Archive for Edgewood
All Aboard … An Energy Board
by Chuck Ring
Councilor John Abrams was elected to the Edgewood Town Council in March of this year (2008) and he hit the proverbial ground at a high run seeking to put Edgewood on the map as one of the first, if not the first town to have its own renewable energy system/department. Working with Ms. Mahalick, Edgewood Planning and Zoning Director, Councilor Abrams sought a grant for financing the beginning of a study for the feasibility of such an endeavor. Councilor Abrams asked Mayor Stearley to appoint a board to pursue the energy project, so the town could be assured of prioritizing steps to bring the project to fruition.
The initial request was not fulfilled by the mayor and the request was made again by Councilor Abrams within the last two months. Councilor Abrams was not present for the last council meeting due to illness, but a citizen spoke to the mayor and the remaining council members during the public comment portion of the meeting to ask that Councilor Abrams’ request be honored. During the same meeting it was announced that a renewable energy grant applied for by Edgewood through the State of New Mexico had been denied due to a plethora of applicants and scant grant resources in total.
It would seem that there is no good reason not to appoint the committee requested by Councilor Abrams and a potential time and monetary gain to be realized if we start the process without undue delay. The sun and wind may not see a price increase, but many of the required materials and supplies will see substantial increases as we reflect (solar) and spin (wind).
Here’s a link to information from the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission PRC Renewable Energy Information
Have A Heart … Give A Hand
by Chuck RingÂ
Many who reside in the Estancia Valley are well acquainted with the Tony Jaramillo family. The family has operated a service station and garage in Edgewood on the north side of the Edgewood Exit for around 36 years. The family members have shown their community spirit in various ways through the years. They have helped many valley citizens in distress by donating goods, services and labor for the repair of vehicles, even going so far as to loan vehicles for extended periods. Last year, the family, with Tony Jr. at the helm, worked with a local church and area businesses to help unwed mothers with gifts of oil changes and other needed maintenance items. Side benefits for the mothers included personal pampering such as free beauty products and free nail polishing. The family has donated Thanksgiving and Christmas meals to the senior center in Edgewood for over twenty years and Tony Jr., his wife Audrey and children have contributed their time and other resources to produce the annual car show at Valley View Christian Church for five years running. The rest of the family’s gracious efforts are too numerous to mention, but they have been of benefit to a wide segment of the valley population.Â
Sadly, on Monday, September 8, 2008 Larry Jaramillo, (son of Tony Sr. and Josie) who would have been 42 years of age on October 17 was killed in an automobile accident as he and his mother were traveling on I-40 west of Edgewood. Ms. Jaramillo (Josie) was injured, but is recovering. Larry, challenged by autism and Parkinson’s disease, is remembered as a young man of God who inspired others much healthier than himself. On Wednesday (September 11, 2008) A funeral was conducted for Larry in Edgewood. A funeral attended by an estimated 500 mourners. This was fitting, as Larry’s wish was for a “big” funeral.Â
The accident, hospital and funeral expenses for the family have been very burdensome without insurance and Jerry and Dinah Gevedon, the owners of DJ’s Dog House are managing an effort to raise funds to help the Jaramillo’s defray expenses. In addition to donating items and proceeds from their business during a portion of the business day on September 20th, they are also offering their parking lot and other facilities for a silent auction and bake sale on the same day. DJ’s employees are generously donating their labor for the event. Additionally, many community business owners are donating products for the silent auction. Members of Larry’s church and other community volunteers will help organize the event and will be present to assist during the events. Â
The family requests prayer during the following weeks as Josie recovers and life without Larry continues.
 An announcement is to run in the Mountain View Telegraph next week and is repeated here:
Fundraiser/Silent Auction/Bake Sale
All proceeds benefit Jaramillo Family
Saturday, September 20th, 2:30pm to 6:30pm at DJ’s Doghouse/Edgewood Hwy 344 and Dinkle
Phone: 286-9933Â
Individuals or Businesses wishing to contribute Silent Auction items, please contact:Chuck Ring, cell # 263-3268 or email cring@comcast.net    Â
Those wishing to donate bake sale items should call DJ’s Dog house at 286-9933 to arrange for your contributions.
