Park Wranglers
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Chair Matt Willett speaks with Hannah Dean about the new group’s current projects, goals, and funding.
When Parks and Recreation Chair Matt Willett approached previous Mayor Denney to push for the creation of a Parks and Rec. committee, he ended up finding himself as chairman, and the council appointing Bri Jonnes, Amy Coor, David Abel, and Adrienne West to join him.
The committee was officially formed in April of 2023, but positions weren’t filled until later in the fall of last year.
They are a collection of “recreation-minded people that have a deep desire to be here and to help shape this village to be something for all of us to enjoy—locals and tourists, alike,” Willett says.
At the Parks and Rec. meeting, Willett presents research on various projects, with ranging scopes of ambition.
He says, “we are an advisory committee only, meaning we can present an idea to the Village Council to approve, approve with changes, or veto completely. I want Parks and Rec. to serve as a liaison between the council and the community…to get input from the community and give a voice to the council.”
“On the other end, when there are projects happening, we can give the community updates, or say why something didn’t get approved, etc. Part of the reason this committee was proposed and formed was our concern with the lack of community input in the direction of Village projects.”
One such project is the upcoming ball field revamp, at the open space on Mescalero Ave., located near the new police station.
“The dream is to create a true multi-use area with a huge, lush green area of grass. We want a place where kids can practice baseball and soccer, play frisbee, lay on a blanket, and stargaze. This would still incorporate the field’s current uses as a medivac landing, a disc golf course, and a trailhead for mountain bikes.”
Willett is collaborating with Village Trustee Timothy King to develop aerial images and mapping through a Geographic Information System (GIS) to make thorough plans for the open space.
The committee agrees that the mayor’s suggestion for naming the ball field was worth pursuing—with nods towards a historic family or former Cloudcroft baseball team name. Willett says, “Basing the name on history sounds good to me, but it’s also got to ring true.”
One pressing objective that Willett presents to the committee is the inclusion of the village’s available parklands in the appendix of the Village Master Plan. He says, “Our goal is to locate and identify all the parkland we currently have, then come up with the highest and best use for those. That could mean leaving them ‘as is’ or proposing changes, evolving them into what makes sense.”
Some proposed changes at the meeting include
a pedestrian bridge on the west end of James Canyon Highway;
daily updated digital fire-restriction and outdoors ethics signage;
a walking path or garden connecting the south side of Cloudcroft to Burro Avenue;
a trailhead information kiosk at the ball field;
youth-focused facilities like a pump track or skatepark; and
improved fencing near the playground at Deer Park.
The committee mentioned the tax benefits of designating “green spaces,” and making grants easier to qualify for and acquire. Willett says, “Also, in formally designating available village public lands as parklands, it forces decisions on usage to not happen behind closed doors.”
“Beyond that, protecting what we have, maintaining and upgrading. My biggest goal is to protect Zenith Park and make sure it isn’t encroached on more—we want to preserve the Norman Rockwell, old-timey outdoor feel [of the James Sewell Natural Ice Rink.] We should maintain the integrity of [Zenith] Park, it is a park!”
When asked about funding, the committee notes that grants are their “best chance,” followed by their hopes to acquire annual Lodger’s Tax funding. Donations and fundraising are mentioned, especially for completing smaller projects.
Willett says, “As far as funding goes, at one point in time the Village had a Parks and Recreation budget…a line item, whatever you want to call it. So now we’re trying to figure out what happened in previous administrations where it disappeared and find out what happened with it. We are looking for a permanent, continuous source of funding, as it was in the past.”
“Right now, we are working to come up with a ‘shovel-ready’ project for the ice rink and go out for grants. We are not using any of the current [New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division Award] Recreational Grant money for the ice rink, and plan to utilize the southern side of the ice rink, since it’s a dead zone anyway. This new approach to the ice rink is to not cut down a lot of trees, and to use space that’s already occupied. The new design will keep the outdoor charm and aesthetic—and prevent half the park from becoming a parking lot.”
“Another project in Zenith Park is the construction of a new pickleball court. The new courts will have a rubberized, pickleball-specific playing surface. Parks and Rec. was formed after that project was approved in its entirety, so we will get updates out as soon as we can.“
“We are excited about working with the new mayor. [Mayor Turner] has been adamant about getting input from Parks and Rec.”
“I care about what happens with the town infrastructure. Who comes here? We want to be more targeted in terms of who we attract with outdoor opportunities. Recreation-minded people who are respectful of our village, and have outdoor ethics in mind—not jackasses.”
“Bri’s a great fit—she has the outdoor sports and music background, planning festivals with BAMM [Bad Ass Mountain Music Festival]. Amy has a long background in fitness and outdoor competition. David is an upstanding dude with great ideas. Adrienne is into the outdoors, cares about this town, and is highly intelligent.”
“We want to build a place our kids or grandkids can enjoy. The bottom line is we want to make Cloudcroft livable for the locals, a desirable place to raise families, and also attract tourists who have a healthy outdoor mindset.”
The Parks and Recreation Committee’s next meeting is Monday, June 3rd, at 6:00 PM at the Village Council Chambers. Meetings are open to the public and are generally held the first Monday of the month. You can reach Matt @ highaltitudematt@gmail.com
We have been in area now for 35 years, even though it's our get away home we still Cloudcroft our second home. We love to keep up with all the news and happenings going on.
Javier