The Fair

The fair is over.
I think it is safe to say that everyone that attended had a good time.

Congratulations to all of the blue ribbon winners.
Congratulations to everyone who participated and who watched the events.
Congratulations to the fair board for putting on a nice time.

Thanks to the volunteers who made this event happen.

A Few Articles

A few articles are easily available with a search about take home police cars and what other communities do and why. This is one of them. Notice that they are limiting who can have a take home car based on the type of work you do as an officer. An interesting idea.

http://www.cleveland.com/parmapolice/index.ssf?/parmapolice/more/1047214566213911.html

...And unknown to city council, which has been trying to cut such police expenses, McNea was granted the use of a department-owned car as part of his assignment. He was the only sergeant outside the detective bureau to enjoy such a perk. Normally, take-home cars are reserved for officers on 24-hour call or for high-ranking police and city officials. And this... "Last spring, Manning assured Lime and others that take-home cars were assigned only where necessary "to carry out our uniquely sensitive, critical 24-hour police operations."


http://www.policemag.com/t_cipick.cfm?rank=91072

Here is an interesting article in a policeman's magazine. It provides many pros for take home cars and then it provides some disadvantages. Take a minute to scan over those. As an average citizen the idea that stolen equipment can be used by terrorists, rapists and so on scares this author.

Limited Powers

Did you know the powers of the local government are limited based on state law?

There is an organization that calls itself the New Mexico Municipal Leaugue. This group, it seems, provides help understanding state and case law on situations specifically for cities. It helps provide insurance for the same cities and information on a variety of topics.

Below is a link to a hand out they provide or at least a pdf document about the powers of the local governments. As you can see, they are limited.

Even within those limits though much can be done and that is why it is important we vote in quality officials who will represent us.


The powers of the government
http://www.nmml.org/Municipal%20powers.pdf

What Happened!!?

?????

What Happened?

The light was off on the corner of South Bosque Loop and Highway 47.

This happens sometimes when there are storms. Not a bit deal. This author noticed it soon after it occured. Later, a sign was up near the use car dealership saying "Slow Down Ahead" or something to that effect.

By 4pm the traffic was so backed up it was all the way to Esperanza or close to it.

What Happened?
Where were the police?

Did they eventually arrive and direct traffic. This blog hopes so.

By 5:30 people were reporting home thirty and forty minutes later than their normal home arrival time.

The police should have been directing the traffic at this intersection. With a blinking red light it was treated by everyone as a four way stop sign. So an intersection that typically allows 20 to 30 cars to pass on green, had each person stopping and going through one at a time, or two if everyone was lucky. There should have been someone there from at least 4pm onwards. Traffic would have flowed smoother. Tempers would have been a little bit less frayed.

The Bosque Farms Fair.

"Sunshine" a new commentator has noted that the Bosque Farms Fair is also posted on the New Mexico Tourism Site.

Here it is:
http://nmtourism.org/event/loc/calendar/page/DB-event/event/7242.html

And while this author is posting accept the apologies that this blog did not provide any of the information for this yearly event.

Quoting directly from the New Mexico Tourism Site:
August 4th thru August 6th Bosque Farms celebrates it's rural heritage and community. Events start Friday afternoon and continue throughout the weekend. Arts and Crafts, Toad Racing, Parade on Saturday morning, Chile Contest, BBQ Contest, Bosque Farms Fair Queen Contest and Rodeo Events, Activities for the kids, Car Show, Talent Contest and more! Come to the Auction and bid on goods that benefit our non-profit organization! Lots of fun! Family Dance on Friday night and Teen Dance on Saturday night.Come join us! It's a great time for all ages!Cost:Free of Charge!!!

Find a toad and bring it to the races. In the past the races have been on Friday night, is that still true?

There is a parade on Saturday at 9am. This used to go down the Main Street but now goes down the back of the loop. As one person who has attended the parade in both places, This author prefers the current set up down the back of the loop. Thanks. Thanks to the parade organizers and thanks to the residents who tolerate it during this time.

A tractor trophy will be given out. Last year Huck DeSmet won the coveted award.

There is a rolling pin throwing contest, an art show, ribbons for everyone. Young children can dig in the sand pit for coins and older children can try to climb the greased pole. Snacks are sold and it is generally a good time for everyone.

Master Plan Meeting

August 1 6pm in the Village Council Chambers.

If the Village was just discussing the master plan that in and of itself is very important. It is the master plan that guides the Village forward.

But the Council will also be discussing the open meetings act. Why? Is this a yearly approval of an open meetings act resolution? Or will they be changing it so they can begin having committees meeting behind closed doors? They can do that you know.

Another special meeting! And it was held so Councilor Wallace can do a do over on something she doesn't like, and Councilor Knowlton can have an 'I didn't attend the first meeting this was discussed' vote.

And as everyone knows, things happen in the special meetings that the normal person is not aware of, so while it is an open meeting and while the public can attend, they rarely do attend special meetings. Things happen and things get changed and by the time anyone knows about it, it's too late.

Corrugated Metal Fences

Other reasons to be against corrugated metal fencing.

If a person had to jump over the fence it would easily cut his or her hands.

This will change the way water drains in the community.

While fences can be used as a snow fence and a windbreak it will impact surrounding neighbors as well.

This means that if it does snow or it is a windy day the solid metal fence will impact the way snow falls or the wind blows. A solid metal fence does change how the winds blow on a property. It could mean winds howling down a small alley created by a fence and a building (say a shed) that is close to the fence. This increases the chance that damage will be done by high winds.

In addition, if the ordinance, as this author has heard, will allow for metal fencing on the sides of a property and along the fence, those lots on the corner that do put up solid metal fences may possibly block the view of the roads for cars turning. Not very safe.

A metal fence along the front of a home will make it more difficult for cars backing out to see young children. This is particularly meaningful for those whose homes are along the walk path.

http://www.ecmweb.com/mag/electric_case_recurring_call/index.html

Councilor Wallace is Confused

It appears it is just about time to run a Councilor Wallace is Confused Post again.

She thanks residents for protecting the rural character when they split their property

BUT

She wants to put up metal fences to block the view.

________________________________________

She wants to let the residents have their say

BUT

She votes it down when it is time to approve what a resident group has completed.

___________________________________

She says she can now get things done because she has Councilors she can work with on the Governing Board now.

BUT

She has accomplished nothing to date on her horse path, the laws she was supposed to rewrite, and with anything else.

Parent's Day

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060713-1.html

Happy Parent's Day.

July 23, 2006

Making the decision to have a child is momentous.

It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

~Elizabeth Stone

The Master Plan in the Paper

this is what I was waiting for — to see it totally compiled," Wallace said Thursday. "Looking at it piece by piece, it's a little different. Personally, I don't have any problems with the objective and goals, but, text-wise, I think we need to take a look at some things such as wording. There are a couple of things in there that are against our ordinance such as water usage."

Eldridge, who was at the Thursday's meeting, told the council that she was disappointed that it decided to postpone the vote and felt that the delay was a way of telling the committee that what it accomplished wasn't adequate.

"I guess I'm a bit saddened that two councilors are doing this," Eldridge said. "My committee has spent a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of energy (on the plan) and we're essentially being told that it wasn't good enough.

"I would be happy to attend this meeting (workshop) and I would be happy to answer any questions regarding what this committee did," she added. "We worked very hard and I just think what you're doing is a shame."

http://www.news-bulletin.com/news/63296-07-22-06.html

A few laws about the master plan

3-19-1 D
(A municipality may) adopt, amend, extend and carry out a general municipal or master plan which may be referred to as the general or master plan.

3-19-9 A
The planning commission shall prepare and adopt a master plan for the physical development of the municipality and the area within the planning and platting jurisdiction of the municipality which in the planning commission's judgment bears a relationship to the planning of the municipality. The planning commission may amend, extend or add to the plan or carry any part or subject matter into greater detail. In preparing the master plan, the planning commission shall make careful and comprehensive surveys and studies of existing conditions and probable future growth of the municipality and its environs. The plan shall be made with the general purpose of guiding and accomplishing a coordinated, adjusted and harmonious development of the municipality which will, in accordance with existing and future needs, best promote health, safety, morals, order, convenience, prosperity or the general welfare as well as efficiency and economy in the process of development.

As an added note, it seems when reading 3-19-1 through 12 that the planning commission is the board that approves the Master Plan by state law. NOT the Council.

3-19-10 C
Adoption of the master plan or any part, amendment or addition to the master plan shall be by a resolution approved by a majority of the members of the planning commission

The Master Plan

A new commentator who bills him or herself as an "elected official" "Formerly Counciled" has posted that the Council decided to not pass the Master Plan as presented Thursday night at the Council meeting.

The two major components of the master plan have already been passed. This author was there when it happened. The Goals and Objectives and the Recommendations were passed at two different meetings. This is the most important part of the plan.

These were developed through public meetings with a group of residents who worked hard to develop them. There was a survey that was passed out, and hopefully every reader of this blog turned one in.

What is even more disturbing is that two Councilors previously voted for those very same resolutions. Of course, this author will point out that the Councilor Wallace didn't vote FOR them but rather against them because she wanted senior housing, including senior apartments included as a goal for the Village. (Which may open the door to low income housing as well).

Despite previously approving the bulk of the master plan, various witnesses have reported that Councilor Knowlton tried to play the 'this is a new Council' card. He did that when he was elected and now he's doing it for his fellow Councilors.

How unfortunate that the Councilors so easily discounted the many hours of work that was done towards this plan. How sad that they discounted the opinions of each and every resident that sent in a survey, attended a meeting, participated on the committee, or provided input in some form.

How typical that once again progress is being held up and for what?

