As the festive season draws near, Las Cruces residents can expect several changes to the city's schedule of services. According to the City of Las Cruces, the city administration has announced that City Hall and other municipal offices will be closed on December 25th and 26th, and January 1st, 2025, in observance of Christmas, the winter holiday, and New Year’s Day. However, it's important to note that emergency services, including fire and police departments, will remain unaffected by the holiday schedule.
Residents planning to make use of community centers or recreational facilities should be aware that the Frank O'Brien Papen Community Center, among others, will be closed on Christmas Day. Closed right until 5 p.m. on the eve, the Meerscheidt Recreation Center and Regional Aquatic Center will also not welcome visitors on that day. Waste collection services will undergo a temporary shift, a respite for the city's bins announced by the City of Las Cruces, but ensuring commercial and residential pick-ups will resume on alternative days.
Those curious about the full extent of the adjusted operations can find detailed information on the official city website. The reminders indicate that on December 26th, known as the Winter Holiday, several amenities like the East Mesa Recreation Center and the A. Fielder Memorial Safe Haven will continue to be closed, while others such as the Meerscheidt Recreation Center will open for limited hours. The shifts in waste collection schedules remain, intended to accommodate the holiday period, with the added closure of the Foothills Landfill.
For those inclined to public transportation, Roadrunner Transit will not run on Christmas Day but will operate on a Saturday level of service before the holiday, offering some transit respite to the community. However, all community centers, including Senior Programs and the Rio Grande Theatre, will be drawing their curtains, entering a holiday hibernation. The South Central Solid Waste Authority will take a break from residential and commercial recycling pickup on Christmas Day, resuming the normally scheduled services the following day.
Marking the dawn of 2025, Las Cruces residents will see a similar pattern of closures with virtually all centers and services, including the Roadrunner Transit, pausing to ring in the New Year. After welcoming the fresh promise of January 1st, services will need to adapt again, waste collection for that Wednesday and Thursday has a scheduled make-up day on Thursday, January 2nd. If residents find themselves in need of a post-celebration clear-out, they'll have to mark their calendars for these rescheduled pickups.
