Rardin Didn’t Ask, Didn’t Know: City Leaders Cast Doubt on Downtown Projects Without Checking First

Alamogordo N. M- Two downtown business owners say they were publicly attacked at the most recent Alamogordo City Commission meeting by a commissioner who never contacted them, has never visited their properties and does not represent their district. They say his remarks were wrong, damaging and defamatory. Former City Manager Dr. Hernandez, who recommended both projects, is also disputing how the meeting described them.

The owners of the White Sands Theater and Rad Retrocade have each received Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) funding. Both told Alamogordo Town News that their projects are moving forward and that they are in full compliance with their agreements with the city. According to Hernandez, each owner plans to put more than $1 million of their own money into their building. The owners say what they got in return was a public suggestion from the dais that they had taken the city’s money and done nothing.

The exchange

The discussion came up under an agenda item on allocating the city’s remaining LEDA funds. Commissioner Josh Rardin pointed to the two projects.

https://youtube.com/shorts/9fvl_hPLwIU?is=m-rWi59pnBAZk8eu

“The ones down there on New York Avenue we gave money to, I haven’t seen any action on either of them,” Rardin said.“In the event that they don’t do anything with them, what is our recourse? Do we call that back or…”

City Manager Robert Stockwell did not correct the premise. He went further. “Well, we can try,” he said, adding that it“baffled” him that the city would “give a million dollars to somebody before there’s bills to pay.” He said “the White Sands Theater got a million dollar check. We don’t know where that money is.” The discussion then raised the possibility that there would be “nothing to claw back” and that the city could end up with “one more derelict building.”The two downtown projects were discussed in the same breath as Sunbaked Biscuits, which Stockwell described as a complete default on a $1.9 million project.

No one at the meeting offered any evidence that either downtown project had stalled or broken its agreement. According to the owners, no one had asked them.

Former city manager: “inaccurate”

Hernandez was city manager when both LEDA agreements were approved. In a statement, Hernandez said they were“deeply disappointed by the Commission meeting’s characterization of downtown revitalization.”

“The claim that funding was provided without bills having been paid is inaccurate. So is the claim that nothing is happening downtown,” Hernandez said. “Troy and Alex submitted invoices and status updates, with plans involving more than $1 million of their own investment in each building.”

Hernandez also confirmed what both owners told Alamogordo Town News: no one at the meeting had talked to them first. “To my knowledge, only the mayor and I have reached out to them,” Hernandez said. “Public funding deserves scrutiny. That scrutiny requires accurate information and direct communication.”

Hernandez noted that the projects were the commission’s decision, not a city manager acting alone. “I only recommended; the Commission approved. It is no secret the Commissioners were willing to push back when they disagreed. But both were approved unanimously. I stand by my recommendations.”

The agreements were drafted under Hernandez and the city attorney at the time, using the state’s LEDA template, as the state recommends.

“The approach is the same. The location is different.”

Hernandez also pointed out a contradiction. Stockwell has been promoting creative public-private partnerships to deal with deteriorating properties on 10th Street. That is the same strategy, Hernandez said, that the city used downtown.

“Mr. Stockwell’s proposed solutions for 10th Street, addressing deteriorating properties through creative public-private partnerships, are exactly what we pursued downtown. The approach is the same. The location is different,” Hernandez said.

“I agree that 10th Street needs attention. Downtown did too. Perhaps its beauty today makes its former condition easy to forget. Mr. Stockwell may not have seen it then, or have all the correct information, but the Commission did.”Hernandez said those conditions led the commission to approve the downtown Metropolitan Redevelopment Area (MRA) in 2019 and to back its redevelopment.

That effort combined state grants, city investment, MainStreet partnerships and private investment from businesses including Ink Well, Rad Retrocade, the White Sands Theater and Pymo.

“Different priorities are understandable,” Hernandez said.“Praising an approach for 10th Street while disparaging that same approach downtown is unfortunate. Casting doubt on the business owners who invested significantly here undermines the very partnerships the City Manager now says it wants to build.”

“Uninformed”

When Alamogordo Town News contacted Stockwell after the meeting, he acknowledged he was “uninformed of the status of the two properties.” He said he had been trying to explain to the commission that the city’s options would be limited if a project ever failed, because the agreements have limited reporting requirements, and that he did not like the contracts.

That leaves a public discussion of possible clawbacks against two local businesses, held by a city manager who says he did not know the status of their projects and a commissioner who, according to both owners, never picked up the phone. Meanwhile, the former city manager says the invoices and status updates had already been submitted.

Not his district, and no phone call

Neither property is in Rardin’s district. Both owners told Alamogordo Town News that Rardin made no attempt to call, meet with or visit them before he spoke at the meeting. They said neither Rardin nor Stockwell has ever asked for a walkthrough or a progress update.

Rardin has described himself as a contractor. Anyone in construction knows that the early stages of a major renovation, such as roofing, demolition, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, security and architectural design, happen mostly out of sight. A building that looks unchanged from the sidewalk is not a building where nothing is happening.

Rad Retrocade: in compliance, opening spring 2027

Alex, the owner of Rad Retrocade, said he has submitted receipts to the city and met with city engineer Shelly Barron several months ago, and that the project is in full compliance with its agreement.

Extensive work has already been done inside the building, he said. New air conditioning units have been ordered. Significant equipment and arcade games for the mezzanine are in local storage, and work continues on the electrical, plumbing and other systems. More exterior work will be visible starting in December, and the arcade remains on track to open in spring 2027, as promised.

Alex said he was upset by the exchange, which he considers an attack on his business, and has contacted an attorney about the comments.

White Sands Theater: new roof, new wiring and a theft along the way

Troy, the owner of the White Sands Theater, also owns three operating businesses, including the German restaurant on New York Avenue. He told Alamogordo Town News he was angered by the commission’s remarks and has sent a scathing letter to the mayor and city manager. He says the project is in full compliance with its agreement.

The theater’s latest renovation update shows a project that has been working through serious obstacles:

The old fly loft on the roof has been removed, and a new roof is on the building.The back storage room door and window have been sealed with concrete to stop break-ins.Thieves broke in and stole a large portion of the building’s copper electrical wiring.The owners have contracted to upgrade and replace the electrical system to support the theater’s new digital equipment.A contractor hired to redo the exterior stucco took the owners’ deposit and disappeared. A new contractor has been hired, and the owners plan to take legal action to recover the deposit.An architect is designing the interior layout, which will slightly change the building’s footprint.

“Progress takes time, but we can’t wait to show you what’s coming together,” the owners wrote.

What comes next

The city’s first formal check on the LEDA projects is expected in December. Both owners say they welcome it. They want to know why that check-in didn’t happen before their businesses were questioned in a public meeting.

Alamogordo Town News will continue to follow both projects.

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