Board Agenda for March 8, 2021

IF ANY ESCA MEMBER WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THE ZOOM MEETING SEND YOUR REQUEST TO president@es-ca.org THE PRESIDENT OF ESCA WILL SEND YOU AN INVITATION VIA EMAIL

EASTERN SANDOVAL CITIZENS ASSOCIATION
Virtual Board Meeting Agenda
8 March 2021
4:00 PM
By a zoom invitation

                                                                                                                                            

1. Call to order

2. Roll Call

3. Acceptance of minutes

4. Introduction of Guests 

5. MONTHLY REPORT

  • A. Treasurer’s Report – Wayne
  • B. IT Report – Jim
  • C. LPT Report – George

 6. OLD BUSINESS

  • A. Investment of ESCA funds – Wayne
  • B. Put Gravel Mine information on ESCA-ORG – Jim
  • C. Leg trapping Bill in State Legislature – George
  • D. Contact key people concerning pickleball court – George

7. NEW BUSINESS

8. OPEN DISCUSSION

Article for April 2021 Signpost – Board

9. Adjournment

Next meeting 12 April 2021, Virtual zoom meeting, AT 4:00PM

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ESCA Monthly Press Release – March 2021

Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ESCA)
Signpost article
March 2021

Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ESCA) Report

By President of ESCA, George Franzen

In early February, Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan reintroduced legislation to prohibit gravel mining on the Buffalo Tract, which is adjacent to Placitas neighborhoods along our northern boundary. The legislation, Senate Bill 180, is with the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for consideration. We anticipate that Representative Deb Haaland will reintroduce the bill in the House as well.

ESCA has worked closely with the Las Placitas Association and others to urge these actions, and Commissioner Katherine Bruch has also worked with the County Commission to write a letter in support of the legislation. Legislation does not carry over from one Congress to another, so reintroduction is necessary as the 117th Congress begins its work.

We also plan to pursue additional avenues to prevent Buffalo Tract gravel mining. If Representative Haaland is confirmed as Interior Secretary, she may be able to assist in moving the Buffalo Tract Protection Act through Congress.

ESCA’s website home page at www.ES-CA.org, features a comprehensive, 18-page paper on the public health, environmental, economic, and cultural costs of current and potential gravel mining in the Placitas area. The paper, entitled “Land of Enchantment or Gravel,” is a collaborative effort of ESCA and the Las Placitas Association.

We continue to participate in annual meetings to discuss plans for completion and reclamation of the Vulcan gravel mine currently in Placitas, provided for in the settlement agreement between Sandoval County, ESCA, and the owners/operators of the mine, and a copy of the agreement is also posted on ESCA’s website home page. The most recent annual meeting was held virtually on February 12, 2021.

Ron Overley, the Sundance Mesa Subdivision coordinator with the Vulcan mine representatives, provided the following comments. “The meeting was attended by representatives of Sandoval County, Vulcan Materials, Mt. Adams Development (the landowner), ESCA, the Land Protection Trust, and homeowners’ associations adjoining the mine. There were three developments discussed.

1. Mining will continue south of the arroyo and to the west. That should be completed sometime in 2023, and reclamation should be completed late in 2023 and the land returned to Mt. Adams Development.

2. Mining in the north along the ridge will begin in either late 2021 or early 2022. Prior to that, ample notice will be given so residents know what is going on. The berm will be constructed before mining starts, potentially as early as the third quarter of 2021. If possible, an in-person meeting will be held before mining starts, and if not possible, we will meet by Zoom or another format.

3. At the conclusion of all mining, the property will be returned to Mt. Adams. Currently there are no developed plans for the land use.

ESCA also continues to monitor issues that come before the Sandoval County Commission, and we encourage area residents to check bimonthly meeting agendas posted on the County website at www.sandovalcountynm.gov. Links to the agendas and videos of the meetings are on the www.ES-CA.org home page.

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Board Agenda for February 8, 2021

IF ANY ESCA MEMBER WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THE ZOOM MEETING SEND YOUR REQUEST TO president@es-ca.org THE PRESIDENT OF ESCA WILL SEND YOU AN INVITATION VIA EMAIL,

EASTERN SANDOVAL CITIZENS ASSOCIATION
Virtual Board Meeting Agenda
8 Feb 2021
4:00 PM
By a zoom invitation

 

1. Call to order

2. Roll Call

3. Acceptance of minutes

4. Introduction of Guests

5. MONTHLY REPORT

    • A. Treasurer’s Report – Wayne
    • B. IT Report – Jim
    • C. LPT Report – George

6. OLD BUSINESS

    • A. Investment of ESCA funds – Board
    • B. 501 C (4) information and survey results – George

7. NEW BUSINESS

8. OPEN DISCUSSION

Article for March 2021 Signpost – Board

9. Adjournment

Next meeting 8 March 2021, Virtual zoom meeting, AT 4:00PM

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ESCA Monthly Press Release –

Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ESCA)
Signpost article
February 2021

Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ESCA) Report
By President of ESCA, George Franzen

In early January, the Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ESCA) contacted Senator Martin Heinrich and Representative Debra Haaland to urge them to reintroduce the Buffalo Tract Protection Act. The legislation would prohibit gravel mining on the Buffalo Tract, adjacent to Placitas neighborhoods along our northern boundary. ESCA will also pursue additional avenues to prevent Buffalo Tract gravel mining now that Representative Haaland has been nominated as Interior Secretary.

