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SANDIA╬PARK™

Scenic Byway Neighborhood Association

NEWS & EVENTS

East Mountain Celebration 2006

The East Mountain Celebration will be held May 7 at Los Vecinos Community Center. At the celebration, local residents will be honored for their service to the
 community. Please read the attached flyer/form and let us know who you think should be honored. It can be an adult or one of our outstanding young people.
 The form should be sent in by the middle of March to either Los Vecinos or Vista Grande Community Centers LosVecinos'address is P.O.Box 727
  Tijeras,NM87059,Vista Grande's is P.O 1153 Sandia Park,NM 87047.  There are many East Mountain residents who give unselfishly of themselves to the
 greater good of our community, let's honor them.

Notes from Campbell Ranch meeting March 6, 2006

This was a preliminary plat approval meeting at a regular Edgewood zoning and planning meeting. This meeting specifically refers to Village 2, phase 1 of the
Campbell Ranch development. SunCor Development Company gave a presentation about their vision for this area of development. They do not currently have
approval for these plans, except those already laid out in the Campbell Ranch Master Plan, which was approved in 2001.

First addressed were some key issues. Water; is currently being negotiated, but will definitely be brought in. There is a well on the property which will primarily be
used to irrigate a farming area. Schools; they are not sure what district they are currently in.

A description of the plan was discussed, including a plan for water. Phase one will have 266 lots on118 acres. These lots will range in size from 6500 square feet
(10 feet between houses) to 1/3 acre. There are plans for attached housing (town homes) on the smaller lots, but that may change, as 6500 sq ft is too big for
town homes. There will be a system of trails in the community, which will connect with the future east mountain trail system outlined in the east mountain area plan.

They are still negotiating public services, such as fire and police. Through the formation of a public improvement district (PID), assessments to property owners
would be made that would pay for infrastructure, and also for public services. Basically an assessment to property owners would be made so that the money
necessary to build roads would be paid for over a long period of time. A homeowners association would also be created to be responsible for maintenance of
roads, and open space.

Phase 2 is planned for 309 lots on 158 acres, and phase 3 will have 270 lots on 126 acres. There is a total of 845 lots on 402 acres. There is also a commercial
development area of 16 acres, a farming area, and planned open space (not sure of acreage). There is also 3000 acres reserve that is never to be built on which
is the south mountain of the San Pedro mountains. In all, the housing density is to be 1 house per 2 acres.

The community will have a water system, which will have reservoirs on the mountain. Sewage will be drained to a membrane system at the north end of the
community, there will be no septic tanks. The community will be serviced by fire hydrants. Owners will have a water bill, and will be metered.

A traffic impact study has been done, the dept. of transportation will assess whether more lanes will be needed, or if signals will be necessary. At a minimum,
based on the study, there will be a signal at Frost and Hwy 14, which could go in soon. The two entrances to this development will be at Paa-Ko Dr, and La
Madera. Street lights will not be used, so as to keep light pollution to a minimum, and to follow the Night Skies ordinance.

This development is still needing several permits, and zoning approval from Edgewood. They also need to secure a water source, and incorporating a utility
company to handle the water. There is no start date for this phase because these items must be secured before building can start. When development does start,
though, look for severe land damage, as they plan to scrape the land clean before they build.

This is only Village 2 of the Campbell Ranch development. There are a total of 4 villages. Village 3 and 4 are north of Village 2, it is unclear if they are in
Edgewood or not. Village 1 is the land between La Madera Rd on the west side of Hwy 14 and behind San Antonito Elementary School. Village 2 is supposed
to be the most dense of all four villages.

SunCor has developed many planned communities in Arizona, from which they are based. They developed the Rancho Viejo community which is south of Santa
Fe, near Hwy 14 and I-25. Please check out their developments via their website www.suncoraz.com.

To be put on an Edgewood email list to receive information on meetings about this and other development, please send an email to info@edgewood-nm.gov

Questions:
What will landscaping for individual homes be like?
Will they use individual propane, or some other source for gas?
What is Edgewood's long term goals, and how do they affect us? Does their plan involve annexing Village 1(La Madera)?

