The ES-CA Board had their monthly meeting on Monday, November 3, 2014. Attending were Board members: Bob Gorrell; Chris Daul (CD); Tony Hull (TH); Ed Majka (EM); Orin Safier (OS): and, Lynn Koch (LK). Also attending were: Judy Labowitz; Dick Ulmer; Susan Fullas, John Cohello and Scott Stevens.
Committee reports were given as follows:
Treasurer’s report: OS reported that dues were coming in and renewal notices were still being sent out..
Watchdogs: ED reported that four new people had signed up as Watchdogs and that Scott Stevens had sent out a schedule of upcoming meetings.
LPT: Dick Ulmer reported that the LPT Board will be meeting to discuss additional fundraising; additional complaints have been filed against Vulcan (formerly Lafarge) with the NMED; and, a motion to intervene in the County’s lawsuit against Vulcan had been drafted, along with a complaint. A motion was made to grant authority to intervene and discussion ensued. The ES-CA Board will communicate with all members before taking any action.
Additional items were discussed:
I 25 Interchange: BG reported that NM DOT had begun to act on some of the recommendations from the independent report, but that much work remained. There will be follow-up with NM DOT Region three.
IT Management: OS reported that our IT expert was almost complete with his work. OS has been communication with him on a regular basis.
ES-CA Statement of Support: BG reported that Jerry Saxton was to get the Statement to our Federal representatives. ES-CA is working hard to insure that no mining be permitted on the BLM land.
Membership Management System: OS reported that there is a meeting on November 8 to discuss this issue and that, so far, renewal notices have been going out.
Gravel Mining:
Proposed Legislation: BG provided draft legislation that would bring gravel mining under the State Mining Act, increase fines and penalties, and require the State to act within 30 days of a violation. We will try to meet with State legislators to have this legislation introduced in the next Legislative session.
Fisher Sand and Gravel: EM reported that he had met with Fisher representatives and they advised that they would be submitting a new proposal for annexation by the Town of Bernalillo. ED prepared a Statement of Conditions that Fisher would have to adhere to in order for ES-CA not to oppose the annexation. It was discussed that Bernalillo desperately needs a detention basis on this land to deal with flooding and that Fisher is proposing to donate the land and labor to build the basin. The Board agreed to issue the Statement with revisions as discussed and for ED and CD to contact Mayor Torres to discuss this matter. The Board was clear that they do not support gravel and sand mining in the Placitas area. However, it was believed that the proposed detention basin is essential for the safety, health and welfare of Bernalillo residents, and that there is no funding available to complete this project. Therefore, the only option is to utilize the Fisher owned land. The Statement will be posted on the ES-CA Forum. The Board agreed not to oppose the annexation, if the conditions are substantially met and included in any ordinance that is adopted by the Town of Bernalillo. Should the conditions not be agreed to by Bernalillo and Fisher, ES-CA reserves the right to oppose the annexation.
December Election of New Officers: The Board discussed election of officers and it was decided that the officers for 2015 would be as follows: Bob Gorrell – President; Ed Majka – Vice President; Susan Fullas – Treasurer; and, Lynn Koch – Secretary.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 1, at La Puerta Realty, beginning at 6:30 pm. All are welcome to attend.