Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association

On Saturday, September 20, 2014, Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association, along with the Placitas Community Library, sponsored its first Candidate’s Forum at the Placitas Community Center.

Participants represented offices for:                                                                              NM House of Representatives, District 22 – Representative Jim Smith and Candidate John Wallace;  Sandoval County Assessor – Incumbent Tom Garcia and Candidate Antonio Montoya; Sandoval County Commissioner – James Dominguez; and Sandoval County Sheriff – Sheriff Doug Wood and Deputy Jesse James Casaus.

In attendance were in excess of 90 local residents.  Candidates for each office provided 7-1/2 minutes of presentation and answered pre-submitted questions for 15 minutes. Comments received from attendees said the Forum gave them an opportunity to meet the candidates and learn of the Candidate’s positions.

Join us for a Candidates Forum at 2 PM on September 20, at the Placitas Community Center, 41 Camino de las Huertas.  This event is sponsored by ES-CA and the Placitas Community Library.

Presentations will be given by candidates for State House of Representatives – District 22, Sandoval County Assessor, Sandoval County Commission – District 1, and Sandoval County Sheriff.  Here is the agenda and candidate biographies: Candidates Forum Agenda and Bio’s

Questions for the candidates must be pre-submitted in writing prior to start of Forum.  Forms for submitting questions will be available at the Forum, or you can fill out this and bring to the Forum: Candidates Forum Question Form

The ES-CA board met on September 2, 2014. All seven Board members were present: Bob Gorrell (BG); Orin Safier (OS); Ed Majka (EM); Chris Daul (CD); and, Jerry Saxton (JS), Lynn Koch (LK); and Tony Hull (TH). Also in attendance were: Susan Fullas; Judy Labowitz; Dick Ulmer; George Franzen; and, Scott Stevens.

Dick Ulmer reported on the Land Use and Planning Trust and noted the following items: there was a Signpost article on lack of enforcement by the Air Quality Bureau, concerning LaFarge; total contributions are over $39,000 to date; LaFarge has been sold to Vulcan/CalMat; the LPT Board favors joining the lawsuit that the County has against LaFarge, but has some issues to discuss first. A meeting was held on 8/28/14 to discuss water issues in the Placitas area. It was noted that the largest concentration of arsenic in groundwater is where LaFarge is located. There are no NM state standards on silica in the air. It is a carcinogen that is found in sand and gravel mining operations.

Ed Majka reported on the following items for the Political/legal Committee: ESCAFCA approved a 2.2 million dollar bond issue for the November election. The proposed annexation of Fisher Sand and Gravel may be on the next agenda of the Bernalillo Council meeting. Ed will notify all ES-CA members if and when this item is on an agenda.

There are three at-large director positions are up for election this year. BG and LK are running for re-election. OS is not running for re-election. Susan Fullas has decided to run. Elections will be held in November. All ES-CA members are eligible to run for this position and to vote. Please let Bob Gorrell know if you are interested in running.

Bob Gorrell reported on the I 25/Rt. 550/165 Interchange that he and OS met with David Wilson (the engineer retained by NM DOT to review the project) to discuss his preliminary report. He did acknowledge ES-CA’s concerns about the missing acceleration lane from I 25 NB to Rt. 165 EB, lack of adequate signage and some other issues. BG will schedule a meeting with NM DOT to discuss this report.

ES-CA is hosting a Candidates’ Forum on Saturday, September 20th, from 2-4 pm at the Placitas Community Center. Flyers advertising the event are being placed around Placitas. OS will send e-mails to ES-CA members reminding them of the event. Ed has prepared a handout listing the format and bios of all of the attending candidates, which will be given out to all attendees on the 20th.

ES-CA is hosting a Member Appreciation Party on Sunday, September 28th, from 5-7 pm, at the Placitas Community Library. All ES-CA members are invited and will also be encouraged to bring a guest. Wine, water and light food will be served. It will be a good opportunity to meet your neighbors and the Board members.

Orin reported that iContact is working well as the new system for contacting ES-CA membership. The Board unanimously agreed to retain Chris Miller to manage and update the ES-CA website.

The Board unanimously agreed to issue a Statement of Support, concerning what ES-CA would like to see done with the management of the Buffalo Tract in the BLM land. Bob will be posting a separate article here in the Forum about this issue.

ES-CA is responsible for litter cleanup on the first mile of Rt. 165 in Placitas. Bob reported that litter cleanup was done last month but that participation was minimal. Members are encouraged to participate in this activity as it benefits the whole community.

The next Board meeting will be on Monday, October 6th, beginning at 6:30 pm at La Puerta Realty. All members are welcome to attend.

The meeting was called to order at 6:33pm by President Bob Gorrell.

Board members present were: Bob Gorrell (BG); Lynn Koch (VP) (LK); Orin Safier (Treasurer) (OS); Chris Daul (Secretary) (CD); Ed Majka (EM) and Jerry Saxton (JS). Representing Director Tony Hull was delegate Joan Fenicle. Also attending were: Judy Labovitz; Steve Vaughn and Scott Stevens.

Treasurer’s Report: OS submitted a financial report.
Membership Committee: JS noted that he had sent out draft letters for Board review. It was also stated that district representatives would be enlisted to followup with members where contact information was missing. LK noted that she had signed up six new members.
Political/Legal Committee: EM reported that the last P/L meeting had been cancelled so that members could attend the Bernalillo Council meeting where a resolution was passed establishing a four month moratorium on mining in Bernalillo. EM reported on his meeting with Fisher representatives and that they were going to reapply to Bernalillo for annexation of their property. ED submitted notes of his meeting. ED also reported that LaFarge has approached Bernalillo about annexation. It was noted that Bernalillo Mayor Jack Torres has suffered a heart attack and it is unknown as to what action Bernalillo will be taking regarding these matters in the near future.
IT Committee: OS reported that there had been a response to our advertisement for a webmaster. A meeting will be scheduled with the applicant and certain Board members as an interview. OS also reported that he had researched using iContact. LK made a motion that was passed for OS to contract with iContact.
Communications Committee: CD reported that ES-CA had an article in the August issue of the Signpost. An advertisement will be placed in the September Signpost concerning the candidates’ forum on Sept. 20th.
Watchdogs: SS and LK reported that new members have agreed to be Watchdogs.
LPT: Steve Vaughn reported (on behalf of Dick Ulmer) that the Trust has raised over $30,000 but that it will need close to $100,000 in order to pay for total estimated legal costs. The LPT is reviewing the option of intervening in the County lawsuit against LaFarge or possibly filing their own lawsuit against LaFarge.
I 25/Rt. 550/Rt. 165: BG reported that a meeting has been scheduled for August 13, 2014 with the 3rd party engineer that has been studying the interchange, based upon ES-CA comments.
Candidates’ Forum: EM reported that seven of the eight candidates have agreed to attend. Gary Miles, who is running for Sandoval County Commission, declined to attend.
Member Appreciation Party: JS reported that the event is scheduled for September 28, 2014, from 5-7pm at the Placitas Library.
Hospital Tax: ED reported that the County tax for UNMH Regional and Presbyterian RUST hospitals will be up for reauthorization in 2016. ED said the P/L Committee will begin research on this issue and report to the Board as to whether ES-CA should support/oppose/or take no position on the reauthorization.
At-Large Director Nominations: BG reported that the following people have been nominated to run for the 3 at-large director positions this year: Bob Gorrell; Susan Fullas; and George Franzen. Orin Safier is not running for re-election and Lynn Koch is undecided at this point.
Algodones Flooding: CD noted that a meeting is scheduled for August 6, 2014, in Algodones to discuss the recent flooding issues. CD will attend the meeting on behalf of ES-CA.
BLM Buffalo Tract Disposition: The Board discussed preparing a list of survey questions concerning uses of this property. The final draft will be circulated by BG for Board approval and then a survey will be sent to all ES-CA members.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:22 pm.

The next meeting is in the process of being rescheduled since the regularly scheduled meeting falls on Labor Day. A notice will be posted in the Forum.

ES-CA held its General Meeting on Saturday, August 2, 2014.

The meeting was called to order at 2:05 pm by ES-CA President Bob Gorrell (BG). Directors present included: Lynn Koch, VP(LK); Orin Safier (OS)(Treasurer); Chris Daul (CD) (Secretary); Ed Majka (EM); Jerry Saxton (JS); and, and Tony Hull (TH).

BG welcomed everyone to the meeting and gave a brief description of ES-CA, its history and what it does. He then introduced the Directors and Committee chairpersons.

Issues:

1. BLM Land: OS discussed the pending disposition of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in and around Placitas, which includes the Crest of Montezuma, the 200 acre tract wholly within Placitas, and the 3200 acre Buffalo Tract located to the north of Placitas. OS noted that the Crest of Montezuma has been the subject of pending Federal legislation that would transfer the property to the National Forest Service. The Buffalo Tract is the area of main concern to Placitas. The area is being sought by both the Santa Ana Pueblo and the San Felipe Pueblo. The San Antonio de Las Huertos Land Grant would also like to obtain 1500 acres of the Tract. The BLM is expected to release a resource management plan for the land by early 2015. ES-CA will be polling its membership to determine what uses residents endorse and which uses they oppose for the land.

