Election, economy marked the year

LAS CRUCES - The number of Doña Ana County voters who cast ballots in the Nov. 2 general election very closely mirrored those who voted across New Mexico.

About 50 percent of registered voters in the county and state had a large part in shaping history, as Las Crucen Susana Martinez became the first woman to be elected governor. Martinez also becomes the first Hispanic woman ever to be elected governor in any of the 50 states.

"Together, we have taken a decisive step toward bringing bold change to New Mexico," said Martinez, in her victory speech, at the Hotel Encanto in Las Cruces. "At the end of the day, New Mexicans chose a new direction, and I thank them for their trust and courage."

The "trust and courage" of Las Crucens was again put to the test in 2010 as they continued to deal with effects of the recession. Much of the economy remained stagnant, as Las Cruces home sales remained flat and the city's construction industry remained weak.

Slow economic recovery

But there were a few rays of optimism. City Budget Director Dick Gebhart said the city's economy began inching upward, an indication that the worst of the recession might be over.

Gross receipts taxes collected by the city were ever so slightly above projections, and the number of companies and governments that had to continue to downsize its workforce weren't nearly as noticeable as they were in 2009.

"We have started to see improvement," said Gebhart, who has closely monitored the

recession and advised city government leaders on financial recommendations that have turned out to be spot on. "Employment is growing and we've seen that trend continue for at least the last four months. Hopefully, we're turning the corner and we can keep that up."

New Mexico State University economist Chris Erickson, who specializes in macroeconomics, monetary theory and regional economics, and has maintained a forecasting model of the New Mexico economy since 1993, said Las Cruces' dependence on the military continues to stimulate its economy.

"Las Cruces has been doing fairly well, the economy is robust except for construction," Erickson said. "... Our economy is driven by the military and that's been affected by White Sands (Missile Range) doing pretty well, with government contractors and the addition of troops there. Las Cruces has also benefited from a spillover from El Paso, where the increase in troops there has tremendously helped that community."

But the public debate continues about whether the recession has started its recovery.

Going green

Las Cruces' economy got a bit of a boost in 2010 as "green" energy" company, Sapphire Energy continued its research and development of algae as fuel source. In late summer, Sapphire showed off its R&D facility at the city's West Mesa Industrial Park to U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., who was given a crash course in "Algae 101," or Sapphire's efforts to convert the aquatic plant - probably more commonly known as seaweed - into biofuel. The company needs heat and sunlight to turn algae into fuel, and Las Cruces' location is perfect for those ingredients.

The work at the West Mesa Industrial Park has helped Sapphire become one of the top 50 bioenergy research companies in the U.S.

"This is exciting," said Udall, a strong congressional supporter of alternative energy, after his tour of Sapphire's operations. "This will be a great opportunity for the state to become a leader in clean energy development, and it will also benefit us through all of the 'green' jobs that will come from this. Yes, this is an oasis in the desert."

Taxpayer projects

Construction was the word that probably best categorized city government in 2010. Several big-dollar projects, including a new City Hall building, a regional aquatics center, and a long-awaited convention center were all opened. Together, the three new facilities amounted to more than $76 million in infrastructure added by the city.

Not as glitzy or glamorous, but maybe more important to the city's future, was the public unveiling in May of the city's water reclamation facility on the East Mesa, just off of east Lohman Avenue. The $9.08 million facility is able to treat 250,000 gallons a day of wastewater, and there are plans to expand capacity and operations to treat 1 million gallons a day.

The treated "gray" water is being used to irrigate Sonoma Ranch Golf Course, Sage Crest Park, and Veterans Memorial Park, and several roadway medians. Until the water reclamation facility opened, the city was using drinking water for irrigation, and the "gray" water now being used will save an equal amount of drinking water.

Spaceport America and military

There were other "firsts" that impacted the city, Do-a Ana County and southern New Mexico in 2010. The main runway of Spaceport America and a hangar were shown off as the first major portions of infrastructure at the first inland commercial spaceport, near Upham in southern Sierra County.

At dawn on May 6, the initial test flight of the pad abort system for NASA's Orion crew module was a rousing success at White Sands Missile Range. At least for now, Orion is being billed as the next generation of NASA's space exploration system, intended as a proposed replacement for the space shuttle. It was another milestone at White Sands in efforts to successfully test and develop reusable rocket launch systems that could marked reduce the costs of sending payloads into space.

Steve Ramirez can be reached at (575) 541-5452.

A year of firsts

• Las Crucen Susana Martinez became the first woman ever to be elected New Mexico's governor.

• A new City Hall, regional aquatics center, and convention center were all opened to the public.

• Initial flights tests for NASA's next generation of spacecraft began at White Sands Missile Range.