Following two community meetings at which a variety of topics was discussed, District 5 Doña Ana County Commissioner John L. Vasquez is teaming up with some of Doña Ana County’s legislative delegation to ask Doña Ana County residents to assist with an initiative to rename the roadway connecting Garfield to the City of Sunland Park.
The series of roads in question includes N.M. 187 between Garfield and Hatch, as well as N.M. 185 between Hatch and Las Cruces, and then N.M. 28 between Las Cruces/Mesilla and the City of Sunland Park.
“This scenic stretch of road is emblematic of Doña Ana County’s beauty and diversity of uses,” Vasquez said. “At our recent community meetings in Hatch and Doña Ana, Sen. Jeff Steinborn, Representatives Rudy Martinez and Nathan Small and I started tossing this idea around as a way to benefit our constituents. We collectively believe that if we can brand it with a memorable name, we can use that name to market the route to tourists and locals alike, thereby invigorating rural businesses and our unique communities.”
Because the entire route is made up of state highways, Vasquez said that once a name for the route is chosen, he, Steinborn, Martinez and Small will lead an effort to have the New Mexico Legislature and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez support the initiative and authorize the appropriate signage.
“We have wonderfully creative people throughout Doña Ana County whose minds we want to engage to find a simple but memorable name for this fascinating stretch of highway that bisects our county from north to south,” Vasquez said. “Once we name it, we can market it, and then I firmly believe that, working together, we can make it beneficial for everyone concerned.”
Vasquez said he will propose that he and his partners in the venture announce the winner of the naming contest at an upcoming meeting of the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners, at which point that person can be formally recognized and presented with a proclamation designating a day in his or her honor throughout Doña Ana County.
To submit an entry, fax it to (575) 525-5948, send it by mail to the Doña Ana County Special Projects Office at 845 N. Motel Blvd., Las Cruces, N.M. 88007, or send it via email toinput@donaanacounty.org with the words “Name The Road” in the subject line. The deadline for receipt of entries is Friday, Feb. 24, 2017.