2. Pipelines: OS also discussed the expansion of pipeline use in the Placitas area. There are three pipelines that traverse through Placitas. All are privately owned, but subject to Federal regulation. OS noted that ES-CA and La Placitas Association have attempted to obtain information regarding safety issues attendant to the expansion of use of these pipelines and have been thwarted by the Federal government. OS asked for volunteers to form a committee to pursue this matter. Please contact OS or ES-CA if you are interested in assisting on this matter.

3. Disposition of BLM Land and Possible Conditions: BG discussed the matter of ES-CA adopting a statement of issues regarding future use of the Buffalo Tract of the BLM land. A number of items were discussed by the Board and by members present. BG stated that the Board would review all comments and create a survey to be sent to all ES-CA members.

4. Fisher Gravel Mine and Asphalt Plant. EM noted that ES-CA had stopped Fisher from operating an asphalt plant, but that Fisher was continuing to remove gravel from the site. According to Fisher representatives, the material being removed was already mined and there is no current mining operation taking place. Fisher had previously applied to Bernalillo to have the site annexed by the Town and to be given permission to mine. That application has been withdrawn, but Fisher is expected to submit a new application to the Town.
ED also noted that the Political/Legal Committee of ES-CA meets the last Monday of each month at 6:30 pm at the Placitas Library. EM also discussed the Watchdog program wherein volunteers attend Sandoval County and Bernalillo meetings to report on issues affecting Placitas.

5. Gravel Mining in Placitas and Potential Legislation. JS discussed the current laws affecting gravel mining and noted that penalties for violations are very small and that gravel mining is under the jurisdiction of the County and not the State. JS noted that he has had discussions with Senator Sapien about this issue and is hopeful that legislation can be introduced and approved that will provide stronger oversight of gravel mining and stiffer penalties for violations.
JS stated that LaFarge is currently being sued by Sandoval County for violations and that the Environment Department is looking at issuing air pollution violations to LaFarge.

6. I-25 Interchange. BG discussed that he will be meeting with a third party engineer who has been charged with reviewing the interchange design in light of comments submitted by ES-CA to NM DOT about deficiencies in the design. Residents unanimously agreed that the interchange has problems, including lack of sufficient signage. BG will report after his meeting.
7. Water, Placitas, Texas and Mining. TH reported that gravel mining is a high water use and has been having a negative impact on the aquifers in the Placitas area.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

1. Political/Legal. EM noted that the P/L committee has been working to monitor meetings; has met with elected officials, including Congresswoman Michele Lujan Grisham and State Senator John Sapien and is continuing to work with Bernalillo town officials. ED also noted that ES-CA, along with the Placitas Library, will be hosting a candidates’ forum on September 20, where the candidates for Sandoval County Commission, District 1, Sherriff, Assessor and State Representative, District 22, will be appearing.
2. Communications. CD noted that ES-CA has been publishing a monthly article in the Signpost (with thanks to the Signpost) and that the ES-CA Forum is being used extensively to inform residents about issues in the area.
3. Membership. JS discussed that ES-CA currently has between 250- 275 members, but that there is a need for additional members.
4. Land Use Protection Trust. Dick Ulmer began by explaining what the LPT is and what it is being used to do – which is to work on mining issues in the Placitas area. Specifically, the LPT is monitoring the County lawsuit against LaFarge. Dick noted that the LPT needs additional funds in order to cover legal costs for participating in the legal process.
5. Watchdogs and Calendar. LK spoke about the Watchdog program wherein volunteers attend various local and county governmental meetings and report on issues of importance to Placitas. LK stressed the need for more volunteers.

NOMINATIONS FOR AT LARGE DIRECTORS:

BG noted that the 3 at-large director positions were up at the end of this year.
nominations were received for Bob Gorrell, Lynn Koch and Susan Fullis. The period
for nominations is still open and anyone can nominate them self or anyone else. elections will be held in the fall.

OPEN MICROPHONE:

Rebecca Skartwed spoke on behalf of the San Antonio de Las Huertos Land Grant. She
gave a brief history of the Land Grant and then spoke about the Land Grant’s position
concerning the BLM land. She noted that the Land Grant was interested in obtaining 1500 hundred acres of the land to be used for hiking trails and picnic areas, a museum about the history of the Land Grant and a 100 acre solar farm.
Lynn Montgomery of the Coronado Soil and Water Conservation District spoke about the District’s role in protecting the land in the area from erosion.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 pm.

On July 7, 2104, the Board of Director of ES-CA had its monthly meeting. In attendance were ES-CA Board members: Bob Gorrell (BG); Chris Daul (CD); Ed Majka (EM); Lynn Koch (LK); Jerry Saxton (JS); and, Tony Hull (TH). Also in attendance were Joan Fenicle, Susan Fullas, Dick Ulmer, Judy Labowitz, Scott Stevens, Sandy Johnson, Mike Neas and Ricardo Ortiz.

