ECIA -Committee: Road Committee

If you spot a stop sign that is down please call Gaby at the County Public Works Dept. at 992-3010 and report the intersection where the sign is down or missing. If you see a street name sign that is missing, a pothole or other hazardous road problems, you can now submit a road problem report by clicking on the "Got Road Problems?" hot spot on the ECIA home page. (You can also use this to report a missing or downed stop sign). A member of the Road Committee will follow up with an on-site inspection and get the report to the County.

Alondra Road & Gavilan Road-May, 2007--Base Course (Dirt with Oil/Binding Agent)

Herrada Road, Av. Amistad, Av. Buena Ventura (on hold, awaiting funding to be made available)--Paving and Drainage Repair:

August, 2008: Did you ever wonder why runoff rarely runs through the culverts under the driveways, but rather flows along the edge of the roadways and in front of the driveways? From having looked at many miles of our roads over the course of the past three years, it appears that at one time the original bar ditch alongside the road carried the water through the culverts under the driveways, away from the edge of the roadway. Over the years, wind erosion, speeding cars creating dust and removing base course from the roadway, and the grading of the roads for snow, ruts, and washboard have resulted in the original bar ditches filling up and becoming overgrown with vegetation, forcing run off to follow the path of least resistance, i.e., the edge of the roadway. As a result, we have seen quite a few similar roads in Eldorado where the runoff from the heavy rain from two weeks ago created deep ruts, especially where the driveway meets the road. The county has come out to a couple of roads to re-cut the bar ditch so water flows away from the road surface and through the driveway culverts. A contingent representing ECIA will be meeting with county officials soon to discuss this issue and other issues regarding Eldorado roads.

July, 2008: Musings: Work should have started on application of new base course to several miles of our dirt roads. This work was funded by a $675,000 appropriation from the NM Legislature……. This was a summer that saw a rather large amount of vandalism - - smashed mailboxes, damaged or destroyed road and bike path signs, egged windows; do you know what your kids did this summer?......The heavy torrential rains during mid-July did some damage to individual roads, but, on the whole, the roads held up rather well; very little rutting and erosion damage; this can most likely be attributed to the post-winter grading during which the operator put a nice slope along the sides of the roads so water would drain off the roads, rather than puddle on them.

June, 2008: Unnecessary Expense: It seems like our kids are getting bored a lot earlier in the season these days than in prior years. Even before school recessed for the summer we’ve had several instances of vandalism along our roads that are taking funds away from other, more positive expenditures (such as filling in cracks in the bike paths or getting additional gravel and grading on our dirt roads, or more potholes filled). In particular vandals damaged a considerable number of crossing signs on the bike path along Av. Eldorado, bent or knocked off several street signs and painted graffiti in one of the drainage culverts. Do you know where your kids are? If they are caught are you prepared to reimburse the expenses incurred? Road projects are either recently completed or are expected to start soon. As of the date of this publication, work should be completed on (chip seal) paving of Camarada Road between Av. Azul and Camerada Loop. This problem area was identified by the County Road Advisory Committee as one of the worst in the County and by a petition from the residents along the road. The County has put out a request for bids for laying new base course on several miles of our roads and should have awarded the contract in June. Work is expected to begin later this summer. The Road Committee is currently in extensive deliberations on future community policy towards paving of additional roads in Eldorado. Not only is the question of “should we” under consideration, the questions of what criteria to use to identify candidates and how to fund the expenses are also being considered. Watch this column or Vistas for more information.

May, 2008: June 3 is an important day for the Eldorado community.That’s the day we have an opportunity to express our feelings as to the best candidate to represent our community on the Santa Fe County Commission. There appear to be some pressing political issues of great concern to Eldorado property owners and renters - - our roads being among them. While we have made some important strides in getting attention and funding for our county-owned and maintained roads, we still have no comfort level that there is a solid plan in place for ensuring safe and reasonably smooth road surfaces on a constant basis. We only have to see tire ruts heading off a road onto a resident’s property, or a car stuck in the mud in the middle of a road’s driving lane to know our roads need some greater attention. We need the strongest candidate possible to represent our interests on the County Commission. Hopefully you will become well informed about each candidate’s qualifications and express your feelings in this matter at the June 3 elections. The County "Rocks": After this winter’s snow, rain, and mud, we had over 16 miles of dirt roads that were deemed in bad shape. Kudos to the County in promptly responding to our request to grade these and other roads and fill holes in several roads where the dirt meets pavement. The grader operators also did a terrific job in lowering the sides to prevent water runoff onto driving lanes, and in getting whatever remaining base course there was along the sides of the roads back onto the driving lanes. New rock was also put onto several of the worst cul-de-sac roads and onto short sections of through roads where there was only dirt (and large ruts). As of the writing of this column, the county has also received a list of intersections with downed street and hopefully will get to these once our spring winds have died down.