Notes from the Capital Improvements meeting Mar 3, 2006

Every two years, the county updates its CIP. These are requests to add large items to the county. They can include purchasing land or buildings, construction of
buildings, utility systems, roads, or parks. They are not requests for maintenance, operations, or service projects. They will look at old projects first, then new
requests. Capital improvement requests lead to general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, special assessment districts, federal grants, or state appropriations.
Ideas are needed by May 3, 2006. Those ideas will be reviewed by Aug 2, and sent to the commissioners on Aug 22. If approved, they would be added to the
general obligation bonds on the Nov 7, 2006 ballot. Some items completed in the east mountains last year (2005):

• Roads: County Line, Raven, Brannen, Forest, Kennedy

• Fire Station improvements and equipment: stations 11,10,13

• Los Vecinos Community Center PlaygroundVista Grande Community Center concession building

• land purchase for new sub station

Please call 342-7939 or 768-4000 for questions.
You can also fill out this form and send it to mcovarrubi@bernco.gov
You can also read the Handbook for more information – this gives definitions and examples for submitting a CIP request

EAST MOUNTAIN GYM TO BE NAMED IN MEMORY OF FALLEN RESIDENTS

Bernalillo County Commissioners have voted to dedicate a proposed $4 million East Mountain High School community gymnasium
in memory of Richard Smith and David Fisher, two East Mountain residents who were slain August 18, 2005 in
Albuquerque. Albuquerque Police Officer Richard Smith was shot and killed in the line of duty following a 22-year career with
APD. He was responding to a mental health pick-up order with fellow officer Michael King when he died. David Fisher had just
begun his senior year at East Mountain High School when he was killed on the same day, allegedly by the same shooter. Fisher was
an avid motocross rider and was shot at Rider Valley Motorcycles where he was working that day. Smith and Fisher were among
five people killed in Albuquerque last August 18.
In 2005 the New Mexico State Legislature appropriated $1.4 million dollars to design and construct the gymnasium to be used jointly
by East Mountain High School and the Vista Grande Community Center. Bernalillo County contributed an additional $341,555 to
the project and is authorized to name County facilities after individuals. "These two individuals were outstanding and made significant
contributions to the community and were thought highly of," said Bernalillo County Commissioner Michael Brasher who represents
the East Mountains. "I feel it's important we recognize them by dedicating the gym."
The Fisher and Smith Memorial Gymnasium is expected to be built adjacent to a memorial garden for David Fisher on the East
Mountain High School campus with a ground breaking tentatively scheduled for Fall 2006.

Click here for more information about the community wildfire protection plan, and fire prevention.

The Southwest Coordination Center (SWCC) is the interagency focal point for coordinating the mobilization of resources between Zones of the Southwest Area and,
when necessary, the National Coordination Center in Boise, ID. Located in Albuquerque, NM, the Center mobilizes resources for wildland fire, wildland fire use,
prescribe fire, and other all-risk incidents. In addition, the Center provides Predictive Services and Intelligence related-products in support of incident management
decision-making for wildland fire managers and on-the-ground wildland firefighters.

If your family does not have an emergency plan, Click here. The minimum preparedness includes a designated place to meet if separated, an emergency stockpile of
food, water, cash, coins, a radio, flashlight(s), and 2-weeks dosage of critical medications. (More Information)

OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

 Unfortunately, there are some large scale public threats that cannot always be anticipated such as wildland fires, hazardous materials spills, riots, etc. Bernalillo County’s Office of Emergency Management, in coordination with Public Safety (Fire and Law Enforcement), routinely plans for such events and bases its response on several crucial factors: the type and location of the threat, the direction the threat is moving, and which part of the population is most likely to be affected. Quick decisions must be made to protect public safety. Some require people to seek shelter while others require evacuations. In each case, it is important for the public to receive clear and concise instructions. The following is a basic outline of which steps we will take in each instance: 

Shelter in place:

• Notification of the event

• Notice of what to do with instructions on how to secure your home

• Notice of how to monitor for further instructions 

Evacuation:

• Notification of the event

• Notice of which route to take and which areas to avoid

• Notice of where to go (collection points)

• Notice of how to monitor for further instructions 

There are five ways the Emergency Management Office is able to provide these instructions.

 First, is through the media. Television, radio, and newspapers will receive timely updates and will relay the information to the public through news reports. Second, the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on local TV and radio stations will be deployed. Third, an auto dial emergency phone system allowing the Bernalillo County Emergency Communications dispatch center to call several hundred homes per minute will be activated. Fourth, a home emergency alert will be issued by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on all hazard/weather alert radios.  In large scale events, every method will be used. As a last resort, law enforcement officers will be sent to the disaster area to conduct house-to-house notifications. For more information on how to prepare for a large scale threat go to  www.READY.gov,  or  www.FEMA.gov.

Notes from our July 8, 2005 General/Crime Watch meeting

There was an introduction of board members, and a general description of what our organization is set up to do.

