Transportation Board Meets Dec. 6
COUNTY News:
Transportation Board meets at 5:30 p.m., Dec. 6 in the Public Works Conference Room at 2101 Trinity Dr. Suite A2.
The meeting is open to the public.
AGENDA:
I. Call to Order
II. Public Comment (for items not on the agenda)
III. Approval of Transportation Board Minutes
A. Oct. 18, 2012
IV. New Business
A. Canyoncito Montessori School Traffic Control Plan
V. Old Business
A. Continued Discussion: 2030 Challenge for Planning, Adopting Building and Transportation Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Standards
VI. Staff Report
A. NM502 / Trinity Design Update
B. Eastern Area Read More
DWI Planning Council Meets Dec. 11
COUNTY News:
The Los Alamos County DWI Planning Council Meeting is scheduled to meet at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 11 in the Los Alamos Police Department Training Room, 2500 Trinity Dr.
The meeting is open to the public.
AGENDA
Call to Order
II. Approval of minutes from previous meeting: 11/15/2012
(Minutes are available upon request. Please contact the Los Alamos Police Department Records Division @ Police-Records@lacnm.us) or 663-1741.
III. Presentation from Department of Finance (DFA) Representative
IV. New Business
V. Next Meeting Scheduled for Jan. 10, 2013
VI. Adjourn Meeting
Read More
Brief Power Outage Today on DP Road
DPU News:
A brief power outage affected approximately 50 Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities’ customers this morning.
Beginning at 11:10 a.m., electricity was lost to businesses on the south side of Trinity Drive from 15th Street to the end of DP Road after a high voltage switch did not fully engage when placed back in service.
DPU electric linemen responded and restored power within 15 minutes.
The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) operates the county-owned electric, gas, water & wastewater systems under the jurisdiction of the Board of Public Utilities.
The Board meets at 5:30 Read More
Property Tax Due Date Coming Up
COUNTY News:
Los Alamos County property tax bills for 2012 were mailed to property owners on the first of November.
The first half installment becomes delinquent after Monday, Dec. 10. Payment must either be made in person by 5 p.m. Dec. 10 at the 311 Customer Care Center or postmarked by midnight that same day to avoid late payment penalty and interest charges.
The 311 Customer Care Center is located at 150 Central Park Square and open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Payments should be mailed to P.O. Box 99, Los Alamos, NM 87544. Payments are also accepted through a property Read More
Police Chief on Sick Leave
Los Alamos Police Chief Wayne Torpy is out of the office on sick leave.
Deputy Police Chief Randy Foster is Acting Police Chief until Torpy returns. Read More
Pet of the Week: Mo the Cat
Mo snoozes in her cozy nook at the Los Alamos Animal Shelter waiting for adoption. Courtesy/FOS
FOS News:
Mo is a very soft 3-year-old female cat surrendered for adoption with her feline friend Ralphie.
Neither cat cares for dogs or boisterous children. Mo and Ralphie are now circulating in the cat room and enjoy the attention of volunteers.
The Los Alamos Animal Shelter, 226 East Road, 505-662-8179, has a large selection of on-site pets available for adoption.
Additional pets are living off-campus in foster homes until someone adopts them.
Visit the Friends of the Shelter website: www.lafos.org Read More
Letter to the Editor: Boot Camp a Valuable Experience
New Councilors attend County Governance Boot Camp from left, Steven Girrens, Pete Sheehey, Kirsten Henderson and Rick Reiss. Courtesy photoThis past week our newest Councilor Rick Reiss and Councilors-Elect Kristin Henderson, Pete Sheehey and myself spent two-and-a-half days at a County Governance Boot Camp in Albuquerque.
Though no physical training, close order drills or snap inspections were involved, we were indoctrinated to several aspects of county commissioner service including roles and responsibilities, ethics and Read More
Radio Install Underway on Local Water Towers
Workers from Advanced Communications and Electronics in Albuquerque are attaching two high speed microwave communication radios, one radio each to the Barranca Mesa tower and the Hawks tower on North Mesa to connect to the remainder of the REDI-Net network. Work is expected to be completed next week. Photo by Greg Kendall/ladailypost.com
Photo by Greg Kendall/ladailypost.com
County’s Janet Bettinger Retires
Retiring Department of Public Utilities Assistant Manager-Administration Janet Bettinger with DPU Manager John Arrowsmith at Fuller Lodge Wednesday. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
By Carol A. Clark
Janet Bettinger went to work for Los Alamos County as a student intern in the finance department when she was 18 years old.
