Robbery on Mescalero Trail!

Hi neighbors: just a note to let you know a house on Mescalero Trail was broken into on Tuesday 12.28. The owner was not home; the dog (a husky) was in the house and was not injured. Electronics, tools, etc were taken. If anyone saw or heard anything unusual on Tuesday, please contact us so we can send info to the homeowner. Please stay warm, dry and safe! Happy New Year to all...


Candelora

Candelora Versace
Apache Ridge Property Owners Association
ARPOAboard@gmail.com
www.arpoa.blogspot.com
2010 Board: Candelora Versace, Kristin Ryan, Gustav Kocsis and Terri Jerry.

Hondo Fire Dept / Knox Box

Lock out the bad guys, not the fire department
Are you one of our many residents who live in a gated neighborhood? Or do you have a gate at the entrance to your driveway? A growing number of us do and we enjoy an increased sense of security because of them. But have you considered what will happen if there is an emergency at your home? Have you made sure that police, firefighters and emergency medical responders can get there to help?
Some residents ask why they can’t just give us their gate code so we can get access. You can, but codes may get changed and might not get updated everywhere they should. There is a better solution.
The Knox Company (http://www.knoxbox.com), based in Phoenix, has developed a rapid entry system that has helped fire and other emergency personnel drastically reduce the amount of time required to gain entry into neighborhoods, individual homes and other controlled access areas. Property owners can store keys or access cards in a high-security Knox-Box near the entrance to their property. Boxes made exclusively for residential use and prices start at about $185.
The company also offers $85 Knox Padlocks that can be used on perimeter gates or driveways. Each Knox-Box product is keyed to a single Knox master key that is only available to the fire department. In the event of an emergency in your area or at your home, fire department personnel (and only fire department personnel) can open the Knox-Box and remove the key or access card needed to gain entry. If you are planning to install a locked gate it would best to learn about the various options that are available before you purchase your gate locking system.
To ensure the maximum security for all Knox system orders, those who want to buy a Knox-Box have to complete an application and get authorization from the Santa Fe County Fire Department Fire Prevention Inspector, Tim Wilcox. Call him at 995-6525.
If you live in a controlled access neighborhood or home, please help us help you by making sure we can get to you when you need us. Get a Knox-Box!
PS: Please make sure that your house numerals and your Knox Box are in locations that will remain clearly visible at night, even after a heavy snow.

Gene Goodman, long time Apache Ridger,...

For anyone who knew and loved Gene Goodman, he has passed on out in California.  Here is a link to his online obituary May he rest in peace!

Automate your dues payment!

Hi neighbors:

As you know, we send out a newsletter every quarter starting in March with a reminder to pay your dues. That's four times a year, but you can stop worrying about whether or not you are current with your payments if you set up an automatic payment through bill-pay from your electronic banking. You can even go into your bank and ask them to set up the automatic payment, if you don't use e-banking. Your bank can send a check in the mail or do an electronic transfer directly into the ARPOA account if you wish; just ask them to set it up for the $100 payment in March and again in September, or break it up into smaller increments if that's more comfortable.

Our account is at Los Alamos National Bank under Apache Ridge Property Oweners Association, 44 Apache Ridge Road, Santa Fe NM 87505-8906. That's all the information you need to have your bank set up the automatic payment.

If you are uncertain what your status is, please feel free to send an email and we'll check your payments in the database. $200/year is a very small price to pay for the ease and safety of having a well-maintained road...not to mention the benefit to your property values, your home insurance costs and your vehicle's wear and tear.

Thanks for your support...



Candelora Versace
Apache Ridge Property Owners Association
ARPOAboard@gmail.com
www.arpoa.blogspot.com
2010 Board: Candelora Versace, Kristin Ryan, Gustav Kocsis and Terri Jerry.

Food Drive at Fire Station

Hi neighbors:

Just a note to let you know that the good firefighters/EMTs down at Hondo 2 are collecting canned food to donate to the needy during the holiday season. The doors are usually open down at the station and if you want to drop off some canned goods, they'll be happy to distribute it...

thanks again for all your support (and my apologies for scheduling our meeting this week during Hanukah!)