April, 2008:Volume matters…The Road Committee has begun deliberations on dirt roads where traffic volumes may warrant their being chip sealed to extend the useful life of the road surface on such roads. This is a process that is just in its beginning stages…. more on this in the coming months. Thanks go out to the many Eldoradoans who have sent in Road Problem Reports via the ECIA web site to help us identify problem areas. Since that function was established a year ago we’ve heard from 72 residents and have seen many of their reported problems rectified.

March, 2008: Thanks to Rep. Peter Wirth and the 2008 N.M. Legislature, we received another $99,000 for applying new base course to our dirt roads. This, hopefully, will cover another couple of miles. While the amount received is significantly less than requested, we were lucky to have received anything as many capital requests went unfilled due to the significantly lesser amounts available to this legislative session. We expect work to start later this year on the application of new base course funded in 2007 by the Legislature and Governor Richardson’s office. Hopefully, this will cover about 10 miles of our dirt roads. Your Road Committee has also completed our latest road inspection. And thanks to those of you who submitted Road Problem Reports identifying particular problem areas. The results of both were used to compile a list of roads with the greatest amount of rutting that can serve as a target list for the grader.

February, 2008: Road Surfaces: Having formally received authority from the State Dept. of Transportation, Santa Fe County is in the process of drawing up a Request for Bids to have a private contractor lay new base course on approximately 10 miles of our roads. Funding for this work came from the 2007 Legislature and Governor allocating a total of $675,000 earmarked for resurfacing some of our roads. The ECIA Board plans to go back to the 2008 legislature to request additional funding for base course. The County is also looking for funding to pave 6.4 miles of road previously identified in their long-range planning as being among the most heavily travelled and worst dirt roads in Eldorado. Herrada Road, Av. Amistad, Av. Buena Ventura, and Balsa Road are among these.

January, 2008: A partial loaf is better than no loaf…..As we live, and in some cases slog, through the 2007-2008 winter season, many of you have the opportunity to become deeply re-acquainted with your local mud hole…er, road. While it is easy to condemn the whole road as being unfit for human traversing, quite often it is just one small stretch of road that is the source of the expletives. We want to know about roads that are hazardous when muddy. But to increase the likelihood of remedial correction, it’s important to identify short segments that are the biggest culprits. It is more probable that the County will come out with a load of gravel to cover an individual spot problem area than to try to address an entire road. So a range of house numbers, or an estimate of length from a defined starting point in a defined direction will be helpful in getting some attention. Use the Road Problem Report form on the ECIA web site to report your “sticky situations”.

The meeting was called to order at 6:04 pm by chairperson Nolan Zisman. Also present were Fred Raznick, Joan Mitchell, Bob Burdette, Sherman Frankston, Jeanne Klein (representing the ECIA board), Bill Donahue (ECIA general manager), and Stephen Wust, candidate for Santa Fe County Commissioner. Lea Williams and Paul Wilken were excused absences. Minutes from the February 4, 2008, meeting, were approved subject to minor changes.

Nolan provided Stephen Wust and the Committee with a fact sheet; a position paper; the results of the last road inspection; and information on the mission, role, and responsibilities of the ECIA Road Committee. He complimented the County on their responsiveness in addressing drainage problems, grading all of the roads that rated 2.0 or worse, and on the quality of the grading. A letter of appreciation will be sent to Robert Martinez, Director of the Public Works Division. Eldorado roads remain a major issue, however, with 15.2 miles of roads rated as 2.5 or 3.0 for washboard in the last inspection.

In the ensuing discussion, Stephen Wust addressed numerous questions and issues, including roads, the feeling that Eldorado does not get its fair share of County funding and services, and the need for more open government.

Joan Mitchell presented a draft traffic volume analysis for Antigua, Tarro, and Tetilla roads. She also provided an estimate from the U.S. Forest Service that for every vehicle traveling one mile of unpaved roadway once a day, every day for a year, one ton of dust is deposited along a corridor extending 500 feet out on either side of the median. Jeanne Klein recommended that when the new base-course project begins, residents and owners/operators of heavy vehicles such as the school buses and delivery trucks should be informed that they can help preserve the new surfacing by driving more slowly.