The Fair and Craig's List

Look the Bosque Farms Fair is advertised on Craig's List.

http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/eve/179373214.html

Craig's List is a way to advertise online. In the words of the website itself:

Q: What is craigslist? A: Local community classifieds and forums - a place to find jobs, housing, goods & services, social activities, a girlfriend or boyfriend, advice, community information, and just about anything else -- all for free, and in a relatively non-commercial environment.
http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/about/pr/factsheet.html

Fences

This author and others have been driving around the past few days and looking at fences.
There are some very nice fences around Bosque Farms. But if you are interested in seeing
what some of the metal fences around town look like you might look in the following places.

• By the Glass Place on the North end of the Boulevard there are two metal fences. You can easily see them as you drive on the Highway 47. There is one on the North side of the glass place and one on the South side of the glass place.
  
• 1100 Bosque Farms Boulevard.
  
• The First Baptist Church has a LONG fence behind their place.
  
• Turn down Pine Street (Opposite of Esperanza) and you will see an ugly metal fence. Keep going down to the end you will see a nice adobe wall that surrounds someone's front yard and some other examples of fences.
  
• On Morrison, the road between the flea market and the parking for the flea market there is a house that has a propanal fence. To see the back of it drive down and around Los Pinos and see what the neighbors have to see each day.
  

There are others. The garage door fence for one but that has been there forever and it would be unfair to use this as an example of a metal fence or any other type of fence. If you find some though you can list them here. Every one can take a drive and check them out and begin to form an opinion about what is appropriate for Bosque Farms.

Thursday Council Meeting

Tonight was the normal Council meeting. There were quite a few interesting items on the agenda. A few ordinance changes and something about fair housing? Did anyone attend?
This author is going to see what can be discovered about the meeting. More Coming Soon.

Another Anniversary

Congratulations to South West Grill. 10 years here in Bosque Farms.

Good food and an owner that remembers his regulars has helped you reach this point.

Metal Fences

There are many solid fences out there in Bosque Farms. Some of them are made from old tires, some of them from garage doors. Some of them look lovely. They are wooden or pipe fencing or even chain link fencing.

Take a drive around and see what you think.
Do you think the metal fencing looks as nice as a wooden fence? Does it have the same feel?
Does it promote the rural qualities Bosque Farms wants to protect and be noted for?

Let's have some honest discussion about the pros and cons of fences and types of fences. Let's do it amongst ourselves.

One Additional Thought - the Open House (original post July 14)

It seems that Councilor Linthicum was a key person in 'begging' for money from the state representatives. His name was mentioned many times over. In addition he served on the building committee that met many times during the process. His name was repeatedly mentioned as someone who was key when it came to building the new fire and police station.

Mayor Ake was mentioned by name a few times. And Councilor Eldridge was as well. She helped pick the art for the station and was part of the begging for funds as well.

Who wasn't mentioned?
Councilor Wallace, Councilor Knowlton, Councilor Proctor, Councilor Kennedy.

It seems indicative of the current Council.
Let us hope that this does not continue. When they were elected they should have been jumping up and down to be put on committees, help build this building, serve in the public's eye. It appears to this author that they did not do so and the work was left to Councilor Eldridge and Councilor Linthicum to finish after they were finished with their term.

A Reason Against Pro Panel Fencing

Corrugated metal, and make no mistake, pro panel is just a name brand of currugated metal will blow around in high winds.

And doesn't New Mexico get high winds?

Tornados right here in Valencia County.

http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/nmtorn.htm

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/abq/preparedness/SWA/svr_wed.htm

Here is a story about a hurricane and an eye witness report. A simple search for corrugated metal and high winds will turn up dozens of similar stories.

"Great sheets of corrugated metal flew through the air like frisbees, and anyone out in that mess would have been cut to shreds"
http://holycoast.blogspot.com/2005/09/my-hurricane-story.html

Reader Blogs

At least two readers have begun their own blogs. At least one of those is in direct response to this blog.

Judge Wilke invites readers to submit to him the questions he feels he should have been asked earlier.

http://judgewilke.blogspot.com/

"Land lady" share land buying tips and hints.

http://buylandbf.blogspot.com/

There are other blogs that have mentioned Bosque Farms or linked to this blog. This is just a few of them.


At least two readers have begun their own blogs. At least one of those is in direct response to this blog.

Judge Wilke invites readers to submit to him the questions he feels he should have been asked earlier.

http://judgewilke.blogspot.com/

"Land lady" share land buying tips and hints.

http://buylandbf.blogspot.com/

There are many other sites that have linked to this website and that have commented about Bosque Farms as well. Some of these are below:

http://mmebovary.livejournal.com/483052.html
This is a particularly lovely entry about Ken Hays Honey Farm and the bees. Very poetic.

http://www.marioburgos.com/2006/05/new-bloggers-everywhere.html

http://lil-bitch-kitty.livejournal.com/12617.html

Note:
This blog has taken the stance that there have not been several 'attacks' on Judge Wilke. There has been one post by this blog providing the facts about one instance that he was involved and ending with the opinion of one of the authors of this blog.

