Announcement: The Board of Directors decided today to meet Thursday 11 Dec 2014 at 7:30pm (location Garland's home, 102 Spur Ranch Road) to discuss road maintenance issues and options. Board meetings are open to all members of the association.
-Jim Garland

Spur Ranch Road Association Annual Meeting Report

Dear neighbors,

            The SRRA annual meeting was held this past Sunday. Minutes of the meeting will be posted on the SRR blogsite at

http://spurranchroad.blogspot.com in a few days (no password required), after the directors have had a chance to approve them. In the meeting, the three following persons were elected or re-elected to three year terms on the Board of Directors: (Contact information for all the directors is on the blogsite.)

                        Jim Garland (president)

                        Al Webster (treasurer)

                        Henry McCormick (vice-president)

The following two persons comprise the remainder of the Board and have two years remaining on their terms:

                        Mary Anne Stickler (secretary)

                        Jake Greene (member-at-large)          

            At the meeting, a key discussion topic was the condition of the flooded portion of the road west of the railroad tracks. We will organize a discussion group after the holiday season to analyze the problems and investigate potential solutions and costs.

            One request: It is difficult for the Board to keep current on residents' contact information, unless we are notified by community members. For example, we have no way of knowing who are on the governing boards of homeowners' associations, unless somebody informs us of the names. Ditto for people who change email accounts, or who haven't been receiving emails. Please let us know this information, because we want to make certain that everybody in our community is up to date on road issues. Thanks!

Regards,

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

Final Notice: Spur Ranch Road Association Annual Meeting

Final Notice: Spur Ranch Road Annual Mtg

Please come to our Spur Ranch Road Association annual meeting this Sunday, November 16, 3:00 to 5:30 pm, at my home - 102 Spur Ranch Road. At the meeting, members will be asked to vote on three open SRRA director positions (the Garland, Holzer, and Webster terms are ending), as well as the 2015 proposed budget.

We will provide a detailed update on the road condition, emphasizing this year the flooding and damage to the road west of the railroad tracks, as well as potential ways to remediate the damage. I especially hope residents on the west end of the road will attend the meeting and participate in the discussion. There are some important issues to discuss.

Again, let me ask for nominees and volunteers for the SRRA board, and to urge those of you who haven't paid your dues to do so before or during the meeting. Please email or phone me if you wish to volunteer or nominate somebody to the board.

Let me also remind you of the SRRA website, which contains minutes of meetings, announcements to the community, and a forum for community discussion. The link is: http://spurranchroad.blogspot.com/. No password is required.

            At the conclusion of the formal meeting, we will provide beverages and light food at our customary potluck. Attendees are encouraged to bring an appetizer to share. Thanks very much!

Regards,

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

466-8833

SRRA Minutes

Minutes of the October 15, 2014 SRRA directors'  meeting are attached.

Jim

Spur Ranch Road Update

Dear Neighbor,

            Spur Ranch Road West of the Railroad Tracks to Avenida Compadres will be repaired starting this Wednesday and/or Thursday. If  you drive this section of the road, please be extremely careful, since the sides of the road are unstable in places, Please give road machinery wide berth and drive slowly.

            FYI, we had previously placed safety cones along the edge of the road at the points of greatest danger, but somebody stole them. We bought new cones, and yesterday somebody stole those also. Please let me know if you have any idea who the guilty party might be, so we can notify the police. The cones cost your association several hundred dollars. Because the willful theft of items intended to safeguard the public is involved, there is the possiblity the crimes are felonies.

 

Regards,

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

Current SRR

 

The 8 Spur Ranch Road Association traffic cones that were placed along the hazardous sections of Spur Ranch Road to warn drivers of potentialyl dangerous driving conditions have all been stolen off the road.  We will purchase more and install them today – in the interim please drive very carefully and slowly along Spur Ranch Road west of Calle Junipero. Should anyone know the location of the stolen cones please communicate that to one of the SRRA Board members.

 

Al Webster

Member,

SRRA Board of Directors

 

Annual Meeting Announcement: Spur Ranch Road Association

Dear neighbors,

The annual meeting of the Spur Ranch Road Association will be held on Sunday, November 16 at 3:00 pm at Jim and Carole Garland's home at 102 Spur Ranch Road.  As in previous years, the formal meeting (roughly 1-2 hours) will be followed by a community potluck. Please mark your calendars.

 

There wil be several important agenda items at the meeting: review of SRRA finances, voting on a proposed 2015 budget, election of SRRA directors (three terms are expiring), and a discussion of the road condition and other issues pertinent to our community. I hope you can attend. The annual meeting is a good opportunity to meet your neighbors, exchange gossip, and catch up on the community goings-on. We'll send out a reminder notice as the date approaches and also information about the potluck.

Thanks!

