Monday, January 23, 2012

Spur Ranch Road - 9:00 p.m. Update, Mon 01_23_2012

Hi everybody,

Most of you have probably noticed the big piles of gravel down the road today. The grader operator had planned on spreading it this afternoon, but the grader broke down and can’t be repaired in the short term. Bob Sherwin finally found two Bobcats and drivers, and they are out on the road tonight spreading the gravel so that the road will be safe if it rains tomorrow. He estimates they will be at work until midnight, but their little machines won’t be able to spread the gravel smoothly and uniformly. Another full-size grader will be arriving in the morning to complete smoothing the surface, and so there shouldn’t be any problems using the road during the day.  If you have to drive it tonight, just be careful around the two Bobcats and know that only one lane is likely to be open.

Thanks,

Jim

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Spur Ranch Road - New Developments_01_22_2012

Dear Neighbors,

This morning, after the temperature moved above freezing, Avenida de los Compadres rapidly deteriorated and became undrivable. That left us no choice but to open Spur Ranch Road for traffic, even though doing so risked damaging the surface. Fortunately, the road had already dried enough so that the only damage was a few surface tread marks. As of this evening (9:00pm),  the road is still in very good shape, although the westmost 1/4 mile has not yet been graded or compacted.

                In the interim hours, RoadPacker CEO Michael McDermott consulted with his chemists in Canada, and their view was that the road will not adquately cure until the nightime/daytime freeze-thaw cycles abate in the spring. As a temporary measure, therefore, RoadPacker plans to install (tomorrow afternoon or the next day) two inches of gravel/basecourse on the surface of the finished part of the road from Rte 285 to Silver Saddle. The basecourse will prevent the road surface becoming slippery until the Spring, when the weather is warmer. At that time, the Roadpacker team will remove the basecourse because it will no longer be needed. See Mr. McDermott’s email text, below, for more details.

                The area west of Silver Saddle to the RR tracks will be graded and smoothed by the middle of the week. As an experiment, the dirt/clay mixture along this segment will be treated with an anhydrous drying agent, to see if that will accelerate curing even in freezing weather. If it does, then there will be no need for a basecourse covering. If it doesn’t, then that segment will be covered with a basecourse, just like the eastern part of the road. One way or the other, residents will be assured going forward of a smooth drivable road.

Regards,

Jim

Text follows of Email from Bob Sherwin, president of RoadPacker NM to the SRRA Board:

Hi Spur Ranch Road Board Members,

The Spring Break Spur Ranch Road BBQ is on!

I have already sent in a reservation to Phat Matt’s BBQ in Las Vegas NM (link below) for a fully catered “Spring Break BBQ” for 100 to 150 people or (however many residents will come) to be held at the Spur Ranch clubhouse facilities (or where ever you would suggest). Regarding the reservation, I suggested March 17th, 24th or 31st so that we could do it on a Saturday afternoon. What are your thoughts on the date and place for the BBQ? (Great idea Al). We will have RoadPacker Hats for all the SRR Board members. (How many hats would you like?)

With regard to our infamous Spur Ranch road, here is our plan going forward.

We are presently speaking with gravel suppliers and hauling companies for deliveries beginning possibly as early as tomorrow. I will email you back once we have finalized the arrangements with the hauling companies and pinned down the delivery time. We are going to bring in 800 tons of base course to place on the surface (courtesy of Michael McDermott) while our road is drying and curing. What we have determined conclusively is that... when RoadPacker ionic soil stabilization is installed in freezing temperatures, the curing process will be extended until such time as the ground temperatures are above freezing (day and night time) for at least 4-5 days in a row. The moisture is being trapped below the surface due to freezing temperatures at night, preventing the moisture from being expelled by the chemical reaction and daytime warming. This will continue until we are above freezing temperatures day and night. Once the water is out of all of the voids and crevices, the clay particles will be bound so closely together that the road from that time on, will be water repellent as there will be no openings for the water to get in. It won’t matter how much it rains in the future, the road will remain rock hard, smooth and there will be no more than a tire track when it is wet. The RoadPacker and RoadBond roads in New Zealand are under rain during the rainy season for 6 months in a row and they hold up perfectly!

