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.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Daileys...

Dear Neighbors: 
Late Saturday night of November 21, our neighbors, Apache Ridge
residents Buffy Dailey and Richard Benally were involved in a tragic car accident on Old Las Vegas Hwy just north of our road. Mr. Benally was killed, and Ms. Dailey was seriously injured. Two of their 3 dogs who were in the car at the time have been rescued but a third, a friendly Chihuahua-dachsund mix named Cocoa Bean, remains missing.


Their teenage son and Ms. Dailey’s elderly father are devasted by their losses (you might recall that Ms. Dailey’s brother Travis passed away last year at this time, at the home.)


Please keep these neighbors in your heart during this holiday season; they live at 39 Apache Ridge Rd. 


(If you do see the dog, please contact Gina House, cell 946-8814, Home 424-7265, Work 473-1777)

Another Beautiful Backyard Sighting!

Renee Lynn photographed this visitor this morning.

Thanks, Renee!

Suspicious Activity

Several neighbors reported being visited on Saturday by folks in a large dark GM SUV with dark tinted windows; occupants asked for anyone who knew American Sign Language or deaf speakers, or indicated they were from Jehovah's Witnesses but without identification. Another neighbor said he'd been visited about 2 weeks ago by same. Whether they are legitimate missionaries or strangers casing out the neighborhood, they are making residents very uneasy. If anyone else encounters this group, which includes 2 white men, an African-American man, an older woman and a younger, possibly teenaged woman, please take down a license plate number. We've received several emails with very specific identifiers of the vehicles and the appearance of the occupants, and residents are well within our rights to report suspicious activity to the sheriffs dept.

NM DOT

In a follow-up to a request from some neighbors to ask the NM DOT to move the 45 mph sign on OLVH up the hill in an attempt to slow traffic as it's coming from Canoncito, Commissioner Kathy Holian set up a meeting with Miguel Gabaldon and Mark Anaya from DOT, and Candelora Versace and Booth Gallett from ARPOA.

They were very receptive to our concerns and suggestions for improved safety for residents going in and out of Apache Ridge, and indicated they would be able to do a traffic survey, crash survey and a few other surveys within the next several weeks.

Primary requests were: move the speed limit sign that is currently below ARR farther back on OLVH (or add a new one); mend the eroded asphalt of OLVH adjacent to the mailboxes; restripe the asphalt of the ARR apron where it's worn off; evaluate the need for a culvert at the bottom of the road to improve drainage in the mailbox area.

Booth G. brought a map of the neighborhood, which gave them a graphic view of how much traffic our intersection deals with every day. They were also very sensitive to the difficult job a neighborhood organization has in maintaining a private road. And they suggested the possibility that once they get out onto OLVH and get a good look at things, they might consider pushing for a bigger project that could improve the highway from 285 to its end at Canoncito. That one waits to be seen, but hopefully we'll get some action out at the intersection sooner rather than later.

Note: NO changes in the orientation of the entry will be made; they will just look at the existing striping and maintenance issues of the part of the road that is their right-of-way and if it requires upkeep, they'll provide it, because that's their job. If they think a culvert would be useful to address the erosion and accumulation that happens at the mailboxes, that might be up to us to provide, but it depends on what they discover when they poke around at the stop sign.

Road Grading Update

It appears we may have gotten the entire monsoon season on July 1. Grading is temporarily postponed until we get more moisture on our road...it's currently too dry to do much of anything useful.

Special thanks to all the Road Warriors who got out on our road last weekend and cleared culverts, moved dirt and generally helped extend the life of the road.

Mescalero Remediation Team: Joe Mowrey, Bob Zachry, Mary Wolf, Marc Howard, Candelora Versace and Frank Blanch, who did some finishing work. Thanks also to Frank for fixing Apache Point right after the big rain.

Entrance Clean-up: Dale Gentsch and the Little Green Tractor.

Thanks also to all the residents who worked on the bar ditches in front of their property; there is evidence of diversion channels and other activity along our road that will help direct the flow of rain water (should it ever rain again).

A small team is gathering next weekend (Sunday, 7.25, 4pm) to begin the dissection of the Road Easement documents, in search of ways to compel more residents to contribute. Anyone who wants to be included in this meeting, please contact the board.

Road Crews: weekend plans

Apache Ridge just below Mescalero Trail: remediation crew is meeting at 9 AM on Sunday. Bring a shovel!

Culvert on Apache Ridge just below Apache Trail: the culvert is clog-free but the drainage bowl needs shoring up. Contact Gustav Kocsis, 466-3149, to join a team effort.

