City Purchases Mesa View Estates

From El Paso Development News

This morning City Council voted unanimously to purchase the land from Piedmont Group, LLC known as Mesa View Estates II. Community leader, Ellen Esposito, announced the purchase with this message:

"Today, the City of El Paso City Council approved the purchase of 15.57 acres known as Kern View Estates II, owned by Piedmont Group LLC.  The purchase and preservation of this critical open space resulted from the collaborative efforts of El Paso city staff and Piedmont Group LLC. The support and guidance of Representative Ann Lilly were invaluable. 

"Please extend your thanks to the City Representatives and Mayor Leeser for approving this purchase.  And thank YOU for your interest in protecting  the Franklin Mountains of El Paso."

El Paso Development News did a story about it the other day and has received two negative (and, quite frankly, ignorant) responses from one unidentified person who seems spitefully envious of the people in Kern Place and Mesa Hills. The fact of the matter is that the citizens of El Paso voted to have $5 Million of the Quality of Life Bonds go to open space. Another $5 Million was set aside for parks. They are two different items. The land on the western slope of Crazy Cat provides an access to the State Park other than the Palisades or the North Stanton and Kenyon Joyce trailheads. The development presented both traffic and stormwater challenges. 

Land on the mountain sides should be preserved. QofL open space funds are now about $4.5 Million. Could it be that some of that money can be used to purchase from the Knapp family the mountainside portion of Sierra del Puente?

Clear Channel Wants More Light Pollution

[Tomorrow an ordinance will be introduced at El Paso City Council to grant an exception to the Dark Sky Ordinance of 2005 when it comes to signs. El Paso's billboard and digital sign advertiser, Clear Channel, is behind the request for a grant. A 2002 ordinance banned such billboard and digital lighting and the 2005 Dark Sky Ordinance gave all businesses 10 years to comply. Item 10.1 on the City Council agenda reads: "An Ordinance amending Title 18, Chapter 18.18 (Outdoor Lighting Code) Of the City Code by amending Chapter 18.19.310 (Nonconformance) to add an exception for upward directed sign lighting for off premise signs and by amending Chapter 18.18.120 (Externally Illuminated Sign Standards) to provide for an exception for upward directed sign lighting. The penalty being as provided in Section 18.02.111 (Violations And Penalties) of the El Paso City Code. [POSTPONED FROM 03-31-2015]"

Clearly Clear Channel wants light pollution, favors energy waste and does not want to protect El Paso's wildlife.

Marci Turner of the Mesa Hills Neighborhood Association has written the following open letter to City Council members:]

It’s sometimes difficult to remember what El Paso looked like a decade or more ago.  Back then we were trying to figure out the definition of an arroyo, and whether or not El Paso had any.  The concept of “open space” didn’t exist as yet in our community.  As early as 2002, in his apt description of our city's billboard pollution problem, Charlie Edgren of the El Paso Times asked whether El Pasoans even still cared about their city. El Pasoans did care in 2005 when the Dark Sky Ordinance was passed (Outdoor Lighting Code), and we did care in 2008-9 when digital billboards first appeared in our city and residents throughout El Paso were outraged at this blatant disregard of our city’s 2002 ordinance banning them:

 “20.18.300 Lighting.  Billboards which contain, include or are illuminated by any flashing, intermittent or moving light, or lights, to include changeable electronic variable message (“CEVM”), or LED technology, are prohibited.”  

When the Dark Sky Ordinance was passed in the spring of 2005, the entire city was given 10 years to come into complete compliance.  May 7th, 2015, is the deadline.  These past 10 years have brought about a real change in the El Paso environment.  We no longer have corner convenience stores engaging in “light wars” – thinking that with brighter light comes more business.  In 2005 we were able to show City Council that this ordinance would not only provide our residents with a healthier, safer, calmer city but would also be economically beneficial to the city.  In 2005, the savings the city would realize in the course of one year was estimated at $2M.

Immediately after the ordinance was passed,  businesses both large and small invested time and money to come into compliance with this ordinance.  The entire landscape of the city has changed with the reduction of light pollution emitted from poorly planned fixtures crowding our sky with distracting and unnecessary light.  Prior to the passage of our Dark Sky Ordinance, a representative from McDonald Observatory in Ft. Davis remarked that the only thing they could see between there and the west coast was the light pollution from El Paso.  This is not true today.   The idea of “Dark Sky” is widespread throughout the world.  Visit online the International Dark Sky Association at www.darksky.org.    When El Paso City Council passed this ordinance we received national recognition for our determination to join other cities with this progressive legislation.  Looking out over El Paso you can easily see the difference, and you can also see with clarity which lights have not as yet conformed.