In spite of the cold temperatures, I think everyone has noticed and would agree, that when the road is dry, it is an extremely hard surface, with no wash-boarding and a reduction in the dust by at least 90%! The problem then becomes keeping people down to 30 miles per hour as it is easy to do 40 mph because of the smooth surface. Frankly, I have never been on a better dirt road when it is dry. That is how it will be year round once it has cured.

Your road is going to dry out and cure over the next couple of months, when the temperatures are above freezing which will most likely be in March. It will continue to get harder and harder for another 9 months after the initial curing has occurred. Once this occurs you will have a water repellent, rock hard surface with no washboards. In the mean time, we want you to be safe and not  have any issues when it rains or snows with the road. The solution to providing traction and avoiding mud is to bring in basecourse for the top surface of the road. In the spring time when the road is cured and hard at all times, we will come back and remove the base course to return you to a smooth, hard, dust free RoadPacker surface. We will use that base course to fix every driveway and intersection along Spur Ranch Road. We will also do the necessary re-seeding to the disturbed areas at that time.

I hope this explains everything for you and the Spur Ranch Road neighbors.

Special thanks to all the SRR volunteers who so graciously put in so much time as flagmen and traffic control coordinators. You guys are incredible and we are very grateful to your time, services and energy. Thank you Richard Roybal and your entire crew at Pure Bred Construction for your hours and hours of hard work. Also, thank you Michael McDermott for providing the RoadPacker Plus and base course for Spur Ranch Road, Act II.

I know you will be very happy with your new road once we get into warmer weather.

Sincerely,

The entire RoadPacker, Southwest team,

Bob & Denice Sherwin
505-699-2930
www.RoadPackerSW.com
Bob@RoadPackerSW.com

 

Spur Ranch Road

This information is also on the SRRA blog:

 

Ave. de los Compadres is almost impassable.  Spur Ranch Road is now open for immediate and primary access.  Please drive very slowly (15 mph max recommended) on Spur Ranch Road so as not to impact the excellent surface that you saw being prepared last week.  The contractor and the RoadPacker NM folks are aware of the situation and are planning immediate drivability solutions to SRR.  More details to follow.  Thank for you continuing understanding and patience.

 

Al Webster

SRR Board member

 

SPUR RANCH ROAD IMMEDIATE ACTION 22 Jan/2012

Ave, do los Compadres is almost impassable.  Spur Ranch Road is now open for immediate and primary access.  Please drive very slowly (15 mph max recommended) on Spur Ranch Road so as not to impact the excellent surface that you saw being prepared last week.  The contractor and the RoadPacker NM folks are aware of the situation and are planning immediate drivability solutions to SRR.  More details to follow.  Thank for you continuing understanding and patience.

 

Al Webster

SRR Board member

 

From: Jim Garland [mailto:4cx250b@muohio.edu]
Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 6:00 PM
To: srra1.lamynm@blogger.com
Subject: Spur Ranch Road - Special Bulletin (Sat. 6pm)

 

Dear Neighbors,

I received an urgent email a few minutes ago from our RoadPacker distributor, Bob Sherwin, regarding tonight’s weather forecast, which now says there is 40% chance of rain and snow. Bob asked me to request that residents NOT use Spur Ranch Road if there is the slightest amount of rain or snow. The road requires 5-6 days of curing time to become water repellent, and if vehicles drive on the road it will undo all the work that has taken place the past week. If at all possible, please use Avenida de los Compadres if there is any precipitation. We will put the “Road Closed” signs at each end of the new road as a reminder. The weather forecast improves after tonight (though there is another chance of rain or snow on Tuesday).

Thanks!

Jim

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Spur Ranch Road - Special Bulletin (Sat. 6pm)

Dear Neighbors,

I received an urgent email a few minutes ago from our RoadPacker distributor, Bob Sherwin, regarding tonight’s weather forecast, which now says there is 40% chance of rain and snow. Bob asked me to request that residents NOT use Spur Ranch Road if there is the slightest amount of rain or snow. The road requires 5-6 days of curing time to become water repellent, and if vehicles drive on the road it will undo all the work that has taken place the past week. If at all possible, please use Avenida de los Compadres if there is any precipitation. We will put the “Road Closed” signs at each end of the new road as a reminder. The weather forecast improves after tonight (though there is another chance of rain or snow on Tuesday).

