La Cienega Valley Association

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LCVA News – May 14,2014

Legislative Town Hall, May 18th

Representative Stephanie Garcia Richard will be hosting a legislative town hall at the La Cienega Community Center this Sunday May 18th from 3-4 p.m. Please come have all your legislative questions answered.

Please try to make the town hall to learn important news from someone who has taken a sincere and real interest in our community.

LCVA encourages and welcomes all candidates running for office to meet with residents and will make the necessary arrangements for the use of the community center for those purposes.

Hunter Jumper Show

Following is information on the first of a series of horse events that will be held at the Downs this year. Please check out horsenationsantafe.com for more detailed information. Hunter Jumper shows are fun for anyone who likes horses. It is a competition with beautiful horses, aspiring riders and jumps. It is fun to watch and kids will have a great time.

Horse Nation Santa Fe will be hosting an outdoor show-and-tell event at the Downs at Santa Fe on Sunday May 18, 2014. This inaugural event will serve to welcome the community at large to the exciting prospect of bringing back an equestrian venue to the Downs at Santa Fe. Festivities for the day include hunter and jumper courses set within two arenas beginning at 9:30 am and ending at approximately 5:00 pm. There will be a food concession stand, tack vendors and a tailgate swap. Everyone is welcome! For more information on the events scheduled for May 18, please call Caroline Invicta Stevenson at (505) 500-6353.

Event Details:
Who: Horse Nation Santa Fe, LLC
What: Inaugural Schooling Event
Where:27475 W Frontage Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87507
When: Sunday, May 18, 2014, 9:30-5:00

Las Lagunitas Commercial Lot

The developer of the last phase of Las Lagunitas is proposing a commercial lot (lot 106, approximately 7 acres) for his development.

LCVA has asked the County to confirm the current zoning for Lot 106 which is believed to be residential. LCVA is soliciting input from residents regarding their interest in a commercial lot on the corner of the frontage road and Entrada La Cienega or whether they would be prefer the lot to remain residential. A number of residents have expressed an interest in the lot remaining residential.

Santa Fe Canyon Ranch – Borrego Property

LCVA has learned that the non-county owned part of the Santa Fe Canyon Ranch development (around 900 acres) is under contract to be sold. LCVA has not been able to determine who the prospective buyer might be. LCVA will keep residents posted.

La Cieneguilla Open Space

There will be a County sponsored meeting at 10 a.m., Tuesday, May 20 at the Community Center to begin discussing the proposed management plan for the County’s Open Space along the river in La Cieneguilla. Lisa Roach, Open Space Community Planner will lead the discussion which will include the need to re-establish the County’s wild fire access road.

Lisa has informed LCVA that the management plan for the open space in La Cieneguilla is one of the top three priorities for County’s Open Space Department.

If you are unable to make the meeting please forward any concerns or issues you would like the County to respond to. LCVA will ensure those concerns and issues are addressed.

Santa Fe River Traditional Communities Collaborative

SFRTCC recently met with representatives of the New Mexico Game and Fish Department to discuss how to manage the beaver population in La Cieneguilla. The discussion centered around the possibility of having a managed/controlled population that did not interfere with the natural flow of the river. This can be done by a yearly relocating/trapping/culling of beaver to maintain a certain number of beaver in the area. The flow of the river would be maintained through the use of beaver deceivers.

There remain serious and sustained issues of the beaver created debris in the river which are both a fire and flood threat to downstream farmers, ranchers and land owners. The issues have to be addressed and mitigated.

Unfortunately it appears that this planning will have to be placed on hold. LCVA and SFRTCC have just learned that the Airport’s proposed wildlife management plan has been rejected by the Federal Aviation Administration. This means that the Airport will have to revise their plan which could have a direct bearing on any management plan along the river. LCVA will keep you posted.

Library Update

Library Committee Chair, Linda Grill, reported she was recently informed by County staff that the funding for the Community Library does not include monies for the playground and playground equipment. LCVA is very disappointed by this shortage. Linda has indicated she will appeal to the County and our state legislators for the necessary funding. LCVA will also explore other possible funding sources for the equipment.