U ; 0 p p a p a e p •• • •• » a • :pep u w p a u • • P u • P ••• • > • •• • a P u • - ... P • ....... I I I + I I I I I I ' ~ I I • I i 1 OUR 52ND YEAR lJII)QSO I vv 50 CENTS RLID()S(), J'-.: l-_ \\ ,\. 1 L X I (. () 0 'r , ( ) ( \\/ l D :"-. L ~ [) :\ I . -, I ' 199~ 1\'i\ E \0 ·H • j(J I'Al,L~ Company proposes $4.9 million convention center hotel • Leisure Hotels owns 1U hotels, including Holiday development as a hotel. million Hawthorn Suites at the site. The hotel years. Five will be Microtel hotels and ;:_mother five Inns and Days Inns, and may build a Hawthorn Donaldson said company and viliage attor­ would have 100 rooms and a restaurant, based on will be Hawthorn Suites, which are full-service Suite .1t the Ruidoso Convention Center. neys held their first serious negotiations 'fuesday information previously supplied by village offi­ hotels, according to information provided by the by telephone. Another negotiation sessio.n is cials_ company. BY ToNI K. LAxsoN scheduled for early next week, he said. "I would assume that it would three stories Donaldson said the village of Ruidoso intends RL'/IXJ.\0 N/W.\ YTAH WR/Tf.R "I would think that by a month we would have maybe even four," Donaldson said_ 'They want to to purchase property to expand parking for the the large ml\iority of the details worked out," make f:>--ure when they are done with the first l 00 convention center area, where the Links golf One of the largest hotel flrms in the Midwest, Donaldson said. 'There is a lot of information that rooms that there is space available for an addi­ course is located and where the future hotel would Leisure Hotels, L.L.C., is the company currently has to be (obtained) by both sides to get to the tional 100 rooms If the market calls for it as well be_ Following a recent closed session, the Ruidoso negotiating with the village of Ruidoso to build an point where we have a lease that is good for the as for additional room for expansion of the con­ Village Council voted to pursue acquiring land for upscale hotel next to the Ruidoso Convention village of Ruidoso and that they feel they can build vention center," he said. additional parking at the convention center, he Center, according to company information. a hotel that will work." The company currently owns 10 hotels in said. The village also would be committed to "I think we are way beyond where we. were Steven Olson, CEO, could not be reached for Kansas and Missouri. The hotels range from econ­ improving the common area at the convention with either Allhub or Santa Fe Hospitality," comment Thesd.ay at his company's offices in omy to high-end service, including Quality Inns, Ruidoso Mayor Robert Donaldson said Thesday, Hutchinson, Kan., about plans for the hoteL Holiday Inns and Days Inns_ referring to two previous companies that have dis­ Based on information from the company, Earlier this year, Leisure Hotels announced See HOTEL, page 2A cussed leasing a 3.8-acre tract of village land for Leisure Hotels has tentativP plans to build a $4.9 plans to build another 10 hotels in the next three Blessing of the animals County suggests. Glencoe give-away HY DIANN!-_ STALLINC.~ is only about two years oid. R_l_'ll_)l_J\(_> Nl W.\ .\TA::_I_:__I_It___:R_:__:/_:_/:___:1R_:_ ________ He also thinks such a gift to the symposium board would violate the A three-man majority on the state constitution anti-donation Lincoln County Commission would clause. like to givP away the county Rural "It's possible, the county could Events Center in Glencoe to the boar,d enter into an agreement with the that stages the annual Lincoln symposium board to operate the cen· County Cowboy Symposium. ter like it has with the fair associa­ But a few things may ;-;tand in the tion, which manages the county fair way - the state constitution, federal grounds," Morel said. "But I think law and the symposium board itself. there's r,roblems with an outright Commission Chairman L. Ray transfE:'r. Nunlt>y proposPd Friday Pxploring the Hefore Nunley's motion Friday, possibility of thP transfpr of the centPr County Manager Tom Stewart pro­ purchasPd about five years ago with posed to commission(->rs that the C(>n­ $250,000 from thl' state Legislature. tpr be managro on a caretaker basis Arlditional fedPral and state money without a full time manager and has been used to build an outdoor opened only for scheduled events_ ar(>na, install bleachers and make The center has been without a othPr