The Edgewood Town Commission swore in a newly selected commissioner and voted to approve an initiative for a new planning and revitalization program at their meeting Aug. 12.
Commissioner Sterling Donner said three excellent candidates had applied to replace Jerry Powers, who resigned in July due to health issues.
“I knew this was going to be hard, because we have three excellent candidates,” Donner said. “Three gentlemen that want to serve their community, three that want to see Edgewood continue to prosper and take that next step.”
Commissioners voted 3-1 to appoint Steve Murrillo as their newest member. Murrillo was sworn in and made his first official vote as a commissioner at the meeting. Murrillo will serve as commissioner until the seat comes up for reelection in November 2025.
“[Murrillo] has the ability to manipulate a schedule, to be able to attend meetings,” said Mayor Ken Brennan. “And that’s important to have that, and he is quite well spoken. The words he chose — for the lack of better terms — were very PC, which when you’re in government office, you’ve got to choose your words carefully, because you want to be able to get your message across without actually going out there and offending somebody.”
The Commission also voted unanimously to approve a project overseen by the New Mexico MainStreet Program called the Frontier Communities Initiative.
“To get into the MainStreet program, you have to successfully complete two smaller projects under the Frontier Communities Initiative, which Edgewood qualifies for as a municipality of under 15,000 in population,” Community Liaison Linda Burke said. “It’s a multiyear process to achieve. The sooner we start the process, the sooner we can get to the larger projects.”
The New Mexico MainStreet Program is a technical program offered by the New Mexico Economic Development Department that helps communities with small planning, revitalization and beautification projects. The program’s goal is to help local organizations engage with citizens and businesses to rebuild and improve local economies while preserving cultural and historic resources.
Burke gave a presentation on the program and proposed ways in which Edgewood might achieve project goals with trailhead development, parking areas for trailheads, trail signage including wayfinding signs, trail enhancements, redevelopment district planning, streetscape design to beautify major arterial roadways, and adaptive reuse of buildings like the Edgewood Community Center.
“Old Town Hall could be adapted to new uses or updated and the integration of art in public spaces also qualifies for this,” Burke said. “The intersection of 344 and Route 66 would be a prime example of a place where art in the public setting could be utilized to create not just a gateway type of environment, but identify that you are now in Edgewood.”
Get involved
The next town council meeting is at 6 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Edgewood Commission Chambers, 171A State Rd. 344.