 

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

 

Spur Ranch Road conditions

Good morning Spur Ranch Road Association Members

 

Since yesterday (9 Oct, 2014) this part of Santa Fe County has received approximately ¾ inches of slow & steady rain and the forecast is for continuation of this system until Saturday, 11 Oct.2014 – just what we need to go into the fall and winter well hydrated – that’s the good news.  The not-so-good news is that Spur Ranch Road has been negatively impacted by this long, slow rain.  First to report on Compadres – it is very poor traveling in the native soil part where there are large puddles and very soft and sticky mud – I just drove it (1100 today) in my 4x4 pickup with all terrain tires and found it very hard going – I recommend avoiding Compadres until it has had time to dry.

 

Spur Ranch Road west of Junipero where the washout occurred is not too bad – the base of the road is intact and, as long as you make slow, careful progress you should be fine.  Spur Ranch Road immediately east of Junipero is very bad for a distance of some 100 yards, deep mud and ruts – using 4x4 or all-wheel drive will be necessary until  that section of the road dries.  Spur Ranch Road east of the tracks appears muddy and there are some wash boards and shallow potholes but it does not seem at all slippery – that being said I recommend slow and cautious driving on all of Spur Ranch Road – 30 MPH is the recommended maximum speed – slower than that is safer.

 

Al Webster,

Member of the Board of Directors,

Spur Ranch Road Association

 

Spur Ranch Road Update 10_02_2014

Dear Neighbors,

This morning (Thursday), there will be a few hours of continuing repairs on the road. The road is currently in very good shape, but there are a few short sections of minor washboarding, which the company wishes to correct. Additionally, the plan is to spray and roll the surface of the road one last time to make it as smooth as possible. This work will be begin at about 9AM and should be finished by noon. We will have volunteers directing traffic during that time. Be sure to drive slowly and and be careful to avoid road machinery.

Thanks,

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

Important Announcement: Spur Ranch Road Update 09_30_2014

Dear Neighbor,

            We've learned today that the planned repairs and dust reduction on SRR (between the RR tracks and Rte 285) has been expedited and will now take place tomorrow (Wednesday, October 1), instead of two weeks from now, as we originally believed. The reason for the new date is the accelerated delivery of dust reduction chemicals from Canada (7 large containers of 300 gallons each). As planned, the work should take one day to complete, and we've arranged for our volunteers to manage traffic during the day, starting at 9AM (when the roadwork is expected to begin.)

            Tonight, the road equipment and chemicals for tomorrow's work are parked along the south side of the road, just east of Calle Junipero. PLEASE BE CAREFUL AND GO SLOW if you need to drive that segment of the road tonight, especially if you are traveling east. It will be dark and we don't want anyone to smash into the parked construction vehicles.

Thanks very much. We're all keeping our fingers crossed that this will resolve our remaining issues with the road.

Regards,

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

Spur Ranch Road Update 09_27_2014

Dear Neighbors,

As I'm sure you've noticed, the newly reworked road between Rte 285 and the railroad tracks is extremely dusty, with washboarding developing over parts of the road. Neither of these conditions is what we expected from the Bionic Soil Solution treatment, and is also not what the company itself expected. As it turns out, this surface condition was caused inadvertently when the grader operator decided to do a finish grading of the road to smooth out any remaining imperfections. Unfortunately, the road had already cured by that time, and his grading actually destroyed the cohesion of the top half inch or so of the surface. The resulting fines (small particles) are what has caused the dust, and since they lie loosely on the surface they are also responsible for the washboards. Note that the washboards are very shallow and spaced closely together. They are impacting only the very top surface of the road. The grader operator made this error accidentally, not knowing that the Bionic Soil-treated road should not be graded after it had cured. (He had not previously worked on a road with the Bionic Soil treatment and had been unable to attend a company briefing in which the caveats were spelled out.)

 

Mr. Bob Sherwin has apologized for the unsatisfactory condition of the road, and is planning to correct the problem for us within the next two weeks (plus or minus). He is bringing in a grader to scrape off the loose surface material, and then he will coat the road with a newly-developed dust control product that is intended to eliminate (or greatly reduce) any further dust problems. The new product is manufactured in Canada and has received very good reviews. He has ordered 1800 gallons of it for our road, and it will be diluted with 1800 gallons of water. He doesn't know the exact date yet for the repair (which will take one day), since he has to await delivery of the dust control product from Canada. I'll let you know when we have an exact date.

 

We will be arranging traffic control with volunteers during the repair period. One lane of the road will be open at all times during the work.

 

FYI, if you're interested in learning more about the Bionic Soil treatment, you might want to view the Channel 4 newscast tomorrow after the Sunday night football game (Saints vs. Cowboys). The Channel 4 TV crew spent a day filming Bionic Soil Solutions while the company worked on roads in the Cherokee Nation and will be reporting on its findings.  The report will follow football game at roughly 9:15-9:30 pm.

