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Wednesday, April 18, 2007 BNSF gives $100,000 to Belen to buy fire truckBelen The City of Belen was presented a $100,000 check from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Foundation Monday night at the regular city council meeting. Regional Director of Public Affairs for BNSF Railway Joseph Faust said this is the largest contribution made from the BNSF Foundation to an organization in the State of New Mexico, as part of a matching gift program. The contribution was matched to a $100,000 grant that former Fire Chief Wayne Gallegos initiated with Councilor Terese Ulivarri last year, which gives the city a total of $200,000 to purchase a new Class A pumper fire truck. General Manager of BNSF Southwest Division Nate Murray presented the check to Fire Chief Manny Garcia and Ulivarri. "I'm very pleased to help out the City of Belen," Murray said. "BNSF has a long relationship with the City of Belen, and this is a great opportunity to present it to the city." Garcia thanked former Fire Chief Wayne Gallegos and Ulivarri for the time and effort they spent to get this truck, as well as the railroad for the matching contributions. "We're happy to have obtained this money to purchase a new fire truck," Garcia said. "It's something that was needed, and it will greatly help out the community. Currently, the city has two Class A fire trucks as well as a ladder truck, but with the addition of another Class A fire truck, Garcia said their ISO (Insurance Service Office) rating will be lower. Typically, ISO ratings are done every 10 years, Garcia said, and currently the ISO rating is a 5, which was determined a few years ago. "They identified a shortfall," Garcia said. "With at least one more pumper (fire truck) it will help our ISO rating and will help reduce us another level." ISO ratings help determine home insurance rates. Director of Government Affairs for BNSF Railway Bob Munguia said they became aware of the city's need of another fire truck about a year and a half ago when informational meetings were being held on the Aragon Road grade separation and railroad crossings. "We needed to step up and do some different things," Munguia said. "We want to become more involved in the community, and we want to continue to be involved. This is not just a one shot thing." Mayor Ronnie Torres said the city desperately needed another fire truck, and "without the help of the railroad it wouldn't have happened." Ulivarri said that Munguia has also secured funds from his department's budget and plans are in the works to re-do the small park across from Buckland Pharmacy and install new benches at the tennis courts, as well as putting in new swings at Anna Becker Park. "We appreciate all that BNSF has done for us," Ulivarri said. Garcia said they hope to go out to bid for the new fire truck by May 1, and once the specifications are reviewed and everything is finalized through the procurement process, they hope to award the bid and have the new fire truck in by the end of the year. While additional funding will be needed to equip the new fire truck with equipment such as a generator, lighting, hoses and air apparatus tanks, Garcia said they are looking towards capital outlay funds to help them with this. "I'm staying optimistic," Garcia said. "I'm hoping the mayor and council can continue providing us with what we need." In other action, the council:
The mobile home park will contain 45 lots, and before approving the zone change, Torres requested the owner put in writing that no mobile home older than 1995 will be allowed in the park. Rodriguez said they will be investing approximately $842,000 to put in curb and gutter, pave the road and install complete fencing in the back and a gated front. "With an investment like this, we will be doing background checks, credit checks and whatever doesn't infringe on their rights," he said. A neighbor, who lives close to the proposed mobile home park, presented the council prior to the vote with a list of signatures of businesses in the area that are opposed to the park.
The resolution, presented by Theodore Roybal and Demetrio Chavez, both Vietnam vets, addresses the need to provide quality health, mental and dental care to veterans, past, present and future. "We're gathering support for our troops," Roybal said. "We want to assure that our Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans will not be treated like the Vietnam vets were. This resolution will send a message to Congress." Roybal said that the Belen City Council was the first in New Mexico to sign the resolution. "We're going to do it better for our Iraqi and Afghanistan soldiers," Chavez said. For information on the resolution and mission of the nationwide push for mandatory healthcare for veterans, visit www.offe2008.org
Mattson claims that City Attorney Raul Sedillo failed to comply with directions given by Torres during an Aug. 7 executive session, to prepare and provide easements to all the property owners in the area affected by the lines. Mattson claims there's no proof the easement documents were mailed or made available to all the property owners in the area. Torres said in a telephone interview that the easements were hand delivered by Sedillo, and the city has copies with Mattson's writing on the documents. Torres said that approximately $50,000 to $60,000 was set aside to relocate the lines, but without an easement they cannot go onto the property to move the lines. Because there was no agreement, the funds were used elsewhere, and now it will cost more than $100,000 to move the lines. "We don't know what else to give her," Torres said. "We had funds set aside to move the lines, but they didn't want it. We will put it on our ICIP (Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan) plan." Mattson also requested that City Manager Sally Garley respond to all unanswered correspondence and disclose the name of the person who directed her not to answer her letters. Torres said he directed her not to answer the correspondence, and Sedillo said that it was because there was no resolution to the issue. Sedillo said that easement documents were hand delivered to Mattson on July 11, 2006, and in a letter dated July 14, Mattson acknowledged receipt of the proposed utility easements and attached a proposal of corrections to the easement. "I did prepare a revised easement and hand delivered it to her (Mattson)," he said. In addition, Mattson requested that all invoices submitted by Sedillo to the City of Belen for services be furnished under the Inspection of Public Records Act.
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