Alamogordo MainStreet completes beautification project
ALAMOGORDO — Alamogordo MainStreet recently completed a facelift of Mission Billiards and two adjacent buildings, all located on the corner of New York Avenue and 10th Street.
In April 2017, Alamogordo MainStreet was awarded a $5,000 grant from New Mexico Resiliency to do curb appeal work. Tom Overstreet, the building owner of Mission Billiards and recent buyer of the two adjacent buildings, matched the grant.
More:Alamogordo MainStreet awarded $5K for beautification
The 2017 Facade Squad, comprised of 25 volunteers, was able to complete the project during weekends in November and December. Many community businesses also donated about $5,000 to the project in the form of discounts and free services.
Alamogordo MainStreet Secretary Crystal Boylan said the project is important to Historic Downtown Alamogordo because it shows the community that progress is being made.
"When people were driving down 10th Street and there were these dilapidated-looking buildings, people assumed downtown was dilapidated and not doing well," Boylan said. "The more Alamogordo MainStreet can come in and help out these businesses to bring their buildings back to their glory days, the more people will get excited and want to be here. That gets local businesses excited to be down here to sell their wares or to provide their services. It really builds up our local economy in our small district, which leads to happier Alamogordans because they have something to do and places to go."
Alamogordo MainStreet President Claudia Powell said Historic Downtown Alamogordo is striving to be the heart of the community.
"Many towns in the southwest are built on the Hispanic plaza plan, which gives any community a heart," Powell said. "Alamogordo, since it was laid out by Midwesterners on the grid system, kind of lacks that. Alamogordo MainStreet would like to create a heart here in the downtown area for Alamogordo."
For more information about Alamogordo MainStreet, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AlamogordoMainStreet.