Reminder: Spur Ranch Road Association Annual Meeting

Dear Neighbor,

The 2017 Spur Ranch Road Association Annual Meeting will be held this coming Sunday, December 10, at 3:00pm, at my home at 102 Spur Ranch Road, and I'm hoping you will be able to attend. (There is plenty of parking on the driveway) The purpose of the annual meeting is to review the 2017 road expenditures, to vote on the proposed 2018 budget (shown below) and to fill vacant director positions. In addition, an important purpose of the annual meeting is to discuss several important road issues, make suggestions to the board, and provide advice to the board about road maintenance and improvements. Here are a few highlights:

(A) Proposed 2018 Budget Discussion

This proposed budget, which is nearly identical to the 2017 budget, is a "wish list" of minimal road-related items that the board believes need attention. In 2017, we fell far short (about $6000) of collecting the revenue required to fund these expenditures. This revenue shortfall has become a chronic condition, which means that the road is not being maintained to minimum acceptable standards. The result, as we have all experienced, is is a growing problem of washboarding, ruts, and potholes that, unimpeded, will have serious consequences for road safety, driveability, vehicle damage, and, ultimately, homeowners insurance rates, mortgage availability, and property values.

            Snow Removal                                                  500
            Road Maintenance ($3000/ea x4 approx       12000
            Road Improvements (e.g.,basecourse)            3000
            Flooding and Emergencies                              3000
            Administrative, Insurance                               1600
            Signage, Weed Control, Misc                           100
                                                                    Total     20,200

 (B) Proposed 2018 Dues

Last year the community approved a ten percent dues increase, which we propose to leave unchanged for this year. The challenge is that this dues level is well below what is needed to maintain the road. Raising the dues to the required level does not necessarily increase our collected revenue, because more people decline to pay the larger amount. In fact, we have noticed a paradoxical reaction from a few residents who, upset at the deteriorating road condition, argue against paying any dues at all. This is obviously a situation that calls for further community discussion.

                                                   2011-16    2017    2018
        Residence E. of RR Tracks     200      220      (220)
        Lot E. of RR Tracks               100      110      (110)
        Residence W. of RR Tracks   275      300      (300)
        Lot W. of RR Tracks                  100      110      (110)

(C) Miscellaneous Discussion Issues

Any topics raised by the membership are welcome. In addition, the directors would like to present a number of options to curtail speeding (which greatly accelerates road deterioration), including installing speed bumps and stop signs to slow speeders, and a change to the SRRA bylaws to stipulate that members agree to follow speed limits and road signage.

(D) Election of Directors

There are three vacant positions on the board that need to be filled. Al Webster and Jim Garland have expiring terms, and are willing to stand for reelection. Community member John Holton has also agreed to be a director candidate. These are the only announced candidates to date, but the Board welcomes other persons who wish to stand for election. Write-in candidates and nominations from the floor are welcome, also. (The Board members whose terms are continuing are Mary Anne Stickler, and Jacquie Hollister.)

(E) Social Activity

As in previous years, we will provide beverages and ask that attendees, if convenient, bring a snack to be shared.

Thanks very much, and hope to see you on Sunday.

Regards,
Jim Garland, President
Spur Ranch Road Association

Train on the tracks

To All Spur Ranch Road Association Members:

 

I have it on very good authority that the Santa Fe Southern train will be using the tracks in our area on Wednesday, 13 December.  Please stop at the tracks and if you know anyone who usually drives through the stop signs there that caution is advised owing to the tracks being used by a train.

Al

 

Al Webster

Spur Ranch Road Association

 

Spur Ranch Road Association Annual Meeting Notice

Dear Neighbors,

This year, the Spur Ranch Road Association annual meeting will be held at my home (address below) on Sunday afternoon, December 10, at 4:00pm. At this meeting, the members will have an opportunity to vote on the proposed 2018 budget, to elect directors, and to raise other road issues of interest to our community. If you or any of your SRR neighbors have an interest in serving on our board, please be sure and let us know. I or any of the directors will be glad to answer questions about the position. Shortly, we will send you a detailed meeting agenda, along with the proposed budget and other information, but I wanted to give you an early notice of the meeting so you can put it on your calendar.  I hope you can attend. Thanks very much.
Regards,

Jim Garland, President
Spur Ranch Road Association
102 Spur Ranch Road

Spur Ranch Road construction

New Mexico Gas is installing a gas line along the curve just west of US 285 along Spur Ranch Road and under US 285 to properties east of US 285. Work is scheduled to be completed by next Wednesday, 18 October, 2017.  There will be heavy equipment and workers in the ‘S’ curve: please drive carefully.