Thanks!

Jim

Friday, January 20, 2012

GOOD DAY!

Dear Friend,

With the world been connected in different ways and has turned into a global cyber village I am sure you must have heard or read about the jailed former Yukos oil boss (Mr. Boris Mikhail Khodorkovsky), Until his arrest he was the chairman/CEO of Yukos Oil and Bank Menatep SPB in Russia.

My name is Mrs. Nina Deripaska and I am writing as his representative and I was also his personal secretary before his arrest. I have documents of a large sum of funds which he handed over to me just before he was detained and tried in Russia on charges of tax evasion and for financing political parties (The Union of right forces led by Boris Nemtsov and Yabloko, a liberal/social democratic party led by Gregor Yavlinsky) opposed to the government of Mr. Vladmir Putin, the former president of Russia thereby leading to the freezing of his finances and assets.

For years I have been doing extensive research through your country's chambers of commerce and industry just to find a worthy person to assist me reprofile the funds and if possible re-invest same on his behalf, this is an instruction I received from my former boss on my last visit because it seems the Russia government are doing everything possible to keep him in there so he wants his money invested and working till his release. The total amount to be reprofiled is Thirty Seven Million Dollars ($37,000,000.00) and you will be paid 30% for your management services and discretion.

As soon as I receive word of your acceptance in my private email address: nina.deripaska@yahoo.com.hk I will send you all other necessary details and my ID.

Thank You,

Nina.

PS: You can read more about him from these links.
http://www.khodorkovskycenter.com/about-khodorkovsky-and-lebedev/about-khodorkovsky
http://ukhumanrightsblog.com/2011/09/27/the-suits-in-strasbourg-yukos-oil-tax-evasion-and-human-rights/
http://newsfromrussia.com/main/2005/03/29/58914.html
Http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3213505.stm
Http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3042850.stm

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Spur Ranch Road - Weekend Update

Dear neighbors,

Over the weekend, the road crew will be completing work on the last segment of Spur Ranch Road, which is the last 1/4 mile west of the RR tracks. The remainder of the road has been completed and is wonderfully smooth.

 

During working hours of 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., for Saturday and possibly Sunday, Spur Ranch Road will be closed for all residents west of  Rancho San Lucas. This includes all the Tierrra Colinas residents and homes west of the RR tracks. These residents should use Avenida de los Compadres.

 

Rancho San Lucas residents can use either SRR or Avenida de los Compadres, since they will be in the middle of the road segment being worked on. I suggest these residents park their vehicles on SRR west of the RR tracks (near the mailboxes) and just walk to their homes. It’s only a hundred yards or so, the exercise will do you good, and you won’t get mud all over your cars and have to work around road equipment.

 

SRR will open fully to traffic after 5:30 p.m., as before. Also, Avenida de los Compadres has been freshly graded and is drivable for all traffic. There are two short sections (about 10-12 ft), where the road is still a bit mushy, but you shouldn’t have any trouble moving through those. Just keep your speed up and don’t try to stop.

 

Regards,

 

Jim

 

Spur Ranch Road 9:30am Update- Friday 01_20_12

Good morning, neighbors,

As of this moment (9:30 a.m.) both Spur Ranch Road and Avenida de los Compadres are open to traffic.  The grader is currently working along the entire length of Compadres to smooth it out and will probably be doing that for another hour, approximately. When the grader returns to the SRR worksite, we will then close Spur Ranch Road.  In the interim, you are welcome to use either road, but just be cautious when you move around the grader.

 

For the next few days, Spur Ranch will reopen to traffic every evening about 5:30 p.m., and then will close again for the work day, at about 8:30 a.m.

Regards,

Jim

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Spur Ranch Road Info for Friday: 01_20_2012

Hi neighbors,

The plan for tomorrow (Friday) is for a grader to smooth Avenida de los Compadres, our alternate road, about 7AM.  Once we have verified that the road is drivable, we will close Spur Ranch Road to traffic from the RR tracks to Rte. 285 (except for emergency vehicles, residents from Silver Saddle, Rancho San Lucas, and a few houses along the affected road segment.)  I’ll send out a community email notice when the road is formally closed.

