The session was attended by Councilors Theresa Cull (Chair), Melanee Hand, Ryn Herrmann, Beverly Neal-Clinton, David Reagor, and Randall Ryti. Councilor Suzie Havemann was absent.
Bicycle Park Study
Councilors expressed support for the concept of a bicycle park facility in Los Alamos County as proposed by a citizen group.
The Bicycle Park Working Group (BPWG) was formed a year ago by the Parks and Recreation Board (PRB). Jerry Cowan, PRB liaison to the working group, said the group was tasked with finding viable locations in the County for a bike park.
BPWG members Kyle Dickman and Nathan Maier presented the study results. They emphasized the large and growing community of mountain bikers. They pointed out that, given the difficult nature of trails in Los Alamos, a bike park would offer a safe, dedicated place for young and other riders to develop skills. Typically, such facilities include a pump track, dirt jump, progression drops and a flow trail.
The working group evaluated the suitability of four locations for the bike park: North Mesa Park, Overlook Park, Piñon Park, and the former site of the old wastewater treatment facility in Pueblo Canyon (accessed from Olive St.). A community survey received 270 responses, many from non-bikers. Eighty-five percent of survey respondents supported including a bike park in the North Mesa Park Master Plan being prepared by the Community Services Department.
The presenters noted how BPWG proactively engaged stakeholders, reaching out to user groups with which bicyclists had had conflicts in the past. They highlighted that the group prioritized consultation with the equestrian community to ensure that concerns about bike-horse interactions were addressed so that most stable owners would support the bike park proposal.
Dickman and Maier estimated that constructing a 3- to 5-acre bike facility in North Mesa Park would cost about $500K. They listed several grant opportunities that could help fund such a facility. They also urged early-phase construction of the bike park when the North Mesa Master Plan is implemented.
Adopt-a-Trail Program
Councilors expressed support for the concept of an Adopt-a-Trail program in Los Alamos County as proposed by a citizen group.
The Open Space Working Group (OSWG) was established by the Parks and Recreation Board (PRB) in July 2024, superseding the Open Space Advisory Subcommittee with a new structure and specific tasks.
OSWG member Celeste Raffin presented a proposal for a revitalized Adopt-a-Trail initiative for volunteers to assist the Parks and Open Space Division with trail and open space maintenance.
Raffin outlined the concept of an online “shopping” site where community members could select small-scale projects that could be completed within the volunteer’s schedule. The proposed program would start with simple tasks such as trash pickup, pruning vegetation along trails, and assessing trail maintenance needs.
Raffin suggested that the program would need a designated staff coordinator and a specifically developed app for reporting assessments and completed projects.
Council supported the conceptual plan but stated they would need to see more details before approving funds for its implementation.
Updated Trails and Open Space Management Plan
Sites Southwest consultant Allison Long provided a brief overview of the updated Los Alamos County Trails and Open Space Management Plan. Council took no action.
Los Alamos County contracted with Sites Southwest Consultants in 2024 to review several existing plans that provided guidance for trails and open space management, gather feedback from the community, and develop a single, comprehensive Open Space and Trails Management Plan.
The goal of the updated plan was to identify current services, opportunities, and needs, while also consolidating and updating relevant planning documents. As part of this effort, Sites Southwest worked to reconcile overlapping recommendations, resolve conflicts, and incorporate best practices.
The updated Open Space and Trails Management Plan includes recommendations to guide the future development, maintenance, and management of the County’s open space and trail systems. It identifies strategies to meet the diverse needs of all users, with a focus on improving accessibility and enhancing recreational opportunities.
Currently, the cost of implementing the plan is uncertain. Staff will implement the strategies outlined in the plan as recommended and submit a budget request for funding to address both short-term and long-term needs.
At Council’s upcoming meeting on October 28, the Community Services Department will return with a request to Council to adopt the final plan.
Brewer Arena Improvement Project
Voting 6–0, with Councilor Havemann absent, Council decided not to approve the proposed service agreement with All-Rite Construction Inc. for Brewer Arena improvements, in the amount of about $1.9M, nor to establish a project budget of about $2.7M.
Instead, the Council instructed staff to send the item to the Parks and Recreation Board for further evaluation and coordination with the stable owners working group for a recommendation and re-routing to Council when a recommendation has been made.
This item had been on Council’s Consent Agenda but was pulled to allow for more discussion.
Unsafe Conditions at Brewer Arena
Community Service Department Director Cory Styron said that Brewer Arena is over 20 years old and requires upgrades to meet current building code, including accessibility, functionality, and seating capacity requirements.
Styron detailed the project’s history.
In the Spring of 2024, the County hired Wilson and Company Inc, an on-call engineering and architectural consultant, to perform a facility condition assessment. During the assessment, the company found evidence of structural damage in the pavilion, grandstand, and announcer’s box. The company recommended replacement. It also determined that parking areas, pedestrian circulation routes, and restroom facilities required upgrades to meet current accessibility standards.
