By the MRGCD Board of Directors
Government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Those noble words, written so long ago, continue to stir our souls and minds. They do so because they represent, not some archaic and discredited principle, but rather an always-fresh and enlightened ideal of the relationship between government and the people. These words mean that the people are in charge, that public and elected officials must and shall abide by the wishes of those they serve.
On July 28, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District’s board of directors did just that when we voted unanimously to end a relationship with the Ditches With Trails Steering Committee project. Prior to that decision, we received hundreds of communications in distinct opposition to the Ditches with Trails project. Over a hundred people packed our small boardroom that Monday night. Most owned property along or near the ditch that was being considered for a trails pilot project, and most said loudly and clearly that they preferred the ditches to remain as they are: accessible, and unspoiled.
In addition to the outcry, we had grave concerns regarding the specifics of the “feasibility report.”
What DWT proponents presented to us wasn’t a feasibility study, but a public relations package that ignored significant citizen concerns and failed to adequately address liability issues while opining that a regional, multijurisdictional, unelected “commission” could be created to manage the trails, all while MRGCD retains the increased maintenance costs and obligations. We know of no other government that has surrendered its jurisdiction to such an unaccountable commission, and certainly not while retaining liability and maintenance responsibility for property it no longer controls.
The feasibility study calls for “design requirements” for fences, walls, and setbacks on private property bordering the trails, including indentations for seating, recommended landowner landscaping requirements, views of private “gardens, orchards, irrigated fields and animals,” all focused on the “viewshed” plan of the trail. In other words, bureaucrats would dictate esthetics to private landowners.
But perhaps most egregious of all was the fact that the DWT committee assured us a year ago that no construction of any kind would take place on district property without specific board approval. Then, just six months later, they used public funding to construct the now infamous Griegos Bridge, which is proudly listed in the report in the Chronology of Events. This constitutes an unacceptable breach of trust.
What the MRGCD did not do, however, was kill the idea of continuing trails and recreation along our ditches, drains and canals. The resolution we unanimously passed called for using the DWT draft plan where applicable, on a community-by-community project basis. We are committed to enhancing the recreational value of our trails and ditches in a strategic and safe way. For example, in another unanimous decision at the July 28 meeting, the Board voted to seek legislative authorization to make the MRGCD’s Bosque Patrol a fully functional enforcement agency; an appropriate response to the Ditches With Trails assertion that increased crime is a risk, and law enforcement a requirement.
The Conservancy District has been working for years to enhance recreational opportunities in its system. A few examples are:
· Taking part in the Route 66 Bosque Revitalization project, a $6 million effort to create wetlands and trails and remove jetty jacks and debris from the Rio Grande bosque in Bernalillo County.
· Clearing thousands of acres of bosque of invasive and fire-fueling vegetation.
· Active collaboration in the creation of a sanctuary for the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow just south of our headquarters.
· Erecting signs in pertinent locations that give a little history of the MRGCD system.
· Authorizing a paved Levee Trail, which runs from Central Avenue to Alameda Boulevard, and is used by thousands of joggers, walkers, bicyclists and other recreationists every year.
· Partnering with the City of Albuquerque and others to create Rio Grande Valley State Park in Albuquerque out of MRGCD property.
· We’re also spending $4 million in the South Valley to rebuild a 3.2-mile-long section of levee so that property owners in the area won’t be forced to buy expensive flood insurance.
All this we’ve done with input and approval from our constituents while still providing the services for which we were formed—services that allow them to live in the flood plain. The drains we operate keep the water table low, allowing for development throughout the valley. Without them, beautiful homes and thriving businesses could not be built.
What struck us most on July 28th was how frustrated and almost helpless many of the residents felt with the Ditches With Trails process, with the planners and bureaucrats who were pushing it, and with the lack of concern for the people living adjacent to these ditches. Many told us that we were their last and only chance to be heard before an elected body, and of stopping a project they didn’t want. They pleaded with us to listen to them.
And listen we did: the MRGCD board stood unflinchingly behind that sacred principle of “government of, by, and for the people,” and we always will.
Gary Perry, Chairman, Socorro County
Eugene Abeita, At-Large
Augusta Meyers, Bernalillo County
William Turner, Bernalillo County
Jim Roberts, Bernalillo County
Janet Jarratt, Valencia County
Jimmy Wagner, Sandoval County