Anyone with an earthmoving machine—tractor, bobcat, whatever— who wants to help scoop up material down by the mailboxes and put it back on the road is welcome. Dale will be there with his green tractor this weekend.

Neal's crew will be grading next week, after utility line markings are done.

Thanks to all for helping out!

The Road: The Plan

The grader is parked just below Cresta Pequena, always a hopeful sign. That means sometime in the next few days we'll get a good solid grading with attention to the bar ditches. Casey Ryan has offered to bring his high pressure sprayer to the culverts and see if he can clear them out that way. Dale has offered to scoop up the material down by the mailboxes and deposit it on the rockiest parts of the road. Anyone else who has a little time and energy this weekend is invited to bring a shovel to any of the culverts along the road and clear the drainage path. My family will be working on the mess just below Mescalero Trail on Sunday. I expect some of my neighbors on the upper half of the road may join me. Also, David Kice (Wilowa) has offered to help fill in some of the blanks in the database so we can start contacting people who are still flying under the radar and not receiving newsletters (and not contributing to the road fund). Thank you to EVERYONE for joining in the effort. Let's not let the whole road slide down onto the highway!!

Call for Volunteers

While we are working on solutions for the larger "road" picture, it's apparent that the crater just below Mescalero Trail is going to need some immediate attention. Until we know whether we can get appropriate equipment or personnel to take care of it, anyone with a strong back and sturdy shovel (or little earthmover?) is welcome to head over there and push some dirt and rocks around to alleviate the immediate danger.

Remember, this is OUR road; there is no THEM to leave the hard work to. I'm receiving complaints about the road from people who don't even bother to write a check now and then, but fortunately that's been outweighed by the evidence that some folks have already been out on parts of the road filling in ruts and holes, and others have volunteered their willingness to help.

OK, well, it's raining again, and hopefully it'll be the kind of nice, gentle rain we love instead of a destructive monster like last week's!!! (And thanks to Casey Ryan who has taken over the task of posting your pictures and videos on the blog; if you send them, we will post them!)

Canada de Los Alamos Flood

Here's a quick video of the Cañada de los Alamos Arroyo in all its glory on July 1st, 2010.  There was flooding in homes along its route but not as devastating as we regularly see on the Nightly News.  All in all, those of us living along its path did pretty well and we are thankful for that...!
The Cañada is the 2nd largest water shed in the area.  It drains a vast area of mountains and foothills between the highway and Glorieta Baldy.
Thanks to Conrad Skinner for his quick thinking in shooting this video where the arroyo runs through his and Ellen's property.

Road Work (or not...)

The good news is: The Monsoons have started! The bad news is...well, just drive on our road a ways and you'll see. The contractor has assessed the situation and has found that at least 3 major culverts are full of silt and will probably need to be cleared by hand; there is a washout just below Mescalero Trail and those culverts are also full. Grading, bar ditches, culvert cleaning, collecting all the road material that washed down to the mailboxes and replacing it on the road...right now, the estimate is more than we currently have funds for.

Emptying the bank account now doesn't seem like a good idea...when we could get more gullywashers like the last one and need to do more remediation before summer's end...and what do we do about keeping some reserves for snow removal?

If the entire neighborhood were contributing to the road fund, we would have more resources to work with. As it is, we'll just let you know what we decide to do--and when-- just as soon as we come up with a plan.

Noble Neighbor...

John Graham, 43 Apache Ridge Rd., was lucky enough to get this great shot in December, 09 outside their home.

Thanks, John, for sharing this with us. For those who have heard about these guys living around here, here is the actual proof.  

Great Job on the Clean-Up!

Thanks to all the neighbors who participated in giving our road some attention this weekend.  Lots of trash pick-up, some tree trimming and brush collecting have made a big difference.

Note: If you trimmed branches along the roadside, please collect them and take them to the dump on your next dump run. Dry tree limbs and branches left on the ground do present a fire hazard, especially during these dry and windy days. 

Summer Solstice Road Clean-Up This Saturday

Just a reminder that the annual road clean-up is this Saturday. Please try to find an hour or so out of your busy weekend to collect trash, load up brush for the dump and trim out overgrowth along our road's edges. Thanks in advance to everyone who is participating in keeping our community clean and safe!