Candelora


Candelora Versace
Apache Ridge Property Owners Association
ARPOAboard@gmail.com
www.arpoa.blogspot.com
2010 Board: Candelora Versace, Kristin Ryan, Gustav Kocsis and Terri Jerry.

More from December 8th Annual Meeting

Just a few more details from the meeting on December 8th:

The current ARPOA bank balance is $3259.90. Since snow removal expenses seem unlikely this year, we will be well ahead of the game for next spring's maintenance. If the weather remains warm but we get some moisture, we will plan for another grading in January. We can't grade while it's so dry.

Dues paid so far this year: $9535. There are 105 names in the database, meaning we have a 45% compliance rate (not counting the checks that were brought to last night's meeting). We have at least 2 homes vacant due to foreclosure with a possible 3rd that we know about. We will be contacting the realtors of the homes listed for sale in the neighborhood to be sure that new residents know about their road maintenance responsibilities. Remember, full compliance would mean attention could be paid to the side roads as well as more frequent grading of ARR.

Just a reminder: we will need a new snow removal option for winter 2011. We'll be pushing harder for dues compliance in order to hire someone, unless the county steps in before then. Anyone who wants to recommend a reliable snow removal contractor, please contact me.

WHO IS PAYING? Out of 3 property owners on Apache Point, 2 pay. Out of 52 property owners on ARR, 27 pay. Of the 4 on Apache Trail, 3 pay. Out of 11 on Cresta Pequena, 6 pay. The 1 on Green Gorge pays. Out of 15 on Lone Pine Spur and Lone Pine Ridge, 9 pay. Out of 9 on Mescalero Trail and Mescalero Ridge, only 3 pay. Out of 4 on Wilowa, 2 pay. The one on Metate Way does not pay, and we get no payments from Apache Creek (they have a secondary access road; there are a couple of them on the email list and they have been very proactive with the neighborhood watch alerts).

Some neighbors have asked to have the list published in the newsletters; others have said it was too "shaming" to include a list of nonpayers. Compromise: if you have a friendly relationship with your neighbors and want to encourage them to contribute, contact me and we can discuss ways to reach out to nonpayers in the hopes of convincing them to share the responsibility. This must be a FRIENDLY venture; we are not interested in adding to the divisiveness their lack of contribution already causes.

VOTING: We will collect ballots by post or email until 12.31. Results will be posted in the March newsletter, but the board will get to work in January on matters of importance regarding road maintenance and the fiduciary responsibility we bear to do so.

Note: Neighbor Neal Devitt @ 115 ARR has had several solar lights stolen from the kachina sculpture at the end of his driveway. This little light is a safety device marking his driveway, and if anyone has a clue about who might be removing them, please contact Neal at <npdevitt@gmail.com>.

Also missing is the large cinders cannister that was in front of #12 ARR, the first house on the right as you enter the neighborhood. This can is property of ARPOA and we were planning to move it down to the mailbox area to use for trash. If someone decided to take it from this vacant property, we'd like to know.

Thanks again for your participation and commitment. Your support is greatly appreciated!

~c


Candelora Versace
Apache Ridge Property Owners Association
ARPOAboard@gmail.com
www.arpoa.blogspot.com
2010 Board: Candelora Versace, Kristin Ryan, Gustav Kocsis and Terri Jerry.

Two Resolutions: Nuclear Weapons and Local Food

Hi neighbors: If you want to be on County Commissioner Kathy Holian's email list, just contact her and you can receive regular notice of County activities and policies. She's extremely well-informed and gave a very useful presentation at our meeting last night (recap and updates coming soon!)

Candelora Versace

Apache Ridge Property Owners Association
ARPOAboard@gmail.com

www.arpoa.blogspot.com

2010 Board: Candelora Versace, Kristin Ryan, Gustav Kocsis and Terri Jerry.

Begin forwarded message:

From: Kathy Holian <kathleen.holian@comcast.net>

Date: December 9, 2010 10:33:58 AM MST

To: Undisclosed-recipients: <>;

Subject: Two Resolutions: Nuclear Weapons and Local Food

Dear Santa Fe County citizens,

Our last Board of County Commissioners meeting was fairly simple and straightforward (and it ended before 5:00!).  There are, however, two issues that I would like to highlight -- both resolutions.  Just to clarify, resolutions set policy, as opposed to ordinances which create legal code.