 

Regards,

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association  

SFSAR Blog

‘A fierce storm dumped torrents of rain in pockets of Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico on Monday night.’ This is the lead of a story on the front page of  the Santa Fe New Mexican on Wednesday, 24 September, 2014.  That rain, although not directly over Spur Ranch Road, severely impacted the road from approximately Calle Junipero  west to Rosa Linda.  We have placed traffic cones along some of the very worst places where the road bed is undercut and falling into the bar ditch. The centre of the road is safe to drive on if you drive very slowly and carefully.  In many places the bar ditches have been scoured to a depth of some 2.5 to 3 feet – please be very careful as you drive this section of Spur Ranch Road until your Road Association can effect repairs.  Repairs may occur as early as tomorrow, Thursday, 25 September.  The drainages in that area from the northeast come directly across the road - so all the rain that fell north and northeast of us drained into these drainages and flowed directly across Spur Ranch Road.   I examined an adjacent drainage yesterday just east of Ojo de la Vaca and estimated that there was flowage of water 4 feet deep and some 20 feet wide.  Spur Ranch Road was likely the recipient of a similar amount of water that had ‘delta – ed’ out by the time it reached this latitude. It is interesting to note that the drainages that flow across Spur Ranch Road are close to the northeastern end of the San Marcos Arroyo which feeds into the Galisteo River.

 

Drive carefully and slowly,

 

 

Al

Board Member,

Spur Ranch Road Association

Spur Ranch Road Washout 09_23_2014

Dear Neighbors,

Yesterday's rain seriously damaged Spur Ranch Road over a one mile length west of the railroad tracks, roughly from Calle Junipero almost to the East entrance of Rosa Linda. Water in great quantity poured over the road from the North,  through a drainage, greatly overwhelming the bar ditches and culverts. The silt and debris ruined the bar ditches along each side of the road and washed away in some places much of the gravel and road surface.  Fortunately, other parts of the road surface, though coated with mud and dirt, remain intact, most likely because earlier in the year we graded and rolled the road.

 

The road is passable for now, but the shoulders have been completely washed out along much of the damage. Additionally, the rushing water undercut the sides of the road in places, which means that the road is unstable near the sides. Vehicles should therefore avoid driving close to the sides of the road, because it could collapse undere the weight of the vehicle.

 

Ironically, none of the flooding came from rain that actually fell on the road. Our weather station showed no rainfall at all on the road itself.  The SR Road Association is soliciting bids for repair work and will try to make repairs as soon as possible. Unfortunately, there is no affordable permanent fix for this situation. This type of flooding happens every few years, although this is the worst case in the past decade. No doubt it will happen again.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

 

 

 

Spur Ranch Road Final Update 08/30/2014

Dear Neighbors,

     Our roadwork is finally completed and Spur Ranch Road is open for normal traffic. I hope you will find that the end result made the long wait worthwhile. Here are a few things you should know about our new road.  

     The road surface currently is covered with small loose particles, called "fines," and these are what cause the clouds of dust from passing cars. Soon, these fines will blow away (or be washed away by rain), and the dust should be greatly abated. Until the fines wash away, however, the road when wet may be somewhat slippery, so please take that into consideration when you drive it. As the fines diiminish, the traction will improve. The road is still curing, and while normal traffic causes no problems, its strength will significantly increase over the next few weeks.

     Additionally, we have had extra gravel mixed into the road on the segment between Rancho San Lucas and Silver Saddle. This is the part of the road where we have had greatest problems from rain and snow in the past, and the extra gravel will improve the road strength and adhesion.

     We are hopeful this new road will be extremely durable, will resist washboarding, and will require minimal maintenance for several years. We know from lab tests that the new road should be extremely water resistant, with none of the problems experienced with the earlier RoadPacker treatment. However, since this is a new product, we won't really know about the road's long-term durability until we have been through a full year's experience, with snow, rains, freeze-thaw cycles, and heavy traffic. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

     Bob Sherwin, the owner and founder of Bionic Soil Solutions, has honored his pledge to correct the problems associated with our original road nearly three years ago. He has done this at great effort and great cost to his company, but no additional charge to us.  (The one exception has been the extra gravel we asked him to mix into the road, for which we paid $5000.)

     Our new road is so smooth that there will be a temptation to drive fast. We've already noticed delivery trucks and other vehicles speeding along the road. PLEASE resist the temptation to speed and observe the 30 mph posted speed limits. We have bicyclists, horseback riders, children, pedestrians, and many elderly drivers using the road, and we don't want any accidents. Furthermore, we want the road to last a long time, and high speeds greatly exacerbate washboarding and the wear and tear of the road surface.

