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City votes to dedicate baseball fields at Ford Canyon Park

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The Gallup City Council discussed a proposal to dedicate two baseball fields at Ford Canyon Park, 908 Buena Vista Ave, at the Jan. 22 regular meeting.

Mayor Jackie McKinney spoke for the item, which was proposed to the council in the aftermath of the passing of David “Amos” Schmaltz, a local youth baseball coach who died in November.

If passed, the Pee Wee Reese and Mickey Mantle Ball Fields would be rebranded the Field of Dreams in memory of Schmaltz.

In a memorandum to the council, McKinney spoke about how Schmaltz’s passion for baseball created an environment for teaching life skills to local youth on and off the field.

Schmaltz’s accomplishments also include two consecutive state titles for the Virgie’s A’s in Pee Wee Reese Baseball and leading the Gallup Catholic Panthers to the Class A New Mexico High School Championship in 2010.

Other members of the council said that the motion to dedicate the fields to Schmaltz was well-deserved given his impact on the community.

McKinney took a moment to relay a story about Schmaltz to the room before action was taken, which reflected how he helped to shape the players through the game.

“He said the boys on his team ‘became men today,’” McKinney said.

Another story that was told was how Schmaltz got the nickname Amos.”

“When he was playing baseball once and was batting, he heard them saying ‘swing and a miss’, but he thought they were saying ‘swing Amos,’” McKinney told the room.

The item was approved with a 5-0-0 vote.

Other items discussed at the council meeting include:

The quarterly local Liquor Excise Tax Accountability Reports for Calendar Year 2018, which detail the number of referrals, Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program members, people who had to be transported to treatment facilities, were approved with a 5-0-0 vote.

The Lodgers Tax Grant Award of $25,000 was discussed for the following items: Race at the Rocks for $6,000; Red Rock Classic Team Roping for $8,500; Classic Invitational & Spit Fire Breakaway for $4,500; and Red Rock Trailer Roping for $6,000. The item was approved with a 4-0-1 vote.

A presentation was given about the City of Gallup Behavioral Health Programs by Debra Martinez, of the Behavioral Health Investment Zone, and Sindy Sacoman, of SBS Consulting. They discussed program highlights that include 59 group counseling sessions with over 1,500 social detox clients; contracted acudetox services being successful with 20 clients per session; and hosting a Suicide Survival Day in association with Gallup Indian Medical Center.

By Cody Begaye
Sun Correspondent

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