The photo below shows Larry and his nephew Nickolas during an outing
Wildlife West Bills Town $20K
by John Weckerle
At last week’s Town Council meeting in Edgewood, Wildlife West Nature Park’s founder and director, Roger Alink, provided a report on the summer music festival’s success and surprised the Council with a bill for $20,000 – the amount originally budgeted by the Council prior to the March election. Mr. Alink advised us that, after leaving the meeting, he was accosted verbally by local resident Janelle Turner, who repeated her objections to Town funding on the basis of noncompliance with the State anti-donation clause – a position that has been successfully refuted and has been dropped even by those in the Town administration and on the Council who raised it in the first place, as well as by the Town attorney.
Mr. Alink has indicated that three attorneys have advised him that, since the Council never officially rescinded the original funding, the Town remains obligated to pay what it originally budgeted, regardless of whether the MOU was signed or not. Mr. Alink may have a stronger case than he knows. It is a basic tenet of contract law that a contract may exist in the absence of a signed instrument when both parties behave as if there is a contract in force. In requiring the Park to undergo a fire inspection as a precondition to signing the MOU, Mayor Bob Stearley appears to have done exactly that, and to have obligated the Town to pay.
It is anybody’s guess whether the Town will pay – and if not, whether the Park will seek legal recourse. In our opinion, we feel that, especially given the budget windfalls that the Town has experienced in recent months, the Town should do the right thing, pay the bill, and then decide on a course forward with respect to future summer music festivals.
At The Risk Of ………
by Chuck Ring
Sounding redundant, at least I’m not recumbent, as Edgewood Town Government seems to be. It has now been a total of fifteen days and one article since I first spoke with the Mayor about the weeds along New Mexico State Road 344. At this juncture, I don’t really care whose job it is to clean the mess up and I’m sure most citizens do not care who takes them away. I believe the collective “we” would just love to wake up from our revelry in a well-“managed” town to discover them gone. It is simply silly and illogical for the Town of Edgewood and the New Mexico Department of Transportation not to figure out the small stuff in order to accomplish the big stuff.
Mayor, since I last spoke with you about this infestation the weeds have grown from ugly to double-ugly. Turn loose of some of that money in the moth-ridden town wallet and work with DOT to make our town beautiful. In case you missed my last article regarding this issue; here’s a repeat:
Thanks and I’ll be in the area all day.
Addendum: As I ventured out today (September 8, 2008) I discovered that the incarceration orange folks have paid another visit to our landscaped areas on SR 344. It appears they have made considerable progress on the west side of the highway with plenty of distance left to go before it is completed. Whoever is responsible will, I am sure, have the graditude of the community. Now let us hope that they take care of the weeds outside the boundaries of the landscaped areas.
Independent Fails To Support Views On Events
by John Weckerle
In the August 27 issue of The Independent, editor Wally Gordon offers opinions on how Edgewood should conduct its festivals, including suggestions on improving the parade held during the Run, Rally & Rock celebration. I was unfortunately unable to attend the parade, so I cannot argue effectively with Mr. Gordon’s viewpoints. I did attend both this year’s music festival and the Run, Rally & Rock event held at Wildlife West Nature Park.
Mr. Gordon’s editorial contains some statements that should be addressed. Mr. Gordon states that “in a town with no motels, only three small sit-down restaurants and no real art galleries or arts and crafts shops, the financial impact of tourism is limited…” Edgewood has at least eight eateries: Katrina’s East Mountain Grill, Chili Hills, China Chef, Pizza Barn, Subway, two McDonalds, and a Dairy Queen (I’m not sure I’d call Starbucks a “restaurant,” but they are here, also).  There are three gas stations that probably see an uptick in their sales, and it’s anybody’s guess as to how much increase other businesses see. »» Independent Fails To Support Views On Events
It’s Not My Job! Well, It’s Not My Job! — Whose @#$%^%$ Job Is It?
by Chuck Ring
My wife, our dogs and I love to walk on the new town trails and appreciate the money and effort spent on them. We also appreciate the potential beauty of the added plants and other features found along the trails. That is, all the features with the exception of the weeds which are now going to seed. We did not just wake up this morning, never having said anything in the past, and decide to ratchet up the noise about the pollen wafting from their beautiful (not) little blooms. No, we both made our concerns known before the council on at least two occasions. We figured that if we tag-teamed our governing body more attention might be paid since we had one of each; that is, one female and one male. Wrong.