Problems at the railroad crossing at Avenida Eldorado require additional maintenance and possibly repair. The crossing is owned by the railroad. Bill will contact them.

The ECIA Board has asked the Committee to “take the pulse” of the community regarding paving of roads. Nolan distributed a draft questionnaire, and asked that comments on the questions, and on the overall approach, be submitted to him before the next meeting. Joan Mitchell distributed a draft statement including criteria for paving that could be used as a basis for public involvement on the issue. Since there was no time for discussion, she will add some explanation as to how such a statement could be used and circulate it to the committee before the next meeting. The next meeting will be June 2, 2008, at 6:00 pm.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:18 pm.

Call To Order: Meeting was called to order by Chairman Nolan Zisman at 6:05 PM. Attendance: Present were Bob Burdette, Joan Mitchell, Fred Raznick, Lea Williams, Bill Donohue and Nolan Zisman. Excused absentees were Ted Freedman and Paul Wilken. Jeanne Klein attended for Ed Benrock and a prospective new member, Sherman Frankston also attended. Minutes of the Nov. 5, 2007 meeting were approved as amended.

Chair Comments - - Nolan recapped the status of 2008 Legislative Funding Request effort. We hope to have some news to report at the next meeting. He also handed out copies of the replies from County Public Works on our initial list of questions regarding road maintenance and copies of his prepared remarks to the Wirth Constituent Committee.

Report from ECIA Board Liason: Bill had nothing to report. Report on County Road Advisory Committee Activities: On Ed’s behalf, Jeanne reported that the resolution we had submitted to the County was being analyzed by staff. Their current thinking is an issuance of $40 million of general obligation bonds that would be earmarked for roads in Santa Fe County. The resolution will eventually make its way to the full Commission.

1. Traffic Volume Estimating/Considerations-- Joan presented her estimates for a series of roads that are candidates for base course which might be funded by the 2008 Legislature. Fonda, Domingo and Alcalde Roads exceeded the 300 car per day threshold. Tarro Road also exceeds the threshold but Joan was asked to re-assess Tarro to also include Tetilla and Antigua Roads as Tarro and Antigua serve as funnels between Tetilla and Av. Casa del Oro. It was agreed the “next step” is to rank the assessed roads and systematically attempt to determine actual volumes by use of traffic counters. Joan will talk to Robert Martinez about the procedure for refining our estimates by getting actual counts.

2. Scheduling Next Road Inspection: It was agreed we want to assess roads that reflect a situation of snow melt and muddy conditions as it is known that some roads which have not rated above a 2.0 in prior inspections have been complained about regarding cars getting stuck or sliding out of control. The next inspection will be the week of Feb 18. Nolan will monitor weather forecasts and may push the inspection out if snow or sub-freezing temperatures are predicted for that week.

1. Taking the “Pulse” of the Community re: Paving: Discussions were started on this subject. It is the desire of the ECIA Board to be able to rationalize any decisions made to go forward with paving existing dirt roads. Those factors which were agreed upon as important determinants include safety, traffic volumes (higher volumes contribute to faster deterioration of base course surfaces and greater wash boarding), and difficult maintenance situations. Suggestions for collecting community feedback included sampling with a questionnaire and holding one or more “open forums”. Concern was expressed that either in open forums or e-mail communications there would be a bias in feedback from those with the strongest opinions and would not necessarily be representative of the community as a whole. Criteria for drawing a representative sampling would need to consider traffic volumes (perhaps a larger sampling rate for through roads than cul-de-sacs) and include all areas of Eldorado. Jeanne mentioned the desire by the Board to establish hike-bike paths alongside paved roads as a safety buffer for pedestrians and cyclists. This might limit the number of candidates for paving.

Committee members were asked to come to the next regular meeting (in April) prepared to offer thoughts on sampling and questions to be asked in the questionnaire or in an open forum. If a questionnaire is used, it was suggested that it be distributed with the ballots for the annual elections. Bill indicated that historically about 15% of the property owners return their ballots. If the community population is properly sampled, a 15% return would be a reliable sample.

2. Other: Nolan handed out a draft copy of the Road Committee’s submission for the 2007 Annual Report. He was asked to clarify “depreciation schedule” and expand on a couple of the 2007 highlight items.

