The Mayor and Council of the Town of Bernalillo approved an ordinance to annex the Fisher Sand and Gravel Site, which is located along I 25, just south of Placitas. The ordinance also changes the zoning of the site to M-1 and permits Fisher to apply for a Conditional Use Permit.
ES-CA continues to oppose all mining in the Placitas, Algodones and Bernalillo area. ES-CA representatives testified at the meeting and also submitted a number of recommendations to the Mayor and Council. Many of these recommendations were adopted into the ordinance, and, while the Board continues to oppose mining, we believe that the ordinance gives the Town much control over the operation of the facility, most importantly stating that all mining activity will cease within seven (7) years of the beginning of operations.
Fisher initially asked for no time restriction on the length of operations and then asked for fifteen years. ES-CA countered with a recommendation of no more than two years. ES-CA ultimately requested a five year limitation, but the Mayor and Council voted to accept a seven year limitation.
Major components of the ordinance are:
• Hours of operation will be limited to Monday through Friday, 7 am to 5 pm.
• No asphalt operation will be permitted.
• Fisher must reclaim the site within one year of ceasing operations and they must also provide a bond to insure that reclamation occurs.
• Water use will be strictly monitored by the Town.
• The conditional use permit will be reviewed every year to insure that Fisher is in compliance with all of the requirements of the approval.
ES-CA officials have met with Mayor Jack Torres and Fisher VP Dave Olson on numerous occasions to discuss this matter. We believe that we will be able to work with Fisher on any issues that arise during the life of this project and ask that residents contact us immediately about any issues affecting them that come from the operation of this facility.
ES-CA would like to thank Mayor Torres and the Council for their consideration of ES-CA’s submissions and for incorporating many of the recommendations into the final ordinance. The ES-CA Board believes that we have taken the best course of action in this matter. We did not believe that there was an option that would have prevented Fisher from operating and we believed that the best course of action was to gain some control over the operations. Limiting the lifetime of the operation, limiting the hours of operation, prohibiting any asphalt operations and fostering a working relationship with both the Town of Bernalillo and with Fisher, gives us a good measure of control and we believe that is the best outcome in this situation.
This project will also provide a sorely needed detention basin to help alleviate the storm water flooding that has occurred in Bernalillo in the past few years. While ES-CA remains committed to protecting the interests of Placitans, we also are committed to working with all residents in the County and must be cognizant of their needs.
ES-CA looks forward to continuing to work with the Town of Bernalillo on issues of mutual interest. ES-CA will also continue to monitor the operations of Fisher and will respond to any issues that arise.