     Finally, I'd like to acknowledge with gratitude the efforts of our volunteers who helped with traffic management during the past week. The volunteers were Ron Billingsley, Steve Campbell, Carole Garland, Jim Garland, Jake Greene, Bob Hutchins, Henry McCormick, Sue McCormick, Ellie Scott, Michael Scott, and Al Webster. Also, I want to thank Ben Schoenfeld for the many hours he has spent this spring and summer spraying the sides of the roads to help control Russian Thistle and other weeds. Finally, I'd like to thank Mr. Ted Harrison, founder and developer of the Galisteo Basin Preserve,. for donating water for our project at no charge. Ted's helpfulness and community-minded spirit was in marked contrast to that of the officials of the Eldorado Area Water and Santitation District.

Regards,

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

 

 

 

 

 

Spur Ranch Road Update 8:30pm 08_28_2014

Dear Neighbors,

I'm sorry we had to close the road for a few hours this afternoon, but doing so made it possible to expedite the roadwork. For tonight, the road is open for westbound traffic only. Tomorrow morning, there will be a few hours (roughly until noon) when we will restrict traffic to one lane, as we have done the past few days, but after that the road should be open for normal operation. The road has been shaped and graded, and all that remains for tomorrow is some watering and final rolling of the southbound lane. Then we are all done!

Regards,

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

NOTICE: Spur Ranch Road Closed To Traffic - Until 5 pm (08/28/2014)

Dear Neighbors,

Regrettably, we're having to close both lanes of SRR between the RR tracks and Rte 285, starting immediately, until approximately 5 pm this afternoon. Residents who live in Rancho San Lucas or west of Silver Saddle should enter or leave their property by driving toward the RR tracks and then using Avenida Compadres.  Silver Saddle residents should exit east toward 285.  For everybody else, please use Avenida Compadres to enter and exit your property.

 

The reason for this decision is because the northbound lane is still too wet to allow traffic without damaging the road, and construction vehicles are working on the southbound lane.  We hope, we can reopen one lane by 5 pm this afternoon, or even earlier if all goes well, but there is also a possiblity we may have to keep the road closed beyond 5 pm. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience this is causing, but I'm afraid we don't have any other options at this point. We tried leaving one lane open this morning, but the road was being damaged.

 

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

Spur Ranch Road Progress Report 08_27_2014

Dear Neighbors,

            The north side of SRR is nearly finished, except for a final rolling,

which will take place tomorrow morning. Much of today was spent

milling (churning) the road to hasten evaporation of the 0.75 in. of

rain which we had during the previous 24 hours. At roughly 11 am

tomorrow, the north lane will be completed and open for traffic.  In

the meantime, it is important for all vehicles to stay off the north

lane, because tire imprints will retard the necessary evaporation of

moisture, which means the road won't cure properly.

            Once the north lane is open, work will begin on the south lane. The

goal is to complete work on the south lane by 7 pm tomorrow and let

the road cure overnight.  Then, if all goes as planned, on Friday

morning the construction equipment will disappear and the road will be

open for normal use. Until then, our volunteers will control traffic,

as in the past two days. Thanks for your patience.

 

Regards,

Jim Garland, president

Spur  Ranch Road Association

Spur Ranch Road Progress Report 08-26-2014

Dear Neighbors,

            Today's rains (0.33 in total), the first significant rain in weeks, unfortunately slowed down work on our road. The excess water means that the road will have to dry out a bit before the surface can be rolled with finish grading. It was a frustrating time for all of us. Because of the rain, the road crew stopped working at 6 pm, an hour earlier than scheduled, because the road surface became too wet to roll.

            My best guess is that work will now continue into Thursday and, depending on the rain situation tomrrow, possibly into Friday. Tonight, as explained in an earlier email, the road is Westbound one-way only. At 7 am tomorrow, our volunteers will resume their traffic control duties, enabling traffic flow in both directions.

            If you have need to leave the area during the evening, please use Avenida Compadres. For safety's sake do not try to travel East on the closed road; doing so is unsafe and invites an accident.  If you are driving Westbound on the road, toward Compadres, be very careful to stay clear of the parked road equipment on the south side of SRR, between the RR tracks and Calle Junipero.

            I'll send an updated report tomorrow. Thank you.

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

 

Reminder: RoadWork Starts Tuesday Morning

Dear Neighbors,

            Tomorrow starting at roughly 7:00 am, work will begin on Spur Ranch Road, between Rte 285 and the RR tracks. During the day, until 7:00 pm, only one lane of the road will be open at a time, with neighborhood volutneers stationed at each end to coordinate traffic flow.

            During the nighttime hours, from 7:00 pm until 7:00 am, the road will be CLOSED TO EASTBOUND traffic. One lane will remain open during the night, but it will be for westbound (incoming) traffic only. If you need to leave your home during the night, please use Avenida Compadres. Avenida Compadres has bad washboards, but is safe to drive if you go only 5-10 mph. Please allow yourself enough time.

            There will be the same schedule for the road on Wednesday, and possibly Thursday, or until the roadwork is completed.

