Could Placitas be on the verge of getting a larger senior center? What about a multigenerational center?
Sandoval County Commissioner Katherine Bruch told residents last week the county has purchased land at the corner of State Route 165 and Camino De Las Huertas for such a purpose.
Bruch, speaking at the Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association’s annual meeting, also said the county is working to resolve recent 911 issues, with a new emergency dispatch center lacking the needed capability to handle the 911 calls that come in.
Bruch said she would like to see plans for more outdoor recreation and updated residents on plans for a new courthouse, a new sheriff’s office and a new animal shelter, all of which should go out for bid before the end of the year.
Bruch told those assembled that her priorities include improvement of local roads, which the county hasn’t kept up. She also encouraged residents to contact companies directly when they see uncovered gravel trucks, which are spilling debris in the community.
Deputy Sheriff Joe Gonzales said residents can call the sheriff’s office, which will get in touch with the the haulers.
Bruch said the county will host public meetings on new animal ordinances, on a date to be announced and that representatives of area water districts have been invited to a Nov. 11 meeting on how to improve coordination of water resources.
She was one of several guest speakers at the meeting. Elouisa “Lou” Macias of the New Mexico Office of the Superintendent of Insurance talked about New Mexico’s Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) program, which serves as a last resort for property owners unable to obtain coverage in the open market.
Macias said the cost of catastrophic coverage has tripled in recent years, partly because of the lack of mitigation efforts. FAIR covers the actual cash value of a structure — not replacement costs — of up to $750,000.
ESCA President George Franzen said Vulcan Materials Co. has ceased mining at its Placitas location but will continue to process and sell materials already extracted.
Franzen said the company will move its equipment north to the Baca mine, which is expected to happen by August. 2026. At that point, reclamation of the land on which the mine sits will begin.
Franzen said residents can expect to see trucks hauling away material until mine stocks are depleted, and will experience dust when the berms are removed and during reclamation.
Bruch, responding to a question from the floor about future plans for the mine after reclamation, said the owner has not announced any plans. She said the area was designated as “special-use zoning” during the mining and will revert to rural residential.
A strip of land along the frontage road is zoned for commercial use. Bruch said she has asked county planning and zoning officials to tour the mine so that they are better informed about its condition.
District Ranger Ken Born of Cibola National Forest was scheduled to give a presentation on upcoming prescribed burns; his talk was canceled due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.