Deb Choat New Granada Town Trustee

Deb Choat being sworn in.

Deb Choat was sworn in as a new Granada Town Board Trustee during the monthly meeting, Wednesday, January 11. Mayor Lesli Baca said there will be four board positions open this spring, as well as for mayor. Those members whose terms are expiring are Tom Grasmick, Martin Jensen, Shannon Venturi and Deb Choat who is now filling former Trustee Frank Amicantonio’s seat. The positions are for four years, but the Trustee who receives the least votes will have a two year term on the board. Qualified residents can pick up and circulate nominating petitions between February 6 and the 24th. Board member elections will be held on April 3, 2012.

The board voted to approve up to $12,000 for a snow plow truck for the town. An extra $1,000 will be appropriated from the electrical and water funds for 2012. John McMillan told the board he had used a basic attached snowblade to clear the town streets last month, as well as business sidewalks and the school parking lot. He also received several calls for assistance from some elderly residents and cleared their driveways as well. The Trustees thanked him for the work he performed. The Trustees said that due to the muddy conditions at the landfill, it will be temporarily open from 8am to Noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Granada Police Chief David Dougherty presented an annual report showing 1001 calls for service in 2011 and had 116 calls in November. The breakdown included eight citizen assists, 31 various code enforcements, one criminal mischief, six calls for suspicious acts, one theft and 22 traffic offenses. Thirteen warnings were issued for traffic events and five citations were issued. The police had two warrant arrests and two felony arrests. The department will pay particular attention this year to semi’s and heavy trucks parked along side streets and develop an ordinance regulating parking. Dougherty said he’s checking into how other towns are dealing with a similar problem. The weight of the semi’s has been detrimental to asphalt and concrete, cracking the surface of the roadways.

A panel is meeting this Saturday, January 14, to iron out a narrative description of local, historic events and sites including the Santa Fe Trail, railroad, the End of the Line Arena and Camp Amache. The information will be incorporated into information kiosks that will be displayed at central tourism locations in Granada as part of a tourism plan funded by SECORHT. Mayor Baca said Mary Root of SECORHT is helping the town find grants to help fund landscaping and drip irrigation for the display area.

In other news, Trustee Jerene DeBono said FEMA officials said Granada has the same tight money problems as other small towns, faced with the task of improving their levee system. She said even in light of any financial assistance, the town will still need to find a way to pay for a certified engineering study to outline the scope of the levee improvements. She is meeting with officials on the 24th of the month who will provide an update on developments. The board instructed John McMillan to continue upgrading outdated water meters with digital replacements. Some of the older units may no longer be giving true readings, as some residents have said their latest bills are way out of line with past payments. The lighting contest winners for holiday decorations were: 1st, Jamie/Lesli Baca, 2nd Rita Marquez, 3rd Carlos/Cathy Heurta.

By Russ Baldwin