A. The secretary of health shall designate not more than thirty acres of land immediately surrounding the old Carrie Tingley crippled children's hospital building, including the support buildings and three adjoining houses, which may not be designated as surplus property by the department of finance and administration pursuant to this section. Subsequent to such a designation, the department of finance and administration may determine, after the New Mexico state veterans' home has been established, that there exists acreage that is surplus to the needs of the New Mexico state veterans' home.

B. The department of finance and administration, with approval of the state board of finance, may transfer a portion of the designated surplus property not to exceed twenty-five acres to the Truth or Consequences school board to be used for a site for construction of a middle school.

C. Subsequent to the official decision of the Truth or Consequences school board to proceed or not to proceed with the construction of a middle school on property adjacent to the New Mexico state veterans' home, the department of finance and administration may transfer, with approval of the state board of finance, part or all of the remaining surplus property to the city of Truth or Consequences for use in future economic development projects.

D. All transfers of land provided for in this section shall be subject to the following conditions:

(1) the governor or his designee shall approve any plans for development of any part of the original site before commencement of any construction under such plans;

(2) if the Truth or Consequences school board has not developed a master plan for use of any property transferred to it by January 1, 1987 or has not substantially initiated this plan by January 1, 1993, the surplus property transferred to that school board shall revert to the state;

(3) if the city of Truth or Consequences has not developed a master plan for use of any property transferred to it by January 1, 1987 or has not substantially initiated this plan by January 1, 1993, the surplus property transferred to that city shall revert to the state;

(4) the department of finance and administration shall not transfer as surplus property either the access to any well already existing on the site or any buildings on the site without the consent of the board of trustees; and

(5) no commitment on any parcel of land at the original site shall be made to the Truth or Consequences school board or to the city of Truth or Consequences until after such time as the New Mexico state veterans' home is approved by the legislature.

History: Laws 1983, ch. 329, § 7; 1986, ch. 103, § 5; 1987, ch. 133, § 4; 1993, ch. 7, § 4; 2001, ch. 40, § 4.

The 2001 amendment, effective June 15, 2001, substituted "state veterans' home" for "veterans' center" in Subsections A, C and D and substituted "New Mexico state veterans' home" for "center" at the end of Subsection A.

The 1993 amendment, effective June 18, 1993, deleted "and environment" following "health" in the first sentence of Subsection A and inserted "New Mexico veterans'" preceding "center" in Subsections A and C and Paragraph (5) of Subsection D.