I am very interested in hearing your feedback on the issues below.  Also, please feel free to forward this message to whomever you think might be interested.

Sincerely,

-Kathy

Resolution on CMRR-NF:

This joint City/County resolution that called for a new Environmental Impact Statement for the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Nuclear Facility (CMRR-NF) prior to construction at Los Alamos National Laboratory (a.k.a. "the Lab"), was passed unanimously.  By way of background, the proposed CMRR-NF would house laboratory space for research on radioactive materials (primarily plutonium) and vault space for storing radioactive materials (up to 6 metric tons).

There currently is a Chemistry and Metallurgy Research (CMR) building at Los Alamos.  However, plans to expand the capabilities and to include more storage capability have been in the works for some time.  Part of the reason for this is that the overall vision for the national nuclear weapons complex is to make the Lab the site for manufacture of plutonium pits ( the so-called "primary" part of nuclear weapons).  I personally think this is not a good idea: we have 14,000 or so of these, and they are going to last 50-80 more years, according to the National Academy of Sciences.

But first, let me explain why I think it would be appropriate to conduct a new Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for the proposed CMRR-NF building.  TIn 2003, an EIS was completed completed for the new CMR building as planned at that time.  However, the concept then was to build a structure of about 200,000 square feet, costing around $400 million.  Since that time, the scope of the project has expanded greatly.  The current proposal is for a building of approximately 400,000 square feet at a cost of somewhere between $3.5 to $5.7 billion. Yup, you got that right: BILLIONS.

Part of the reason for the increased size and cost is that the building as currently proposed would be situated on a thick layer of tuff (a soft volcanic ash deposit, in spite of the name that sounds like "tough").  There are definitely seismic issues in the Los Alamos area, and tuff behaves somewhat like landfill in the event of an earthquake.  That is, the tuff can virtually "liquify" with strong enough seismic activity, completely undermining the solid foundation of a building, leading to collapse.  (This happened near the border of San Francisco Bay in the earthquake of 1987.  Buildings built on landfill in the Bay Area suffered the most damage by far.)

So, the plan is the dig out all the tuff underneath the building and to pour in concrete laced with rebar reinforcement.  The amount of concrete required will be on the order of 40,000 dump truck loads.  And the foundation for the building will be about 125 feet below the surface of the ground, rising halfway to the surface.

The original conception for the building was considerably smaller and restricted in scope.  That is why I believe it is reasonable and appropriate to conduct a completely new Environmental Impact Study, not just a supplement to the original EIS.  

Part of the purpose of this building is to support an expanded capability of the Lab to manufacture large quantities of plutonium pits for nuclear weapons.  In the past at the Lab, there has been some minor amount of manufacture of nuclear weapons.  However, these were for prototype weapons that were exploded at the Nevada Test Site prior to the above-ground nuclear test ban treaty, until later, when President George Herbert Walker Bush (the First) declared a moratorium on underground tests, too.

My primary concern, as related to Santa Fe County, is the transport of fissile material.  Plutonium manufactured in nuclear power plants will have to travel long distances to the Lab.  After being manufactured, the plutonium pits will have to be transported to wherever the weapons will be assembled and/or stored.  All of these loads will come through Santa Fe County.  Since the pits will probably go to the Pantex facility in Amarillo, Texas, the route in that case would be along U.S. 503 (down "the Hill" from Los Alamos), to U.S. 84/285, around the Relief Route Hwy. 599, then south and east along I-25 past Arroyo Hondo and Sunlit Hills, and then down U.S. 285 through Eldorado.

This transport of radioactive material has been happening all along.  However, expanding the manufacturing capability will also significantly increase the rate and volume of transport.  This is the most vulnerable part of the whole plutonium operation.  I am sure that every effort is being made to ensure that it is safe; however, accidents do happen.  In addition, these transports might actually be a target for terrorists: people who are up to no good.