“I always said I would retire when I was 46 and that seemed so old,” Bettinger said at her farewell party at Fuller Lodge Wednesday. “Now I’m 46 and it doesn’t seem so old.”
Bettinger moved over to the Department of Public Utilities Read More
Councilor Rick Reiss Heads For Boot Camp
Newly appointed Councilor Rick Reiss leaves this morning for ‘County Governance Boot Camp.’ Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Staff Report
The Los Alamos County Council unanimously approved funding to send newly appointed Councilor Rick Reiss to the New Mexico Association of Counties’ “County Governance Boot Camp” at the Sheraton Uptown Hotel in Albuquerque today through Friday. The cost for the boot camp is $145.
The three-day boot camp is administrered through New Mexico EDGE (Education Designed to Generate Excellence in the Read More
Petition to Expand Sheriff’s Duties Falls Short
Sheriff Marco Lucero addressing Council earlier this year. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.comCouncil Approves Artwork For Animal Shelter
During Tuesday night’s meeting, Councilors unanimously approved recommendations from the Art in Public Places Board to purchase a roof-top sculpture, two large acrylic murals and two smaller pieces to decorate the Los Alamos Animal Shelter at 226 East Road. The roof-top sculpture by artist Carrie Quade, illustrated here, will cost $8,500 plus installation charges. The pair of murals and two smaller pieces all painted by artist Melissa Bartlett will cost $2,500 a pair and $400 a pair respectively. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
This 30 X 40 inch canine mural by Melissa Bartlett Read More
Council Approves $51,700 for School Project
County Council voted 7-0 this evening to approve $51,700 in financial support for Los Alamos Public Schools to improve A-15, a seven-acre parcel of land it owns on DP Road, which will generate future income for the schools. The money will come from a fund of more than $1 million that the County set aside to help the schools. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladalypost.com Read More
School Officials Brief Council on DP Road Project
Los Alamos Public Schools Assets Manager Joan Ahlers, LAPS Chief Financial Officer John Wolfe, center, and Deputy County Administrator/Chief Financial Officer Steven Lynne brief Council on a request by the schools for financial support in the amount of $51,000 for a Capital Improvement Project for A-15, a seven-acre parcel of land on DP Road. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com Read More
Local Officials and Residents Gather in Council Chambers
Council Chambers is a hub of activity moments before tonight’s County Council meeting gets underway. Local resident Peggy Prendergast, foreground, commends County Administrator Harry Burgess, council members and others for the efficiency with which road work has been carried out of late. She also praised the Department of Public Utilities on its new billing format with its graph and other new features. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com Read More
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas…
Now that Thanksgiving is over, County workers were out in today’s nearly spring-like weather adding holiday decorations to the light poles along Central Avenue. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com Read More
Seeing Double on Canyon Road
The County is installing new roadway signs on Canyon Road and hadn’t quite removed the old sign when this photograph was snapped. Photo by Fran Stovall Read More
Today’s Closed Council Session Has Been Cancelled
COUNTY News:
The Los Alamos County Council has cancelled its closed session previously scheduled from 5:30-7 p.m. today, Nov. 27.
Today’s regular County Council meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers in the Community Building at 20th Street and Central Avenue. Read More
Jack Richardson to Address SanJuan/Chama Utilization Project
Test drilling in 2002. Photo by Tim Glasco/DPU
SIERRA CLUB News:
The public is invited to hear a talk on the SanJuan/Chama Utilization Project at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5 in the upstairs meeting rooms at Mesa Public Library.
Project Manager Jack Richardson of the SanJuan/Chama Utilization Project will address Los Alamos County’s plans to divert the water from the San Juan/Chama for use in Los Alamos.
The event is a joint presentation by the Sierra Club and League of Women Voters. Read More
Winter Weather Preparedness Tips
Courtesy photo
COUNTY News:
BEFORE the storm:
- Be familiar with winter storm warning messages.
- Service snow removal equipment and have rock salt on hand to melt ice on walkways and kitty litter to generate temporary traction.
- Make sure you have sufficient heating fuel; regular fuel sources may be cut off.
Winterize your home:
- Insulate walls and attic.
- Caulk and weather-strip doors and windows.
- Install storm windows or cover windows with plastic from the inside.
Have safe emergency heating equipment available:
- Fireplace with ample supply of wood.
- Small, well-vented, wood, coal, or camp stove
