News you can use: November 26 edition
Council Passes Broadband Bonds
The Los Alamos County Council on November 18 unanimously passed an ordinance authorizing the issuance of up to $40 million in gross receipts tax bonds to fund broadband construction.
Under Ordinance No. 750, the bonds will be repaid from the collection of sales tax revenues, without raising property taxes. These bonds will be used only to fund the construction of the county-owned community broadband network (CBN), with all recurring post-construction expenses being funded through subscriber fees.
According to Community Broadband Manager Jerry Smith, the county currently has a little more than 10,000 serviceable locations in town, including homes and businesses, with an average cost of around $3,000 per location, which Smith called “a very good value” when compared to other networks in the region.
The CBN will utilize existing middle-mile lines from Lumen Technologies, as well as the new eleven-mile-long San Ildefonso line. Smith said the CBN will have redundant feeds “so that outages are minimized or eliminated.”
Smith acknowledged that it’s impossible to fully prevent outages, but said the new CBN will be designed to be as “fault tolerant” as possible, thanks in part to the dual Lumen and San Ildefonso lines. He also said the county is exploring the idea of sharing capacity on the fiber-optic line that will be installed as part of LANL’s new power line project, which would provide a third independent connection between Los Alamos and the rest of the world.
Artificial Turf & Field Upgrades
Council on November 18 reviewed what was once merely a study on artificial turf but has now grown into a larger discussion about upgrades to the baseball fields in Los Alamos and White Rock, including parking, accessibility, lighting, and grandstands. (An overview of the plan was presented to council at the October 28 meeting.)
Parks Superintendent Wendy Parker and Community Services Director Cory Styron clarified to council members that any acceptance by council of the Artificial Turf and Site Improvements Feasibility Study would only allow the county to consider options, not bind it to a design plan. “All we’re asking for you to do is accept this as a planning document,” Styron said.
County Manager Anne Laurent reiterated that acceptance of the plan does not bind council to any decision, and said the project needs to be discussed now for it to be feasible to make any improvements as part of future fiscal year budgets. She also said the planning was necessary to ensure the county gets the most out of any investment into the new fields.
Council approved the motion on a 6-1 vote, with Councilor David Reagor casting the lone '“no” vote.
‘Grand Slam’ Cell Tower Coming to a Ball Field Near You
Council on November 18 unanimously approved a lease for a plot of land between Pope and Lobato Fields in Overlook Park. The plot is slated to be used by the cellular and telecommunications tower development company Sun State Towers to construct an eighty-foot cell tower on behalf of Verizon Wireless for the “Grand Slam” tower.
“The proposed [eighty-foot wireless telecommunication facility] is needed to provide capacity relief from Verizon’s existing [wireless telecommunication facility in the White Rock Area, due to users in this area are [sic] demanding higher data rates for services,” according to a presentation given at the meeting.
The current Verizon wireless telecommunication facility in White Rock is near the intersection of NM-4 and Pajarito Road, which is running at capacity.
An eight-foot tall, twenty-foot by thirty-foot fence, is also part of the proposed plan, designed to conceal the ground equipment. It also includes an enclosure, with a sloped roof to shed fly balls, as requested by the Community Services Department.
The project would improve cell service in White Rock, but it will only connect to the current Lumen network, so it will still be subject to disruption by an errant shovel.
‘Big Improvement’ in Spring Testing Results
Los Alamos students have shown “a big improvement” in literacy due to the state’s Structured Literacy curriculum introduced in 2022, Curriculum Director Dr. Sharon Fogle said November 18 during the Los Alamos Public Schools board meeting. Math and science scores, however, remained virtually flat.
Fogle highlighted that “the two groups that have not had as significant increase yet are our English-language learners and students with disabilities.”
Superintendent Jennifer Guy encouraged the board to “pay special attention to these subgroups” when looking at data in order to understand where they are “missing the mark on students with disabilities.” She further emphasized that the district has “a lot of room for improvement” and said there are places where it is “missing the mark.”
Los Alamos scores were, unsurprisingly, well above the state average. Fogle said she’s frequently asked whether the district could be compared to other districts around the country. “That is a question that’s hard to address with this data because each state establishes their own testing requirements so there is no common assessment that is given nationally,” she said.
Trouble at Former Hilltop House Development
Progress on developing the former Hilltop House site has stumbled again as the developer, Tucker Sharp, has filed a lawsuit against his business partner Robert MacLeod for breach of contract and the breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing, according to a seventy-three-page complaint filed in First Judicial District Court on November 21.
In September 2024, MacLeod, through the company Town House Retail Center LP, purchased a 55% stake in the redevelopment of the Hilltop House property. Under the terms of the agreement, Sharp, through the company Grand Mesa Partners (GMP), would continue to manage the project.
The lawsuit complaint alleged that after both companies agreed on the terms, MacLeod began “speaking with other contractors, and obtaining estimates, despite the fact that GMP … was the only party authorized.” The complaint further alleged that MacLeod refused to give Sharp the names of the contractors it had apparently consulted.
What does this mean for Los Alamos? While the matter is largely a disagreement between business partners that the courts will have to settle, no one in Los Alamos should expect anything to happen with the Hilltop House anytime soon.
This Week(end) in Los Alamos County, Abridged Edition
I Can Help Program
Los Alamos County Social Services Division, LA Cares, Self-Help Inc., and numerous other organizations are collaborating to provide food assistance to community members in need. Financial contributions to support these efforts can be made at LA Cares or Self Help.
Christmas Tree Permits
Permits to cut your Christmas tree are available for purchase online or at a variety of locations in-person. If you have a fourth grader in your house with an Every Kid Outdoors pass, you’re eligible for a free permit.
Thursday November 27
Elks Annual Thanksgiving Lunch
11 am
Elks Lodge, 1601 Trinity Drive
Meal service begins at 11 and event organizers recommend arriving by 2 pm to ensure you get all the sides you want. No charge for meals, though donations are welcomed. Visitors can take a meal to go if they prefer.
Wednesday, December 3rd
LANL Virtual Townhall
6 pm to 7 pm
Via Zoom
Lab Director Thom Mason will give a recap of the year and a look toward next year, including time for a Q&A session (submit your questions to AskLANL@lanl.gov).
Open to all and no advanced registration necessary.
LAC Fleet Conversion and Communitywide EV Charging Plan Community Meeting
6 pm to 8 pm
Council Chambers and via Zoom
Happy Thanksgiving to you, from all of us at Boomtown!