Did you know you have an open government? There is a law saying that for most decisions the discussion and the final vote must be made in public.

That means that the Council can not discuss amongst themselves what they want done about something prior to discussing it in public at an open meeting.

So in the case of metal fences there should not be comments like 'we'll just push this through, the Councilors want it'. Did the Councilors discuss the pros and disadvantages in a public meeting? Did they all say they wanted it in an open meeting?

There is something called a rolling quorum as well. That would be when they are very careful about being seen together but make decisions in a 'rolling fashion'. They are not together in body but two will meet and make a decision and then one will go speak with the third one and they make the decision and the discussion and decision is made 'behind closed doors'.

This author is very concerned that some of this may be happening currently. It is against the law and against fair government.

But when you attend a meeting you will see the decisions are quickly made with little to no discussion about pros/cons, benefits, costs etc. The public is in the dark about all the intricacies of the decision. It makes it difficult to comment and to form an opinion as an audience member.

http://www.nfoic.org/web/resource/newmex/newmex.htm

http://www.ago.state.nm.us/divs/civil/opinions/civil_opinions.htm

http://nmfog.org/

Some Questions about Solid Fencing

http://www.starfoam.com/propanel.phtml

Let us hope that the Council and the Mayor have debated the merits of pro panel fencing with the disadvantages. Let us hope that they have answered the following questions that this author was able to come up with after very little thought.

- Which side will the nice side of the fence face? The neighbor or the owner?
- How high can these fences be? 8 feet? 10 feet?
- Where can the fences go? All around your property? In the front? On the road sides?

These are questions that will apply to almost all solid fences.

And maybe some of the most important concerns about propanel fencing is what will be the difference between propanel fences and corrugated metal fencing? The Village residents have been opposed to metal fences and now the Council wants to differentiate between a name brand of a fence and a non name brand type of fence?

This is as crazy as saying McDonalds can be here in Bosque Farms but hamburger stands are not allowed.

An Interesting Thought

Love of power,

operating through greed and through personal ambition,

was the cause of all these evils.

~ Thucydides

The Last Thought

It occured to this author as the reports from the open house have come trickling back that the most recent old Councilors are sorely missed by me.

Councilor Linthicum was a staunch fighter for what he thought was correct and in the best interest of everyone. He provided a valuable resource in that he has worked in government for many many years. From sitting in the meetings on Thursday nights it was obvious he understood the budget and cared that it was done correctly and legally.

Councilor Eldridge attended many meetings. She truly liked helping people and celebrated the small success. As one reader mentioned she called in during a hurricane her dedication was so great. When she ran she promised to do research on every topic and she did.

The meetings on Thursday nights were longer but there were not as many special meetings and there was enough discussion that everyone had a say and understood the complexities of the issue at hand.

Of course, both Councilors chose not to run again. This author will try to not mention them again in future posts except to reference back to something they have done or didn't do. It just occured to this author upon hearing about them doing a stand up and sit down while the help they provided was appreciated, this author misses them.

Congratulations To Sopa's.

Wow! A fifth anniversary. That is fantastic.
Bosque Farms needs more businesses like yours.
You provide good service and good food.
Your employees are friendly and your place is clean.

An Open House. Some positive comments.

As a person lurking in the background today this author will make several comments and observation about the open house and the new fire station.

1. The fire station is lovely.

2. The police station is nice and new. Much of the inside area is chopped up with small offices. The walls don't seem built in permanent so that is good.

3. The open house was lovely. There was cake and it seems every dignitary and want to be dignitary was there. A lot of handshaking and a lot of congratulating going on.

For the Record, Senator Taylor was there as was Kandy Cordova. Many other dignitaries such as the first fire chief, fire chiefs from other communites and some other state dignitaries. Heather Wilson sent someone to represent her.

An interesting site

This is an interesting site about money and politics at the state level. While it does not impact Bosque Farms directly, it is interesting and does indirectly impact everyone.

http://www.followthemoney.org/

Tell your elected officials to vote NO!.

A little bit more about the internet and the bill.

Net Nuetrality is a rallying cry and many are saying 'vote no or vote for net nuetraility'.
From the following online article

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/internet/0,71012-0.html
...."refers to a cooperative principle whereby everyone on the net is supposed to make the same effort to help deliver everyone else's traffic. In fact, pushing bits through the network-of-networks that makes up the internet is an anarchic business and frequently an ugly one. ISPs must often fight to get their data carried on neighboring networks, and those who are willing to pay extra reap immediate benefits in the form of faster and better service. "

There are some serious concerns of what might happen if S2686 passes.

"some speculate, a carrier like AT&T might launch its own internet video service and then conspire to hurt the performance of competitors, such as Google, Amazon.com and YouTube, at least where its own customers are concerned."

