By Cassie McClure
Published in the Las Cruces Bulletin 12/25/20
Even with the shutdowns and restrictions, Las Cruces residents could count on this: natural gas will light up their appliances, their tap will flow with clean water, their wastewater will be flushed away, and their trash will be picked up.
In appreciation of the work that its associates do, Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) created four banners to salute its essential workers who have made it work through closed schools, balancing schedules, and even increased workload due to a good portion of Las Cruces staying at home and deciding to clean out their yard or garage.
Residents may have already seen the in various location: Hector Lozoya, LCU heavy equipment operator, at Foothills Landfill Composting Facility at 555 Sonoma Ranch Boulevard; Valerie Mars, LCU customer service representative, at the East Mesa LCU Customer Service office at 5195 Bataan Memorial; Evangelina Dominquez, LCU Water Quality Laboratory technician at the Water Quality Laboratory at 2845 W. Amador Avenue, and Jeff Madrid, LCU dispatcher; along with the other three associates, at the Administration Building at 680 N. Motel Boulevard.
“We wanted to put a face on those who have been dedicated in making sure that our infrastructure and customer safety were paramount throughout the pandemic,” Delilah Walsh, LCU director, said. “Everyone has been affected, whether their children were at home or they had to be flexible with a spouse’s schedule. They were transparent with us and we tried to make it work just like they did every day. They have gone above and beyond at every level.”
LCU associates are out there now detecting gas and water leaks, answering your phone call about trash pickups, guiding you to the location for yard waste drop off, and finding solutions for paying down your utility bill.
“We are your neighbors, and we want to make sure our City continues to support each and every resident as much as we can,” Walsh said.
LCU can be reached at 575-528-3500 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. LCU provides services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents and businesses.
CAPTION:
PHOTO 1: LCU Heavy Equipment Operator Hector Lozoya is on the banner at Foothills Landfill Composting Facility at 555 Sonoma Ranch Boulevard. It’s the LCU associates who keep the natural gas flowing, water running, and take the trash away.