The ES-CA Board of Directors met last night. Attending the meeting were Directors: Bob Gorrell (President); Orin Safier (Treasurer); Chris Daul (Secretary); Ed Majka; and, Tony Hull. Also attending were: Dick Ulmer, Scott Stevens, David Wilson and Ed Macy.
The major issues discussed included:
1. I 25/Rt. 550/Rt. 165 Interchange. ES-CA has received numerous complaints from residents about the difficulty of seeing oncoming traffic at the ramp entrance to Rt. 165, from northbound I 25. The original NM DOT plans called for an acceleration lane to be present, but that was later removed without notice.
ES-CA Board members had met with NM DOT officials and were advised to wait and see how the final configuration would work. Based on feedback from residents, and our own experiences, the Board believes that the intersection is not safe.
ES-CA is requesting a meeting with NM DOT officials, State elected representatives and local law enforcement officers to discuss how the ramp entrance can be made safer. Our position is that we want the acceleration lane to be built. If anyone has additional concerns or comments, please let Board members know.
2. Fisher – Proposed Annexation by Bernalillo. Once again the Board would like to thank everyone that attended the Bernalillo Council meeting on February 21st. The annexation ordinance was tabled due to concerns expressed by Placitas and other residents about the potential mining of the site. ES-CA Board members subsequently met with Mayor Torres of Bernalillo to further discuss our concerns. The Board will be discussing the matter again with the Mayor and we expect to arrive at a suitable compromise that will give the Town some tax revenues and a detention basin, while severely limiting sand and gravel processing and, prohibiting any type of asphalt plant. We will keep everyone apprised of what is happening next.
3. Zoning Issues. ES-CA has discovered that Sandoval County has very limited enforcement powers over zoning violations, as evidenced by the LaFarge situation. Board members have met with the County Administration and the County is determined to try to enforce the regulations, but they have very limited ability to fine landowners. While ES-CA is continuing to work with the County and the Anasazi HOA, we are also proposing State legislation that will give counties more enforcement power on zoning matters.
All ES-CA Board meetings are open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend. The next meeting is on Monday, April 7, at 6:30 pm, at La Puerta Realty office.