It seems that there is some controversy concerning just who is responsible for pulling or wrestling weeds from the right-of-way and the landscaped areas. It was the town’s contention, that the landscape contractor was responsible for maintenance (including weed abatement) of the right-of-way and landscape plantings. It was, according to a spokesperson, the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s (DOT) contention that the contractor was responsible for watering the plants and no more and the town was or is responsible for weed abatement. »» It’s Not My Job! Well, It’s Not My Job! — Whose @#$%^%$ Job Is It?
A Penny Wise And A Million Plus Foolish?
by Chuck Ring
Soon after the current town administration took office, after some of the blood and gore from dismissals was cleared away, another step was taken that made little sense at the time and even less with clear reflection. I refer to the movement of the town road equipment from a leased location to our wastewater treatment plant (WTP).
Ostensibly (at least, according to our mayor and our then town administrator) the purpose for the move was to save money paid for the use of the property leased from former Mayor Howard Calkins. Some have speculated that the action was just one more step toward undoing many things the previous administration had accomplished, with one of the dismissals being the first step in the “undoing” process. Whatever the real reason, it now becomes crystal clear that the move was a dangerous move that could end up costing the town all that it has worked for with the wastewater treatment plant.
The road department stores flammable liquids in the form of vehicle fuel storage tank or tanks, cleaning solvents and other volatile products. Such storage of flammable products at a road department yard is not unusual, however the WTP is not a road department yard and it does not contain a fire abatement mechanism adequate to quench a large fire. There is not a sufficient water storage tank nor water line from a source sufficent for combatting a fire should one self-ignite or be set by some person or persons who might gain entry to the WTP. In short, it does not appear that the town’s own facility, or in this case facilities, meet fireflow requirements that the town might place on privately owned buildings or construction yards. »» A Penny Wise And A Million Plus Foolish?
A Tale of Two Mayors
Opinion by Walter R. Kruger
Editor’s Note: Walter R. Kruger is the “nom de plume” of an Edgewood area resident who is also a retired armchair economist.
After reading Mayor Robert Stearley’s letter to the editor in the Independent on July 30, 2008, I’m convinced that Edgewood still suffers from the conflicting leadership of two mayors.
The first, Mayor Robert Stearley, has stated on occasions too numerous to count that there are precious few funds to go around for everything our town wants and needs in the way of “quality of life” improvements and amenities. He has reminded us that sewer, police and roads top the priority list, and has stated that expenses for projects like parks, recreation and entertainment may have to wait for better times.
However, the second mayor, also named Mayor Robert Stearley, has stated that the town doesn’t need to look for additional funding sources, like the imposition of Impact Fees on developers, saying, “I believe that our new residents are already paying their fair share of our costs with the Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) they are paying on their construction.” »» A Tale of Two Mayors
Harvest Festival, Run Rally & Rock A Success
by John Weckerle
Wildlife West Nature Park’s Harvest Festival and Edgewood’s annual Run, Rally & Rock event, organized by the local Chamber of Commerce, were held this weekend. Both events were hosted by Wildlife West.
Festivities began with a sock hop Friday night, and continued with Wildlife West’s 
annual 5K Pronghorn Fun Run & Pancake Breakfast the next morning. Edgewood’s first parade, organized largely by Chamber volunteers Judy Hudgins and Pauline Freeman, was also held Saturday morning. With 110 entries, the parade was reportedly both well organized and well attended, and a great time was had by all. Former mayor Howard Calkins participated, riding one of his well-known antique tractors. 
