Tuesday night, the Village Council elected, by a vote of 3-0, resident John Snook to serve the remainder of the Trustee position occupied by Gail McCoy until her resignation on August 20, 2026.
Snook, a mechanical engineer licensed in both New Mexico and Texas, has been a Cloudcroft seasonal for roughly 35 years and became a full-time resident with his wife Carrie in 2023. Though retired, he said he continues to work remotely and has flexibility to serve the community.
He says he volunteered for the trustee position because of the village’s urgent infrastructure needs.
“Without wastewater or water, there’s going to be no village,” Snook said. “I want to try and help the village solve those problems.”
Snook was one of three applicants for the seat. All were male. Trustees cited Snook’s familiarity with the village’s water systems and the immediate challenges facing the village’s water and wastewater systems.
Cloudcroft’s wastewater system is already creating high operating costs as it struggles with aging equipment. The village is currently hauling liquid waste at an estimated cost of about $20,000 per month because existing equipment cannot sufficiently dry the material.
Near-term plans include purchasing a fan press to dewater sludge for roughly $725,000 to $750,000, covered by an existing grant, though installation could require another approximately $150,000. The village may also need additional membranes, previously quoted at about $130,000, because it would change the current treatment setup.
A larger decision is expected soon. Engineering firm CDM Smith is scheduled to present a wastewater master plan to the Council next week that considers repairing the existing system or installing a factory-tested package plant.
Installing a new package plant for waste treatment and disposal seems to be the option preferred by the staff and mayor. The full wastewater replacement project is estimated at $15 million to $16 million and could take about four years.
Snook said his experience can help plan a workable transition: coordinating inlet and outlet tie-ins, preparing the site and foundation, timing construction around Cloudcroft’s seasonal population, and ensuring the system is practical for village staff to operate.
The village also faces broader water-storage needs, including building a 500,000-gallon storage tank.
With solid plans in hand, Mayor Wiley and the Council must lobby the state for the grant money needed to fund the water and wastewater plans and keep the village in compliance with state regulations in the years ahead. Making a credible pitch will be crucial to their success.