 

The road closure will likely last for two, possibly three days (through the weekend). Tomorrow, our volunteer flaggers will be stationed at the RR tracks and Rte. 285 to inform drivers that they should use Avenida de los Compadres if at all possible. Our volunteers are exhausted and we’re therefore not asking them to work also on the weekend; by then, we hope everybody will be aware of the road closure. (We will post signs at Rte 285 and the RR tracks.)

 

It is necessary to close Spur Ranch Road because the segment west of Silver Saddle has not yet been graded, smoothed, and compacted, and the road equipment needs access to both lanes. The road east of Silver Saddle to the top of the rise needs finish grading and compacting, while the road from the rise to Rte. 285 has been completed and looks wonderful.

 

Believe me, I know well what an inconvenience this has been for all of us. For some of us it has been an ordeal. However, at this point the more we can leave the road crew alone to do their job, unhindered by residential traffic, the better the final product will be.

 

The ten day forecast is for clear, warm, and sunny weather (10% chance of rain on Sunday, 20% chance on Monday). We need roughly a week of dry weather to cure the road, after work is completed, so let’s all keep our fingers crossed.

Regards,

Jim

 

 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Spur Ranch Road - mid-day update (Wed 01_-18_12)

The road crew only worked until 1pm today, to give the road more time to dry out. Work will resume at about 8:30 am tomorrow, so the road is currently open to all traffic. (No flag persons will be on duty this afternoon.) Avenida de los Compadres is also drying out, but plans are to grade it tomorrow.

Regards,

Jim

Spur Ranch Road - Morning Update 7:30am Wed 01_18_12

Good morning neighbors,

Spur Ranch Road is open this morning to all traffic, although drivers are advised to stay to the center of the road if possible, since the sides are still a bit slushy. Volunteer flaggers will be on duty from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. to coordinate traffic flow.

Construction work on the road will begin about 8:30 a.m., with road machinery compacting the road from Rte. 285 to Silver Saddle, and grading and compacting the segment west of Silver Saddle. There may be brief traffic delays throughout the day while the road machines are repositioning.

We will determine later this morning if Avenida de los Compadres is dry enough to benefit from grading, and if so we will smooth out that road enough for it to be used as an alternate route.

The latest projection from the RoadPacker team is that work on the road will take roughly 3-4 more days to complete, in part because of the need to repair the surface damage caused by the recent rain and snow. If the road remains dry and the daytime temperature is above freezing (the long range forecast looks good), curing should be nearly completed in about five additional days.

One suggestion: although the clay/RoadPacker mix is non-toxic and will not harm an auto finish, it will cling to the wheel wells and underside of your car, as well as the bottom of shoes. I recommend you wash it off these surfaces, when you get a chance.

The SRRA directors met yesterday evening for nearly two hours with the RoadPacker executives, Bob Sherwin and Michael McDermott, to discuss this project. The issues covered included the chemistry of the process, the timetable for curing, the life expectancy of the treatment, the impact of free-thaw cycles, the water repellent properties of the surface, and so forth. We also discussed ways the company could improve communication and coordination with residents along the road.

According to Mr. McDermott, our road is the company’s spearhead into the U.S. Market. RoadPacker plans to open a manufacturing center in Albuquerque and to make Santa Fe its national headquarters. The meeting was very candid and informative, and I believe it is fair to say the directors were reassured about the company’s commitment to supporting us and giving us the best possible road.

Regards,

Jim

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Spur Ranch Rd, Explanation of the Curing Process

From: Michael McDermott
Organization: RoadPacker Group Ltd
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:36:09 -0700
To: 'Bob Sherwin' <bob@thesherwingroup.com>
Subject: Spur Ranch Rd


Dear Bob,  Please pass this on to Jim, that he may send it to his residents. We have just returned from viewing the Spur ranch roadway after hours of continuous  rain and snow. You and I were also on the roadway at 8 am this morning to view the condition of the roadway after 14 hours of rain and snow that had fallen on to it. So let me lay out clearly what has happened here and give you my prognosis for the short and long term condition of the road.
 
Firstly the higher quality soil that were recently imported by you at a great cost in order to repair and improve the previous roadway has responded as I expected it to do. We have been able to achieve greater compaction level thus a higher level of impermeability making it more difficult for moisture/water to penetrate the stabilised soil.
 