There being no items from “round robin”, the meeting was adjourned at 7:35PM. Next Meeting will be a special meeting on March 3 if we can get Ralph Jaramillo, candidate for County Commissioner to attend the meeting. This would be a one-item agenda sharing information about Eldorado roads with Ralph and assessing his qualifications to represent Eldorado interests.

This special meeting was called to order at 6:02 pm. Present were Nolan Zisman--Chair, Ted Freedman, Fred Raznick, Paul Wilken and Jeanne Klein representing Ed Benrock. Also present were General Manager Bill Donahue and guests Representative Peter Wirth and Joe Auburg. Nolan announced that there was one item on the agenda: funding strategies for 2008.

Peter Wirth asked whether a road bond has been considered. It was pointed out that the only two of the eight roads that were supposed to be paid for with the money from the last bond election had been done and that the county had used the rest of the money to pay for other public works projects. He further noted that: 1) because of the magnitude of the Eldorado project multiple funding channels will be necessary, 2) the state won’t have much money for capital outlay projects next year, and 3) the money available will be needed for state roads. He also recommended that we present last year’s request again noting that costs have increased and that we present the request in 2008 instead of waiting until 2009.

In addition he recommended that we meet with Senator Grubesic and with Governor Richardson on constituent day. Access to the Governor is best achieved by contacting Robert Apodaca of the Department of Finance and Administration. He also felt that submitting petitions from Eldorado residents to the governor via Apodaca would be effective.

Joe Auburg suggested that ECIA submit a resolution to the county requesting that Eldorado be included in the capital outlay request to the governor. The governor’s budget request is still being put together, so there is time to do this. Lastly, Wirth noted that general obligation bonds, which are issued every two years, would be issued in 2008. He recommended that we check with Robert Apodaca to see if money for Eldorado roads could be included in these bonds.

2. Organize a petition drive requesting the Governor to provide funds for Eldorado roads again.

4. Ask the ECIA Board to submit a resolution to the County Commissioners requesting that Eldorado roads be included in their budget request to the Governor.

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Nolan Zisman at 6:01 pm. Other committee members present were Bob Burdette, Joan Mitchell, Fred Raznick, Frank Schober, Paul Wilken, and Lea Williams. Ted Freedman was absent. Also present were ECIA Board Liaison Ed Benrock and General Manager Bill Donahue. Joe Auburg was present as a guest. Minutes from the August 6 meeting were approved.

Joe “Bubba” Auburg, an Eldorado resident who is running for the Santa Fe County Commission, presented his experience and qualifications for the position, and responded to questions and comments on a number of topics, including the benefits and drawbacks of incorporation, and issues faced by the Eldorado Water and Sanitation District. He feels that Eldorado and the 285 corridor are growing areas that contribute more to the County tax base than they receive in benefits.
Report from ECIA Board Liaison: Ed Benrock reported that a copy of the new committee charter will be available soon. He is continuing to work with the county on road alignment and markings at Avenida Vista Grande near Caliente. There has been no response as yet from the County to letters from Gavilan Place residents and from the Amtmanns regarding EnebroWay. Issues regarding signage and striping at the intersections of Highway 285 with Avenida Vista Grande and Eldorado are complicated by the possibility of state jurisdiction along 285. Ed was unable to attend the County Road Advisory Committee but noted that the minutes did not include Eldorado issues.
Old Business/Open Action Items:General Manager Bill Donahue recently completed a review of bicycle and pedestrian crossings, and recommended striping or re-striping at the following intersections with Avenida Vista Grande: 1. Torneo, 2. Monte Alto, 3. Compadres, and 4. Azul. Chairman Zisman reported that a meeting with County staff and Commissioner Sullivan was very positive. County officials were receptive to the ECIA road committee’s concerns and committed to working with the committee to resolve road issues. A strategy is needed for future funding for both base course and chip-seal. The County agreed to the use of a private contractor to spend $60,000 for base course on Eldorado roads, and will accept the road committee’s priority list. Work will need to be completed within four years to retain funding.

Nolan handed out the results of the September 2007 inspections, and a “Worst Road Priority List” based on repeated inspections of Eldorado’s unpaved roads. Lea Williams pointed out that contracting numerous small projects scattered throughout Eldorado may not be efficient or even possible and suggeed including cul-de-sacs with a through road where possible.