This could change the way the internet looks and acts forever.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/6/prweb403085.htm

Some more thoughts.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/6/prweb402020.htm

A Warning

There is a new bill in consideration. While this may not directly impact Bosque Farms, it will impact each and every resident that lives here and uses the internet.

State Bill
S2686

And what does it do? There is a link below to Free Press that will give you information in a more legal language. But here is what it in essense will do (And thanks to the radio station for this very basic comparison):

If you compare the internet to a state and federal highway system it might help to understand. The Feds pay for the upkeep on thier system and the state pays for the upkeep on the state roads. If the Feds suddenly decided they were going to contract out the upkeep of this highway system to others.

So some of the companies with big money, Lexus, Nissan, and maybe Chevy bid and take over parts of the highway system. And since they are in charge they say 'only Chevys can drive on this road' or 'only Lexus cars can drive on this road'. Those of us without those nice new name brands would have to use the state roads or local roads to get around.

Not only that those controlling the major portions of the roads would not have to expand or build out or try to provide transportation to everyone .

This bill is similar to that only with the internet.

Free press, linked to below does not support this bill. They provide some information on some of the good that would come from the bill and then end with this sentence: "Nonetheless, without some fundamental changes, the net effect of this bill will negatively impact consumers and citizens. "

This bill will hurt communities across the country with their ability to bargain with the cable companies. This bill threatens the open nature of the internet.

This was written by the AT and T lobbyists and was not edited or changed before being put in as a bill.

The co sponser of this bill does not support it as it stands. Both Dominici and Bingaman have listed themselves as undecided. This author hopes you will call and tell them to vote no.

http://www.freepress.net/congress/billinfo.php?id=173

To Contact the Senators
Dominici is 346-6791 http://bingaman.senate.gov/
Bingaman 346-6601 http://domenici.senate.gov/

And while you have a few minutes, why not contact others and tell them their actions will impact those of us who live in Bosque Farms, New Mexico.

http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/senators/f_two_sections_with_teasers/states.htm

Other Articles about this bill

The Michigan Munipal League is against this bill.
http://www.mml.org/legislative/federal_telecom.htm

The ALA was against it from the beginning.
http://www.nsls.info/community/cops/topic.aspx?copID=16&topicID=3105

Do a search and you will find many groups against it. Join them and join this author in telling our representatives how to represent us correctly.

Tickets and Jurisdiction.

http://bfgovernment.blogspot.com/2006/07/tanker-truck.html

http://bfgovernment.blogspot.com/2006/07/police-of-bosque-farms-and-history.html

On the above posts in the discussion section there is a discussion about if an officer can ticket for certain offenses or if the planning and zoning officer can give a ticket.

Before reading any further note this: The author is not an attorney and this is all legal type stuff.
It is anticipated that if this blog has any of this wrong, the police officers who read this blog will take the time to correct any errors.

This author will say that the planning and zoning officer is just that an officer. She (or he) is sworn in and holds a badge.

Based on that fact it seems that the planning and zoning officer CAN write tickets, and while they may not be called tickets she does have the ability to cite someone into court.

"Fatboy5595" says that some of the issues commented on are planning and zoning issues. That is correct as well. But does that mean an officer CAN'T write a ticket for these very issues?

This author says 'It depends.
The truck parking on the side of the road is a state law. Do you doubt me? Look it up.
The police have the ability to ticket in cases like this.

The water on the parking lots is a civil action and is a violation of a local ordinance. The police would not ticket in this case. The planning and zoning officer would take care of this problem.

This means that the planning and zoning officer must provide a warning by our ordinances. A warning is typically a notice that says 'stop this' or you go to court. Most warnings are 30 days to stop. Considering that the rain and the puddles are cleared up in 30 days the problem is then stopped.

Does this mean that each offense the person has 30 days each time to stop the action, in this case pumping water into the road? It seems, by common sense, that the answer would be no. It seems the letter would read you have 30 days to have this fixed so the rain water is NOT pumped in the road ever again.

Here are some sites you can refer to for a very basic example of what police jurisdiction might include.

http://encarta.msn.com/media_461530954_1741500781_-1_1/Police_Jurisdiction.html

http://www.answers.com/topic/sheriff

The Tanker Truck

ldThis author has taken the opportunity to search out the truck that commentors have been saying has been parked on the easement not too far from the sign that says "No Truck(s) Parking" . It appears to have been moved and is now inside the fence of the owner.

Here are some thoughts about that for future ponderings and reference.

Why you might not want a truck parked on the road:

1. The truck makes a loud noise when warming up.
If it is started in the morning it would easily wake up the neighbors. Or if the driver must leave in the evenings then it would keep the neighbors awake.

2. It is against the law.
There is a sign saying 'no truck parking' and there is a law on the books that says don't park on the roadside.

3. It has the potential of blocking traffic views.

4. It has the potential of being a safety hazard.
Young children riding their bike, horse riders, walkers etc may have to go out and around the truck. Those driving may not see these people until it is too late and they are in the road.

