Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association

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.

On June 9th, State Senator John Sapien met with ES-CA board members and other members of ES-CA to listen to residents’ concerns. The main issue discussed was sand and gravel mining in the Placitas area. Both LaFarge and Fisher were highlighted.

A major issue raised was the location of the air sensor that is monitored by the State. It was noted that the only sensor in the area is located in Bernalillo. Senator Sapien said that he will contact the New Mexico Environment Department to discuss placing an air monitoring device in Placitas that is proximate to the LaFarge mining operation. ES-CA will follow-up with the Senator on this matter.

Senator Sapien said that he has been working with the Sandoval County Counsel to craft legislation that will strengthen the zoning enforcement powers of the County. The next legislative session is not until 2015 and the Senator will have a bill ready to introduce at that time.

There was also a discussion as to whether sand and gravel mining should be under the control of the State, or remain under control of the County. While County control gives Placitans more access to the government, State control would carry more authority when dealing with violations. ES-CA welcomes your comments on this issue.

Senator Sapien also said that he opposes Bernalillo annexing the Fisher site. Bernalillo Mayor Jack Torres has also expressed reservations about annexing the site. As of now, there have been no new applications submitted by Fisher to the Town. ES-CA will continue to monitor this issue.

EASTERN SANDOVAL CITIZENS ASSOCIATION

JUNE 2, 2014 BOARD MEETING

The meeting was called to order by President Bob Gorrell. Attending were: Bob Gorrell; Chris Daul; Ed Majka; Orin Safier and Lynn Koch. A quorum was present. Also attending the meeting were Scott Stevens, Dick Ulmer, Tom Ashe, Steve Vaughn, Bob Byrd, and John Coehlo.

Issues discussed were as follows:
Membership: An e-mail will be sent to former ES-CA members asking them to renew their membership. A mailer is being prepared that will be sent to all Placitas households that will include membership information. Membership information will be available at the General Meeting, scheduled for August 2, at the Anasazi Winery, from 2-4 pm.

Political/Legal: Ed Majka reported that the ES-CA board will be meeting with the Land Grant Board on June 16. A Candidates’ Forum has been scheduled for September 20 at the Placitas Community Center, from 1-4 pm. All residents will be invited to attend. The candidates will include: State Representative; County Commissioner; County Sheriff and County Assessor. The next P/L meeting is scheduled for June 30th, 6:30 pm, at the Placitas Library.

Communications: Chris Daul will draft an article for the July Signpost. Business cards were printed and distributed. A mailer has been prepared in draft form and will be sent out next month to all Placitas residents.

I 25/Rt. 165 – DOT. Bob Gorrell and Orin Safier met with Dave Wilson on 5/27. He is the outside traffic engineer that has been hired by NM DOT to review the interchange. He is beginning his study and will meet with ES-CA again, prior to the release of his report. All persons are encouraged to send their comments about the interchange to Timothy Parker, who is the NM DOT District 3 Engineer. His e-mail address is timothy.parker@state.nm.us. Please send copies of your comments to ES-CA.

Land Use Protection Trust. Dick Ulmer reported that the LPT had formed a board of directors, consisting of Dick Ulmer, Tom Ashe, Steve Vaughn and Tom Byrd. LPT placed an ad in the June Signpost and also had an article. Their fundraising in progressing well. John Meyers has been retained as their land use attorney. They have also printed a flyer to be handed out. Anyone wishing to support the LPT can go to their website.

Centex in Bernalillo. Chris Daul discussed that Centex had been used as a transfer site for oil going from trucks to rail cars. Mayor Jack Torres of Bernalillo had the town issue a cease and desist order, pending an application for a zoning change. ES-CA will continue to monitor. Centex is located north of Rt. 550 along the railroad tracks. They are permitted to operate as a manufacturing facility. Certain oil and gas companies were using the site to transfer their oil from their trucks to rail cars, which was in violation of Bernalillo’s zoning code. ES-CA thanks the Mayor for his swift action.

Next ES-CA Board Meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 27, 2014, beginning at 6:30 pm at La Puerta. All persons are encouraged to attend.

The Board of ES-CA met on May 5. Attending the meeting were Board members: Bob Gorrell, Chris Daul, Ed Majka, Jerry Saxton, and Lynn Koch. Also attending was Dick Ulmer.

Jerry Saxton is going to follow-up on former members who have not renewed to determine how to bring them back as well as looking at expanding the membership. Ed Majka reported for the
Political/Legal Committee as follows:
o Concerning ESCAFCA, Sal Reyes up for re-election this year. Also, ESCAFCA has more projects on the board than money to fund them. Last, Fisher proposes to donate material to build dam for a detention basin, if the property is annexed to Bernalillo. Ed and Chris Daul are following up with both Fisher and the Mayor of Bernalillo to insure that Fisher’s time period for mining is limited and that they will be required to post a bond for reclamation of the site.