I have other concerns related to the Lab itself.  I believe that the Lab employs a unique workforce -- one that has an extraordinary amount of scientific talent.  This expertise could be used for technical initiatives other than design of nuclear weapons.  For example, there are many areas in energy research to which the scientists and engineers at the Lab could contribute, including energy efficiency and renewable energy.  However, if an extraordinary amount of security is required at the Lab, and a whole bunch of money is dumped into the Lab's budget for the manufacture of significant number of plutonium pits, that will change the nature of what was a scientific laboratory into a more factory-like atmosphere, tending to make the people at the Lab very expensive and very isolated as well.

In any event, there are significant changes occurring at the Lab.  The people of the neighboring communities have not been consulted.  But, they will be affected.

In conclusion, at both the County and the City, the resolution passed unanimously.

Resolution on Support of New Mexico Agriculture:

This resolution (again passed unanimously) supported legislation at the State level giving purchasing preferences for local New Mexico food products (produce and meats, for example) as well as for food products that are processed in New Mexico.  The resolution was the recommendation of the City/County Food Policy Council.

New Mexico, particularly in the Rio Grande Valley, has a long and rich history of food production.  However, in recent years, people have become dependent on food supplies coming in from outside the state.  In fact, here are an interesting pair of statistics: about 95% of the food that we consume has not been produced in our state; on the other hand, about 95% of the food we do produce goes to markets outside the state.  

There are many good reasons for us to support our local agriculture.  For one thing, agriculture and ranching provide many direct and indirect jobs.  And in our region, locally-grown food is an important component of the tourism business -- think green chile!

Another great reason for consuming food that is grown locally is that it can be much fresher and therefore more nutritious.  It is worth pointing out that ready access to New Mexico farm and ranch-raised food will help reduce many diet-related diseases and will provide better nutrition for our children.  (There is a direct correlation between adequate nutrition and a child's development and school performance.)

Also, food grown locally does not have to travel as far, thereby saving lots of fossil fuel.  If the costs of fossil fuel go sky-high, so will the costs of food.  This is an important consideration for all of us whose budgets are already stretched.

Finally, growing food locally provides food security.  We are very dependent on long supply lines now, and if something were to happen that cut those supply lines, we would be in big trouble.

One reason that so much of our locally-grown produce and meat end up out-of-state is that we have insufficient facilities to process our foods.  For example, we have almost no capacity anymore in New Mexico for butchering and dressing animals for sales in our local grocery stores.  Unfortunately, the goal of producing and then consuming our own food products will not be solved overnight.  Gradually however, state and local governments can partner with the farmers and ranchers to provide the infrastructure that we need if we are committed to this goal.

I believe that improving our food security is one of the most important actions we can take to build up resilience in our community.

-Kathy Holian

4 Camino Cielo Azul

Santa Fe, NM 87508

505-995-9979

Kathleen.Holian@comcast.net

Recap of December 8 Annual Meeting

Hi neighbors:

Thanks so much to the neighbors who attended our semi-annual community meeting last night. Terri and Michael Jerry provided delicious refreshments, we collected several board election ballots and dues checks, and welcomed some new faces. Below is a re-cap of info from our invited guests. I'll send a second notice with other ARPOA information, including financial details, dues collection, etc.

Our fire dept. speakers had to cancel at the last minute, but did share the following information:

* The hazardous fuels reduction project in the state land parcel in the center of the neighborhood will probably begin in April 2011; if you see the red FD truck up there, they are currently gathering data about the property. Wood suitable for firewood will be hauled to the edge of the road where residents WITH A FREE STATE LAND PERMIT will be able to collect it. Permits will be available to the neighbors closer to the actual clearing activity. Residents will not be permitted to go into the land parcel to collect wood, but the crew will be moving it to an accessible spot for us. Any questions, feel free to contact Greg Gallegos, 995-6527.