Proposed Improvements
In response to the consultant’s findings, County staff promptly arranged for the demolition of the deficient pavilion and grandstand structures, which was completed in December 2024. Temporary bleachers were used for the Summer 2025 rodeo. Concurrently, Wilson and Company initiated the design of renovations and accessibility improvements for the Brewer Arena. The scope of design included:
● a new pavilion, grandstand with 700-seat capacity, and press box,
● renovation of the restroom to be ADA-compliant,
● upgrades to the pedestrian circulation paths and accessible parking, and
● renovation to the walkways leading to the press box to minimize contact with the animals in the pens.
Styron said that the increased capacity of the grandstand was based on data from tracking software, which indicated daily attendance at the annual two-day rodeo event up to about 1000 to 1200 people. Styron said that the 700-seat capacity took into account that many of those people were participants.
At tonight’s meeting Styron requested that Council approve an agreement with All-Rite Construction Inc. to undertake the Brewer Arena Improvements. Councilor Reagor commented that the Council’s agenda package did not include a copy of the design schematics for the proposed improvements.
Public Comment
Several equestrians and stable owners raised strong objections, not only about the proposed improvements but also the process by which the Brewer Arena plan was developed.
Lisa Reader spoke as a representative of the Stable Owners Association, the Los Alamos Equestrian and Livestock Working Group, and some general taxpayers. “We are all unhappy about this proposal for many reasons,” she said.
● Limited involvement of the equestrian community. The equestrians felt they had been largely excluded from the planning process and that many of their comments were ignored.
● Lack of transparency and poor communication. Reader said that, despite repeated requests, County staff would not provide a copy of the final construction plan for comment, nor would they give an idea when the plan would be heard by Council. She said, “we were fortunate to have had a sharp-eyed member of the public let us know at 10 a.m. this morning that this was on the agenda this evening, or we would not have had any idea until construction began.”
● Oversized grandstand. The plan calls for a grandstand that is approximately double the capacity of the one that was demolished. Reader said, “There is no reason for a 700-seat grandstand for an event that occurs two days a year.” She and other equestrians said that County staff repeatedly ignored their request for information on the source of the projected need.
● Severe safety hazards posed to horses by proposed concrete ADA walkways. Reader suggested that crushed gravel pathways could also be ADA-compliant as well as safe for horses.
● No need for plumbed restrooms. Reader said “they are closed half of the year to avoid freezing and require more maintenance. Accessible vault toilets would be much less expensive to build and to maintain.”
Reader stated that, “at $2.7 million, all of us consider that to be rather a colossal waste of money.”
Jerry Cowan, Vice Chair of the Parks and Recreation Board (PRB) and liaison to the PRB’s Equestrian Livestock Working Group, echoed Reader’s dissatisfaction with the lack of transparency and poor public communication. He said he had also requested information from County staff several times about the progress with the Brewer Arena Improvement Project plans and was told that no plans were yet available. So, he was disappointed to learn on the morning of the Council meeting that the plans had already been approved and sent out for a contract for which Council approval was being requested.
Tourism Marketing Services
Council voted unanimously (6–0, Councilor Havemann absent) to approve a contract with Global Vista Technologies, Inc. dba Destination IQ, for Tourism Marketing Services. The three-year contract is not to exceed $1.48M.
Ellyn Felton, Marketing Specialist in the Community Development Department, explained that the contractor will develop strategies to expand outreach, enhance branding, and strengthen tourism promotion for Los Alamos County.
Feltyn said that the contract has a base fee of $413.1K, with additional optional services of up to but not to exceed $1.07M. Optional services include such activities as social media, influencer management, grant writing and administration, newsletters, website refresh, and on-site staffing for events.
The agreement will be funded out of the Lodger’s Tax Fund, with additional funding from the Economic Development Fund, if needed, as approved by Council in the FY26 Budget.
Service Agreements (included in Consent Agenda)
Council voted unanimously (6–0, Councilor Havemann absent) to approve the Consent Agenda. The agenda included the following items:
Climate Action Marketing and Engagement Services
Agreement with Modern Entrepreneur LLC, dba Firebrand Creative, for the purpose of performing climate action marketing and engagement services in an amount not to exceed $615.9K, for a seven-year term.
Working with community stakeholders, County Council, and staff, the Contractor will build and carry out campaigns that inspire residents to recycle more, save energy, conserve water, and choose cleaner transportation. They will use surveys and outreach to identify motivators and barriers, then create messages, events, social media, and classroom activities that make climate action simple and accessible.
PFAS in Drinking Water
Agreement that authorizes Stag Liuzza, LLC to represent and assist the County in filing a settlement claim in a nationwide lawsuit as a public water supplier to recover damages for remediation of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in the County’s water supply.
PFAS are synthetic chemicals used in various products. The Los Alamos municipal water system is eligible for Phase 2 recovery, and the County may be eligible for approximately $1.9M. The County will need to conduct specific PFAS testing and submit the results of the tests to the Claims Administrator.