Willard Village Council Pulls Community Center From Rental Use Over Possible Asbestos, Weighs $50,000 Playground Donation

WILLARD, N.M. — The Willard Village Council moved Monday, August 10, 2026, to take the village's only community center off the rental market after Mayor Edward Redondo raised concerns that insulation in the building's attic could contain asbestos, the same problem he said he found and had to address in his own home.

The recommendation came weeks after a bathroom ceiling in the building caved in during a July rental, closing that restroom for the remainder of the event. Village Clerk Cassandra Garcia told the council that the bathroom is not likely to be fixed soon and said she did not think it was a good idea to keep renting the building out in its current condition.

Redondo said the community center's attic has the same loose-fill insulation he found in his own home, a material commonly associated with vermiculite, which in some cases has been contaminated with asbestos fibers from a since-closed mine near Libby, Montana. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, vermiculite attic insulation installed before the 1990s should be treated as an asbestos hazard and left undisturbed until a qualified lab tests it. Redondo told the council he wants to send a sample out for testing before the village considers renting the building again, and said the council should also check whether the building is listed on a historical registry, which would limit the village to repairing rather than demolishing and replacing it.

Council member Francesca Chavez suggested the village ask about a grant that could cover repairs to the building because it also serves as a polling location. Redondo called that a good idea.

One unnamed resident, who said he formerly managed construction projects for Intel and oversaw "about 90 construction companies statewide," offered to bring in a crew at his own expense, carrying $2 million in his own liability insurance, to evaluate the building and look at repair options. In a quid pro quo offer, he asked about renting the (potentially asbestos-contaminated) center in September as a gathering point for a hunting-season group, for a duration of roughly 29 nights spread through the season, saying the group would use the space mainly as a meeting and dinner spot rather than for cooking on-site, and could work around the closed bathroom. Redondo said the council would discuss the idea further before deciding.

Hypothetically, if the Village of Willard accepted the offer, the arrangement could raise several legal questions before any work begins. Because the community center is a public building rather than a single-family residence, it would not qualify for the residential exemption under the federal Asbestos NESHAP program, meaning any activity disturbing the suspected insulation would trigger New Mexico Environment Department notification and survey requirements, and any contractor who disturbs the material would need both a GB-98 general contractor's license and a GS-29 asbestos specialty license from the state Construction Industries Division, not simply construction management experience. Violations carry civil penalties of up to $15,000 per day under the New Mexico Air Quality Control Act, NMSA 74-2-12 (1978). Insurance presents a separate concern, as standard commercial general liability policies of the kind described in the offer typically exclude asbestos-related claims outright.

Playground Offer

Council member Francesca Chavez said she has spent roughly five months asking the village for a proposal or wish list so an outside funder would pay for a new village playground. She said the first quote she received for playground equipment was about $50,000 and that the funder indicated cost was not a problem. The Village did not decide whether to move forward with a formal proposal. Chavez did not disclose the identity of the potential outside funder. The Mountainair Dispatch attempted to contact the Village of Willard for the funder's identity and whether the funder had any preexisting relationship with the village or a pending matter before the village, but could not leave a voicemail or reach a village employee.

Garbage rates rising, bulk water sales suspended

Village Clerk Cassandra Garcia told the council that garbage rates will increase in the next billing cycle. Garcia said the increase is not reflected on the most recent bill but is posted at the village office. Garcia said that residents with questions about their specific rate should contact the village office directly.

Garcia also told the council the village has suspended bulk water sales entirely, including to callers from outside the village, saying Willard needs to preserve its water supply for its own residents. She said the village's water table is a continuing concern. The Mountainair Dispatch asked Garcia if the Town of Estancia had sought to purchase water from the Village of Willard in recent history. Garcia confirmed that the Town of Estancia had requested water from the Village as recently as the first week of August 2026, but had been rebuffed.

The council also discussed what was described as a longstanding staffing problem: the village has relied on an outside contractor, identified as Mike Butler, to perform certified water-system work such as meter installations and line repairs, because the village has struggled to keep a certified staff member on hand. Mayor Redondo acknowledged concerns people may have about using an outside contractor, but said staffing turnover has made it difficult to keep a certified employee in place. He said the village now keeps a documented paper trail, including work orders, for water-system work, which it did not consistently do in the past.

On wastewater, Redondo said the village met with the New Mexico Environment Department last month and that the village's testing and reporting have significantly improved. He said the village is still working toward full compliance.

The village's waste hauler will also provide two free roll-off dumpsters. Staff said they plan to place them near the village office so they can monitor what residents throw away.

Regional boards: waste site relocation, wind turbine recycling study, emergency planning

David Dean, former village mayor and current representative on at least two regional organizations, updated the council on both the Estancia Valley Solid Waste Authority (EVSWA) and the Torrance County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC, an organization involving volunteers from the private sector, municipal governments, and the general public that operates under the direction of Torrance County Emergency Manager Samantha O'Dell; as a disclosure of matters implicating potential bias in reporting, I was the vice president of this organization).

With respect to the EVSWA, Dean said members are considering relocating the Torreón waste transfer station to a new site, which would require rezoning, and are conducting a feasibility study on recycling wind turbine blades and other turbine components from the area's wind farms rather than shipping them elsewhere for disposal or burial. Council member Fay Chavez said she understood the New Mexico Environment Department had already stopped a related dumping practice at a bond site; Dean said the department requires blades already stockpiled at that site to be shredded and recycled under its direct oversight, and that the new proposal aims to recycle turbine components going forward rather than bury them.

Dean, who said he is involved with the incoming Torrance County Fire District Six station in Willard via his work with the LEPC, volunteered to move a fence on the south side of village property to create dedicated parking for the district's apparatus once it begins staffing the station around the clock, saying without it, district vehicles could interfere with existing village parking.

Public comment: streetlights, a fence for the new fire district, and stray dogs

During public comment, David Dean raised two infrastructure concerns: a streetlight he said is not working, which he believes may be an electrical short, and other village streetlights that appear to have no meter attached, meaning the village may be paying for power it cannot track. Dean also raised what he called an ongoing dog problem in the village, saying the village will likely need to budget for animal control at some point. Redondo said the village is currently working with Torrance County on the issue.

The village posted 20 delinquent water account notices, of which two were paid. Staff said shutoff notices for remaining delinquent accounts would go out around August 25, 2026.

Village Clerk Garcia said the village also lost a groundskeeping staff member and is developing an online job application to post on the village's Facebook page, allowing applicants from outside Willard to apply and submit a résumé without traveling to the village office.

At the meeting's close, several council members said they planned to attend upcoming Torrance County Commission meetings, which Francesca Chavez said are informative for residents and can be viewed by Zoom through the county's website. One council member said she wanted to raise concerns directly with a county commissioner about a recent alleged 45-minute delay in the fire department's response to a call in Willard.