Old Business and Open Action Items: Discussion of Mission Statement/Charter. Ed reported that the edited draft distributed back to Nolan (differences were documented and identified) was the Board’s adopted version. After some discussion, it was agreed that if the Road Committee wanted further revisions/improvements, they could be submitted during the next annual charter review cycle. The Board will formally transmit the approved Mission Statement/Charter soon. Item closed.

Eldorado Road Viability: In answer to the questions about the expected life of the three types of surfaces, Ed indicated the county uses the following averages:

Asphalt-15 years; Chip Seal- 7 to 10 years; Base Course- 5 years. As these are averages of both heavily and lightly travelled roads, and, for the most part, our remaining dirt roads are residential and lightly travelled, these averages could be considered minimums for our dirt roads. He also reported the county has no long-term strategic plan for the road network in Eldorado, but rather a list of roads identified by the County Road Advisory Committee as in need of repairs/improvements. Otherwise, the county responds to service requests by county residents to determine their work list.

Fred commented on the importance of having the 2007 state money from the legislature ($680,000.00) allocated and committed immediately for re-base course of particular roads. Lea suggested that while our priority list is meaningful, it would be more likely that the county will select roads from the list or their own list that can be grouped together for logistical reasons, or to maximize the work done for the effort expended.

Frank will plan to meet with John Grubesic informally, as a private citizen and friend, to determine future funding potential and process. It was suggested Ted may also wish to do the same with Peter Wirth.

Fred mentioned he felt it beneficial to educate drivers on the importance of driving slower as a way of reducing erosion of our dirt roads. He indicated he had done this with some of the neighbors on his street and there seems to be less dust and slower speeds as a result. The committee agreed we should devote some further effort towards educating our residents. Nolan will mention something about this in the Sept. issue of “Vistas”. Item remains open.

The next inspection of our roads has been scheduled for the first 2 weeks in September so the results can be used in the meetings between ECIA delegates and the county. Nolan will send out the work sheets before the end of August. Item remains open.

The meeting was called to order at 6:04 pm. In attendance were Nolan Zisman--Chair, and Committee members Bob Burdette, Ted Freedman, Joan Mitchell, Fred Raznick, Frank Schober, and Paul Wilken. Also attending were Bill Donohue and Jeanne Klein from ECIA and guests Lea Williams and Patricia Zisman. Some residents from Avila Road/Avila Court also attended for the Public Input section of the meeting. They included Tom Johnson, Ruben Lamarque, Michael Miller, Nathan Ockman, Jim Eakins, Suan Eakins, Yvonne Russell, and Maryann De Stefano.

Items from the Public: Tom Johnson spoke for the attending residents; he said that the Avila Rd. residents who were present as well as some who were unable to come had heard that Avila Rd. was going to be paved and that they were opposed to this course of action. Nolan said that the Road Committee was not pursuing improvements such as paving but would assist residents who were interested in it. Frank added that the Committee’s main objective at present was to help facilitate the return of our roads to the condition they were 25 years ago. Nolan also described the process whereby residents living on a road could get it paved if they wished. Jeanne Klein noted that it would require creation of a special assessment district with approval from the county. Nolan also said that a first step would be to determine what the majority of Avila homeowners want done. Fred observed that if a special assessment district were formed all residents would have to pay the assessment even if they were opposed to it and that this could cause problems. In response to a question Nolan said that in a best-case situation Eldorado would receive enough money to repair 13-17 of the 35 miles of roads that are in bad shape. Jeanne Klein said that the county would determine which roads would be repaired. Nolan thanked the Avila residents for attending the meeting and encouraged them to attend future Committee meetings.

Report from ECIA Board Liaison: Frank presented Ed Benrock’s report. Base coursing of Alondra Rd. is 90% complete and should be done in early April. Base coursing of Gavilan is 20% complete and should be finished in April. Restriping of Vista Grande will be done in the next two or three months. Nolan asked if Ed had found out whether the county was going to extend the median on Vista Grande at the Villages shopping center so drivers could not make left turns into it. Frank said their plan is to put up a sign prohibiting left turns off of Av. Vista Grande into the eastern driveway of the Villages.

Old Business: Results of the Winter 2007 Road Inspection: Nolan said that he had reinspected a couple roads after sending out the files summarizing the inspection results so the results had changed slightly. He distributed copies of the revised results. The maximum funding that we can expect to receive from the Legislature is $780,000, but currently we have received only $100,000. If the county does the work base coursing costs about $45,000 per mile. If an independent contractor does it the price is about $55-$60,000 per mile. If Eldorado gets 80% of the total allocation there will be enough money to base course about