            IMPORTANT:During the night, road construction equipment will be parked in a convoy on one lane of Spur Ranch Road, between the RR tracks and Calle Junipero. Please be very careful when you drive around this parked equipment. We really want to avoid any accidents. Thank you.

 

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

Spur Ranch Road Update 08_21_2014

Dear Neighbors,

Here's additional information from Bob Sherwin about the coming week's roadwork. Please take to heart his comments about being careful driving on the road on Monday.  I recommend you use Avenida Compadres, if possible.

            "The grader operator would like to start preparing the road on Monday so we can be more efficient with our time and all of the equipment and operators deployed.  His mission will be to pull up the gravel that has been pushed off into the ditch and to prepare at least one lane of the road for the application.  He may have a windrow of soil in one lane, so I wanted you to be able to notify the residents to be cautious while driving on Monday.  I don’t think it will be necessary to have flag people on Monday (your call) as the majority of the road will be open.  

                We will have two 18 wheeler-tankers delivering 7000 gallons of Bionic Road Solution to the site on Monday.  They will pump the solution into water trucks in preparation of the work being done the next 2-days.  We will be mobilizing the other equipment which will also be arriving Monday.  We will be using a 10,000 lb Zipper attached to a Front end loader that will be milling up the surface layer to be treated and mixing our product into the soil.  We will also have 3 water trucks, a grader and a 12-ton roller. "

 

Regards,

Jim

Spur Ranch Road Association

Spur Ranch Road Volunteers Needed!

Dear Neighbors,

We need a few more volunteers to help manage road traffic while our road is being resurfaced.  The dates are Tuesday, Aug 26, and Wednesday, Aug 27. If the work isn't finished by then, which is a distinct possibility, we will need help also on Thursday, Aug 28.

 

We need volunteers to serve three hour shifts on one or two days, with one person at each end of the road.  The blocks of available time are

 

7am-10am (Tuesday & Wednesday are filled, Thursday is open)

10am-1pm (Tuesday is filled, Wednesday and Thursday are open)

1pm-4pm (Tuesday is open, Wednesday is filled, Thursday is open)

4pm-7pm (Tuesday is filled, Wednesday & Thursday are open)

 

Each volunteer will be given a walkie-talkie to coordinate traffic with his or her partner at the other end of the road. You can park your car at your end of the road and wait in it for a car to come, or if it's pleasant outside, you may prefer to enjoy the fresh air in a lawn chair (which we will provide) and read a book between cars.

 

My wife Carole is putting together the schedule, so if you're willing to help out just email her at garlance@miamioh.edu, or give her a ring at 699-5811 and let her know your available times. If you've already agreed to help, there's no need to contact Carole. If we can't get enough volunteers, we'll have to hire people to do this, and I hate to spend the money to do that.

 

Thanks!

Jim Garland

Spur Ranch Road Association

Spur Ranch Road Update 08_14_2014

Dear Neighbor,

The dates for the work on Spur Ranch Road are now scheduled for Tuesday, Aug 26th and Wednesday, Aug 27th.  Some of the road equipment will arrive on Monday, Aug 25th and will be parked near the railroad tracks.  During the daytime, from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, volunteers will be stationed at each end of the road (at the RR tracks and Hwy 285) with two-way radios to direct traffic. Only one lane of the road will be open at a time, while work is being done on the other lane, so it is important that vehicles stay in the open lane. Residents along the road will still be able to enter and leave their driveways and streets as usual. Throughout the night, SRR will be westbound only. Therefore, residents wanting to leave the area after 7:00 pm should take Avenida Compadres.

Please be careful to drive slowly and to avoid the construction workers and machinery. The road will be treated with the Bionic Road Solution, which is a clear liquid containing 50% water. The formula is made from naturally occurring chemicals in the earth’s crust, such as potassium, and is non-toxic. However in its concentrated form, the formula has a high pH (highly alkaline) that can cause skin irritation, so the workers that work directly with the product will be wearing gloves and proper protective gear. Should you get any on your skin, please wash it off with soap and water, or vinegar and water.  The formula has no negative impact on metals or automobile finishes. 

It is our goal to limit the number of vehicles on the road, in order for the work to be completed in two days (the best case scenario). The road will be available for those who have no other alternative, but we ask everyone else to please use Avenida Compadres if at all possible. Avenida Compadres is safe to drive on, although parts of it have bad washboards. On those parts you should plan on driving no faster than 5-10 mph in order to avoid damaging your vehicle suspension.

We are still looking for volunteers to assist with traffic control, so please let me know if you can spare three hours on Tuesday or Wednesday to help us complete this project. Thank you.

 

Regards,

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

Spur Ranch Road Update_08/01/2014

Dear neighbor,

Here's the latest word on planned roadwork from Bob Sherwin, of Bionic Soil Solutions:

 

" I received an email from the contractor saying that they are running behind on the Pecos project as they get bedrock. They are now working seven days a week to avoid construction delay penalties of $1500 per day. They have to complete the project by middle of August and we will go straight to your road. I will keep you posted as I learn more. Thank you."