Bear visitation on Cresta Pequena

Dawn C. at 39 CP reports she nearly bumped into a bear this morning in her yard about 5:15 AM (it was gone by the time she got her camera), and her neighbor Trish T. told her their garbage cans had been knocked over and ransacked. Guess it's that time of year again; remember to secure your trash and compost bins and pay attention to early-morning dog barking. Here's NM Game & Fish info:

www.wildlife.state.nm.us/education/wildlife_notes/documents/NoteBlBearSm.pdf

www.wildlife.state.nm.us/publications/documents/BearsAlive.pdf

And finally, "If you see a bear and consider it a safety threat, please contact your local Department of Game and Fish conservation officer, police or sheriff's office. You also can call the Department office in Santa Fe at (505) 476-8000, or area offices in Albuquerque, Raton, Roswell and Las Cruces, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday."

New Neighbors...!

Renee Lynn photographed these pups from her sunroom on Sunday. If you look closely at the top photo you can discern an adult watching from the shadows.

Three adults and three puppies came around the bird feeder, checked out the gopher holes and took a drink at the fountain while Lizzy was napping in the window.

Renee

Neighbors Make It Happen

Just a note to say that it's really gratifying to see the residents move forward to follow up with issues that concern them...and all of us. LPS resident Booth Gallett is working with County Commissioner Kathy Holian to petition the NM DOT to reduce the speed limit on OLVH above Apache Ridge Road, instead of below it. Numerous near-misses at our intersection make this a no-brainer. The board is preparing a resolution to send to Commissioner Holian so that she can work "within the system" if possible to make this happen.

The burglary at #47 confirmed many neighbors' worst fears: a very long delay in response time from the Sheriff's Dept. ... the deputy was sent to Apache Plume instead of Apache Ridge  and took over an hour to arrive at the house...even with the homeowner giving direct step by step directions. Follow-up: Wilowa resident David Kice sent an email to both Cpl Pacheco and Sgt Coleman, who are referenced in previous posts as being involved in neighborhood relations, discussing this long lag time and asking for ways it can be improved. At least we can start by getting our neighborhood on their radar!

Finally, LPS resident Casey Ryan has offered his assistance in working with the board and other interested residents to move forward with title guy Steve Riemann, who spoke at our meeting last week, to sort through 30 years of legal documentation on the road easement, with the goal of getting more voluntary compliance on contributing to the road maintenance fund.

Candelora had visited with the Santa Fe County Attorney last fall to discuss all this documentation, with the goal of sorting it out and clarifying neighborhood rights and responsibilities...the only way to make this happen is with the assistance of a few committed individuals who will stick with the process.

It's gratifying to see how many residents are willing to step up and move forward. Thank you, to everyone.

Additional Security Info

With the news that, in addition to the break-in, another resident "lost" a log-splitter from his yard yesterday, it's understandable that folks are edgy. I'm getting a lot of emails offering sympathy to the burglary victims yesterday, some notes on suspicious vehicle activity and some suggestions for better security similar to what's been posted.

Commissioner Kathy Holian sent me information just a couple weeks ago about rising crime in her neighborhood (Glorieta Heights) and notes from a talk her community had, also at Hondo 2, with Sgt. Clifton Coleman from the Sheriff's Dept. (986-2467).

Among his advice was the following: There is no such thing as a nosy neighbor. Know what your immediate neighbors look like and what they drive. Have meetings and share stories. He also encouraged residents to call or email him DIRECTLY rather than go thru dispatch for fast response. You can also email him photos of suspicious vehicles.

According to Sgt Coleman, the average age of the bad guys is 27; they scope out neighborhoods between 9:00 and 11:00 AM. If you see something suspicious at or near your home, push your car alarm button, use your car horn, take a photo with your cell phone of the license plate or the driver, or use a whistle.

On the other hand, Cpl Pacheco, who spoke to our community last week, said there's a lot you can do to slow down the bad guys but that doesn't mean you won't get broken into just the same. The main thing to consider is that they want to move quickly before someone comes home; if you make it hard for them to get in—and make it hard for them to find your valuables once they're in the house—you might have a better chance of deterring them.

If anyone remembers seeing anything or anyone out of the ordinary yesterday morning between 9:30 and 12:30 on the first half-mile of the road, be sure to let us know; we can pass it along to the folks at #47 and their detectives.

Thanks!
UPDATE ON THE LOG-SPLITTER: the residents found what look like ATV tracks.

BURGLARY TODAY 47 ARR

Bad scene at #47, near Paintball Curve; big dogs inside the house beaten, lots of stuff taken. Burglary between 9:30-12:30 today. Anyone who saw ANYTHING on the road today, please let us know!

Community Meeting Re-cap

We had a busy night at the Hondo 2 station on June 10. Here are the highlights of the meeting; if anyone wants further details, please email the Board.