When digital billboards first appeared in our city residents city-wide banded together against this illegal act.  By requesting a seemingly innocent “electrical permit” from the city, the billboard company was able to squeeze around the code and convert already existing billboards to digital.  The ensuing fight between the residents and the company was agonizing, and the citizens lost the battle despite the fact that the company’s actions violated city ordinances.  No matter how dedicated citizens’ groups are, it’s difficult to successfully compete against a huge company that has so many more resources at its disposal.   Nevertheless, we did make some progress.  In 2009 our City Council voted for an ordinance that would prohibit the construction of new billboards, as over 1,500 cities in the US have done.  Unfortunately, three days later our mayor vetoed the vote.  

Again, this is not unique to El Paso.  Billboard companies have followed the same pattern throughout the country, and in fact, throughout the world.  "Billboard control improves community character and quality of life -- both of which directly impact local economies. In fact, despite billboard industry claims to the contrary, communities and states that enact tough billboard controls enjoy strong economic growth." Scenic.org. 

And here we are today, one month from the Dark Sky total compliance deadline of May 7, 2015, and our primary billboard company is requesting City Council to allow upward directed sign lighting. Compliance with the ordinance would mean that billboard lights would be affixed to the top of the billboard and shine down, not to the bottom and shine up towards the sky.

Instead of complying with the ordinance, as they promised to in 2009 when they were requesting more billboards, our primary billboard company is asking permission to change the bulbs on existing upward directed billboards to LED, rather than directing them downward and/or shielding them as is required by the 2005 ordinance.  LED lights produce the same amount of light pollution as the existing lighting, are less expensive to operate, and will save the company a great deal of money over a period of time. 

There is no legitimate reason why this or any other company should receive an exemption from the ordinance.  I’d like you to carefully consider the damage our community would suffer if this exemption is granted.  These lights would not only increase the night sky pollution we have almost succeeded in obliterating,  but such an exemption would also send the message to our community that if a company has enough power it can manipulate our City Council into voting against the will of the people who elected them. 

Clear Channel had 10 years to bring its billboards into compliance.  By allowing “upward directed sign lighting” you will completely defeat the purpose and intent of the Dark Sky ordinance.

In light of the information above, and the clear wishes of the residents of El Paso, I ask that you deny all requests for exemptions from our current Outdoor Lighting Ordinance.


Submitted by Marci Turner, Upper Mesa Hills Neighborhood Association

The Friday Videos: Megadroughts Projected for American West and "Cool Water"

Today is a double feature. First a video by NASA about megadroughts. And the second - a Hank Williams song sung by Marty Robbins.




All the talk now about droughts and water scarcity and fracking and ground water, etc. reminds me of this old song:

Knapp Land for Sale?

Flooding in "Sierra del Puente" arroyo in 2013. Photo by Richard Allen

Almost immediately after last week's Open Space Advisory Board Meeting, Sierra del Puente land owner, Dan Knapp indicated to me and two other people that he would be interested in selling the mountainside land. He also has told me that he has in all 600 acres on the east side of the mountain that he would be happy to sell to the city. That land includes acreage above (to the west of) Stoney Hill Drive as well as a smaller portion on the east side of Scenic Drive.

People packed the last OSAB meeting. They were there either to speak about the Sierra del Puente development or the issue of a collection station next to Keystone Heritage Park. Both topics took up nearly two hours of time. Both groups were passionate about preservation: the preservation of mountainside and arroyos instead of the Sierra del Puente development and the preservation of the land south of Keystone Heritage Park. OSAB passed a motion to preserve the land next to Keystone and asked staff to find an alternate site for the station to recommend to City Council. OSAB could not take action on Sierra del Puente but plans to discuss the item in Executive Session at the next meeting.

The fervor to preserve the mountainside was revealed in an ABC/7 news report by Darren Hunt.

A little background on the Sierra del Puente property from mountain historian, John Nuñez:

"This all started in the early 1980s with a proposed development for a tennis club and then the Rotary Club was going to build a clubhouse somewhere near the mouth of Hondo Canyon. The late 90s came around and that is when the big scar across the foothills was carved in for the supposed extension of Hondo Pass Rd/Edgar Park down to Hercules. Over the last 35 years, pieces of that mountain have been carved out in the name of development when in fact much of the material hauled out was used for fill dirt for the overpasses on highway construction (Patriot Freeway/ Loop 375). Then a little shimmer of light was announced in the mid 2000s that Representative's Suzie Byrd and, at the time, Joe Moody were working with Knapp to purchase the property and then have it transferred to the state park system. Then that plan [never came to fruition.]"

Several options for purchasing the land are being considered. However, the process can be long and drawn out. The fact that so many are interested in the preservation of the mountains (including Knapp) should give all of us hope.

