Alamogordo City Manager Robert Stockwell has blamed past project delays on design issues, while engineering firms continue working for the city.
According to 2nd Life Media Alamogordo Town News, the same engineering firms remain on the job for the city.
Stockwell, for his part, said he was responding to social media criticism about slow capital-project bidding since his arrival roughly 90 days earlier, though he added that he does not personally read the posts. He said he would accept being judged as not good at his job if that is what the project pause requires, and he described contractors who expect to profit from change orders as undesirable.
Where the Change Orders Actually Came From
The city's own commission records tell a more complicated story than rushed engineering alone. On Oregon Avenue Phase 1, the project was designed before voters approved the city's pool, and change orders worth $204,464.54 and $247,695.44 were later needed to cover natatorium water service, future parking-lot ADA access, extra sidewalk and curb work, and natatorium sewer connections along with paving, drainage, and utility adjustments — additions made after the natatorium was approved, not omissions from the original plan. A second change order on the same project also cited weather, unmarked utilities, and the need to maintain an open traffic corridor, extending the work first by 60 days and then by another 149 days.
Commission records show much of the extra work described publicly as design failure was in fact scope added during construction, and the commission approved some of those additions unanimously. The reconstruction ultimately took more than a year despite being expected to take months, with multiple change orders tied to design problems along the way, the same reporting notes. Oregon Avenue Phase 2 has already gone through four design walkthroughs while on hold.
10th Street Culvert Work
The 10th Street culvert work was funded as a repair, while a grant covered maintenance rather than replacement.
Great Blocks on MainStreet
The Great Blocks on MainStreet project, a downtown revitalization that Alamogordo MainStreet celebrated with a ribbon-cutting in November 2025 as a $4.7 million makeover backed by $2.9 million in state capital outlay and $1.8 million in local funds. The project's largest change order, costing $605,627.55, covered a pedestrian hybrid beacon, one-way signage, striping, sidewalks, and alley work — additions made after public pressure over traffic changes that were not part of the original design.
City staff met with the engineer, contractor, and affected businesses about the flooding, but the city ultimately refused to consider correcting the issue, and the finance department limited requests for further fixes. The project manager on Great Blocks had no authority to implement suggested fixes, and the project's termination may lead to litigation over that manager's dismissal, with business owners potentially claiming damages to buildings and merchandise caused by the flooding.
Fire Station 2's Asphalt Problem
On September 9, the Citizen Portal reported the commission tabled a third change order worth $143,368.79 after city staff said heavier Class A fire pumpers could damage the originally specified asphalt apron and recommended concrete.
Political Backdrop to the Review
Stockwell's project review is unfolding against a tense political backdrop in Alamogordo. The City Commission voted 5–2 in June to hire him at an annual salary of $180,000, a decision that prompted an Open Meetings Act lawsuit, Edwards v. Alamogordo City Commission, alleging that selection decisions happened during non-public executive sessions. On July 31, city legal counsel withdrew its motion to dismiss that lawsuit, agreeing instead to respond directly in Otero County District Court before District Judge Lori L. Gibson Willard, according to the same outlet.
Historical city records also show Stockwell was previously terminated as Alamogordo city manager on a 5–1 vote back in 1997. The International City/County Management Association's Code of Ethics calls on member managers to show professional respect for colleagues, including predecessors — context relevant given Stockwell's public criticism of the design and bidding practices under his immediate predecessor, Dr. Stephanie Hernandez, the most recent city manager before him. Hernandez concluded her service on June 30 after overseeing completion of 22 municipal capital projects, signing a separation agreement approved 4–3 by commissioners following a rescinded 7–0 vote that had originally offered her the permanent role.
The Procurement Rules Behind the On-Call Contracts
Alamogordo's reliance on multiple-source engineering contracts is itself shaped by state law. Under Section 13-1-154.1 NMSA 1978 of the New Mexico Procurement Code, local public bodies may maintain multiple-source on-call contracts for architectural and engineering services, provided individual firm payments do not exceed $7.5 million within any four-year period. That statutory framework is why the same contracted firms responsible for designing Oregon Avenue Phase 1, the 10th Street culvert, Great Blocks, and Fire Station 2 remain available to design new work, including the city's aquatic center, even as older projects they designed sit under Stockwell's review. By contrast, the stretch of White Sands Boulevard to 1st Street was designed in-house by city staff rather than through the on-call contracts.
The city has discussed a comprehensive water plan.
