Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
A memorial is being built behind Aldo Leopold Charter School in honor of the three students who perished in a plane crash in late May. Students and staff of the school are planting a terraced amphitheater-shaped garden, a memory of the three environmentalists: Ella Jaz Kirk, Michael Mahl, and Ella Meyer. According to Jim McIntosh, a teacher at Aldo Leopold, the school has been looking for a place of quiet contemplation to memorialize the kids, and found it in a rocky area behind the school. Work is far from done on the memorial, but students and staff have been removing rocks and planting saplings and herbs in the area.
Hidalgo Medical Services recently held a health center day at their parking lot on Pope Street. The event is the first Community Health Center Day and celebrates National Health Care Week. Participants included Life Quest, the Gospel Mission, and Gila Regional Medical Center. According to the HMS Director of Family Support Programs, HMS did this to “celebrate the great community partners, staff and patients that make HMS the great community health center it is today.” The event was nationally coordinated, and National Health Care Week was issued by President Barack Obama in a proclamation on August 11th.
Western Resource Advocates released a detailed report today that shows the cheapest and fastest strategies to meet Southwestern New Mexico’s current and future community water needs are conservation and reuse. A proposed Gila River diversion plan, on the other hand, would likely cost water rate payers $710-900 a year. If taxpayers pay the costs of the proposed diversion this would be estimated at a cost of $145 for every man, woman and child in the state. The report shows that the proposed Gila diversion project, despite a committed federal subsidy under the Arizona Water Settlements Act (AWSA), would still burden ratepayers in SW New Mexico or state tax payers with $300 million needed to cover project costs, as well as additional annual operating costs of over $6 million.
In Wednesday’s Town Council Meeting, the council heard concerns to allow signs on Bullard for off-Bullard businesses, the town manager gave an update on the gravel-sweeping part of the chip-sealing project, and Kathy Anderson of the Silver City Neighborhood Alliance presented a report and the New Silver City Neighborhoods Award and Recognition Program. Councilors also approved a bid of nearly $345,000 for the F Street Sewer Improvement Project. The Council also approved special dispenser and public celebration permit applications for the Southwest Chicano Music Festival and public celebration permit applications for Pickamania. The next Town Council Meeting will be held September 17th at 6 pm.