First up was Chief Tom Chilton of Hondo 2, who spoke about our already very active wildfire season. He told us about the equipment he has (an impressive array for such a small community--but very necessary because of the "urban/wilderness" interface we inhabit) and specifically about what would come up Apache Ridge Road in event of a wildfire. That would be 2 smallish 4WD trucks with about 300 gallons of water each and lots of a foam additive that makes the water "wetter" and thus more effective for putting out structure fires, or protecting nearby structures. Chief Chilton can be reached at 690-7423...and would love to have more volunteers for the Hondo dept. or just to have drop-in visitors at their weekly meetings Saturday mornings at the Hondo 1 station in Seton Village.

LPS resident Casey Ryan added to the discussion by noting that he is starting a business providing this same foam additive for homeowner use; he has a compelling tale to share about using it in his driveway on his own spontaneously combusting vehicle; more info at www.swfirefightingfoam.com.

And remember, if you want the Fire Prevention team from the SF County Fire Dept to come out and walk your property with you to point out "hazardous fuels," you can call Greg Gallegos at 995-6527.

Next we heard from SF County Commissioner Kathy Holian (995-9979) who spoke briefly about the county's new Sustainable Development plan. This replaces the Growth Management plan and reflects the county's desire to essentially attempt to rein in sprawl and patchwork development and instead sustain the traditional communities, agricultural history and open spaces we love. Info about the plan can be found on the county website, www.santafecounty.org.

She also spoke about the RENEW program, which is starting up later this year. Homeowners can receive upfront cash to install green energy (solar panels, solar hot water heaters, geothermal systems and wind power) which will then be paid back over 20 years  at a fixed rate attached to the property taxes of your home. If you move, the assessment stays with the property (as does the improvements, of course). More info at the county website.

And Kathy has her own email list to share detailed information about the backstory behind county decisions...get on her list if you want to follow things like the ongoing drama over dump fees, Joe Miller's trailer development on 285 and the new wastewater system going in on OLVH for benefit of Harry's Roadhouse and El Gancho.

Cpl. William Pacheco of the Sheriff's Office, invited to share security tips, spoke about the importance of Neighborhood Watch programs. His dept. is Community Support Services; he can be reached at wpacheco@santafecounty.org. We're proud of the ad-hoc neighborhood watch we've already established, as it pretty much mirrors what Cp. Pacheco recommended: get to know your neighbors at least well enough so that you can watch out for one another in the event of suspicious activity, and establish a phone or email list to share information regarding strange vehicles and break-ins. If you're not on our email list, send us your address so we can keep you in the loop.

He also reminded the neighbors to not make it any easier for determined burglars: lock your doors and windows (home, vehicles, outbuildings) when you are not home; notify a neighbor if you are going out of town; leave a radio, tv or lights on in the house; etc. He also recommended investing in a home alarm system with monitoring; a deputy WILL come to the house when they get the signal and will stay there until you get home. Most systems are well under $1000 to install and some $20 a month for the monitoring.

AND be sure to call in (911) whatever you see or hear that makes you uncomfortable or suspicious. They WILL respond, they do NOT feel as though you are bothering them, the DO want to hear from you with as much information as possible. If you can get vehicle descriptions, license plate numbers or photos, all the better.

Finally, we heard from the very patient and well-rehearsed Steve Riemann of Fidelity National Title Group (989-2427) to speak about basic rights and responsibilities of property easements. Steve brought along copies of the road easement agreement (which we also have) and explained to neighbors about who is responsible for maintenance of property that is "easemented," who can or can't put up fences and gates, etc.

His best word of advice: if you have an easement with a neighbor, it's best to work out any details or questions while you have a good relationship with that neighbor, rather than waiting until you have a problem or if the neighboring property is sold and you acquire a new problem. Check your title documents carefully so you understand your own easements and rights. Steve teaches realtors about easements and has access to Santa Fe's largest library of property data; he was very friendly and accessible and if you want further information about your property, give him a call and he'll direct you to the appropriate solutions.

Last but not least, please note that our May 31 bank balance was a little over $2200. Let's hope we don't get a destructive monsoon season, because we really need to build up our road maintenance fund.

If you want to volunteer to visit with your neighbors and have a friendly conversation about how important it is to get more residents contributing to the road fund, by all means get in touch with the Board.

Thanks to all who are participating!

COMMUNITY MEETING JUNE 10

Hi, neighbors...the June newsletter has gone out by email and post, so hopefully by now everyone has one stuck to their refrigerator with a magnet. Please be sure to join us at the Hondo 2 fire station for the community meeting on Thursday, June 10, 7-8:30 pm for some useful information and discussion regarding easement rights, neighborhood security and wildfire safety.