Committee Reports were given as follows:
Treasure’s Report: The current balance sheet was presented and it was noted that 62 members had recently paid their dues.
Membership: A spreadsheet showing current and past members had been sent to Board members. Jerry Saxton stated that he had sent an e-mail to numerous contacts about joining or re-joining ES-CA. Orin Safier proposed that ES-CA send out an acknowledgement to people when they send in their dues. A membership appreciation day was set for September 25, 2014.
Political/Legal: Ed Majka asked that members check meeting agendas for the meetings noted by Scott Stevens in his e-mail alerts. Ed noted that the June ESCAFCA meeting had been cancelled. Ed also reported that there had been activity at the Fisher site and that he was scheduling a meeting with Fisher representatives to discuss what their future plans are. Concerning the I 25 interchange, Ed noted that we are still waiting for the engineer’s report. Ed confirmed that we have scheduled a Candidate’s Forum for September 20, 2014 at the Community Center. Invitations are to go out soon.
Communications: Chris Daul noted that ES-CA had an article in the July issue of the Signpost, as well as an advertisement for upcoming events. Chris will prepare an article for the August Signpost and an advertisement will be prepared for the September Signpost to include the Candidates’ forum.

A presentation was given by Ricardo Ortiz, of the San Felipe Pueblo, Natural Resources Department. Mr. Ortiz presented the proposal of the San Felipe Pueblo (Pueblo) concerning the Buffalo tract of the BLM land that is situated to the north of Placitas. The Pueblo would like to obtain the land and use it as a horse sanctuary, in conjunction with their current equine center. Mr. Ortiz stated that the Pueblo would place restrictive covenants in the agreement with the Federal government to insure that the land could never be mined or developed. Mr. Ortiz also stated that the Pueblo is looking to close all current mining operations on their land and to buy and close the Baca mining operation as well. The Pueblo would also construct a road for alternate evacuation access for Placitas. Mr. Ortiz stated that he had had conversations with Wayne Sandoval, of the San Antonio de Las Huertos Land Grant, about giving the Land Grant approximately 200 acres for housing development, but that no agreement had been reached. CD noted that the Land Grant had advised ES-CA that they were interested in obtaining approximately 400 acres of the BLM land for housing development and that there should be further discussions between the Pueblo and the Land Grant. It was requested that the Pueblo provide ES-CA with a written document detailing their plan.

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Dick Ulmer reported on the Land Use Planning Trust and noted the current funding of the Trust and actions taken by their attorney in monitoring the lawsuit by Sandoval County against LaFarge. Mr. Ulmer also noted that the State is now monitoring dust generated by LaFarge.

The General Meeting of ES-CA will take place on August 2, 2014 at the Anasazi Winery from 2-4pm. The next ES-CA Board meeting is scheduled for August 4, 2014 at 6:30 pm at La Puerta Realty on Rt. 165 and all persons are welcome to attend.

On June 16, ES-CA Board members met with the board of the San Antonio de Las Huertos Land Grant Board (Land Grant). As many Placitans know, the Land Grant was a large portion of land that was granted to nine original families by the King of Spain when this area was under Spanish control. The Land Grant continues to this day and is recognized as a political entity within the State of New Mexico.

The Land Grant gave a presentation of their history and the changes that have occurred over hundreds of years. The current Land Grant property is approximately 1000 acres and is centered around the current Village of Placitas. The Land Grant then explained some of the issues they are currently facing and how those issues relate to the entire Placitas area.

Water is perhaps the biggest issue facing the Village and the rest of Placitas. We all rely upon well water and the continuing drought has been affecting many areas of Placitas. The current mining operations in Placitas use a lot of water and draw from the same aquifer that many Placitans also draw from. The Land Grant and ES-CA agree that we should oppose any future mining use in the Placitas area to protect our drinking water supply.

Another issue of concern to all of us is the accumulation of dead wood in the Wilderness area of the Sandia Mountains. Many people in the Village heat their homes with wood and can use this dead wood. However, under current Nation Forest Service regulations, no one can remove any wood from the Wilderness areas. The Land Grant is working with the NFS to be allowed to remove this dead wood. The dead wood also presents a fire danger to all of us. ES-CA and the Land Grant will look to work together on this issue.

Disposition of the Buffalo tract of BLM land is also of importance to both ES-CA and the Land Grant. The Land Grant would like to be able to construct homes on part of this property for descendants of the original Land Grant settlers. The Land Grant opposes the land being opened up for sand and gravel mining. This is an issue that ES-CA has been following closely, and we will continue to work hard to insure that this land is not used for mining.

ES-CA was created to be a voice for all residents of Placitas, which includes the Village, the older settled areas and the newer subdivisions. Placitans are a mix of cultures and the only way we can insure that our land is protected is by working together. The ES-CA board would like to thank the Land Grant board for their presentation and are looking forward to working together.