Town of Taos News Brief 7/14/09

Posted by Jim Kimmons, Broker/Owner • July 14, 2009 • Printer-friendly

Chile Line Bus schedule July 09.xls pump track build report for Council.doc

Highlights from today’s Special Town of Taos Council Meeting in addition to other information:

Public is invited: Next Quarterly Public Marketing Meeting August 13, 10 a.m. to 12 noon, Town of Taos Convention Center, Civic Plaza Dr. A marketing theme for 2010 is to be discussed in addition to added 2009 reports/actions concerning strategy, tactics, what’s worked and what hasn’t, your input into the program, new directions, etc. Contact Joanie Griffin for more information, jgriffin@griffinassoc.com.

Youth and Family Field Day – postponed until July 29. Contact Judy Esquibel for details, jesquibel@taosgov.com.

Town of Taos Tax Revenue Report: It’s not good out there, but Taos continues to fare better than many tourism destinations in the region/nation. Please note: There is a built in lag time between when taxes are paid to the state and when the Town receives the revenues/the month in which they are generated. Gross Receipts Taxes through June, 2009 – up +.31% year over year (2008 through May compared to 2009 through May)*

Lodgers Tax Revenues through May, 2009 – down -11.1% year over year (2008 through May compared to 2009 through May)

Want more detail/discussion? Email cconnelly@taosgov.com.

New hires by the Town of Taos Police Department included Police Cadets Camillah Eagles, KrisAnn Martinez, Jani Davis and Jaime Hutado.

Pump Track designed and built by wonderful volunteers at the Town of Taos Youth & Family Center -- It is now ready and open -- check out what it is all about through the attached report and the following web sites (You Tube connection has a video of the pump track’s use) http://www.leelikesbikes.com/taos-pump-track-a-fine-example.html and www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MS-RYuMdlI.

Rich Sanders presented during Citizens Forum concerning Lion’s Club successful vision testing program in addition to other sponsored community programs; Mr. Sanders also focused on leading an effort to bring State ADA experts to Taos and work with the Town and County to improve handicap education/access. Council supported action.

Council authorized the Mayor of the Town of Taos to sign the Letter of Acceptance with the State of New Mexico for the authorization of the Arts and Cultural District designation for the Town. This letter contains certain specific agreements for support of the District and its formation. Want more? Contact mspriggs@taosgov.com.

Approval of the Chamisa Verde Neighborhood Plan Amendment, to fulfill the requirements of the Town of Taos Ord. 09-02 for a Traditional Neighborhood Plan (previously referred to as the TaosSmartCode). This approval rezones the land within Chamisa Verde, owned by the Town, to the transect zones of the TND District. This furthers the Town’s plans to apply the SmartCode elements, or TND approach, to its own land first before it is potentially applied elsewhere. Want more? Email Planner Matthew Foster at mfoster@taosgov.com.

Chile Line Transportation: Slightly changed stops. Hours of operation will remain the same. $1 round trip price remains the same. New stops at Cid’s, Guadalajara Grill South, Taos Middle School, Loma Parda, and Paseo del Canon East, see map at http://www.taosgov.com/transportation/chile-line.php. New schedule will start this Saturday, July 18, attached and online. For more info. also call the Town’s Transportation Division at 575-751-4459. Also check out www.TaosExpress.com for continuing transportation between Taos and Santa Fe. $10 for adults; children 10 and under ride free. ADA compliant, bike racks, more. Taos Express ridership first four weekends of service: 147.

Town of Taos Transportation: Awarded $507,000 by Federal Economic Stimulus funds, via NM Dept. of Transportation, for purchase of five new buses for improved transportation services, shelters, communication radios, etc. Approval to spend these funds on designated vehicles/facilities/equipment. No match required by the Town.

Discussion of Chile Line interface with NMRTD (blue buses) and how best to work together and leverage improved transportation for Northern New Mexico and its visitors. Different missions – local/regional and local/tourism – so need to coordinate even more important. Today included a discussion about the sharing of funding, transit facilities/stops, coordinating routes and weekday/weekend schedules, etc. Town Manager taking lead on continued meetings/actions.

Numerous grant applications on the consent calendar were approved for submission by the Town of Taos to funding agencies for environmental, affordable housing, planning/community development, and other equipment/projects. Want details? Email this office cconnelly@taosgov.com.

