Staying indoors just got a whole lot harder.
The City of Las Cruces hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate recent upgrades and additions to the East Mesa Public Recreation Complex.
“Las Cruces, the best thing we have is our sunshine and our outdoors, and what a great facility to compliment that,” said Mayor Eric Enriquez, kicking off the ceremony as kids played in the park behind him.
Some improvements include a new playground, two basketball courts with shaded bleachers, a skatepark and a designated area for a sculpture garden.
The first installation of public art in the area is called the “Dance of Life” by artist James Moore. It features three figures which appear to be in motion against the backdrop of the Organ Mountains. Each one stands on top of a box which lights up at night with words like empathy, togetherness and balance.
James Moore said the art was a community effort.
“You'll notice that there's a central figure there,” he said. “We were looking for words that conveyed what the community wanted to feel if they were in the space. A really surprising thing came up, and the idea of praise and reverence kept showing up in different ways, and that was not something that I had captured in the original design. That could not have happened without the community.”
Las Cruces voters approved a General Obligation Bond in 2022 which allowed for projects like this. The cost for this phase of park improvements was nearly $5 million, but Katherine Harrison-Rogers, the planning and construction administrator for the city, said there are more phases to come.
“We're under planning and design for a bike park and a multi multifaceted sort of trail system that will serve both bicyclists as well as walkers,” she said. “We're really excited about that. We anticipate construction will start this fall.”
District 3 City Councilor Michael Harris said it’s important for the community to have enriching places to go outside, especially kids.
“We're always talking on the council about, you know, we need stuff for our youth to do,” he said. “So, these kinds of facilities are one of those big ways. It's a place for young families to be and a reason to kind of anchor them here and stay and grow the community.”
Serena Johnson is a fellow with the New Mexico Local News Fellowships and Internships Program, which places emerging journalists in newsrooms across New Mexico. Learn more at www.newmexicolocalnewsfellowships.org.
