Students pitch 'Urban Air' indoor adventure park for Alamogordo

Students from Chaparral Middle School presented an Urban Air indoor adventure-park proposal to the Alamogordo City Commission on May 12, arguing the city lacks year-round indoor entertainment for families and youth.

"Alamogordo lacks indoor entertainment options for families and the youth," said Lily Ald, one of the student presenters, noting a team survey of 241 responses that the presenters said showed high local demand. The students described two franchise models: a smaller 2.0 footprint (trampolines, dodgeball, climbing) and a larger 2.5 model with aerial and premium attractions. They described typical facility sizes (25,000–50,000 sq ft) and minimum ceiling heights (18–24 ft), and suggested options to lease, retrofit big-box space or build new construction.

Design lead Elena Cisneros summarized facility features including trampoline zones, warrior courses, virtual-reality attractions, party rooms and a family lounge. Finance lead Oshana Wilkerson outlined a funding plan presented by the students that estimated startup capital in the neighborhood of $4.5 million, with line items for construction, equipment, franchise fees and one year of working capital. The team proposed revenue streams including daily admissions, parties, concessions and memberships.

Mayor Sharon McDonald and commissioners thanked the students for the detailed presentation. "You did an excellent job," one commissioner said, commending the research and financing detail the students supplied. The commission did not take formal action on the proposal; the presentation concluded with applause.

Next steps: the students were not given a staff assignment or formal referral at the meeting; the presentation served as an informational item to introduce the concept to the commission.