5. It is against the law.
There is a law and generally a reason for the law. Cars that park on the side of the road get ticketed, trucks should be ticketed as well.

American Trivia Questions (originally posted July 3)

In honor of the Fourth of July here are some trivia questions. They cover a wide range of American History Trivia. Enjoy. And have a Safe Holiday.

1. How many Presidents have there been since George Washington?

2. Who wrote the Star Spangled Banner?

3. What are the two types of eagles that live in the United States?

4. Why is an American flag folded into a triangle when it is not used?

5. What did Yankee Doodle call the feather in his hat?

6. On the first flag why were the 13 stars sewn in a circle?

7. Who invented fireworks?

8. After the 13 original colonies which state was the 14th?

9. When can you fly a flag upside down?

10. Who got honored for cutting the flag into pieces?

BONUS

Can you name the original thirteen colonies?

1. 43 2. Frances Scott Key 3. Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle

4. To represent the tricorn (three corner) hat worn by soldiers in the Revolutionary War.

5. macaroni 6. So not one colony would be seen as being above another.

7. The Chinese are credited with inventing fireworks in the 9th Century.

8. Vermont. 9. In an emergency, it means help me. 10. Robert Peary, who left pieces of the flag scattered at the North Pole.

For More Trivia Questions see this site:

http://www.brownielocks.com/patriotictriviaquiz.html

A Changed Ordinance?

As readers of this blog are no doubt aware the Council can make and pass any law it so chooses. Those laws should reflect what the common person living in Bosque Farms would consider a priority and they should be enforcable and they should be in the best interest of Bosque Farms.

Another word for law is an ordinance. An ordinance is typically what you would call a law in a small localized area. So the state passes laws, the city passes ordinances.


These laws don't change very often. And once someone erects something or builds something under a law, even if the law then changes the items built under the law don't easily go away.
It is worth watching and commenting to the Councilors and Mayor your opinion about upcoming laws.

It appears there is a new law in the works. Or would that be an old law is being reconsidered?

"Eyecare" has had his or her ear to the ground and she had this to say:

..."also heard that the P & Z is pushing for a measure for pro-paneling to be allowed in the Village. And the P & Z department has gotten their OK from Bob Knowlton and Dolly Wallace who are pushing for the change in the ordinances. What's next?? ..."

http://bfgovernment.blogspot.com/2006/07/on-village-roads.html

The Fire Station is Open

haThe fire station is open and in business! The police station is also. You can drop by and see the courtyard behind the big wall now or you can wait until this Friday and Saturday and get a tour.

If you have children you can bring your children on Saturday (Corrected by "BosqueMom") and they will have a water slide and an official wetting of the fire station.

And the best news of all is this small quote buried in the paper.

"Wood said they designed the new fire station with the possibility for future expansion in the event the village decides to implement an emergency medical technician program."

http://www.news-bulletin.com/news/62983-07-12-06.html

A Good Place of Business

This blog has made some comments about the business community in general as have several commentators. Those posts and comments are valid complaints. However, there are some businesses in Bosque Farms that provide quality service, have a clean environment and generally do a good job.

Let's recognize those businesses. If everyone who reads this blog takes a minute to post a business they enjoy in Bosque Farms then we'd have a nice little list going. Repeats are welcome.

Sam's Butcher Block is one place. Just visiting today they had great prices and it was a nice clean business and the people working there were very friendly.

This author has also noted several businesses that have no standing water when many homes still have standing water. This says they invested the money needed to hire an engineer and to build their land the correct way in order to take care of their water. Some of these businesses include McDonald's, Phillip's 66, and the Bank.

A Safe Fourth

The Final Talley is in and the Official Counter has counted and the Fire Chiefs have spoken.

Bosque Farms Fire Chief Spencer Wood reported that while they received a few complaints of illegal fireworks in the village, there were no incidents reported. The police department did write a citation to one person using illegal fireworks, but Wood said it was a very safe celebration in Bosque Farms.

"The residents were very good in complying with the proclamation," Wood said. "They were all very mindful of the rules and of the conditions."

• Belen- less than a handful of citations and one garbage can fire.
  
• Bosque Farms- one citation and no fires
  
• Los Lunas- one house fire, several small fires, one vendor cited for selling illegal fireworks
  
• Valencia County- several small field fires, four citations to people, seven people had fireworks confiscated
  

http://www.news-bulletin.com/news/62940-07-08-06.html

A reason against metal fencing

An interesting article on fencing. It is from a community in Arizona. It appears this community is actively engaged is topping crime. They have an active community neighborhood watch program and the police officer has weighed in on why solid fencing is not appropriate. This includes a set of questions to think about when building a fence.

It includes this interesting piece of information.

If you have a fence that you can see through or past, your property will be visually part of your neighbourhood. If you can observe school children and other people passing by, you will feel less isolated if you live alone and you will be more aware of your neighbours.

