Taos Real Estate

1) Agenda item sent yesterday:  Town of Taos Planning & Zoning Commission meeting is indeed on Jan 6, Wednesday.  And, attached is the new, amended agenda for that meeting.

 

2) As part of the Taos Tournament of Roses Parade effort with the State of New Mexico Tourism Department, Griffin & Associates has started building media interest in the 2010 traveler education theme for this year, Escape the modern day.  Rejuvenate in Taos.  Return to Sacred Places.  Here is one example of online information that appears on the web site of (click to view) Hotel International News (more to come, with the first wave of content submissions due February 15, 2010 for an early spring outreach effort). 

 

3) Town of Taos January Highlights and Calendar Reminders:

·     Per Brian Greer, Director, Town of Taos Youth & Family Center, the Taos Ice Tigers are pleased to host the NMIIHL ice hockey tournament event this weekend, January 8-10.  This is the All Star Showcase for the NM High School teams. The Coaches will use this opportunity to see all the teams and players together for their selections of the NM ALL STARS, representing the State's top talent.  Visit www.TaosHockey.com for links/more info., or contact Greer, 575-758-4160, www.TaosYouth.com.

·     1/12 Write-in Candidate Filing Date 8 am – 5 pm for 3/2 Election, Town Clerk’s Office, Taos Town Hall, 400 Camino de la Placita.  For more info. Town Clerk Renee Lucero 751-2005.

·     1/12 Regular Town Council Meeting, 1:30 pm, Council Chambers, 120 Civic Plaza Dr.  Reminder: You can now listen to Council meetings via the internet.  Just go to www.TaosGov.com and click on the ‘listen now’ button in the lower right hand section of the homepage (see instructions online for making sure you have the correct software).  Council agendas and information about each item are also available online.

·     1/18 Town Offices are Closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  This includes the local Chile Line transportation service.  Taos Regional Landfill is also closed for public drop off (but curbside trash pick-up by WMA will continue uninterrupted).

·     1/23-24 Taos US Naval Sea Cadets Program, 8 am-5 pm, El Alcalde Room, Coronado Hall, 120 Civic Plaza Dr.  For more info. Roberto Molino 737-0138.

·     1/26 Absentee voting begins by mailing or issuing ballots in Town Clerk’s office for 3/2 election.  More info. from Town Clerk Rene Lucero, 751-2005.

·     1/26 Town of Taos Special Council Meeting, 1:30 pm, Council Chambers, 120 Civic Plaza Dr.  Reminder: You can now listen in on Council meetings via the internet.  Just go to www.TaosGov.com and click on the ‘listen now’ button in the lower right hand section of the homepage.  Town Council agendas and information about each item are also available online.

·     1/23/10-US Census Bureau Applicant Testing, 1 - 4 pm, Los Angelitos Rm., Coronado Hall, 120 Civic Plaza Dr.  For more info. Juliet Garcia 587-3562.

·     1/28/10-Vista Grande High School Celebration of Learning, 6 -8 pm, Bataan Hall, 121 Civic Plaza Dr.  For more info Joson Perales 644-8087, voicemail - 737-2587

 

4) Town of Taos Police Lt. David Maggio prepared the following overview concerning the positive actions of Officers in his Department.  In his summary Lt. Maggio said, “I would like to commend Sgt David Trujillo and Officer Virgil Vigil for saving Daniel Martinez, 21 years of age life.”  This story follows and is distributed as a thank you to the Town of Taos Police Department, the Taos Volunteer Fire Department, and Taos Paramedics:

 

SYNOPSIS:  On December 31, 2009 at approximately 0006 hours, I observed a vehicle on fire in the Taos County Road Department Yard, located on Herdner Road where an individual was extracted from the vehicle, the Taos Fire Department was dispatched to extinguish the vehicle and Taos County Sheriff’s Office was called to the location because the incident was on Taos County Property.

 

OFFICER’S OBSERAVTIONS AND ACTIONS:  While on patrol, in the Town of Taos, County of Taos, State of New Mexico, in a marked patrol unit and in full uniform, I was driving north on Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, when passing by the Chevron Gas Station located just south of El Taoseño Restaurant, I noticed flames coming from the Taos County Road Department Yard.  I then turned west on Herdner Road and proceeded toward the location as I notified Taos Central Dispatch that I saw flames coming from the yard.   

 

Upon arriving at the front gate of the Taos County Road Department Yard, I observed a white in color Lincoln Town Car, parked facing east approximately 75 feet from Herdner Road, with the front bumper up against a large mound of dirt.  I observed that the vehicle was running with the headlamps and tail lamps on and the engine revved.  I observed that the right rear tire was spinning and shooting sparks and flames.  I observed that the vehicle was on fire around the right rear wheel well and noticed that there was a person inside the vehicle who appeared to be passed out.  I informed Taos Central Dispatch that I needed Taos Fire Department to proceed to my location along with Taos County Sheriff’s Department and Taos County Medics.  I attempted to open the doors to the vehicle in an attempt to wake the individual in the vehicle up, but the doors of the vehicle were all locked.  

 

I then took my expandable baton and hit the driver side door about 4 to 5 times trying to wake the individual up.  The man would not wake up, so I broke the rear driver side window with my baton so that I could open the door.  I was not able to open the driver side door, because the lock was located too far forward.  Officer Virgil Vigil arrived at the location to assist me.  At that time, I told Officer Vigil to stand back because I needed to break the front window to extract the man sitting in the driver seat. 

