LOCAL & REGION
Thursday, May 16, 2013 THE NEW MEXICAN
A-7
Timeline uncertain as city works on track liability issues ebration marked the completion of more than $450,000 in city spending on a road, parking lot Santa Fe’s only sanctioned and perimeter fence. But by Janmotocross track could remain uary, the Parks Division put up closed for the most of the sumsigns stating that the track was mer. closed for winter. A month later, The gate to the 55-acre Buckcity Risk Management Director man Track in the publicly Barbara Boltrek said the track owned La Tierra Trails network lacked appropriate liability west of N.M. 599 has been insurance and recommended locked since last fall because of that it remain off limits until concerns about liability insurinsurance could be secured. ance, and city officials said After adjusters from Travelers Wednesday that there’s no solid Insurance — which carries the plan in place to open it soon. city’s liability policies — vis“I hesitate to put a time on ited the park this spring, they it,” said Ike Pino, director of the told city officials the company city’s Public Works Department, couldn’t insure the track unless “but it’s going to be closed for a a certified engineer reviewed while longer.” its features and made changes The track was carved out by to make it safer, Pino said. The users over the past four decades company suggested that the city or so and was largely developed contract with a nonprofit to take by volunteers who used shovout an insurance policy. els and rakes to create bumps, Pino and other city staff met jumps and ramps for motorcycle this week with organizers of a and ATV riders. group called “I Ride New MexThe spot became so popular ico,” founded by Daniel Coriz, that the city planned major who had hoped to make a deal access improvements as part to operate the track on behalf of its master plan for parks. In of the city and secure private October, a “grand opening” cel- insurance. Delays with federal
approval of the group’s pending nonprofit status mean the city is now looking for another nonprofit to take on the responsibility. The city will pursue a dual strategy recommended by Travelers. Under that plan, a request for proposals will seek a group to secure private insurance and operate and maintain the track, and the city will hire an independent engineer with expertise in motocross safety to figure out a way to make the track insurable under the standards of the city’s carrier. It’s not clear why officials didn’t plan to secure additional insurance coverage when they spent nearly a half-million dollars on construction adjacent to the track. Pino said part of the problem appears to be that the track had been built by hand until just a few weeks before the grand opening. When the city sent big, earth-moving equipment to the site for a weekend to assist with maintenance, volunteers and Public Works Department employees decided to make some of the features steeper.
“I’ve got to get out of Santa Fe just to get my riding in,” he said. “I’ve been riding at that same track since the late ’80s when I was a kid. They fixed it up and put all kinds of money into it and then closed it. It’s really frustrating.” Bransford said he didn’t think the work this fall made the track more dangerous. “They made some of the jumps a little bit bigger, but they The gate to the motocross track, first chained last October, were in better shape because could stay closed through the summer as the city tries to they actually fixed them. They resolve insurance and liability issues. NEW MEXICAN FILE PHOTO get rutted from the tires and from the weather. The rain espe“In hindsight, if we were Motocross riders in the region cially erodes the track. So when savvy enough to notice at that have few choices for legal, safe they fixed it up, it was, in my point that the track had been places to pursue their passion. opinion, a lot safer because they modified to the point of being Some have even cut a fence to were smoother.” uninsurable, we would have access the Santa Fe track withHe said the city’s insurance been better off,” Pino said. “I out permission. concerns are a bit of an overthink it’s legitimate to question For people like Jesse Bransford, reaction. Lots of riders get hurt, that.” not riding isn’t an option. But and they do the activity knowBoltrek said she first became Bransford, a Santa Fe police offi- ing they might be injured, and aware of potential liability issues cer, said he won’t sneak around. “the last thing they would have at the track in November when Instead, he hauls his new motor- thought of is suing the property she was contacted by Parks cycle to Moriarty, Arroyo Seco, owner.” Division Director Ben Gurule, Albuquerque or even Colorado who raised concerns about about once a week. On Wednes- Contact Julie Ann Grimm whether the city should clear ice day, he traveled to federal land at 986-3017 or jgrimm@ near Española. from the track. sfnewmexican.com.
In brief
Gallup, film; Sean Hennington of Roswell, film; and Jesse Garcia of Rio Rancho, studio art. In addition, the school awarded two full-ride Unique Voice scholarships to Alejandra Castro of Mexico and Priscilla Torres of El Salvador, to cover full tuition, room and board, and base fees. Those scholarships are aimed at full-time students who plan to earn a bachelor’s
in October 2012 at three downtown locations, and the new designs soon will be installed at 40 bus stops for Santa Fe Trails. The shelters and street furniture, such as benches, were purchased with federal stimulus money, said Transportation Bus shelters across the city Department Director Jon will get new features this spring Bulthuis, who noted the ameniand summer. Revamped busties will “provide a better public shelter prototypes were installed transportation experience for
By Julie Ann Grimm The New Mexican
Eatery robbed of wine, sake, cash Santa Fe police are investigating the theft of 24 bottles of wine and sake from a Cerrillos Road restaurant. Owners of Dara Thai Restaurant, 1710 Cerrillos Road, reported that sometime between 9:45 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m. Tuesday, the restaurant was broken into through a locked and dead-bolted back door. Twenty-four bottles of wine and sake, valued at about $450, along with about $500 in cash was reported stolen, according to a Santa Fe police report. Officers were unable to find any fingerprints, shoe prints or even vehicle tracks inside or outside the restaurant, the report states.