Approval of Ordinance 09-13 to establish requirements for newly installed fire hydrants and fire flow testing of hydrants within the Town of Taos. One fundamental purpose of this regular installation/testing/marking is so that fire fighters have improved water access throughout Town and can universally and more precisely determine the updated capacity/flow of each hydrant prior to needing it in any type of emergency. Work is being completed with Town of Taos Public Utilities Dept. and the Taos Volunteer Fire Dept.

Joint Powers Agreement and Lease with Taos Municipal Schools for the Salazar Eco Park Sports complex. Item tabled simply pending review of documents by Taos Municipal School District Board this week at their meeting. To be rescheduled for action at next Council meeting.

Report by Crispin Clarke, Exec. Dir. of Taos Men Engaged in Nonviolence, and Board Member George Fritz Hahn. Town funded group during 2008-09 for approximately $23,000 to assist with their programs. They reported to Council on their 2008-09 successes. Point of contract was for the group to work toward reducing youth violence and crime among at risk youth in the Taos Municipal School District. Worked with nearly 100 individuals and families; 71 individually mentored students; 40 worked with a mentor over 10 times; direct correlation between interaction with mentor and reduced at risk behavior, and positive correlation between mentoring and school work. For more detail, please see attached report from Taos Men Engaged in Nonviolence.

Town of Taos Buildings and Grounds Department, Manuel Pacheco, Director (also the Town’s Chief Building Official), has taken over management of the Town’s Parks Division, Dennis Martinez Supervisor. Among other landscaping and other assignments, the Parks Division is in charge of daily maintenance/upkeep of the very busy Taos Plaza, 25-acre Kit Carson Park, Fred Baca Park, and La Loma Plaza. Council acknowledged this supervisory shift. Questions? Contact mpacheco2@taosgov.com.

Keith Harlan request to connect to Town of Taos sewer main line and Town water. Action delayed to secure more information for Council. Questions? Contact Public Utilities Director Amos Torres, atorres@taosgov.com.

Letters of interest being accepted now for two vacancies on the Town of Taos Planning & Zoning Commission. Two commissioners, Zeke Tapia and Cipriano Medina, have completed their two year terms and have resigned. Please mail letters of interest to Mayor Darren Cordova at Town Hall, 400 Camino de la Placita, Taos, NM 87571 or email tromero2@taosgov.com. Other appointments/reappointments approved for existing members Jim Thompson, Jim Pollard; Historic Preservation Commission’s Charles Montgomery, Oscar Palacios, Fred Robbins. Questions? Contact Mspriggs@taosgov.com.

New Mexico Municipal League: Mayor Cordova and Council Member Rudy Abeyta approved as voting Town delegates; Mayor Cordova is also candidate for NM Municipal League Executive Board of Directors (he currently serves on the Board as the District 2 Director).

New Mexico Business Journal: Tourism Department debuts campaign for local visitor dollars, published 7/13/09

The New Mexico Tourism Department has launched a marketing campaign to encourage residents to keep their vacation dollars close to home.

To continue reading, go to: http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/07/13/daily15.html?surround=etf

SOMOS 2009 Summer Writers Series continues with famed writing-workshop guru Natalie Goldberg & Miriam Sagan, Friday July 31, 7:30pm, Taos Art Plaza, 223 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, next to the Downtown Bistro, Taos. $8 & $6 for SOMOS members/seniors/students. Natalie Goldberg is the author of Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. Her special guest, Miriam Sagan, is a poet & memoir writer who is a cofounder of Tres Chicas Books. For more info. contact SOMOS 575-758-0081, somos@somostaos.org, www.somostaos.org.

Amigos Bravos: Friends of the Wild Rivers Hosts Annual Fundraiser – the river protection organization addressing critical water issues. Tickets enable purchasers a chance to win a week's stay for two, including airfare to Casita Akumal, Akumal Bay, on the Mexican Yucatan ~or~ Sacred Valley of the Incas at the Pisac Inn on the Wilkamayu River of Peru near Macchu Picchu. Raffle tickets are $25 each or 5 for $100. Never-before participants receive a one year membership for their purchase. Tune in on July 16th for Breakfast with Nancy and an all day show to hear Brian Shields speak about Amigos Bravos' current projects. Amigos Bravos is hosting their annual Raffle for the Rio this coming Thursday, July 16th on KTAO at 5PM. Tickets can be purchased by calling 575- 758-3874, stopping by the organization’s office on Dona Luz next to Main Street Bakery (Deija), on-line at http://www.AmigosBravos.org or by dropping by the group’s booth at Cid's Market from 9 - 4 on July 16th.

Cathy Connelly