Legislation does not carry over from one Congress to another, so reintroduction is necessary as the 117th Congress begins this month. In the 116th Congress, the Senate bill was S. 526, and in the House, H.R. 2640.

The State of New Mexico, Sandoval County, and the entire community are keenly aware that the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) draft resource plan proposes opening the Buffalo Tract and other nearby areas to gravel mining, even though BLM analysis has revealed an abundance of areas better suited for gravel mining. Moreover, Placitas already has four of New Mexico’s 13 largest gravel mines. Any new mining will deepen the negative impact on all Placitas home values and our air quality, as well as threaten cultural sites and a key wildlife corridor.

ESCA will also continue to work with local offices of our Congressional representatives and with Sandoval County officials to ensure early reintroduction of the Buffalo Tract Protection Act. In particular, Sandoval County continues to support passage. In a December 2019 letter, the Sandoval County Commission unanimously reaffirmed bipartisan support for this legislation and retransmitted the Commission’s unanimous August 2019 letter to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

ESCA is delighted to congratulate Representative Haaland for her nomination as Interior Secretary. Stewardship of federal lands across the country will benefit from her insights and leadership. We wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year.

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Board Agenda for December 14, 2020

IF ANY ESCA MEMBER WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THE ZOOM MEETING SEND YOUR REQUEST TO president@es-ca.org THE PRESIDENT OF ESCA WILL SEND YOU AN INVITATION VIA EMAIL,

EASTERN SANDOVAL CITIZENS ASSOCIATION
Virtual Board Meeting Agenda
14 Dec 2020
4:00 PM
By a zoom invitation

                                                                                                                                            

1. Call to order

2. Roll Call

3. Acceptance of minutes

4. Introduction of Guests Speaker

5. MONTHLY REPORTS

A. Treasurer’s Report – Wayne
B. IT Report – Jim
C. ESCA Insurance Status – Peter
D. LPT Report and LPT Board for 2021- Bob

 6. OLD BUSINESS

 7. NEW BUSINESS

A. Survey Members for their thoughts for ESCA 2021 direction, the mission? – Board

8. OPEN DISCUSSION

    • How does the Library invest their extra capital? – Jean
    • Article for January 2021 Signpost – Board

9. Adjournment

Next meeting 11 January 2021, Virtual zoom meeting, AT 4:00PM

 

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ESCA Monthly Press Release –

Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ESCA)
Signpost article
November 2020

Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ESCA) Report
By President of ESCA, George Franzen

 Now that the election is over, the Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ESCA) is looking forward to 2021. We will be reaching out to newly elected officials at the State and Federal levels, as well as officials at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to ensure a strong working relationship and to press for issues that are important to our community.

 In particular, we will ask our Washington representatives to reintroduce legislation that would prohibit gravel mining on the BLM’s Buffalo Tract. This legislation affects the BLM land immediately north of Placitas neighborhoods, and it has consequences for the air quality and home values of all of Placitas. ESCA will also continue to monitor developments with the Vulcan gravel mine that adjoins several Placitas neighborhoods between Camino Barranca and the I-25 frontage road, including compliance with the 2017 agreement to complete mining and land reclamation no later than May 2027.

 ESCA is also looking at ways to work on behalf of our Eastern Sandoval communities as the COVID-19 pandemic extends into 2021. We plan to survey our members for their priorities for the community, and we welcome ideas from the community at large that are in keeping with our mission. ESCA is an all-volunteer, non-partisan watchdog group that works with all levels of government to protect your interests, and your support is critical to our efforts. We invite you to visit our website at www.es-ca.org.

 And speaking of elections, ESCA recently conducted an election for our board’s At-Large Directors. George Franzen, Wayne Gaede, Jacques Ramey, and Richard Reif were re-elected, and Jim Wiesner was newly elected. District Directors Peter Adang, Jim Harre, John McNerney, and Jean Roberts will continue on the board.

 As we move into the holiday season, all of us at ESCA urge everyone to stay safe and healthy while we work together to end this pandemic.