improvements to the building manager since Linda Wallace and grounds on ll_S_ 70. resigned several months ago. Wallace Nunlpy's motion J-->assed 3-2 with had guided the development of the Commissioners Wilton Howell and center for flve years, sought grants, Monroy Montes voting against it_ solicite-d new events to be staged there County Attorm•y Alan Morel said and Pven performed janitorial duties Tuesday although he hasn't he·en ablP when nPcessary. Dtanne Stalhngs/Ru>doso New> to review thP documents yet, he ThP problem wrth thP Glenc()(> Father David Berg of Santa Rita Catholic Church. hosts the annual Blessing of the Animals. a non-denom•nat1onal event Saturday sponsored thinks f(·dcral ~rrant af_,'TPements pro­ cPntPr i:-; that while pvents staged by the Humane Society of Uncoln County. Ber-g gave a group blessing as well as indiVIdual bless1ngs to dozens of dogs. a few cats and Thornton hibit thl' county selling, leasing or the hedgehog. Pets and owners also were photographed with Santa Claus. utherwise disposing of the center for five ypars_ ThP latPst f_,>rant agreemPnt Sec CENTER p.1gc 2:\ Final arbitrator picked Trust to temporarily close museums take somf' tim(' in Santa FP to seP trust to manage the museum, ht• said Rl 'II X J\0 /'-.'I \l \ \1-11 f_Wc:_Rc:_:I___:_T=LR:__:__ _____ what the state might he prepareod to "There's no reason to go to thP in tribe/state dispute do. expense of starting 1.nother trust Despite an offer of volunteer labor 'We'll tf}: to gd it refunded so we They can take this one over, if they BY TllNI K. LAXSON been determined whether the hear­ from several townspeople, board can open in the spring_" have a sour-ce of more monPv. ·· Rll/Xl'.<J NFIV\ HAfT WRTrUI ing will be open to the public or members of the Lincoln Heritage A dPlPgatJOn of about nme Lincoln Stribling said. "As I explainPd at the closed. Trust say they must close the trust residents rnPt v-nth Stribling and meeting_ it is their commumt:_v and Arbitration of the Mescalero A year &bTO, Mescalero became muspum and Dr \\'oods Houst> Nov. 1. Freeman Thursdav to discus::; options. they really don't have to orgamze Apache tribe's dispute with the the first tribe in New Mexico to at least for the \Vinter It's simply a Dunlap. who attended the much of anything, But of course. state about casino revenue sharing refuse paying the state 16-percent mattPr uf monev. Thursday rnePting. said there's not t Robert 0. Anderson 1 and Mrs_ took anothf'r step forward recently Freeman won't turn it over -without of its slot machine revenues, as "\Ve can closf' the museum Nov_ much the town can do right now to with the selection of a third arbitra­ some kind of proposal and funding t" mandated by gambling compact..s and have a small rf'serve whPre we stop the museum from closing_ tor, a state gambling official said ensure its continuance. \\'p could JUst in the spring of 1997 _'Ibe tribe hELS can fulfill our r0sponsihility in terms "Thf'y said they'd hP glad to have this week change thP board. __ refused to send the state additional of having a custod1an and maintain­ us hPlp, hut that thPrP was no way to Scott Spencer, acting gambling "\Ve'd be more than happv tn regulatory fees, state officials say. ing thf' building," s~ud trustPe CK. keep it opE•n ... hP said Monday_ wrhey representative for the state, said have a hoard meeting, appoint t.ht·m Mescalero President Wendell Stribling of Ruidoso Downs. 'Wp hav(> said it cosb $f)O,OOO a vPar over thPir Monday the two othPr arbitrators and the presPnt hoard- or an.v onE' of Chino has dPscrihed the revenue Pnough left in our endowmPnt -~ wp'n• income to opPrat!' the. mus(•tJm_ The have S(•lPCted. Paul Bender, a law us thPv want ~ v-..-!11 rPsign_" share as "extortion,'' and said the talking around $f>O.OOO to do that. idPa of SOITH'OTll' E'}sp taking OVPr and proff'ssur at Arizona State ThP import:mt point is that thP percentage is too high to meet fP<i­ n1nning it was discussPd. hut nothing t lnivPrsity as thP neutral arbitra­ "Or we could continu!' to operate museum would hav(> to be suhsidl7Pd eral guidelinf's for gaming com­ was dPcidpd_ ThP idPa of the state tak­ tor_ J<'rpd Ragsdale, a Corrales and it would result in us reaching $60.000 ing ovpr was di:-;eu~se>d, hut nothing hv ahout a vear unlt·ss otfwr attornPy, and Glenn f<'eldman, a pact..s between states and tribes_ insolvf'ncy ahnut thP ftrst of thf' yf'ar was accomplishPd thPrP" s~urcPs of revenuf' ~an be dt>\'Pioped.