 

I'll let you all know as soon as the dates get firmed up.

Thanks,

Jim Garland

Spur Ranch Road Association

 

Spur Ranch Road Update 07_21-2014

Dear Neighbors,

A few days ago (July 16) we received word from Bob Sherwin of Bionic Soil Solutions that there will be a short delay on our roadwork, scheduled initially for July 25-27. Here is what he said:

 

"We are waiting on the contractor to fit it into his schedule.  He is in the middle of a parking lot and baseball field for Pecos High School.  I spoke with him yesterday asking when they thought their crew and equipment would be ready and he said another 2-3 weeks.  I will let you know as soon as I find out."  

           

            One possible snag: The Eldorado Area Water and Sanitation District (EAWSD) has implemented a Stage 1 water conservation alert and has informed us that they will not sell us water during this period, which will probably last through September. (The planned roadwork requires 30K-40K gallons of water.) We were shocked to learn this, since there is no mention of the water sales restiction in the published list of Stage 1 mandates. There is such a restriction in the Stage 2 alert, but that does not apply at this time.

            We explained this point to the EAWSD management, noting also that there are safety issues at stake because our road can be very slippery when wet, that our backup road (Ave. Compadres) is nearly impassible, that residents and emergency vehicles need to get in and out, that the large majority of residents along the road are customers of EAWSD, and that there are a variety of logistical reasons why we can't purchase water from the city or the county. As of today, our argument appears to make no impact on the EAWSD management, and we have contacted the governing board to ask for a policy exemption. We are pursuing other possibilities, and we are cautiously optimistic that reason will eventually prevail. We're asking for a miniscule amount of water that would make a negligible inpact on the EAWSD reserves.

 

One final request: We really need some volunteers to help out with traffic control during the roadwork period. I believe we have eight volunteers so far, but we have 24 three-hour shifts to fill. (The time periods are 7:00am-10:00am, 10:00am-1:00pm, 1:00pm-3:00pm, and 3:00pm-6:00pm, for three days, with one person at each end of the road.) So please consider helping us out. We’ll have a potluck/party at my house for the volunteers when everything is done. Thanks!

 

Regards,

Jim Garland

Spur Ranch Road Association

 

Spur Ranch Road Roadwork Update

Dear Neighbor,

I have received word from Mr. Bob Sherwin, of Bionic Soil Solutions (formerly RoadPacker), that the target for completion of the work on Spur Ranch Road between Rte 285 and the railroad tracks is now tentatively scheduled for the end of next month. Here are excerpts from his email received two days ago:

 

                "We will be doing the work in the next 3-4 weeks depending on the schedule and availability of the contractor.  He is currently working on a job and told me this morning that he will be available in 3-4 weeks and would be able to pin the start date down in the next 2 weeks as he sees his current project progressing.  

                Tentatively I would say it looks like the 25th - 27th of July.  However it may happen the week before.  I will keep you posted as soon as we are able to firm up the actual dates with the contractor.  

                He would like to do the work over a Friday, Saturday and Sunday as his crews are working 4 day weeks at 10 hours a day and off on Friday - Sunday.  He would have them work straight through the week on the days that we do your road.  We work with contractors that are certified in the installation process so I am subject to his availability.

                With the Bionic Road Solution product, we bring the moisture content up higher than the other [RoadPacker] product, so we are required to keep traffic off of the road for 24 hours while it is curing.  Consequently we would be doing one lane at a time.  I know that you have some road crossings along Spur Ranch Road that we will deal with as needed.  

                If it rains during the application process, it actually helps us as we like to keep water on i[the road] during the curing process as this reacts more like concrete than base course.

                Thanks for your help with the traffic control and staging areas.  I will probably invite the NM DOT and Santa Fe County personnel out to watch the application process."  

 

Here are the points to keep in mind:

(1) Roadwork is currently planned for Friday July 25 through Sunday July 27, although possibly a week earlier (July 18 through July 20). We will be informed of the exact date in about two weeks.

(2) The product needs to cure 24 hours (like concrete), which means that no vehicles can travel on the road during the curing time.

(3) Only one lane of SRR will be open for traffic while the work is going on. Volunteers will coordinate traffic movement, using walkie-talkies, as we have done before.  Please let me know if you are willing to volunteer for traffic control duty.

(4) At the end of the work day, roadwork machinery will be parked next to the mailboxes and near the RR tracks.

(5) Residents are encouraged to use Avenida Compadres and Avenida Eldorado during the roadwork, if at all possible. Throughout the night, the one open lane of SRR will be one-way only.

 

Thanks very much for your patience during this long saga.. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that soon we will have durable and smooth road to enjoy.

