The first Spaceport Community Council Meeting was held on July 21, 2009 at the Dona Ana County Government Center. The public meeting was sponsored by the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce‘s Commercial Space Committee. The event was moderated by Garrey Carruthers, former governor and Dean of the New Mexico State University College of Business.
Steve Landeene, Executive Director of Spaceport America, provided the audience an update on the progress of Spaceport America. His presentation included videos (click the links to view) of the May 2nd New Mexico Education Launch and the June 19th Spaceport America ground breaking event. Videos are also available on YouTube.
Wayne Savage, Chair of the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce’s Commercial Space Committee provided an overview of the committee’s activities in the community to help develop and publicize business opportunities related to the Spaceport. He announced that the next public forum would be held on October 20, 2009 at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. The event, The Leonard R. Sugerman Public Forum, is part of the 2009 International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS).
Following the presentations, questions from the audience were answered by representatives from Spaceport America, the Las Cruces Public Schools, MVEDA, and elected officials, including State Representative Andy Nunez, County Commissioner Scott Krahling, and City Councilor Dolores Connor. The event was taped and is being aired on the City of Las Cruces’ CLC-TV cable channel 20 for those that are unable to attend.
