Deborah Garcia Griego, secretary of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, told the New Mexico Finance Oversight Committee that the department lacks a reliable, recurring appropriation for building maintenance and relies largely on capital outlay and the Cultural Affairs Facilities Infrastructure Fund to keep museums and historic sites safe and open.

"Our job is to preserve, protect, and present New Mexico's unique cultural resources for the education of all New Mexicans, but especially our youth," Garcia Griego told the committee, and she described the Facilities Infrastructure Fund as "the only source of regular maintenance" for many of the department’s sites.

The nut graf: Cultural Affairs manages an extensive portfolio of museums, historic sites and other facilities — including the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, the National Hispanic Cultural Center and Fort Stanton Historic Site — and briefings to the oversight committee focused on how the Facilities Infrastructure Fund and capital outlay dollars are used to pay for roof replacements, water and sewer upgrades, sprinkler and theater work, and other safety- and preservation-focused projects.

Garcia Griego said the department maintains "over 240 structures" around the state and that, since the fund was established in 2020, "$3,000,000 has been appropriated to the fund." She told the committee that about 83% of those appropriations are already encumbered or expended and that the department intentionally keeps a balance to meet unanticipated repairs.

Officials highlighted Fort Stanton Historic Site as a recent example of why the fund matters. Marco Sali, deputy director of the facilities management bureau, and other staff described a multi-year infrastructure investment, including roughly $1,100,000 into upgraded water infrastructure, that department leaders said helped firefighters contain a May wildfire and reduced insurance ratings for parts of Lincoln County. Garcia Griego said the water improvements "resulted in an improved insurance services office rating" for the county and that the work lowered some homeowner premiums.

The committee also heard about a list of near-term projects officials would prioritize if funding continues: replacing HVAC units at the Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner, upgrading the sprinkler system and fire detection at New Mexico Space History Museum facilities, theater upgrades at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, sewer-line work statewide to meet environmental requirements, and preservation work at Los Luceros and the Chavez Library building at the New Mexico History Museum. Garcia Griego said the fund also will be used as matching money for a FEMA mitigation grant that could support fire-mitigation work at Bosque Redondo (Fort Sumner) and other sites.

Committee members asked how the department funds routine operations, staffing and exhibit work. Garcia Griego said operations come from a mix of general fund appropriations, federal funding, admissions revenue, grants and private fundraising through partner foundations, and she repeatedly stressed that the Facilities Infrastructure Fund covers planned maintenance and repairs that cannot reliably be paid for from capital outlay alone.

Representative Kate (first reference) praised the department’s water investments and pressed for more emphasis on outdoor landscaping and exhibit-related outdoor interpretation at the Natural History Museum. Garcia Griego said staff will explore landscape improvements that align with the museum’s educational mission and microclimate constraints.

Representative Brago (first reference) raised an accessibility complaint about the National Hispanic Cultural Center after a constituent’s visit; Garcia Griego said the department maintains an accessibility committee, will review the availability of additional wheelchairs and will work with facilities staff to explore increasing ADA parking nearer to the performance entrance.

Several legislators pressed Garcia Griego on staffing and pay. She said the department faces recruiting and retention challenges for curators and some museum directors because state pay scales are not competitive with many private museums and nonprofit employers. "It would be nice to be able to pay them more," Garcia Griego said, adding that higher general-fund support for personnel would help.

Ending: The secretary and her staff offered to provide additional details and charts to legislators on the department’s capital plans, federal grant exposure and visitor-use statistics. Committee members said they want more detail on how the Facilities Infrastructure Fund, capital outlay and other funding streams are allocated across the department’s portfolio.


Sources and attribution: Quotations and specific program facts in this article are drawn from the department’s presentation to the New Mexico Finance Oversight Committee and from remarks by Deborah Garcia Griego, Marco Sali and other Cultural Affairs staff during the public meeting.