The Monday Links: Water, Fracking, Big Ag, Big Oil and Better Ways

Link to A 2,500 Square-Mile Methane Plume Is Silently Hovering over Western US below

[Monday is "Links Day" with links gathered over the past week to online "stuff" to read and sites to surf that impact us directly or offer information about our regional issues. Please feel free to send me links to any conservation, environmental, simple living, city planning, energy and water, etc. stories that you have come across online.]

Water issues (always at the top of the list):

The Water of the West (Use this tool to see just how bad our water situation is by tracking reservoir levels in the west.)

Water shortages are coming. It's time for us to act.


In Dry California, Thirsty Oil and Big-Ag Industries Exempt from Water Regulations

California's Mandatory Water Reductions: Why Exempt the Corporate Farmers?

Transition - Water to Fracking:

A $600-Million Fracking Company Just Sued This Tiny Ohio Town for Its Water

Nebraska Farmer Invites Pro-Fracking Commission Members to Drink Contaminated Water

Fracking:

Big oil is pressuring scientists not to link fracking to earthquakes in Oklahoma

A 2,500 Square-Mile Methane Plume Is Silently Hovering over Western US:

Legacy of fossil fuel drilling is "giant cloud" of powerful greenhouse gas now visible from space

Alternatives:

Texas City Opts for 100% Renewable Energy - to Save Cash, Not the Planet

This amazing gadget is the best technology we have for trapping CO2

America’s Most Walkable Suburb Offers Lessons for Towns Everywhere

The Friday Video: The Beauty of Pollination

Fighting Against Animal Cruelty

[Neighbor, Rita Brown, asked me to publish this. Although the beheadings occured some time ago, animal cruelty should always be a concern for all of us. Rita gives us valuable advice.]

The cat beheadings in Manhattan Heights created unease within the community. Many pet owners feared for the safety of their pets, worried they might be targeted. The person behind the attacks has still not been caught, and the community must remain vigilant.  Brutal  animal abusers rarely stop on their own, and normally have deep psychological issues. These can range from a child abuse victim causing an animal pain to make sense of the cruelty enacted on them, to a person predisposed to violence, who gets enjoyment out of torturing animals.  Only by reporting animal abuse can we save the animal and people trapped in a terrible situation. 

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), animal cruelty falls into two categories: negligent cruelty and intentional cruelty. Negligent cruelty occurs when pet owners unintentionally cause harm, such as: 

Underfeeding:  Pet owners do not provide adequate food and water.

Poor Housing: Pet owners may not have adequate shelter for their pets during extreme weather, believing their fur is enough to keep them warm.

Confinement: Keeping dogs in crates or tied out for long periods of time causes emotional distress to them. Owners might be unaware that dogs are not meant to be tied up all day.

Fortunately, education on proper pet care usually rectifies this. The Humane Society and other welfare groups focus on teaching pet owners how to properly care for their animals before resorting to seizing pets.  

Intentional cruelty, on the other hand, is when a person maliciously harms an animal. This includes beatings, mutilations, dog fighting, and torture. Violence against animals manifests for several reasons:

Domestic Violence: Batterers often torture family pets to manipulate and control their victims. 

Child Abuse Victims: Children who are abused at home often express and make sense of the cruelty they suffer by mimicking the abuse onto the pets. Others kill their pets to spare them the violence at home.

Behavioral and Psychotic Disturbances: People who have violent disturbances in thinking, lack empathy or impulse control. These individuals torture animals out of boredom to feel a rush. Studies show many eventually graduate to human targets. 

Reporting abuse to the humane society and police helps pull both animals and people out of dangerous situations. With juvenile offenders, psychological help is mandated to teach them how to control their impulses, and manage any mental issues they may have. Adult offenders face felony charges.

When reporting animal cruelty, the Humane Society of El Paso states reports should be as detailed as possible. The more  information that is provided, the better the case is against the abuser. It is important to include the date, time, and place when reporting. If possible, taking pictures or video also provides invaluable evidence. 

For acts of extreme cruelty, immediately call 911. If you suspect abuse, please call the following numbers to report:

El Paso Animal Services: 915 - 842 - 1000
El Paso Police Department: 915 - 832 - 4400
El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (outside of El Paso city): 915 - 546 - 2280
Las Cruces Animal Control: 575 - 528 - 4100 or 575- 526 - 0795

After reporting, keep all documents for your records. Call again after reporting to ensure the authorities have followed through with the report. 

Educating others on the importance of fighting against cruelty, and reporting abuse when witnessed are two important ways to fight abuse. Calling to report can save an animal’s life, as well as the people also trapped in a desperate situation.