 

I then broke the driver side door window with my expandable baton, where I unlocked and opened the driver side door.  Officer Vigil and I extracted the male individual from the driver seat, who still did not wake up at that point.  Officer Vigil and I drug the man approximately 15 feet through the snow before he finally gained consciousness.  Officer Vigil continued to drag the man to safety toward Herdner Road while I reached into the vehicle to put the vehicle transmission into park.  I removed the keys and shut the vehicle off as the vehicle quickly became engulfed in flames.  Officer Vigil and I pushed the male individual into the back seat of my patrol unit as we could hear a loud hissing noise coming from the right side of the car, where it was burning.  Not knowing if the gas lines or gas tank were about to ignite, I drove my patrol unit to a safer place on Herdner Road, approximately 100 feet from the entrance. 

 

Taos Fire Department and Taos County Medics arrived at the location, where the fire department extinguished the flames and Taos County Medics checked the driver of the vehicle for injuries.  Taos County Sheriff’s Department arrived at the location where Deputy Jose Miera took over the investigation.”

 

LT. DAVID J. MAGGIO, TAOS POLICE DEPT.

107 CIVIC PLAZA DR., TAOS, NM 87571

(575) 758-4656

 

5) For Immediate Release:                                                                                Contact: James Hallinan 505-459-1702                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Lt. Gov. Denish Unveils New State Contracts Database Website so New Mexicans can See Where Their Tax Dollars are Being Spent

Denish: "This Online Database Marks a New Day for Openness & Transparency in New Mexico"

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Lt. Gov. Diane Denish today unveiled a new online database website that will, for the first time, allow the press and the public to view all large state contracts on the Internet.  The new website will officially go live on January 1, 2010

"The launch of this online database marks a new day for openness and transparency in New Mexico," said Lt. Gov. Diane Denish.  "Now every citizen in our state will have access at their fingertips to see how the State is spending large sums of money through contracts . This is an important start towards creating the transparent government New Mexicans deserve, but I will not stop until we have a full sunshine portal that puts the state’s entire checkbook online for the public to see."

The website, which tracks contracts of $20,000 or more, was built with no cost to the taxpayers by the General Services Department in conjunction with several other state agencies.  Lt. Gov. Denish led the fight to pass this bill through the legislature last session with broad bipartisan support and it was then signed into law by Governor Bill Richardson.  However, the Lt. Gov. believes that the state’s entire checkbook should be put online for the public’s review, and she will continue to fight for that comprehensive “sunshine portal” to be passed into law.

The public and press can visit the site at http://contracts.gsd.state.nm.us starting January 1, 2010.  Users can even send messages through the site if they need assistance viewing or searching for information. 

5) New Mexico’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.8 percent in November 2009. The national unemployment rate decreased to 10 percent.  Carrie B. Moritomo, Public Information Officer, NM Department of Workforce Solutions, office 505-841-8450, carrie.moritomo@state.nm.us

www.dws.state.nm.us

 

6) Taos N.M., December 21, 2009—The Carson National Forest has announced a new district ranger for the Questa Ranger District.  Jerry Mastel has been District Ranger on the Pleasant Valley District on the Tonto National Forest, northeast of Phoenix. The Tonto is one of the most highly recreated forests in the country, serving the cities of Phoenix and Tuscon. Mastel is no stranger to Northern New Mexico, having started his career in Raton, working as

a biologist for Kaiser Steel Corporation in the mid 1980s. While working for Kaiser, he was responsible for all the vegetation and wildlife inventory work and a riparian reclamation plan for Kaiser’s three coal mines, while also managing Kaiser’s five grazing leases. Kaiser’s property is now part of the Vermejo Park Ranch.  Mastel first came to the forest service after his job at Kaiser and served as the lead wildlife technician for the Forest Sciences Lab in Laramie, Wyoming, studying wildlife populations and habitats. He served as an ecologist for the Bighorn National Forest, having lead a wildlife task force in analyzing the effects of forest plan standards and guidelines on timber sustainability, and as wildlife/ecology staff officer on Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District, both in Wyoming. He was the forest wildlife program manager and budget coordinator for the Chugach National Forest in Alaska.  He also has held a position as a range conservationist with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Navajo Area Office in Gallup, New Mexico.  Mastel thinks he is a good fit for Northern New Mexico, appreciating all outdoor activities, fine art, and good food. “I am very excited about this opportunity to come back to beautiful northern New Mexico and work with folks on the Carson and the people and communities that rely on its resources,” he said.  Mastel has a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology and a Master’s degree in Range Ecology and Management, and is working on coursework for a PhD in Range Ecology from Colorado State.

 

7) This is to call your attention to a new class in building design being offered at UNM-Taos Klauer Campus beginning January 22, 2010.  The class focuses on elements of building design for energy-use and water-use efficiency with site visits to example buildings throughout our community.

Karlis Viceps, a LEED Accredited Professional with thirty years of design experience in our community will lead the course.  Karlis' web site, http://www.solarplans.com/ for additional information.  

William M. Brown

Sage West Consultants & The Climate Project 

Energy Science, Technology, Policy & Economics

Taos & Arroyo Hondo, New Mexico

Tel: 575.776.1479

Email: nmglobalwarming@yahoo.com

Weblog: http://billbrownclimatesolutions.blogspot.com

Web: http://www.sagewestconsultants.com

Web: http://www.theclimateproject.org  &  http://www.theclimateprojectus.org

 

The Town of Taos is seeking qualified applicants for the following (2) full time temporary positions with a sunset date of June 30, 2010. 

VA: 09-10-28, Job Title: Lifeguard, Taos Family Youth Center, Hourly Salary Range: $8.50 - $11.64 D.O.E.

Opening Date: January 5, 2010

Closing Date: January 15, 2010 or until filled

Should you have any questions please call me at 1-575-751-2009 or Loretta A. Trujillo Human Resources Director at 1-575-737-2632.