With more people living on their own, there is an even greater need to foster safer communities and feelings of security. According to the Safer Christchurch Strategy and the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Guidelines; ‘Safer Canterbury, Creating Safer Communities’, residents can help make their neighbourhood safer by:
• Keeping fences between front windows and the street low (below 1.4m high) or;
• By having see-through fences (railings) as high fences can conceal views of burglars from the street

The Safer Canterbury, Creating Safer Communities encourages visibility between residents and adjoining parks and reserves. Natural or informal surveillance discourages anti-social behaviour and increases the feeling of safety among park users and neighbours.

Low front fences also make it easier for drivers backing out of driveways to see pedestrians, particularly young children, on the footpath. Crime Prevention Officer, Sergeant Robin Scott, supports low or open fencing around homes. "We call it natural surveillance", he says. "If people are able to see in and notice something suspicious they will usually do something about it. High fences offer security to the burglar also." Canterbury District Commander of Police Superintendent Sandra Manderson says: "It minimises burglary; if a place is open, it is less likely to be broken into" (Christchurch Star, April 2004).

http://www.ccc.govt.nz/publications/ThinkFencing/ThinkFencing.pdf

The Dry Weather Persists

While this article is not about Bosque Farms specifically, nor is it about the state of New Mexico it is about weather in the Southwest and that does impact those of us who live in Bosque Farms.

Haven't the rains been nice? Unfortunately according to this article the rains are only here for a short time and the drought is just going to get worse, stay the same or in our case maybe get a tiny bit better. Take a look at the map and read it yourself.

http://www.livescience.com/environment/060708_drought.html

The Rec Program is in the News

http://www.news-bulletin.com/news/62939-07-08-06.html

Good for the kids who went. And good for the parents who let their children go.

Remember, it is somewhat organized outside all day play with no lunch provided and children can come and go as they please.

As this author anticipated the age group that will attend will be ages in the middle school age group. These are the kids that parents feel they can leave alone (ages 12 to 16 or so) and they can't drive so they think they might as well go here.

Despite the advertising that says this will be for children age 6 on up, the younger ages will not be able to participate because it is not really safe for them as they can leave and come at their discretion and what decision making process does a young child have? none!

This blog is glad someone children showed up. Hopefully Bosque Farms and the Council will do something for all ages next year, if this year shows itself to be a success.

ADDED THOUGHTS:
This author thinks that it should be advertised as a summer recess. Just like recess there are some adults on hand for minor scrapes and bruises and for the larger first aid type issues they can do cpr and call an ambulance. Just like recess there are jump ropes and balls and games and a play area but nothing really organized. Just like recess the student to teacher ratio is as high as however many kids are outside at any given time to two or three adults. Just like recess the teachers don't generally interfer in the minor spats and only monitor for any large safety type issues.

This is not to say recess is bad because it isn't. Nor is this to say this program is bad. It isn't. It would be more honest to say it is for the older children and it is comprable to a recess.

Police of Bosque Farms and History

There has been discussion in another blog comment section about the lack of enforcement on some of the higher impact problems that are easily seen within Bosque Farms. It doen'st have to be this way. It wasn't always this way.

http://bfgovernment.blogspot.com/2006/07/on-village-roads.html

When Bosque Farms was first founded as a recognized municipality in the late 1970's the main reason this was done was for police protection.

Bosque Farms already had fire service by the volunteer fire fighters. They originally parked their vehicle and equipment at Former Fire Chief's Cox's house for a time. Eventually they raised enough money to build the old building.

But there was still the problem of crime. Many of the people living in Bosque Farms in the 1970's worked in Albuquerque and drove there each day. This meant their homes were open game to any criminal that came through the small community. In addition to that becaue they were under County jurisdiction the patrol cars were few and far between.

So, Bosque Farms began a walking patrol. The residents formed their own citizen patrol. And according to the paper article linked below (about former Mayor Eastman) from this citizen patrol came the idea of incorporating.

And the rest is history as the story books say. Bosque Farms became incorporated, an official legala city (or in this case a Village) and the first person hired was a Police Chief. Bob Chamberlin.

When speaking with one of the former mayors he told me that the plan was to have two officers on duty at all times, one to patrol 47 and stop the speeders and one to patrol the roads and neighborhoods. They were to be easily available to stop the domestic violence, break ins, speak to neighbors, etc.

That plan seems to have changed in the past eight to ten years. This blog would say that if this plan was put into effect again the truck parked within feet of the no truck parking sign would be ticketed and moved, the cars parked on the walkpath would be ticketed and moved, some of the additional violations would be stopped and the people in the Village would know who their officers are and appreciate their hard work more.


http://www.news-bulletin.com/locals04/heritage/45652-10-30-04.html

http://bfgovernment.blogspot.com/2006/03/brief-history-of-bosque-farms-for_27.html

"Been Around" Asks the questions.

"Been Around" had this comment to say and this author believes it speaks for itself.