Town Councilors Rita Loy Simmons, Brad Hill, John Abrams, and Glenn Felton served as judges for the parade. Conspicuously absent from the festivities was current mayor Bob Stearley, who earlier this year spearheaded a successful effort to eliminate most of the Town’s funding for the events. »» Harvest Festival, Run Rally & Rock A Success
Santa Fe Conservation Trust Presentation On Conservation Easements
by John Weckerle
The Santa Fe Conservation Trust will visit Edgewood to discuss new State funding for conservation easements. The meeting will be held at the Wildlife West Nature Park bean barn on Sunday, September 14 from 3 to 4 p.m. Admission to the presentation is free. For more information, see the event flyer.
Conservation easements are voluntary, legally binding agreements between landowners and a government agency or other entity that limit or prohibit certain uses or restrict development on a given property in order to preserve important resources – for example, habitat, agricultural capacity, and archaeological sites. Landowners may donate the easement, potentially making them eligible for State and federal tax incentives, or they may be paid directly by the entity holding the easement. Tax advantages may include reductions in both income tax and estate taxes, making conservation easements a potential tool for helping to keep estates intact upon bequest. Conservation easements are binding upon future owners of the land.
Since its inception in 1993, the Santa Fe Conservation Trust has protected more than 30,000 acres of land in Santa Fe county and surrounding counties. The organization is a federally recognized, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, meaning that donations are tax-deductible.
Two Agenda Monty
by John Weckerle
The Town of Edgewood has scheduled a special Town Council meeting for Tuesday, August 19, 2008 (see agenda). A regular meeting is scheduled for the following day, August 20 (see agenda). At the special meeting, the Council will proceed immediately into closed session, and then return to discuss a number of items of potentially broad public interest. These include such topics as the location and budget for the municipal library, personnel issues, acquisition of a bridge, and “miscellaneous.”
“Miscellaneous?” Use of such a word on an agenda – which is intended to inform the public of the topics to be discussed – appears inappropriate, especially in the context of the “sunshine laws” that govern public disclosures in New Mexico.
Of special interest are the resolutions listed in the agenda – one for “Restriction of Gross Receipts Tax Derived from New Construction,” and one for “Budget Resolution.” Seeing such items on the agenda for a special meeting rather than the regular meeting raises questions regarding the reasons for such scheduling. One would expect that items of such obvious interest to the community would be discussed during a regular meeting, allowing for full disclosure and discussion before the widest segment of the public possible. Given the potential significance of the decisions to be made, it would seem appropriate to invite public comment before making decisions on these issues.
The proposed text of the resolution is not attached to the agenda, nor is it available on the Town’s web site. Neither are any of the resolutions passed by the Town Council In fact, the word “resolution” is not used on the site at all. Neither is the proposed agenda posted on the Town web site. This seems fundamentally at odds with the open government platform on which candidates ran – successfully – in the March election. What arises is the impression of a shadowy method of policy making: holding special meetings to enact resolutions at off-cycle Council meetings without publishing the proposed – or final – resolutions on which discussions are to be held. Where resolutions are to be discussed and acted upon, we strongly urge the Town to publish the draft in advance, and all final resolutions, on the Town web site.
Just Maybe — No, Certainly. We Will Have Leaders For The Future
By Chuck Ring
Adults are wont to criticize our modern juveniles. We do so often, rather than recognize the great attributes of most present day youth. While the foregoing is meant to be a general recognition of a grown-up pastime; it is not meant to be an all encompassing description of our elderly habits vis-Ã -vis our youth. Nor, is this piece meant to be a dissertation of modern day American mores. It is simply a prelude to the recognition of two young Edgewood girls and the story of how they have taken an Edgewood community cause as their own.
To understand the story of our young ladies we have to start before today. Those who have maintained pace with the hectic life of the Edgewood community may fully comprehend what has transpired in months past. For those who have not paid attention; it will be necessary to begin by clicking the links below in sequence:
A Lawyer’s Time And Advice Is What
A Better Deal Elsewhere For Wildlife West
Edgewood Town Attorney To Report On Anti-Donation Clause
Flea Market To Benefit Wildlife West
Edgewood Attorney: Town Can Fund Events, Festival Without Violating Anti-Donation Clause
Even though the last link clearly explains that the Town of Edgewood can legally fund events, the music festival failed to receive the $20,000 previously approved under a prior administration that should have been honored by the present town government. To this writer’s knowledge, the original appropriation and contract were never formally rescinded by the Edgewood governing body. But, that is another fine kettle of fish and one which is likely to spoil again and make a return stinky visit to our mayor and council. »» Just Maybe — No, Certainly. We Will Have Leaders For The Future
Smashdown!