County Commissioner Kathy Holian will also share information regarding the county's new solar initiative; if you've ever wanted to add solar power to your house, the county now has a way to make it affordable.

And we'd like to urge everyone to spend an hour or so on Saturday June 19th to get out onto our road to pick up trash, trim out overgrowth and clear out brush along the roadway. Everyone's efforts are needed and appreciated; the road belongs to all of us, and it's up to all of us to take care of it for safe and comfortable driving. (And as soon as we get some moisture, we should be able to take care of all that washboard!!)

Road Work: Final (I hope) Update

What we expect to be the last phase of the Spring road work includes bringing material to and grading the very top quarter-mile or so of the road, which we hope to schedule for next week. Thanks to all for your cautious driving while the crew has been on the road, and thanks for the dues payments. We'll see how the road holds up during the monsoon season; if we like the experimental donated asphalt-blend material (near Metate Way) we might consider funding a small amount for the entry to the road just above the pavement coming up from OLVH (note: that paved apron is the responsibility of the State Dept of Transportation). Feel free to send your comments or suggestions regarding the road work to the board.

The June newsletter will have information for our semi-annual Community Meeting at the firehouse and the Summer Solstice Road Clean-Up effort--both events which would surely benefit from your involvement!

Missing Dog Alert

UPDATE: Cinco has returned home on his own. .....Hi neighbors: Dale on Cresta Pequena reports that his 1-year-old black and tan beagle has just run off. His name is Cinco, and he has a tan and brown collar (his tag is missing). If anyone sees Cinco or is able to pick him up, please let us know asap. Thanks!

More road work info

Correction re: placement of new concrete/asphalt blend material: it's going to go at the top of the hill just inside the entry to the neighborhood...please use caution driving while the crew is on the road! Thanks...

Subscribe to new posts!

Hi neigbors! Just a note to say that if you want to be automatically notified when there is a new post on the site, click on "Subscribe" which is down at the lower left-hand corner of the site. This *should* send the post directly to wherever you receive RSS feeds on your browser or email program. In the meanwhile, I'll continue to use the email list to notify folks of a new post while we all get familiar with the program. If you have any problems with the site, please contact the ARPOA I-T dept., ha ha...just send an email (the address is on the upper right corner of the site) and we'll try to work it out. Also of course as always, please feel free to send any comments, questions or issues regarding road work, missing pets or crime alerts. Thanks!

Spring 2010 Road Work

Hi, neighbors: just a note to say the Spring Road Work will continue this week, so please drive carefully on your way in and out of the neighborhood. The plan is to finish the grading that we started last month and add basecourse to areas where the road has deteriorated to the point where it's not gradeable anymore.

In addition, Cresta Pequena neighbor Dale Gentsch has researched a new road material that is a blend of crushed concrete and ground asphalt blended with an emulsion to help it bind to the road. The expected outcome is a road surface that will not degrade as quickly in the presence of moisture. Dale has initiated at his own expense a small amount of this material and SubSurface Contracting is donating the equipment to spread and roll it on an area below the Paint Ball Camp Curve, in an effort to provide more durability to the most heavily travelled areas of the road surface. The board voted to give the new material a try; note it may be much darker in color than the base course due to the asphalt content, but it should NOT provide a pavement-like surface.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed dues this Spring; your dues are paying for the much-needed upkeep of the road, which was so badly beaten during the Winter. As always, if you have not yet sent your Spring dues, please do so!

Spring Dues Are Due!

Thank you to all neighbors who have sent in their Spring dues! If you haven't yet, we'll continue to remind you until September, when we will start collecting Fall dues. Remember, dues are $200 per year (payable all at once or in 2 $100 installments) for every resident who uses Apache Ridge Road to access their property. Dues fund road maintenance and improvement for Lone Pine Spur and Apache Ridge Road, as per the 1999 By-laws of the Apache Ridge Property Owners Association.

Documents (By-laws, incorporation papers, road easement agreement, etc) are available to all residents whose dues are current.

Thanks again for all your support...and please drive safely!

Welcome to the new ARPOA website!

Hello, neighbors! Just a quick note to welcome you to the new ARPOA website. In the future we will use this site to post our quarterly newsletters, announcements of meetings and other neighborhood news. Hopefully, this blog will eventually replace the emailed announcements we are currently using. We will continue to use traditional mail for the 4 quarterly newsletters for residents we don't have email addresses for.

Please use the new ARPOA email address -- ARPOAboard@gmail.com --  to send news and information you'd like posted here.