 

 

 

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ESCA Monthly Press Release –

Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ESCA)
Signpost article
October 1, 2020
Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ESCA) Report

Current and proposed gravel mining adjacent to Placitas continues to be a key issue for ESCA. We are working with the Las Placitas Association to oppose a possible mine on the Buffalo Tract immediately north of our neighborhoods that the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) new Resource Management Plan may allow. As of late September, BLM had not yet released the plan for public comment.

ESCA is also monitoring developments with the Vulcan gravel mine that adjoins several Placitas neighborhoods between Camino Barranca and the I-25 frontage road. In 2021, we expect Vulcan to begin construction of a berm on the north side of the mine and to begin moving operations to that area, with mining proceeding from west to east. ES-CA continues to monitor compliance with the 2017 agreement, whereby Vulcan agreed to complete mining and land reclamation on the south side of the mine no later than August 2023, and to complete mining and reclamation on the north side no later than May 2027. ESCA had joined with the Sandoval County Commissioners as plaintiffs in litigation to reach the agreement.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped several ESCA activities:

The ESCA Adopt-a-Highway Committee has decided to delay the usual October cleanup on Highway 165 due to health safety concerns.

We’re again supporting the Placitas Artists Series (PAS) with an ad in their program book. PAS is grappling with continuing its concert series and art exhibits online until it is safe to gather in person again.

The upcoming general election also bears changes due to the pandemic, and ESCA urges everyone to have a plan for how to vote safely. Your vote is always important, but it is especially critical in this election. You can vote by absentee ballot, go to an early-voting convenience center, or vote on election day. The New Mexico Secretary of State website (www.sos.state.nm.us) has all the information you need, including an online application for an absentee ballot that will allow you to vote by mail or by placing your ballot in a secure dropbox at the early polling locations. Please be sure to send your ballot early so that your vote will be included when counting begins on October 26, seven days before the election. You can also visit the Sandoval County clerk’s office to request an absentee ballot. Their website is www.sandovalcountynm.gov.

ESCA also has an election coming up, and members will have an opportunity to review candidates and to vote by email. If you haven’t yet renewed your membership or you would like to join us, please visit our website at www.es-ca.org. Your support is critical to our efforts, because we are the “Watch Dogs” for eastern Sandoval communities. We are a nonpartisan civic organization that works with all levels of government to protect your interests.

 

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Notes from a special ESCA/LPA joint board meeting on July 23, 2020

NOTES FROM A SPECIAL JOINT BOARD MEETING LPA & ESCA 23 JULY 2020

The Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ESCA) and the Las Placitas Association (LPA) held a joint meeting via Zoom on Thursday, July 23, 2020 to discuss action following the release by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of the Rio Puerco Resource Management Plan (RMP) next month.

In attendance were LPT President Sandy Johnson, ESCA President George Franzen, LPT Member Scott McKenzie, LPT Member Joan Fenicle, LPT Member and ESCA Director Richard Rief, ESCA Director John McNerney, ESCA Director Jim Harre, ESCA Director Jacques Ramey, ESCA Director Bob Wilkens, ESCA Director Wayne Gaede, and guests Brenda from the office of US Representative Deb Haaland, Sandoval County Commissioner Kathy Bruch, Candidate for New Mexico House of Representative Jessica Velazquez, Mary-Rose de Valladarez from Washington DC, and Chris Daul from the office of Commissioner Bruch

The LPA Plan for RMP Release:

1. Article for the August Signpost: Both LPT and ESCA have submitted articles outlining the pending release of the RMP.

2. Meet with ES-CA re. their level of participation: This meeting today.

3. Contact Land Grant: Joan Fenicle is in touch via email with Land Grant representative Rebecca Skartwed.

4. Contact Santa Ana and San Felipe: Breda McKenna is in touch with Santa Ana and will get the contact information for San Felipe from Mary-Rose de Valladarez.

5. Contact our County Commissioner: Sandoval County Commissioner Kathy Bruch and her Aide Chris Daul is present at this meeting.

6. Assign specific tasks and develop a time line.

7. Check federal register*: When published, the RMP will appear in the federal register. It could be anytime but is likely to be August 21 or 24. It will signal the beginning of the 30 days for public comment and 60 day for Gubernatorial response. It is being monitored daily by Mary-Rose de Vallardez.

8. Prepare a postcard for mailing to all homes in Placitas: LPA is working on producing and mailing, it still needs copy and a headline. ESCA will share if the total cost.

9. Get Neighbors website message planed and out

10. Contact Deb Haaland’s office: Representative Haaland’s aide Brenda is present at this meeting. She has introduced HB 2640 prohibiting mining on the Buffalo Tract. It is co-sponsored by Representative Ben-Ray Lujan.

11. Contact our Senators offices: Brenda will coordinate with Senator Martin Heinrich’s office. He has introduced SB 526 prohibiting mining on the Buffalo Tract, companion to HB 2640.

12. Create KUPR spots and schedule airings: Scott McKenzie will coordinate this.

13. Alert the Governor’s office: George Franzen will contact the Governor’s office. She will likely support the prohibition of mining in the Buffalo Tract.

