Los Alamos Local Business Coalition is organizing its fourth community forum on May 29 at Sala Event Center. Courtesy
Scene of the fourth community forum of Los Alamos Local Business Coalition on May 29. Rate photo
Scene of the fourth community forum of Los Alamos Local Business Coalition on May 29. Rate photo
Press release LALBC
The Los Alamos Local Business Coalition summoned its fourth community forum on May 29, 2025, at 5.30 pm at Sala Event Center to focus on identifying and implementing “tools and strategies” to cultivate a more robust local commercial environment. Multiple ideas of specific initiatives were discussed by participants in small groups, and the whole group voted on priorities after the reports of small groups.
The ideas were presented in the form of conceptual articles of a page, each led by a vision statement of what could be accomplished. These are usable ideas, some relatively easy to make in relation to others. Conceptual articles can be examined on the Coalition website in coalition.losalamos.com. Vision statements are things like:
- Imagine exposing almost all visitors to the attractions of the Los Alamos region to marketing messaging of local businesses.
- Imagine central avenue lined with retail, catering shops and treating businesses in all windows.
- Imagine regularly awareness and purchases by major community organizations and local businesses.
- Imagine that local businesses can save time and efforts to initiate compensated and capable professional resources sensitive to their needs.
- Imagine effective grant resources that provide a constant flow of funding in the community to support businesses and local organizations.
- Imagine local businesses with the possibility of having their commercial space.
It was the fourth in a series of forums held by the coalition. The master of ceremonies Leslie Linke launched the meeting with the mission of the coalition: “The local coalition of LOS Alamos is a Collaborative organization encompassing owners of local businesses and community members,, united in their dedication to Promote a flourishing commercial environment In Los Alamos and White Rock ยป. She examined the work that the coalition has undertaken since training in November 2024:
- Awareness and offer to collaborate with the county and the LACDC on the improvement of the local commercial environment
- Opposite advocacy
- Investigation to prioritize problems and provide comments to the editorial staff by the county of a MRA plan
- Advocacy for local commercial priorities and transparency in writing the East Downtown Mra plan
- Asked that the county council initiates a project with work cities, an independent non -profit organization experienced in the assessment of the conviviality of communities and the supply of recommendations for improvement improvements
- The Forum series focused on improving the local commercial environment, from February
- Pry for local businesses to solve a variety of problems, including disturbances in the construction of DP roads and the lack of local commercial inclusion in the promotion of visitors and tourism
Anna Dillane, a member of the coalition, spoke to the group of the need to improve marketing efforts for visitors and touristy to increase the economic benefits of visitors and tourists to local businesses. The member of the coalition, Shannon C of Baca, spoke of the desire to ensure that the county has the impact on local businesses and potential opportunities for local businesses in their project planning and in all significant decisions taken.
The first forum identified key challenges affecting local businesses. These include difficulties with Affordable commercial space and vacant posts Due to high rents and underused properties, a Environment of regulation and complex and opaque responsibility characterized by confusing and long processes, Costs of shortages and labor accommodation resulting from a lack of affordable labor accommodation, Lack of support and access to financing For small businesses, and Poor communication and underdeveloped tourism resulting in disconnection between stakeholders and the need for better communication and better tourist orientation.
The second forum examined several county plans which are already in place, which, if they were adopted, would take up the main challenges. The plans are generally good, but the county does not proactively pursue many parties, and there is an inadequate responsibility and a measure of progress. There is a gap between rhetoric on the priorities and actions of the county.
The third forum highlighted how a lack of defined process and too predictable interpretations of tools such as the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) prevents Effective use of available tools. Tools like LEDA and the law on the artistic and cultural district provide an exemption from what is called the “anti-donation clause” for the counties and cities of the new-mexic to make public investments in private sector projects which demonstrate a public advantage. The county often claims the inability to help, pointing to the anti-donation clause, while clear exemptions exist if the county was willing to use them effectively.
For the future, the coalition plans to hold a fifth forum focused on “planning of summary and action”. After the conclusion of the Forum series, the coalition intends to review the results of all forums, forms of working groups and to publish a final report detailing their conclusions, recommendations and actions proposed to support local businesses and contribute to the prosperity of LOS Alamos. coalition.losalamos.com.