Did you know the ordinance for economic development allows the council to allow or provide most anything to get a business to come here. This can include, but is not limited to: providing buildings, land, infrastructure, paying for feasibility studies for the company, payment for professional services AND, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, the Village can build, lease, purchase any of these things specifically for a project.

Will they change the emminant domain law to be able to take someone's land to give to someone else? All at your expense. You'll be paying a special tax just for them to provide this?

http://bfgovernment.blogspot.com/2006/06/industrial-revenue-bonds-explained.html

Community Policing

This website has more information about community policing.

There is also this important quote:

Law enforcement has found community policing to be a critical component in responding to crime, gang activity, and home land security.

Carl R. Peed
Director of Community Oriented Policing Services

And Look, there is also information about funding and grants.

http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=36

On the Village Roads

The Village police can't seem to stop a truck from parking on the side of the road (as mentioned in the comments section on an earlier post).That is illegal and they can't seem to stop it.

The Village doesn't stop people from putting water in the road. That is illegal and makes the retention ponds fuller with all the negative side effects.

But this author has heard that if you throw trash out the window of your car, such as itty bitty sunflower seed shells, you will be stopped and ticketed. The judge will uphold that and you will be paying for littering.

Is this true? Check it out for yourself. Sit in court. You can listen to the fines the judge imposes and the reasons the police stopped the people in court.

While this blog would believe that upholding the law is important and necessary; it would be hoped that ALL of the laws would be upheld. So if the police would like to ticke for some small biodegradable piece of shell, that is fine. And this author would be much more supportive of their efforts if they also took care of the other people who are breaking the laws and directly impacting those of us who live here.

The Village Website - A Thought

If the website the Village ran was linked to business or to the business assc. it might be a good idea. Lest she get mad this was originally suggested by "Land Lady" in a previous comment.

Several thoughts:
The website is already set up and running. It would not cost any more to add a website page that allowed for business in Bosque Farms to link up to the Village website. The website has been developed and probably has plenty of memory space left on it.

If the businesses had their own websites and all the Village did was have a page saying "SHOP Bosque Farms" it might be bring in extra shoppers to Bosque Farms. If they come to look at a used car they see online they might eat lunch or buy gas while they are here.

In addition to that there are probably many more home businesses that we are not aware of at this time. This might help them and maybe increase gross reciept tax.

The cost would be low to nothing with the possibility of earning a few extra dollars in taxes.

Discussion?

Rain and Fireworks

It has been raining off and on for several days now. It seems several things need to happen, or rather, needed to happen.

1. The Village needs to start spraying for mosquitos and putting kill the larva pellets in the standing water around the area (such as the retention ponds on both ends of the Village).

2. The Village needs to cite those that are pumping water into the road.

3. The Councilors and the Mayor needed to have a special meeting and call off the ban on fireworks. Even had they just let a few of the banned fireworks be put on the allowed list based on the amount of rainfall we have had recently it would have been nice. Too late for that.

A Fourth of July Quote

The American Revolution was a beginning, not a consummation.

~Woodrow Wilson

A Website!!! (original post June 19)

This is great news. The Village of Bosque Farms has it's own website.

http://bosquefarms.us

Now while it doesn't seem to have everything the readers of this blog have suggested in the past, this is a great start.

This author would like to see a burn permit online application. It would take two minutes to fill it out and get an email from the Village saying yes, go ahead and burn. Maybe when the burn ban is over they will develop this idea further.

Check it out and see what you think?

The Summer Rec Program is in Session

http://www.news-bulletin.com/news/62743-07-01-06.html

From July 5 to August 9 there is a rec program at the park by the community center.
One Month and what? 4 days? A year after it was budgeted the Council has decided that one month of rec activities is plenty.

"We won't be providing lunch, and there will be a lunch break between noon and 1 p.m.," Jones said.

The two leaders will provide some structured activities or at least will have some games to play such as crocheting, kickball, and presentations by the police department and fire department. It doesn't say if this is just going to be available or if they have a new activity planned each day. But there will be activities.

And yes! The two leaders are trained in first aid and cpr. So in an emergency they have some training. But they won't give your child medicine. If you have a child that has allergies or needs his diabe.tes medicine he had better bring it himself, watch it himself and be responsible.

And despite everything common sense, now an adult signature is not required for a child to leave the program. This goes against even the original discussions as described in the newspaper, at least then they were talking about having an adult sign the child in and out. "The children will be allowed to come and go from the program as they choose, but will be required to sign in and sign out. "

BUT NOTE THIS:
"We wanted to provide a fun place where children can come and enjoy themselves ... but we want to make it clear that this is not a baby-sitting service," Jones said

And This:
Jones said the parents who have concerns about their children being able to participate in the program without supervision are encouraged to either remain at the recreation site with their child or not allow them to attend.

So while this program says it is for ages 6-16 it is more likely to be appropriate for the older children.
---Because they won't provide medication that is needed. And note, many other programs do provide medication with a permission slip from the parents).
---Because they are allowing children to come and go as they please, without an adult signature.