 

Al

 

 

Al Webster

Spur Ranch Road Ass’n

Spur Ranch Road Update on Miller Water Line

Dear Neighbors,

We have received inquiries about the trenching for a water line on the north side of Spur Ranch Road that has been under way for the past several weeks. The trenching is being done by Mr. Joe Miller, who owns five lots abutting Spur Ranch Road that span roughly 3/4 mile from Rte 285, to the Rancho San Lucas development. Spur Ranch Road provides the only access to Mr. Miller's properties.

SRRA has several concerns about this project. First, it has gone on far too long, disrupting the community with construction activity and large, noisy, trenching equipment. Second, the movement of heavy construction vehicles places great stress on the road.  And finally, Mr. Miller is in arrears in paying his share for road upkeep and maintenance, to the accumulated total of more than $3000. He has not responded to multiple letters, emails or phone calls, nor did he inform anyone in advance of this project, as is customary for other developers who go to great lengths to maintain courteous working relationships with their neighborhoods.

Mr. Miller is using Christopher Streit at Barker Real Estate company to sell his lots, and we will copy Mr. Streit and his company with this notice, as well as the relevant zoning authorities, so they will be aware of Mr. Miller's lack of cooperation with our community.

Sincerely,
Jim Garland, President
Spur Ranch Road Association

Santa Fe Rail Trail Public Meeting

Spur Ranch Road Association Members:

 

Below is a notice of a meeting regarding the Rail Trail construction mentioned earlier.

 

Please be aware that significant grading of your Spur Ranch Road will commence this afternoon (8 August) or tomorrow (9 August) – please drive slowly and carefully as you approach any and all heavy equipment doing the work.

 

Be safe,

 

Al

 

Al Webster

Board of Directors

Spur Ranch Road Association

 

 

 

Colleen Baker

Project Manager

Public Works Department, Projects Division

Santa Fe County

(505) 992-9868

 

Grading Spur Ranch Road

Members of the Spur Ranch Road Association:

 

The monsoons for 2018 have arrived and your Spur Ranch Road Association (SRRA) has determined that now is the optimal time to grade our Road again - within the next few days Spur Ranch Road from US 285 west to the tracks will be deeply graded & rolled, the ditches reshaped and the crown renewed.  Spur Ranch Road from the tracks west to Ave. de Compadres will be graded sufficient to correct the wash boarding.

 

During the same time frame New Mexico Gas Co. will continue to install the gas line east from Rancho San Lucas along the north side of Spur Ranch Road – road grading and pipe line installation will be coordinated.  Please be aware that there will be ‘work in progress’ road signs, traffic cones, parked  vehicles and grading occurring along Spur Ranch Road – PLEASE DRIVE CAREFULLY AND SLOWLY in these construction zones.

 

Please be aware that Ave. de Compadres will likely be passable by 4x4 vehicles only during and immediately following strong monsoon events such as those forecast for the next few days and until the monsoons are over.

 

Several of us have been advised that there will be increasing train traffic on the Santa Fe Southern rail line this summer.  Please note that the STOP signs at the level crossing are there for your safety and that in any collision with a train the lighter vehicle would incur the most damage.  Most vehicles using Spur Ranch Road are significantly lighter than any train.

 

Plans are being made by Santa Fe County to upgrade the Rail Trail from Avenida Eldorado south to Spur Ranch Road.  This upgrade is scheduled to occur during the summer of 2018 with staging of equipment at the parking area at the junction of the Rail Trail and Avenida Eldorado. There will, however, likely be additional traffic and some equipment using Spur Ranch Road.  Your SRRA Directors will be monitoring this and will try to give you timely updates.