When a clay based soil such as we have on the Spur Ranch Rd. is stabilised with the RoadPacker stabilisation products, the chemical activity that takes place is that the product works directly to remove the absorbed water within the clay particle and make it an adsorbed water solution attached to the clay particle ready for expulsion from the soil through a greater realignment of the clay particles as a result of super plasticisers that are added to the RoadPacker stabiliser formulations resulting in greater compaction of the soil and also increasing the impermeability of the treated/stabilised surface through compaction.
[See below for an additional explanation of absorption and adsorption. -Jim]
 
This means that when properly applied to a suitable soil for treatment, the RoadPacker Plus product will remove the moisture from the soil and increase the density of the soil. Once the stabilised/treated soil has been properly cured, the stabilised roadway will repel water from entering into the structure of any soil. This is evidenced by roads that we have in place in Canada, Russia, Northern China and many other Northern Hemisphere countries suffers winter freezing temperatures and which are still in place and working properly after 13 winters/springs of torrential rains and sub-zero (-20 to 40 c below) climatic conditions.
 
What we have here at Spur Ranch today is a soil that whilst strongly compacted and rendered impermeable to water/moisture, is a soil that is still in its infancy/initial stages of curing with a volume of moisture still trapped under the surface of the soil that has not yet been expelled by the chemical action of the RoadPacker Plus in relations to the mineralogy of the soil.
 
The normal curing period for a clay based soil treated with RoadPacker Plus is 5 to 6 days. During that time, the soil will de-hydrate at an elevated level/speed forcing hairline cracks to appear in the in the surface of the soil/roadway which have to be controlled by an application dosage of 1 part RP Plus to 1,000 parts water to slow down the speed of the cracking and bring the road/soil back to a closely sealed surface. This process requires that the roadway needs to be sprayed twice a day to achieve this.
 
What is happening here is that due to the freezing temperatures that we are seeing here in Santa Fe at the moment during both the day and throughout the night, we are having difficulty in letting the curing process take place effectively. Thus whilst the soil of the roadway is stabilised effectively and has increased dramatically in density, the surface of the soil still bears a small amount of moisture that we have not yet due to the continuous low seasonal temperatures, been able to dispel from the soil/roadway.
 
With the weather forecast showing higher temperatures for the remainder of the week and clear sunny weather, I am confident that we can complete the curing process to a point where the soil/roadway will in fact reach the point where is will repel any future rains and moisture from the surface and allow normal traffic operations on its surface.
 
We will first thing tomorrow, tidy up the 2 to 3  millimetres of loose surface material and allow the roadway to be re-compacted and incorporated into the already compacted and dense roadway that is already there. The remaining 2 or 3 sections already chemically treated but not yet compacted will be completed within the next 48 hours after we have dried out the existing soil.
 
I hope that this explanation gives you and your residents a clearer insight as to what is going on here. This technology works well be it must be allowed to cure properly to be effective.

Best regards,
macd
 
 
Editorial Comment (Jim): For our road, adsorbed water refers to molecules of water that are bound to the surfaces of the clay particles by electrical forces. These forces are a result of the electrostatic attraction resulting from polarized electrical charges induced in both the water and the clay. (Recall that unlike charges attract.) In effect, the water molecules are stuck to the surfaces of the clay.

Absorbed water, by contrast, refers to molecules that diffuse into a material and mix with it. Absorption is thus a bulk process and not a surface process.

As Mr. McDermott explained above, the RoadPacker chemicals are designed to extract absorbed water from the bulk of the clay, and change it into adsorbed water that resides on the surface of the clay particles. In effect, this process squeezes out the water from the clay, which ultimately ends up on the surface of the road where it can evaporate. When that happens, the dirt/clay mix is very dense and impermeable to water. At least that’s the theory. We’ll wait and see what happens.

.

Spur Ranch Road Morning Update - Tuesday 01_17_12

Good morning, everybody.

 

I checked out Avenida de los Compadres earlier this morning and it is an undrivable mess, with puddles of water and deep muddy ruts. Best to avoid it now. If it dries out enough to be graded, we will try to make it passable.

