New Commission on SF County Roads - Volunteer for Apache Ridge?

Hi neighbors:

Below is information from our County Commissioner Kathy Holian on the new Road Advisory Committee. Note this important task: "the new Committee will also make recommendations to the BCC on private roads that various neighborhoods are requesting that the County accept for future County maintenance."

It would be extremely helpful to have a resident (or 2!) from Apache Ridge to volunteer for this committee, so that we can keep our road up on the radar on issues of private roads requesting county maintenance. The time committment is one meeting every other month, not exactly a hardship. Frankly, I WANT to be on this committee so that Apache Ridge gets heard, but my family has made it clear they don't want me to add any more volunteer work to my already overburdened schedule.

So I'm asking the residents to please consider offering your time to this important endeavor. The County has floated the possibility of making new (easier) regulations for accepting private roads into the County maintenance system. This is a very viable option for Apache Ridge: at the least, it would mean a couple of regular gradings per year plus snow removal (NOT paving); in the event of a catastrophic wildfire, which the SFCFD thinks is very probable in our neighborhood, it would mean a road that is wide enough in some currently too-narrow areas to provide for the safety of evacuating residents and incoming emergency vehicles; it would also mean the residents who ARE contributing can be relieved of the burden they are bearing for the benefit of those neighbors who are NOT contributing...and it would relieve the board of a time-consuming and stressful activity: collecting payments. ARPOA could be disbanded, or converted solely to a volunteer Neighborhood Watch organization, without having to always pay attention to the road.

And remember, the quality of your road directly impacts your financial status in more ways than the paltry $200 contribution: your vehicle AND your property both suffer a loss in value when a road is not maintained to its fullest potential. People trying to sell their homes right now have discovered that road issues are of concern to potential buyers; their realtors have been contacting me for information and I make it clear that everyone is expected to contribute, but the condition of the road will directly reflect just how many residents are bearing this burden.

While not everybody in the neighborhood may think county maintenance would be good for Apache Ridge, without full participation for self-maintenance, we are fighting a losing battle. With about 60% of our residents contributing to our own road maintenance, it's a constant struggle to balance the funds we have with the amount of work we need. For instance, we would not need to wait for rain to start grading Apache Ridge Road right now if we could afford the extra costs of a water truck. The area above the State Land parcel and below Mescalero Trail is particularly bad right now, but without moisture, grading would be futile.

Please consider volunteering for this valuable committee. For all you non-joiners out there, you might be surprised at the benefits. I personally am one of the most introverted of non-joiners, but I chose to make a commitment to my community when I moved to Apache Ridge from Eldorado (where I didn't know my neighbors even tho I lived there for 12 years). I struggle sometimes to push beyond my comfort zone to fulfill this commitment when, like you, I would much rather be left alone to pursue my own activities. But I have met wonderful people, have enjoyed interacting with county and state employees on various issues of import to Apache Ridge, and have certainly found a deeper sense of connectedness and belonging by making this effort.

If you feel so moved, please contact Kathy Holian directly to volunteer (and let me know, so we can stay in touch on your progress)
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From Kathy Holian, county commissioner:

Road Advisory Committee

The BCC unanimously passed the resolution that creates the new Road Advisory Committee (RAC).

The reconstituted RAC will have 15 members and 15 alternates. There will be one member and one alternate for each of the 15 Road Advisory Districts (not to be confused with Commission Districts).

The boundaries of the Road Advisory Districts have been slightly redrawn so that each one is totally contained within a Commission District. This means that the number of members on the Committee from each of the Commission Districts varies. So, for example, Commission District 4 contains two Road Advisory Districts, and there will be two members and two alternates who serve on the RAC and live within District 4. Commission District 3 has the most Road Advisory Districts, namely, five.

The areas covered by the two Road Advisory Districts in District 4 are as follows:

Road Advisory District 7: Arroyo Hondo, Seton Village, Sunlit Hills, and Old Santa Fe Trail area

Road Advisory District 8: Cañada de los Alamos, San Sebastian, Cañoncito, Valencia, and Glorieta

If you would like to serve as a member or as an alternate on the Committee, and you live in Commission District 4, please let me know. Also, please send a cover letter and a resumé to Robert Martinez ( robmtz@santafecounty.org ) at the County.

The duties of the Committee are pretty much the same as they were before, with the major one being to keep an eye on roads in the various Road Advisory Districts and to let Robert Martinez know when repairs are required. However, the new Committee will also make recommendations to the BCC on private roads that various neighborhoods are requesting that the County accept for future County maintenance.