14. Call local BLM office for information (in progress) -have Farmington extension info: Sandy Johnson will inquire if the copy of the RMP received by the Farmington BLM office is a draft or a final copy.

15. Check Bulk Mail Permit: Done. Prices for bulk mailing to constituents were discussed.

16. Call Bill Devin: Done. Bill Devin is a mews writer for the Sandoval Signpost and will have an Article in the August issue.

17. Explore reasons for requesting extension: lack of public meetings, some lack of access for parts of the community to broadband with the closure of the library and community center. Essentially, an extension might be justified by the COVID-19 crisis.

18. Consider filing for an injunction when all else fails: ESCA Director and lawyer Peter Adang will be asked if he could advise us about this.

 *search the Federal Register:  ps://www.federalregister.gov/documents/search?conditions%5Bterm%5D=rio+puerco+resource+management+plan

*Federal Register:  https://www.federalregister.gov/

George Franzen
President, ESCA

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ESCA Monthly Press Release

EASTERN SANDOVAL CITIZENS ASSOCIATION

PRESS RELEASE

AUGUST 2020 SIGNPOST

BY: ESCA

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN THE BLM RELEASE THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE PLACITAS BUFFALO TRACT

The pending “Protect the Buffalo Track Legislation” is still in play awaiting congressional action, but in a parallel action the BLM, Bureau of Land Management, is once again hinting that they will release its plan for our Buffalo Track 3,000 plus acres within the near future. The 800-1,000-acre new gravel mine slated for the north east corner of the Buffalo Tract is still EXPECTED to be the preferred option. Even though Placitas turned in 17,000 comments opposed to it when the draft plan was released 12 years ago.

We EXPECT to get no advanced notice when the plan is released, just a notice in the Federal Register, and if we are lucky a Public Notice to the Sign Post. When it is released, we again get to comment but the window for the final comment period is unknown. We will apply for a longer public comment period than 30 days due to covid19, but we must be ready for a 30 day public comment period. With Covid-19 there will be NO opportunity for a community meeting, so we need to be organized to get comments in on time.

The Las Placitas Association along with the Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association will alert all our members to the start of the comment period with an email. And the homeowner’s associations network will be activated for 18 HOAs. Those notices will provide the how, when, and where to provide your comments. If possible, LPA will mail postcards to all.

The key point to cover in your comments is that the BLM does not take into consideration cumulative effects of dangerous airborne particulates when they award leases. Placitas already has a large active mine in the community and 3 additional mines surrounding it. We already have health concerning particulate air pollution, excessive water consumption, industrial noise, a thousand-acre decades old bare abandoned mining site, and degradation to property values in our residential community.

Any new mine must be considered ONLY WITH THE CUMULAIVE EFFECT that mine will contribute to our already overburdened community. This is an environmental justice issue. The BLM’s own mineral data shows there is a 60-mile swath of gravel from south of Santa Fe to south of Albuquerque. Much of that gravel deposit is in uninhabited areas. Further damaging our community for convenience of the gravel miners is untenable.

Find information about the mining conditions and the effect it has on Placitas with maps at the LPA and ES-CA.org web sites. An excellent white paper available on both sites; Land of Enchantment or Gravel details air pollution, water consumption, property value data and descriptions.

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ESCA Monthly Press Release – June, 2020

Dear readers:

The information below was gained from one of our members in the Washington, D.C. area, who checks in regularly. The person receives information about events in that affect us in New Mexico and the Placitas area. This is an edited summary of current events that affect the gravel mining in the Bureau of Land Management, immediately to the north of Placitas:
“I learned late this week that the much-condensed and revised Rio Puerco RMP (allowing gravel mining on the Buffalo Tract) is about ready to go to the BLM Santa Fe office now and then the requisite meetings with BLM Washington will occur in July. My understanding is that the final draft allows mining on the Buffalo Tract. The targeted date for completion of the entire process, including the Record of Decision (ROD) is October 2020.

  Other important points:

BLM is apparently pursuing approval process aggressively. The BLM is aiming for governor and public consistency reviews (respectively 60 and 30 days) in the July time frame. This would be the time when the governor and staff are busy with the special session that is planned.

Thereafter, it is possible that the Secretary of the Interior himself may intervene and sign the Record of Decision (ROD) to obstruct a challenge that could result in an IBLA review of the Administrative Record. If the DOI Secretary were to sign the ROD, we would have to go to District Court for relief.

Thus, there is an urgent need to move forward with passage of legislation as quickly as possible.”

  Next ESCA Board Meeting: June 8, 2020 – Due to the Governor’s order limiting gatherings, board meetings are now held online. See the next meeting’s agenda for details (under Recent Posts). To contact ESCA, please click here.

 

 

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