* Residents who put up locked gates this summer should contact Hondo Fire Dept. directly to order a specialized lockbox that will provide a key or code access to EMT/Fire personnel in the event there is an emergency on your property and you aren't home to open the gate. We're waiting on information from the fire dept and will pass that on to you as soon as we have it...

Additionally, we got a *lot* of information from our County Commissioner Kathy Holian on two issues of special import to Apache Ridge residents.

LOT SPLITS: The County is revising its regulations on lot splits. Currently, family lot splits have been allowed without regard to added stress on infrastructure. That is changing, due to excessive sprawl and random development under the radar that has created problems with water, roads and utilities. New regulations will require all property owners to include homeowners associations in the approval process and will require more stringent attention to infrastructure.

Relevance to us? There are several large undeveloped parcels scattered through our neighborhood. Any development on those properties, whether it's bobcatting a new access road or chipping off a small section to sell and/or put a house on, must go through the standard legal zoning and regulatory processes to ensure such development will not stress the water limitations or add to road deterioration. Ms. Holian stressed that if you see such development occurring without the large yellow placard announcing the permit, that is an illegal activity and you can report it directly to her, and she will follow up with the county. Considering approximately half the residents in the neighborhood  believe they are exempt from road maintenance responsibilities, it is likely that we can also expect future development that attempts to bypass these regulations, having a direct impact on YOUR water table and YOUR road.

NEW PRIVATE ROAD ACCEPTANCE RULES: Ms. Holian also advised us that these rules are changing in our favor (for once). A new policy for accepting private roads and undocumented subdivisions into the county's purview is currently in the works and should be completed early next year. The county is of the legal opinion that private roads that are poorly maintained present a safety hazard to EMT/Police/Fire personnel, and therefore should be adopted into the county and provided proper maintenance, which ideally would include at least 2 gradings a year plus SNOW REMOVAL. While there may be some burden on residents to upgrade a road before it is taken over by the county, the standard will be determined at a much lower level than we originally had been led to believe (ie, we though we would have to pave, and that apparently is not the case; in fact, most of Apache Ridge is probably perfectly acceptable as is, thanks to our diligence at maintenance; residents on the side roads may need to address their own needs if they want county attention).

Ms. Holian will keep us informed of the progress of this regulation and how Apache Ridge can take advantage of this opportunity. Again, considering that only about half the residents currently contribute to maintenance and snow removal expenses that benefit the whole neighborhood, and considering the huge amount of energy being expended by a few hardy souls to make sure this happens on a regular basis, again for the benefit of the whole neighborhood, the board is inclined to work closely with Ms. Holian and the County Commission to make this a reality in the coming year. Stay tuned for details as they become available.

Please note: Ms. Holian did say that the county does reserve the right to make this decision without the approval of the residents if they deem the necessity of safety to emergency personnel to be strong enough. Considering that the fire dept considers Apache Ridge an "extreme hazard" in terms of potential fire emergency, it's entirely possible that they will lean on the county to amend our road status regardless of resident's input.

*One last item from Ms Holian: she has applied an organic road stabilizing material used extensively on Canadian mine access roads on her own driveway on Glorieta Mesa, in an experiment to find a cheaper and better alternative to base course. The material is made with lignans, which are tree fibers, and which, when mixed with road material, create a forgiving surface that is hard enough to withstand heavy traffic but does not create dust, washboarding or potholes. It creates a hard surface that is 4 inches deep but is not slick, making it ideal for driving in bad weather as well. Depending on how well the material performs for her in the next year or so, it's possible that Santa Fe County may investigate further and eventually adopt this material as an alternative to basecourse for the entire county. It's half the cost of basecourse with minimal maintenance later, and one-tenth the cost of paving, according to her. We are looking forward to hearing more in the future about whether our road and others in the county will be able to take advantage of this technology as well. (note; this is not the "enzyme" material some people have tried in the past, nor is it a chipseal product).

More details to come later...



Candelora Versace
Apache Ridge Property Owners Association
ARPOAboard@gmail.com
www.arpoa.blogspot.com
2010 Board: Candelora Versace, Kristin Ryan, Gustav Kocsis and Terri Jerry.