 

Be safe,

 

Al Webster

Board of Directors

Spur Ranch Road Association

 

 

Trains crossing Spur Ranch Road

Spur Ranch Road Association members:

 

This is from Santa Fe Southern Railway:

 

Today, July 7, there will once again be activity on the rail line through Eldorado, so please be aware of your surroundings when near the tracks. Activity will slowly be picking up on the line over the coming months. Thanks, Erich Brock, Santa Fe Southern Railway.

 

This warning impacts the tracks that cross Spur Ranch Road by the mailboxes for trains enroute Lamy. 

 

There are ‘STOP’ signs both east and west of the tracks.  I recommend that you stop at the signs then look left and right to ensure that you do not collide with a train.

 

Al

 

Al Webster

Spur Ranch Road Ass’n

Board of Directors

 

NM Road Conditions

For updated NM Road Conditions I recommend this site:    http://m.nmroads.com/site.html?RoadConditions

 

Al Webster

Member

Spur Ranch Road Ass’n

Board of Directors

Deep snow on Spur Ranch Road

At 0845 Spur Ranch Road is being plowed - please drive carefully and slowly - it is very likely that Spur Ranch Road will need to be plowed again later today based on the snow fall forecast of some 8 inches in our area.  Also please note that many of the streets in Santa Fe are snow-packed and slippery as are both NM 285 and I-25.

 

Al Webster, Member

SRR Board of Directors

Grading Spur Ranch Road from tracks west to Compadres

On Wednesday or Thursday of this week Spur Ranch Road from the railroad tracks west to Ave. de Compadres will be graded – the wash boarding is severe on this section of our road.  As the grader is working please give it lots of room and, as always, please drive the posted speed limit of 30 mph or even more slowly -  excessive speed on our road causes it to deteriorate quickly.  When the road is dry and the wind is up the dust that you see blowing away behind speeding vehicles is the surface of the road being blown away.

 

Thanks,

 

Al

 

Al Webster

Member

Spur Ranch Road Board of directors.

Spur Ranch Road work to be done

Good morning Spur Ranch Road Association members,

 

The first major work on SRR for 2017 is planned for next week, 29 March (depending on weather).  Deep grading and re-crowning of the road will occur from US 285 to the Santa Fe Southern tracks.  There will be significant work done at the ‘S’ curve and east to US 285; the bar ditch on the south side of the ‘S’ will be made shallower and, east of the ‘S’,  the loose surface gravel will be thoroughly mixed into the road bed.

 

Please drive carefully and cautiously while this work is being done – there will be a dump truck, a water truck, a grader and a roller involved in this event; these are large cumbersome vehicles and maneuver slowly.

 

Drive carefully and slowly,

 

Al

 

Al Webster

Member, SRRA Board of Directors

 

 

Spur Ranch Road - Earth Day

EARTH DAY Clean Up– 2017

22 April, 2017

 

Your Spur Ranch Road Association is organizing an Earth Day Clean Up.  This year’s event will be held on Earth Day, 22 April,  starting at 0830.

Activities will include collecting a winter’s worth of debris along and 10 feet on either side of Spur Ranch Road from the intersection of Ave. de Compadres and Spur Ranch Road east to US Highway 285.  Please identify and report on any interesting cultural items you might find – each year there have been interesting and sometimes ‘unique’ articles reported, most of which are recyclable.  If they are reported as such, there will be a total count of beer/liquor bottles and cans and totals of brands collected; results will be reported on the Blog site.

Last year was a ‘Budweiser-Lite-in-cans’ year by a wide margin.

We’re looking for volunteers for the following sections of Spur Ranch Road:

1.     Ave.de Compadres east to Calle Junipero: __________________________________________________________

2.) Calle Junipero east to Santa Fe Southern Rail Road tracks (and all around the mail boxes: _____________________________________________________

3.)  Santa Fe Southern Rail Road tracks east to Silver Saddle: ________________________________________________________

4.) Silver Saddle east to US 285: Al Webster and Roberta Armstrong

Please fill in the blanks and let me know which section you’d like. Please bring your own garbage bags and, for safety, wear bright clothing.

 

Al Webster,

Spur Ranch Road Association

 

SRRA 2016 Annual Meeting Minutes

Spur Ranch Road Association

Minutes of Annual Meeting, November 27, 2016

Directors present:     Jim Garland, Jake Green, Mary Ann Stickler, Al Webster

Director absent:        Henry McCormick

The meeting was called to order by President Jim Garland at 3:15 pm. In addition to the directors, nine residents attended.