Chris Daul reported on Communications and noted that the May article had been published in the Signpost. He stated that he will begin listing all of the ES-CA meetings in the calendar section of the Signpost. The June article will focus on the new Land Use Protection Trust and an ad will also be put in the Signpost about the Trust.

Bob Gorrell is sending a letter to NMDOT requesting status of engineer’s review, concerning the issues at the new I 25/Rt. 165/550 interchange. DOT had agreed to have an outside engineer review the current configuration in relation to the concerns raised by Placitans and communicated to DOT by ES-CA.

The Land Trust was discussed in detail. As noted, the Board decided to concentrate on publicizing the Trust this coming month. The Trust is very important because it will be used to fight for Placitas’ zoning rights in the County, not just for the LaFarge matter.

The Board is reviewing a draft newsletter to be sent out to all Placitas households in July. The newsletter would discuss current issues facing Placitas and announce the upcoming General Meeting on August 2, 2014, from 2-4 pm at the Community Center, and the Candidates’ Forum, scheduled for September 20, 2014, from 1-4pm at the Community Center.

The next Board meeting is scheduled for June 2, 2014, starting at 6:30 pm at La Puerta Realty on Rt. 165. All are welcome to attend.

On Monday, April 21, 2014, Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham met with ES-CA Board members, Land Grant representatives, Las Placitas Association representatives, and various home owner association officials to hear what issues were of concern to residents of Placitas.

The first issue raised was that the new I 25 interchange was prohibiting Coronado Soil and Water Conservation District trucks from accessing the Piedre Lisa Dam to perform maintenance. ES-CA officials noted that NM DOT is having an outside traffic engineering study done of the new interchange, and, once that is complete, we can deal with this issue if it is not resolved in the report.

The next issue raised was the expansion in use of the pipelines running through Placitas and the lack of cooperation by BLM on releasing information to LPA and ES-CA. The Congresswoman said that she will make the information request from her office and will also request that BLM meet with LPA and ES-CA to discuss safety concerns. She also said that she will request that BLM come to Placitas to discuss the disposition of the BLM land to the north.

She noted that the Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed land uses would be issued within the next two months and that it will be subject to comment. She expects the full report to be issued by the end of this year or early next year. The Congresswoman is aware of concerns about new mining in this area.

The LaFarge issue was brought up, and, while there is not much that can be done on the Federal level, Congresswoman Grisham said that she will work with Sandoval County and the State to attempt to increase enforcement of environmental regulations pertaining to the sand and gravel mining operation of LaFarge.

Congresswoman Grisham expressed her desire to conduct future town hall meetings in Placitas.

ES-CA BOARD MEETING – APRIL 7, 2014

The ES-CA had its regularly scheduled board meeting on April 7, 2014. In attendance were the following directors: Bob Gorrell, Orin Safier, Chris Daul, Ed Majka, Tony Hull and Lynn Koch . Also attending were Scott Stevens and Dick Ulmer.

Ed Majka discussed what recent matters the Political/Legal Committee had considered at its last meeting.
• Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham had requested to meet with the ES-CA Board and other community groups to discuss what issues were affecting Placitas. That meeting will be taking place in the near future.
• A Candidates’ forum will be held on September 20, 2014 at the Community Center. ES-CA will be inviting the candidates for State Representative, County Commissioner (District 1), County Assessor and County Sheriff to attend and address residents. More information will follow as we get closer to September.
• ES-CA is continuing to communicate with Fisher representatives to scale back their proposal for mining and future development on the site. Fisher representatives did say that they would discuss any new proposal with ES-CA, prior to submitting anything to the Town of Bernalillo.

Bob Gorrell reported on a meeting that he, Chris Daul, Ed Majka and Ed Macy had with Timothy Parker of NM DOT, concerning the I-25/US 550 Interchange. Bob reported on meeting with DOT on April 7. DOT agreed to have an outside traffic engineer review the issues raised in the ES-CA letter of March 26, 2014 to DOT. More specifically, the issues included the missing acceleration lane, signage, and general traffic patterns. DOT said that a report should be done within 60 days.

A new proposal was made to create an ES-CA Land Use Protection Trust. Bob Gorrell explained that, under ES-CA bylaws, a special trust could be created to accept and distribute monies for specific matters that are under the purview of ES-CA, such as zoning and land use. . The vote to approve was unanimous. Included in the resolution was a proposal to transfer $1,000.00 from the ES-CA general account to the new Trust. This motion was passed unanimously.

A General Meeting of ES-CA has been planned for August 2, 2014, at the Community Center. All ES-CA members are encouraged to attend. Additional information will follow.

The next meeting of the ES-CA Board is scheduled for Monday, May 5, 2014 at La Puerta Realty at 6:30 pm. The meeting is open to all ES-CA members and the public.