A representative from EMIFPA spoke about some fire safety issues.
EMIFPA – east mountain inter agency fire protection association
www.emifpa.org

Deputy Chris Starr spoke about crime watch, and what we can do to protect ourselves, and our neighbors.
Set up a neighborhood crime watch for your street. Simply set a date, invite everyone over for some appetizers, and exchange information. You do not need a sheriff officer to help you. We will be getting 4 new crime watch signs for our area, so get to know your neighbors!

Commisioner Michael Brasher spoke about several topics, the biggest one being Campbell Ranch.

House numbers are hard to read, especially a t night. Be sure to get your house numbers up to local east mountain ordinance:
numbers must be 3 inches high
they must be next to the road
they need to be reflective

Make sure emergency crews can find your home doy or night!

For other ordinances and zoning questions, please contact Charles Danning at 314-0373

Report on the July 8, 2005, All-Hands Meeting of
Sandia Park Scenic Byway Neighborhood Assn.
P O Bx 1711, Sandia Park, NM 87047

SPSBNA President Bruce Hawkinson welcomed more than 60 people to the 
meeting, noting that about half were basic or advanced members of the 
Association and the other half were Sandia Park from other areas who 
were interested in crime watch and crime prevention in the East 
Mountains.

He also introduced special guests Michael Brasher (County 
Commissioner), Robert Doucette (his assistant), and Deb Stefan 
(neighborhood associations’ representative to EMIFPA, or East Mtn 
Interagency Fire Prevention Association). He then urged those in 
attendance to check out the new SPSBNA website at 
http://www.sandia-park.com/About_Us.html.

Immediate past president of SPSBNA Frank Dempsey noted some of the 
Association’s current efforts, such as creating defensible space around 
homes and reducing vegetation in general; avoiding further 
commercialization of Hiway 536; creating an effective crime watch 
program; and building a sense of community (via e-mail news items, 
all-hands meetings, etc.). He also mentioned the new signs at Old Crest 
and Hiway 536 and the tube attached to the smaller one that has 
membership info in it.

Dempsey also introduced the featured speakers, Chris Starr and Jim Goff 
of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office COPPS (Community Oriented 
Policing and Protection System) program. They noted that East Mountain 
area robberies are up, thanks in large part to drugs, especially 
methamphetamine. (“If you smell something weird coming from a home, 
call the East Area dispatch at 281-3377”).

The major point that they wanted to make is that “communication is key! 
Get to know your neighbors.” If you’re going to be out of town, tell a 
trusted neighbor. Tell the East Area dispatch too, and tell them which 
neighbor (or neighbors) you’ve asked to watch your place while you’re 
gone.

An aside here: they know a sheriff’s deputy who headed for a vacation. 
When he returned home, everything in his home that wasn’t nailed down 
had been stolen. He asked his neighbor, who said, ‘When I saw the big 
truck backed up to your front door, I just thought you had suddenly 
decided to move.”

Back to crime watch tips: Make a list of all your valuable possessions, 
whether it’s simply a list of all items (including make, model, and 
serial number) or a videotape of each item, zooming in on make, model, 
and serial number for each one. Then put the list or videotape into 
your safe deposit box. (Such a list won’t reduce crime, of course, but 
it makes it much easier to locate your stolen property and/or file an 
insurance claim.)

The two also emphasized the need for highly visible (at least 3 inches 
high and reflective) house numbers on every property so that sheriff’s 
deputies (as well as ambulances and fire trucks) can find your home 
easily. They noted that a county ordinance requires adequate house 
numbers, and that they sometimes cite home owners who don’t comply with 
the ordinance.

Two more tips: 1) Install deadbolts on all exterior doors; 2) Install 
an alarm system.

Finally, they said, call us if you see ANYTHING that looks suspicious!
After their presentation, Commissioner Brasher noted the importance of 
neighborhood associations in general and commented that we have a 
strong one and we deserve to be proud of it.

The meeting ended with Hawkinson’s presentation of possible new 
efforts, including pushing for legible and visible house numbers; 
seeking safer traffic patterns near “Old Triangle” entrance and at the 
Hiway 14 & La Madera intersection; upgrading our website; perhaps 
adopting by-laws; perhaps promoting the County’s application of a 
magnesium chloride solution on dusty roads during dry periods or asking 
for chip seal pavement; providing info on water conservation and well 
maintenance; providing info on the maintenance of septic systems; 
perhaps creating a “pocket park” between 536 and Old Crest Road.

The meeting adjourned to a BBQ supper, courtesy of Ribs in Cedar Crest.

NOTE: If your neighbor is not on our email distribution list http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sandia-park/ , please 
make a copy of this and get it to him/her. Thanks.