 

However, all lanes of Spur Ranch Road are currently open to traffic (8:00a.m), with volunteer flaggers at each end advising vehicles of driving conditions.  At this time, the road surface is frozen and easily drivable, but once it thaws out it may become slippery again, but not as bad as yesterday.

 

It is unclear whether the road will dry out enough today for construction work to resume. If the road machines resume work later today, one lane will be kept open for traffic, with the possibility of short delays. Flaggers at each end of the road will manage the traffic flow.

 

The road segment between the RR tracks to Silver Saddle has not yet been graded or compacted, and the dirt/clay mix is very wet. Current plans are to stack the mix along one lane to permit it to dry. Thus, that segment of the road may have only one lane open for a couple of days.

 

For those of you who are interested in the technical reasons the road surface has not firmed up yet, I’ll shortly forward to the community an email on that topic from the RoadPacker CEO, Michael McDermott.

 

Regards,

Jim

 

 

 

Monday, January 16, 2012

Spur Ranch Road - 4:30pm Update Monday _01_16_12

Dear Neighbors,

The extremely unfortunate turn of weather seriously impacted travel on our road earlier today, with rain throughout the day and nearly 0.5 inches of accumulation since last night. Avenida de los Compadres is no longer passable, even with 4WD vehicles, and earlier in the day Spur Ranch Road was very slippery. Several cars with 2WD slid off the road and had to be towed.

The grader was out about an hour ago widening the section of road from Silver Saddle to the RR tracks, so it is much improved. I just drove the entire road in 2WD and it was somewhat slippery, but I had no trouble going both directions.  

Nevertheless, my advice is to stay at home tonight if possible, unless you have a 4WD vehicle. If you have an emergency or compelling need to leave and feel it is unsafe to drive your car, then call me (466-8833) and we’ll arrange transportation for you.

If you do choose to drive the road, then be aware that the most slippery part is the slight uphill grade east of Silver Saddle towards 285. Keep your car in first or second gear, move at a slow constant speed (say 15-20mph), keep to the center, and avoid accelerating or braking. Be especially careful when you move out of the road center toward a driveway. That seems to be where most folks have had trouble.

I’ll send another update if there’s any significant change in road conditions.

Regards,

Jim

 

 

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Spur Ranch Road Update - Sunday 01_15

Dear Neighbor,

The contractor has informed us today that work on the road should be completed tomorrow afternoon. Note the word “should,” which we’ve heard before. After the road is finished, the road crew will spend a day or two cleaning up and restoring the property damaged by road machinery and work crew vehicles, but that should not be an impediment to traffic.

As of 5:30 p.m. this evening, the road had been nicely graded, crowned and sheeps-footed (?) from Rte 285 down to the driveway at 78 SRR, needing now only a finally rolling. The remaining 0.2 mi from that driveway to the RR tracks is currently one-lane only, with piles of dirt blocking the south lane. However the dirt has already been mixed with Roadpacker chemicals and so needs only shaping and rolling.

                This afternoon I received an email from Bob Sherwin, the RoadPacker distributor, saying “Michael [McDermott]  said that it is not unusual to get a thin layer of mud within the few days after the road is curing, should it rain immediately after a road is done. I wanted to let you know not to be alarmed if that should happen. By the following week, we should be good to go with no worries when it rains.” I really hope the rain holds off (latest forecast is only a 20% probability) because everything Carole and I own is saturated with mud. Rest assured, we will monitor the water resistance of the road surface closely.

In any case, tomorrow will be yet another day with volunteers monitoring the ends of the road. Their job is to ask approaching vehicles to use Avenido de los Compadres as an alternate route until the “all clear” sign is received. For residents on Silver Saddle and to the East, that happy event should occur fairly early in the day.

Regards,

Jim

 

Friday, January 13, 2012

Spur Ranch Road - Request for Volunteers

Dear Neighbor,

We’re in need of a few more volunteers to serve as flag persons on Sunday and possibly Monday. If you can spare a couple of hours, please call Kerry Armour at 983-4055 or email her at kerry_armour@hotmail.com

Many thanks,

Jim

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

RE: Spur Ranch Road Update - Wed 1_11_12

Just to remind everyone that Jim and his wife Carole are part of this volunteer group as well; standing in the cold and the mud directing traffic. It has been my experience having done it for a couple of days that most people accept the diversion/detour with very good grace, anticipating,  like us, that the resulting finished road will be worth the minor inconvenience of driving around.  I’d recommend that anyone living in the area requiring access via Spur Ranch Road come out and volunteer – you’ll meet your neighbours who are wonderful people.