LANL cleanup funds restored Federal funds needed to continue cleaning up transuranic waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory were approved Wednesday by a congressional committee. The House Committee on Appropriations approved a “reprogramming” request to transfer funds from other programs to cover the $19 million shortfall facing the Department of Energy in the 2013 budget year for waste cleanup at the lab, according to the New Mexico congressional delegation. The shift is intended to ensure the lab can meet its promise to remove thousands of barrels of radioactive waste by 2014. The funds had been reduced by sequestration, the automatic federal spending cuts that took effect this spring. The lab is moving 3,706 cubic meters of radioactive waste stored in above-ground containers to the Waste Isolation Pilot Project in Carlsbad. Efforts to move the waste stepped up after the Las Conchas Fire came close to the storage facility, sparking public concern over the risks. More than 60 percent of the waste has been moved and the cleanup effort is ahead of schedule, according to the lab. Still, the remaining waste is still vulnerable to wildfires. The appropriations committee was the last of four congressional committees that had to approve shifting money around from other programs to come up with the funds for the LANL cleanup program.
County supports solar program The Santa Fe County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a resolution in support of the future development of a community-owned solar energy project that would allow people who can’t install their own solar panels to purchase solar energy shares or subscriptions from project. Residents who invested would receive a credit on their electric bills, which would offset or eliminate their electric costs. The resolution directs county staff to work with interested residents, the city of Santa Fe, the Public
Regulation Commission and the Public Service Company of New Mexico to pursue a plan for such a project in Santa Fe County.
Liquor license transfer gets OK The Santa Fe County Commission on Tuesday approved a transfer of a liquor license from a Shell station at 7510 Airport Road to a new location at 2200 S. Meadows Road. The license will still be owned by Brewer Oil Co., which plans to use the license in new gas station and convenience store it plans to open.
Railyard cinema meeting planned Officials with Violet Crown Cinema and the Santa Fe Railyard Community Corporation will hold an early neighborhood notification meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 16, at Warehouse 21. Cinema developer Bill Banowski will present his company’s plans for the project and answer questions from the community, according to an announcement from the nonprofit that manages the city-owned property. The board of directors last month voted to begin negotiations with the Austin-based cinema to lease a parcel in the Railyard for a similar theater, rejecting proposals from Maya Cinemas and two other theater chains. The cinema is planned as a 30,000 square-foot, 11-screen, 600-seat facility with an attached 4,500 square-foot restaurant and bar located between Flying Star and Santa Fe Clay.
Learn about composting tricks The public is invited to learn about backyard composting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at La Tienda in Eldorado. The one-day workshop will be taught by Sam McCarthy, manager of Payne’s Organic Soil Yard, along with master composter Deb Farson and students from Santa Fe’s Tierra Encantada Charter School. Composting diverts food waste from landfills and helps build healthy, productive soil. A complete straw bale composting system will be awarded to one participant at the end of the workshop. The workshop is part of the Green Café series organized by a local group that promotes sustainable living practices. Eldorado/285 Recycles seeks to expand and improve recycling, composting and reuse of materials and household items.
College awards art scholarships The Santa Fe University of Art and Design announced the 12 recipients of its new Robert Redford/Milagro Initiative Scholarships for emerging artists. The students receive either $7,000 or $15,000 per year in scholarship funds, depending on the arts program in which they are enrolled. Of the 12 students, five are from New Mexico: Cecily Smith of Cochiti Pueblo, for photography; Korie Tatum of Rio Rancho, photography; Carrie House of
degree in film and who represent voices of indigenous people from around the world.
Bus shelters get updated design
Santa Fe.” Autotroph Inc., a local company, designed the new line of bus shelters and furniture, which features ventilation, wind blockage, seating and lighting on some models. The shelters are fashioned after traditional punched tin work and basketry of the region. The New Mexican
IT Professionals: ITD is recruiting all IT disciplines!
• Programmers/Developers (Mainframe COBOL, MS Studio, C#, and Java) • Network and Infrastructure Technicians and Desktop Support • DBAs (mainframe DB2, Oracle and MS SQL) • Chief Security Officer, Project Managers and Business Analysts The State of New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department is a High Tech/High Profile State Agency. We are responsible for the collection of up to $8 Billon per annum in revenue. All major systems are in the process of being upgraded. Upgrades include our tax systems and the system that supports NM MVD. We are searching for full time employees and contract employees to assist us in achieving these goals. All candidates with the right skill set are welcome—let’s see if we can find a way to match our needs as we are hiring both contractors and employees. TRD provides an Excellent Team environment with a 40 hour work week and up to date technical environment. Full benefits package with pension plan, full health insurance, dental and vision benefits. Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer You can submit your resume directly to us, although you will have to ultimately apply through the NM State Personnel Office website. All applicants will be hired through the state personnel classified system and candidates must follow the rules found on the SPO website: http://agency.governmentjobs.com/newmexico/default.cfm Position Requirements • Most positions require a technical degree; experience may substitute for education in some cases • Strong analytical and technical expertise preferred, strong written and oral communication skills required for customer interaction. • Strong people skills are required due to working in diverse team environments • Reliable, Self-starting, and Strong initiative preferred • Previous IT experience required for all positions Current Openings by Functional area: Motor Vehicle: IT DBA 2 (3) Desktop Support: IT Tech Support Specialist 1 (2), IT Network Specialist 1 GenTax/E-file: IT Applications Dev 3 Infrastructure: IT Systems Manager II, IT Network Specialist 1 ONGARD: IT DBA 2, IT Generalist 1 Data Warehouse: IT Applications Dev, IT Applications Dev 2 We are holding TWO Job Fairs to allow candidates to meet the management team at TRD ITD.
SANTA FE JOB FAIR will be held on Thursday May 16, 2013 from 10:30-2:30 at the Joseph Montoya Building; 1200 South St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe, NM (SW corner of St. Francis and Cordova), third floor—signs posted ALBuQuERQuE JOB FAIR will be held on Friday May 17, 2013 from 11-3 in the Bank of the West Building; 5301 Central Avenue, Albuquerque, NM (NE corner of San Mateo and Central), first floor— signs posted