Tinker Town is Moving to Tingley Beach

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Duke City May Get Museum

By Dan McKay
Journal Staff Writer
The Tinkertown Museum's unique brand of wacky folk art could be
heading to Tingley Beach. But it's not a sure thing yet. The museum's director, Carla Ward, and the city of Albuquerque have discussed
opening a Tinkertown Museum in Tingley Beach— where it could be on a railroad line connecting the zoo and other attractions in the area.
Mayor Martin Chávez announced the idea in his State of the City address on Aug. 3. He said Tingley Beach, a recreational area with ponds
just south of the aquarium, will reopen within weeks after its massive renovation. "We're bringing Tinkertown to the city of Albuquerque, and
it's going to be located at Tingley Beach," Chávez said. In an interview, however, Ward said the deal isn't done and there's much to work out,
including financial issues and when to do it. "We're still in negotiations," she said Monday. "It sounds like a really good opportunity if we can
work out the details." Ward said a deal could be finalized by next week. She said something must be done eventually to preserve and protect
the museum's unusual collection, and with the city's renovation of Tingley Beach the opportunity presented itself now. She said the museum
building would remain in its present location on the Sandia Crest Highway, and she hopes to operate it as more of an art gallery, with
occasional visiting artists and shows. "We would move most of what we know as Tinkertown, and it would be re-created in a really creative
way at Tingley," she said. "That's the way we visualize it." While the museum is currently open only in the warmer months, Ward said in
Albuquerque it could be open all year. "It would be totally year-round, connected to the train that will run from the zoo to the biopark," she said.
"I've lived here over 30 years, and built lot of presence on the Turquoise Trail. But I see a bigger audience for the Tinkertown museum where
more people would be able to see it and it could be preserved." Ward's late husband, the artist Ross Ward, built Tinkertown. He died in 2002.
The museum features miniature wood-carved figures with an Old West theme, 50,000 glass bottles, Western memorabilia and antique
arcade machines. The museum was launched in 1983. Ross Ward carved his first figure in 1952. One of his signs— perhaps the most
famous— reads, "I did all this while you were watching TV." Carla Ward said she wants to protect the museum, which is vulnerable to forest
fires in its current location, and maintain her husband's legacy. "This is a gem that needs to be protected," she said. She said Ross Ward
built everything out of found material, and there is no heating or climate control in the museum. "We shut it down in November, and it gets cold
in there," she said. "Long term, it's not good for it."

Notes from Bernalillo County water conservation meeting on June 7, 2005

The main purpose of this meeting was to meet with area residents to determine if a water conservation program is necessary, and what items
should be in it. This was the best attended meeting so far of 6 scheduled meetings (there were about 60 people there). There was one more
to be held in Albuquerque's south valley. Water is a very important issue for east mountain are residents. Conservation is important to making
sure there is enough water for future residents of the east mountain, and for New Mexico in general. If a conservation plan is put into effect,
there could be state funding to help in conservation techniques. There was much data presented on population, and estimated or actual water
usage. The data was a little confusing. Also several maps were shown, pointing out individual well permits, and water systems of the east
mountains. It was explained that there are several wells in the east mountains that are being monitored. One in Sandia Park (in the SPSBNA
area) has seen a 40 foot decline recently. We were then asked to break into discussion groups led by someone from Bernalillo county. This
was so brainstorming of ideas could occur and everyone had a say without chaos. At the end, a brief listing was presented from each group
to the whole. Questions were then accepted. There are no plans for water utilities right now. It may become necessary with more population.
There are also no plans to meter existing wells. New wells are metered now. We were also asked to rank 13 items in order of importance,
see the list below. There is supposed to be another meeting in the fall of 2005. We were assured that we would be sent postcards with the
new meeting information. They mailed 3000 postcards about this meeting, most of the people attending did not receive those postcards. If
you would like more information, please contact Kerry Bassore at kbassore@bernco.gov or 848-1552.

These were the items we were asked to rank in order of importance to us. Give it a try!

Notes from I-40 Construction Meetings

June 16, 2005

see website at http://nmgrip.com/projects.asp?project=15050 complete with a slideshow.

Purpose: to obtain comments on proposed I-40 improvements
Project location: I-40 from 1 mile east of Carnuel interchange (milepost 170.3) to .7 miles west of Tijeras interchange (173.7)
Project Description: Reconstruct 3.4 miles of I-40 by replacing existing asphalt with new. Lane structure will not change, but both inside and outside shoulders will
be widened to 12 feet. Add concrete wall barrier in median, and replace existing outside shoulder guardrail with concrete wall barrier. All seven bridges within
the reconstruction zone will be rehabilitated, including widening to allow more animal passage.
Project dates: start January 2006, end October 2010

also see www.safepassagecoalition.org