By Sun-News Editorial Board
Las Cruces Sun-News
We eagerly look forward to completion of the Las Cruces civic plaza, which we believe will provide the central gathering point that is now lacking in our effort to revitalize the downtown area.
Andy Hume, the city’s downtown planning and development coordinator, said it is hoped that work will be done by the end of August.
Work slowed a bit because of the need to relocate the many electrical lines, water lines, sewer lines, cable television lines and telephone lines beneath the area where the plaza is being constructed, Hume said. But now that work is being done on the main stage, we can start to see the conversion from what was a bank drive-through to what will be an area for concerts, festivals and other community events.
The splash pad at the other end of the plaza has been installed.
Funding for the $5.6 million project came from passage several years ago of a Tax Increment Development District, which allows for taxes collected downtown to remain in the area. The board created to oversee the fund considered a number of possible project for downtown before deciding on the plaza.
While there are other projects that could have been done to enhance downtown, we believe the plaza was the right place to start. It will provide something that has been missing for decades – a reason for people to come back downtown.
We’re hopeful that the downtown plaza will do for Las Cruces what the Mesilla Plaza and the Santa Fe Plaza have done for those communities. They serve as both a destination for tourists as well as a place for the community to come together.
And, there will be plenty of uniquely Las Cruces features, such as the sundial created by Las Cruces artist Tony Pennock, with artwork by Las Cruces artists Bob Diven and Suzanne Kane.
Other work left includes reopening Griggs Avenue, between Church and Main streets, and opening the new Plaza Place, a short street that will border the east side of the plaza.
A celebration is planned for Sept. 17 to mark the opening of the plaza, Hume said. There will be a full day of activities, including local bands and Folklorico performances as well as a parade along Main Street.
Hume said there is also talk about holding “Movies in the Park” on the plaza.
“It’s been a long time coming for Cruces,” said resident Diana Cruz said. “(The plaza’s opening) can’t happen soon enough for me. The city, the residents, have deserved a place like this for years.”
Opening the plaza is just one step toward reviving the downtown area. More needs to be done to bring eating, drinking and entertainment venues to the area, as well as proving more places to live.
But the plaza can be a building block for all of those efforts. We are pleased to see the progress that has taken place, and look forward to not just the Sept. 17 opening event, but a number of events to be held there in the coming years.