The Committee will meet every other month. This is an attempt to resolve the quorum issue that was a problem with the previous Committee.
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Thanks very much for your time; wishing all a blessed Passover and Easter...

Candelora

Flood Insurance for Properties in SF County

Dear Santa Fe County residents:

If there were to be a disaster of any sort (flood, earthquake, severe windstorm, etc.) in Santa Fe County, we would be eligible for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). However, to be eligible for federal disaster relief, there are certain requirements imposed by the federal government. For example, to be a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program, the County must adopt a Floodplain and Stormwater Management Ordinance which, among other things, identifies where floodplains are in the County. We have adopted such an ordinance, and, in fact, our ordinance goes beyond the minimum criteria established by FEMA.


You may be surprised to learn that the total amount of insurance claims for damage due to floods is about three times that for fire damage in the United States as a whole. Although those statistics probably don't apply in the arid southwest, the cost of flood insurance is based on nationwide data. This is not necessarily fair, and there are protests being lodged, but that is the way the situation is now.


How much a resident of Santa Fe County pays for flood insurance varies substantially according to whether the residence is in a floodplain or not. And many -- if not all -- entities that write mortgages are requiring flood insurance for any building in a floodplain.

Recently FEMA has issued new Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Santa Fe County. This was part of a nationwide map modernization project call RAMPP (Risk Assessment, Mapping and Planning Partners). Not all areas of the County have been remapped by this project. However, there have been revisions in County and City growth areas, as well as in areas identified as needing more detailed analysis in order to correct or more accurately define the floodplain as mapped prior to 2008.


The preliminary new maps are now available for public inspection. However, it is important to note that these maps have not yet been formally adopted as part of our Ordinance. There will be a period in which affected homeowners (or other property owners) may appeal.

The formal 90-day appeal period will officially begin after FEMA has published the legal notice in our local newspapers as required by Federal Code. After the appeal period ends, and all appeals based on technical data are incorporated, the final maps will become effective. We anticipate that this will occur sometime in the spring of 2012.

Approximately 200 residents in Santa Fe County (incorporated and unincorporated areas) are effected. Some properties have been removed from the floodplain, whereas others have been now moved inside the floodplain. And in some cases, the area on a property that is inside the floodplain has either increased or decreased.


If you would like to see whether your house (or any part of your property) is in a revised or existing floodplain, you can either view hardcopy maps in the Building and Development Services Department at the County building downtown on Grant Street, or you can visit the following website: riskmap6.com/NM/SantaFe/ . Just enter your address, and you will then be able to view a map that shows the location of your property and any floodplains in the area.


If your residence flips into a floodplain area according to the new maps, you will still be able to obtain flood insurance for two years at the rate that it would be if it were not in the floodplain. So, it is important to find out whether your house is in that category.


Another reason that it is important to know whether or not any part of your property is in a floodplain is that the County cannot issue any kind of building permit unless stringent criteria are met if the structure is in the floodplain. This may include things like access improvements, elevating on fill, or relocating your proposed structure. These requirements may even be triggered by applying for permits for small projects (for example, adding a porch). In other words, if you come in for any kind of construction permit, you may be required to upgrade your structure (or access to that structure) with some rather major (and expensive) safety improvements.


The County and City will be hosting two public information meetings so that people can get more information about this topic. On April 27th, there will be a meeting in the Chambers at the County building from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. On April 28th, the meeting will be at the Genoveva Chavez Center, also from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. There will also be insurance representatives present at both meetings to answer questions about that particular topic.


Sincerely,

-Kathy





-Kathy Holian
4 Camino Cielo Azul
Santa Fe, NM 87508
505-995-9979
Kathleen.Holian@comcast.net

Thanks to all those who helped remove falling tree!

Hi neighbors:

just a shout-out to say "thank you" to the neighbors who, on extremely short notice, showed up Sunday evening to remove a dead tree that was hanging perilously over Apache Ridge Road above Mescalero Trail: Marc Howard, Mike Madkour, Charlie Parker and Booth Gallett, with safety pylons provided by Sam and Mary Wolf. After consulting several different plats and maps, it's still unclear as to who actually owns that strip of property along Apache Ridge, but we may try to solve that mystery sometime this year. Knowing where property boundaries are makes it easier to notify the responsible property owners when something like a tree falling into the road (or a fire fed by too much brush and dead trees??) threatens the safety of the neighborhood. 

Thanks again!

~Candelora