The Española City Council Nov. 13 unanimously approved a $285,000 appropriation from the water enterprise fund to pay for water and sewer line installations on Calle Delfina and Odelia Lane, located off El Llano Road near the high school. The project will connect residents in that area to the city’s water and wastewater system for the first time.
Public Works Director Marvin Martinez said he envisions the water and sewer improvements to be completed by July 2013.
Interim city manager Joe Duran said the city will need to acquire right-of-ways prior to installing the lines. Martinez has met with the streets’ residents and they are in favor of the improvements.
“The Public Works Director has had several meetings, combined and individual, with property owners on the logistics and operations of installing the infrastructure,” Duran said. “Evidently, every one of the residents is excited, hearing no negative opposition.”
Approval of the appropriation was met by a round of applause from a group of residents who said they’ve been waiting a long time for a connection.
In other business, the Council:
• Unanimously approved a $92,000 appropriation from the Water Operations Fund to pay RMCI Inc., of Albuquerque, to disconnect, remove and dispose of the city’s No. 1A Tank, which is located two and a half miles up from the State Police office near Paseo de Oñate.
Duran said the No. 1A-water tank, located on 31 Mile Road, was first installed more than 50 years ago to support fire response services to a lumber distributor that once operated at that site.
“This tank was originally installed to serve fire protection to the Duke City Lumber Mill that occupied the area,” Duran said.
Over time, the tank has deteriorated and its utility has been exhausted,
“This tank was installed in the early 60s,” Duran said. “Its current condition has eroded beyond repairs. After X-ray testing was conducted, the metal is approximately 1/8 inch thick, not capable of holding the weight of a large amount of water.”
The appropriation will also cover funding for RMCI to install a new fire hydrant at the tank site.
• Unanimously declared its natural gas service station equipment as surplus and transferred it to the city of Deming at no cost to the city of Española. The city had purchased the natural gas equipment in 2006 to promote the use of natural gas vehicles in the city’s bus fleet, which is now part of the North Central Rural Transportation District.
In a letter written by Duran to Lucero and the Council, dated Nov. 8, Duran states, “The natural gas station was operated for a few years and proved not to be economically feasible in the colder weather. The RTD stopped using the equipment and disconnected the service.”
At the Nov. 13 Council meeting, Duran said the equipment has since sat at a site on North Railroad Avenue being exposed to inclement weather, like harsh cold winds and heavy rains. Duran also said that the city of Deming can make better use of the equipment as its climate is warmer than Española’s and the natural gas works more efficiently in warmer weather.
• Appointed, by 4-2 vote, Elaine Herrera to the Finance Committee. Councilors Robert Seeds and Peggy Sue Martinez cast the ‘nay’ votes. Herrera will fill former Councilor Cecilia Lujan’s seat on the Committee and whomever is selected to replace Lujan on the Council will take Herrera’s spot on the Community Services Committee.