 

Regards,

 

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

466-8833

 

 

 

 

 

Spur Ranch Road Update 05_26_2014

Dear Neighbor,

            The work on our road was postponed for a few days because of the rain (1.25 inches recorded at my house). The road is still a bit too wet, but work will resume this Wednesday, barring additional rain. As of today, the only work completed has been unloading of several truck loads of basecourse over a few hundred yards on the bad washboards East of Calle Junipero. The new bascourse has only been smoothed along the road surface to permit traffic to pass. It will be shaped, graded, and compacted once work resumes. As a reminder, it will probably take four days or so to complete work along the road.

Thanks!

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

Spur Ranch Road Update and Status Report

Dear Neighbor,

            Tomorrow (Wednesday) or Thursday,  there will be road equipment working on our road, beginning at Rte 285 and moving the entire length of the road to the far west end. This work is being done by RedLine Excavating, with whom we have worked previously. The equipment will be grading, watering, and compacting the road, and also adding basecourse to some of the worst washboard sections near Calle Junipero. Unfortunately, we can not afford to make improvements on any but the very worst sections. The work will take several days to complete, so please be especially careful.

            The segment between Rte 285 and the railroad tracks (the RoadPacker-treated segment) is being graded as a stopgap measure, pending the completion of that portion of the road by Mr. Bob Sherwin of Bionic Soil Solutions. According to a memo received from Mr. Sherwin last week (May 14):

            "I understand everyone’s desire to complete the road as soon as possible.  The monsoon season is July and August and we are still on track to complete it before then.  It is now the middle of May and it was snowing just two days ago.  The weather is just now warming up to where we can begin doing applications as we want to be out of the freezing temperatures at night.  

            As we have discussed in the past, we will need to do Spur Ranch Road in conjunction with another project in the area when we have all of the equipment already mobilized.  As a result, I can not give you a firm start date at this time.  Once we start, it will take about 4 days to finish.  We will need to do one lane at a time and stay off of that lane for 24 hours as this product needs time to cure.  I know there are street crossings and we will deal with those as needed.  I hope this helps answer your questions."

            On a related matter, I received a worrisome phone call yesterday from a realtor who is very concerned about the road's condition. There is currently a significant number of homes for sale in our community, and this person said that potential buyers are very worried about the road's deteriorated condition. Most, he said, have said they will not consider purchasing property along the road for this reason. He says home values have already been harmed, and that unless there is a significant investment by the community in road maintenance, home values will be further undermined. In addition, he said that lenders are increasingly reluctant to give mortgages to homes whose access is via poorly maintained roads. On the plus side, he felt that the existence of a road association was very important to protecting real estate values, but he felt that the association’s budget (about $12,000 per year) and dues levels ($200-$275 per year, depending on location) were far too low, and well below those of comparable neighborhoods. For comparison, keep in mind that adding one mile of basecourse to the road costs $100,000 - $150,000.

            Finally, I received a report today of heavy construction machinery (including concrete trucks) using Spur Ranch Road to access Avenida Compadres (instead of coming south from Avenida Eldorado). The use of our road by construction vehicles violates an understanding between the county and developers along Compadres, who assured us that our road would not be used for that purpose. These vehicles seriously degrade the road’s already fragile condition. Please email me if you see inappropriate.

traffic along the road from construction vehicles. If possible note license numbers, type of vehicle, and any identifying information.

Thank you,

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

466-8833

 

Traffic Accident on Spur Ranch Road

Dear Neighbor,

Late this afternoon there was a single car accident on the west end of Spur Ranch Road.  A car driven by a young man went off the road and was severely damaged and likely totaled. Fortunately, preliminary reports are that the driver was only shaken up.  According to the police officers at the accident site (there were three police cars, a fire truck, and an ambulance at the scene), the car was likely exceeding the posted speed limit (25 mph on that part of the road, 30 mph elsewhere), and the driver lost control because of the washboard ripples on the road.  At speeds in excess of the speed limit, a car is literally airborn as it skips over the road corrugations and has virtually no traction. At the speed limit or lower, the road may be bumpy and uncomfortable. but is safe to drive on. At higher speeds it is quite unsafe.

 

Ironically, the SRRA had already begun arrangements to have the entire road graded, We'll let you know as soon as we have a date for the work. In the meantime, please, please try to observe the posted speed limit.

Thank you.

 

Jim Garland

President

Spur Ranch Road Association

 

 

Spur Ranch Road cleanup 22 April, 2014

Tomorrow is Earth Day and the day we’re going to pick up all the winter’s worth of beer and water bottles along Spur Ranch Road.  Roberta and I will be out in our small John Deere with the orange trailer and will collect the materials from Silver Saddle to 285 on both sides of the road.  Our neighbour, Smokey from Rosa Linda, has already collected the debris from Compadres to Junipero on both sides of the road.  That leaves both sides of the road from Junipero to the tracks and from the tracks to Silver Saddle undone.  It’ll be good to see some neighbours out there picking up the plastic and glass bottles and other collectables.  Or, at least, wave to us as we do the collection tomorrow starting about  0830.