Al

 

From: Jim Garland [mailto:4cx250b@muohio.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 7:16 PM
To: srra1.lamynm@blogger.com
Subject: Spur Ranch Road Update - Wed 1_11_12

 

Dear Neighbors,

A few new developments in our continuing road saga. First, it was very chaotic today managing the traffic flow. The contractors started work an hour earlier than they’d told us, blocking the road with construction equipment at busy hour when our flag persons hadn’t yet shown up.

                Second, coordinating traffic proved much more difficult than we anticipated, because the larger graders, rollers, etc., now in use spanned both lanes much of the time and we had great trouble finding open times for traffic to move.

                And finally, we had an unusual amount of traffic on the road, thanks to a meeting of local realtors who showed up this morning en masse.

                Finally, we decided that it would be in the best interests of everybody simply to close the road during working hours (8am-5pm) and we posted signs at each end of the road, notified the authorities, and posted our volunteers at each end to explain the situation to vehicle drivers. Closing the road is an inconvenience for us all, but is safer and will certainly expedite the roadwork. We’ve driven our alternate route, Avenue de los Compadres, several times today and it is bumpy but perfectly passable, even with ordinary 2WD vehicles.

                On behalf of our saintly volunteers, I’d like to thank you all for being so understanding and accommodating. I’d also like to thank our volunteers for their willingness to stand out in the cold directing traffic on behalf of their neighbors. You all are just super and your efforts are much appreciated.

 

Regards,

Jim

Spur Ranch Road Update - Wed 1_11_12

Dear Neighbors,

A few new developments in our continuing road saga. First, it was very chaotic today managing the traffic flow. The contractors started work an hour earlier than they’d told us, blocking the road with construction equipment at busy hour when our flag persons hadn’t yet shown up.

                Second, coordinating traffic proved much more difficult than we anticipated, because the larger graders, rollers, etc., now in use spanned both lanes much of the time and we had great trouble finding open times for traffic to move.

                And finally, we had an unusual amount of traffic on the road, thanks to a meeting of local realtors who showed up this morning en masse.

                Finally, we decided that it would be in the best interests of everybody simply to close the road during working hours (8am-5pm) and we posted signs at each end of the road, notified the authorities, and posted our volunteers at each end to explain the situation to vehicle drivers. Closing the road is an inconvenience for us all, but is safer and will certainly expedite the roadwork. We’ve driven our alternate route, Avenue de los Compadres, several times today and it is bumpy but perfectly passable, even with ordinary 2WD vehicles.

                On behalf of our saintly volunteers, I’d like to thank you all for being so understanding and accommodating. I’d also like to thank our volunteers for their willingness to stand out in the cold directing traffic on behalf of their neighbors. You all are just super and your efforts are much appreciated.

 

Regards,

Jim

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Spur Ranch Road Update and Volunteer Request (Sun 1-8)

Dear Neighbors,

                I want to remind everyone that tomorrow morning reconstruction of our road will begin in earnest and will continue throughout the work week. The first three days (Monday-Wednesday) will be the most inconvenient for us, with one lane open but covered with two inches or so of loose dirt.  

I just drove the back road, Avenue de los Compadres, and it was bumpy but easily passable in our SUV using 2WD. No guarantees, but you’re all welcome to use it if you prefer, though I wouldn’t try it in your Porsche or Mini-Cooper. If we don’t get much snow tonight (just a dusting so far), the contractor will grade the worst part of Compadres to facilitate traffic.

A plea for volunteers: We don’t yet have enough walkie-talkie-bearing flag persons to control traffic at each end of the road construction. As I mentioned, the crucial days are Monday through Wednesday, so if you’ve got a couple of hours to spare please email or call Kerry Armour, who is setting up schedules. Kerry’s email is kerry_armour@hotmail.com, and her phone number is 983-4055.

Thanks!

Jim