by Chuck Ring
Smashdown? Yep, that’s right. Right here in Edgewood Town. We’re talking about the SMASHDOWN of Mayor Stearley’s campaign promise of “open government.” We have suspected other incidents that “smack” of secret opinion gathering polls and what amounts to the crafting of policy by email and telephonic means; now we have at least one Edgewood Town Meeting Agenda that seems to intentionally create an agenda that makes it difficult for most citizens to participate in town government, not to mention those of us who happen to be older, infirm or otherwise put upon by having to remain into the late hours of the night. Remember, governing body members ran and were elected to attend meetings … citizens attend because they are interested in good and “open” government.
Here is a copy of the proposed agenda for Wednesday, August 6, 2008:
Edgewood Council Meeting 08/06/2008
Note that the public comment item is scheduled as item 17. This after it was originally set as item 18 as viewed last Friday, August 1, 2008. The purpose of a public comment item on a public agenda is to allow for ideas, general comments and a little tweaking of past and present ideas and suggestions. It does little to engender open government when those comments and ideas are locked out through the manipulation of an agenda. A justification or argument for such action on the part of the mayor just cannot exist in open government. An argument that public comment utilizes to much time cannot be used; especially since this mayor has seen fit to deviate from existing town policy of a two minute comment period per person. Those in attendance at some prior meetings will remember that some have been granted considerably more than two minutes when their opinion coincided with the wishes of the mayor and some councilors. Opinion on the streets and dirt roads of Edgewood Town is that this type of agenda serves to stifle input. Such action is in conflict with the mayor’s intended or pretended desire to have open government.
For the mayor to try to excuse this action by saying that the agenda is a preliminary agenda demonstrates that he has not given thought to those who see this agenda and do not see the final agenda and make their decision to attend and/or comment based on what they have seen with this agenda. It would be well for the town councilors to override this unilateral agenda and place the item toward the beginning of the agenda … better yet, why not set a time certain for this item on this next agenda and maintain such time as a constant for future meetings. The mayor may not be pleased that you’ve exercised your given authority, but the people will respect you in the morning.
Sign Vigilante Strikes Edgewood
by John Weckerle
Well, at any rate, that is what the Town of Edgewood is telling us.
In a partial response to a New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act request, the Town of Edgewood provided 107 photos of signs taken before the signs were removed by code enforcement officer Wayne Schober. Many of the signs shown in the photographs of signs displayed outside the Community Center (see our July 4 article) are not documented in Mr. Schober’s photographs. Further, while many of the signs in the photographs provided by the Town were clearly in violation of the ordinance, many of the photos did not contain sufficient detail to demonstrate noncompliance, and some photographed signs actually seemed to be in compliance with any reasonable interpretation of the requirements. The Town has not provided a substantial amount of the requested information, including field records and an inventory of confiscated signs.
The big news, however, is that there may be a vigilante among us who is taking the law into his or her own hands. In a July 23 e-mail message, Town Clerk Estefanie Muller states: “In talking to Mr. Schober, while he removed signs, he did not issue violations, picked up the signs and housed them. Also, when he displayed the signs at the Community Center, when he returned to pick them up, he noted additional signs were added unknown to him by whom” – confirming, as outlined in our July 22 article, that the Town has, in fact, violated its own sign ordinance. »» Sign Vigilante Strikes Edgewood
Wildlife West Music Festival
by John Weckerle
This is just a reminder that today is the second (and biggest) day of the Wildlife West Music Festival in Edgewood. Headliners include the Byron Berline Band, April Verch, Boulder Acoustic Society, and Trillium Marimba. There will also be a wide variety of local/regional acts, vendors, music contests, and more – and, of course, admission includes Wildlife West’s excellent enhanced zoo! For more information, check the Park’s music festivals page.