 

 

Al

SRR Association

 

New Mexico Gas Company, LLC

 

Within the next few weeks you may notice New Mexico Gas Company, LLC measuring, marking and staking along Spur Ranch Road.  This activity is in aid of NMGC providing a dollar estimate to install a 4-inch natural gas line to SRR users east of Ranch San Lucas and west of NM 285.

 

Al Webster

SRRA Board of Directors

 

 

Public Meeting Tonight

In case you haven't heard about this already, please see the attached flier by the "No Crude Oil in Lamy" Steering Committee about tonight's public meeting, 7:00pm-8:45pm at the Eldorado Community School Gymnasium.

 

(Msg distributed at the request of SRR resident Kerry Armour)

Spur Ranch Road - Earth Day Cleanup

Spur Ranch Road Association Members:

 

Tuesday, 22 April is Earth Day.  On that day I invite all users of Spur Ranch Road to take some time and help pick up the empty cans and bottles that have been deposited along the entire length of Spur Ranch Road since we last picked up some 9 months ago.  Roberta and I will be out in our small green tractor and orange trailer picking up trash & recyclables.  Hope you’ll do the same or at least wave to us as you go about your day.  You’ll be amazed at the variety and number of objects you’ll find along our road.

 

 

Al Webster

SRRA Board Member

 

 

"It's amazing what you can accomplish when you don't care who gets the credit!" - Harry S. Truman

FW: No Crude Oil in Lamy

Forwarded by the SRRA at the request of the organization.Please respond directly to the organization if you have comments, not to the SRRA. Thanks.

 

 

From: Galisteo Community-Association <galisteoca@gmail.com>
Date: March 24, 2014 at 8:58:42 AM MDT
To: galisteonm@googlegroups.com
Subject: Update on Lamy No Crude Activity
Reply-To: galisteonm+owners@googlegroups.com

No Crude Oil in Lamy (NoCOIL) e-BLAST for March 19, 2014

 

Here's the latest:

 

·  Massive Turnout Needed! The next BCC meeting is this coming Tuesday, March 25, 2014, in the 2nd floor council chambers at 102 Grant Ave. We need your attendance at the Matters for the Public portion of the meeting which commences at 4:00 PM. Plan to arrive by 3:30 PM. Although action on the proposed CR 33 ordinance is not on the agenda, we will be able to express our concerns on the issue during this session. Depending on the turnout, your comments may be limited to two minutes. Comment guidelines:

• Comments should not mention or be directed at any commissioner, department head, or the county attorney
• Comments should be voiced in a respectful manner (tone of voice, language, etc.)
• Appropriate subjects for comment include:
• Concerns over the lengthy delay in the ordinance drafting process
• The length of time it is taking to put the ordinance on the BCC agenda
• Public safety concerns and costly road degradation caused by these delays 
• Mark your calendars with these CR 33 ordinance-related BCC meeting dates:
• March 25, 4:00 PM - Matters for the Public
• April 8 - Proposed ordinance on agenda
• April 22 - BCC vote

·  Our next community-wide meeting date is yet to be confirmed based on availability of meeting facilities. Stay tuned for date, place and time.

·  Congratulations to our friends at Save La Bajada Mesa. The CRDC 5-2 vote against the proposed basalt mine is an important step in stopping the ill-conceived project.

 

Please forward this e-BLAST to other interested parties.

 


From the No Crude Oil in Lamy Steering Committee

 

Spur Ranch Road Update

Dear Neighbors,

 

Here are a few  update items:

1.Bob Sherwin of RoadPacker/Bionic Soil Solutions has informed us that we're still on track to get our road resurfaced sometime this Spring, before the rains start. At the moment, the road is bumpier than we would like, but it's definitely passable.

 

2.A person or persons unknown graded part of the road between the RR tracks and Calle Junipero. While we appreciate the help, please let me or any of the directors know in advance if you want to volunteer this kind of effort in the future. We want to make sure that the grading is done properly and we also don't want to create a problem by inadvertently scheduling our normal grading company to duplicate the work.

 

3. We've observed some vehicle traffic coming from a dirt road in Tierra Bello onto SRR. This violates the promise made to us by Mr. Joe Miller (who was unaware that this is happening) that residents and contractors from Tierra Bello would not use SRR. We've notified Mr. Miller of the problem and have erected last week a barrier and sign blocking SRR from the dirt road (attached photo) Director Al Webster took the lead on thia.  Please let us know if you see any unauthorized traffic from that subdivision on SRR. Once that development is completed, there will be a lot of traffic entering and leaving the subdivision. We want to nip in the bud any inappropriate use of our road before bad habits get formed.

 

Regards,

Jim  Garland