Al Webster reminded the Members that the purpose of the Spur Ranch Road Association is to provide a safe and reliable road for various emergency and service vehicles and for residents’ daily use. Resources are concentrated on the portion of the road east of the railroad tracks.

Jim Garland explained that Spur Ranch Road is a private road with a public easement which ensures access to all. It is extremely unlikely that the County would take over road maintenance; the road would first have to be paved to bring it up to County standards, at a cost of approximately $1 million.

Treasurer Al Webster then provided an update of current road condtions. In 2016, the entire road was graded lightly three times. There was also a major grade of the mile between 285 and the railroad tracks, during which the road surface was ripped, crowned and rolled. One “Blind Curve” sign was installed.

SRRA receives in-kind services. Commonweal Conservancy donates water used when the road is graded. Two residents donate their time and equipment to do light grading of the washboarding on the portion of the road west of the railroad tracks. Another resident donates use of his ATV for targeted spraying of Russian Thistle (tumbleweed). Yet another resident donates his time and equipment for snowplowing; SRRA pays for his gasoline, Several residents participated in picking up roadside trash on Earth Day. All of these contributions are deeply appreciated.

Next, Jim Garland distributed a 2017 budget summary [(A) below]. The Board has recommended a proposed budget for 2017 which raises assessments for the first time since SRRA was formed in 2011 [(B) below]:

 (A) Proposed 2017 Budget (approved by SRRA directors 11-09-16)

Snow Removal	500
Road Maintenance (3000/ea x4)	12000
Road Improvements (basecourse)	3000
Emergencies, Reserve	3000
Administrative, Insurance	1600
Signage, Weed Control, Misc	300
Total	20,500

(B) Proposed 2017 Dues

	2011-16	2017
Residence E. of RR Tracks	200	220
Lot E. of RR Tracks	100	110
Residence W. of RR Tracks	275	300
Lot W. of RR Tracks	100	110

After explanation of the budget summary and a group discussion, Roberta Armstrong moved that the proposed 2017 budget approved by the SRRA directors be approved. Daniel Bethune seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Debbie Brient then moved that the dues increase should be accepted. Vincent Mariano seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

The next order of  business was to elect two board members. There were no nominations from the floor. Two people have volunteered to serve if elected. Mary Ann Stickler was unanimously approved to serve a second term. Jacquie Hollister was unanimously approved for a first term. We are grateful to these individuals for their willingness to serve. We also want to thank Jake Green, outgoing board member, for his work.

The last item was an open discussion of various road issues including the budget shortfall in Tierra Colinas, and possible ways to increase participation and revenues. Among other issues discussed were the following:

-Residents were reminded that the best way to preserve the road is to drive carefully. Drive no more than 30 mph. Please remember that the clouds of dust produced by speeders are really our road surface blowing away in the wind, which increases washboarding and results in greater maintenance expenses.  It’s dangerous to speed over washboards because the faster one drives, the less contact tires have with the road surface. It’s a lot like driving on ice.

-Avoid driving down the center of the road because doing so quickly degrades the crown. If the crown is lost, water will pool on the road instead of draining off, creating potholes.

-Delivery and construction vehicles are a particular concern because their size and weight damage the road more than passenger cars.

-It is important to observe the stop signs at the railroad track. Although no trains currently use the tracks, many walkers and cyclists use the rail trail, and we want to keep them safe.

           

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Carole Garland

Secretary

Spur Ranch Road Warning

Dear Neighbor,
Spur Ranch Road is extremely slippery this evening, bordering on treacherous. The afternoon sun melted the surface of the compacted snow, which has now refrozen in most areas along the road into a solid ice sheet. Obviously, it's best to avoid going out at all tonight, but if you must then be extremely careful. I suggest a maximum speed of 15 mph along straight and level sections of the road, and to slow to a crawl on any slope or curve, especially the road segment near Rte 285, which is extremely hazardous. It's also wise to slow to go very slowly when encountering oncoming vehicles. Good luck.
Regards,
Jim Garland
Spur Ranch Road Association