The closure includes LaFarge, Southside and the Main Downtown Library, the Genoveva Chavez Community Center, Ft. Marcy Complex and Salvador Perez Pool as well as the Municipal Court.

Santa Fe Trails and Santa Fe Ride will run on a Saturday schedule from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Activities start at 5:00 p.m. See a robot located in in Japan at the Tsuyama Robot (Robotcon) Project that will be controlled via live computer and video feed from Warehouse 21. There will also be Japanese food, origami folding and other activities. [Additional info...]

The Photo Enforcement Vehicle captures a picture of the speeding vehicles license plate and a citation is mailed to the registered owner.

So far, 1,000 warning citations for speeding have been issued. On St. Francis Drive alone, 420 warning citations were issued in a 12 hour period. Beginning December 1, the issuing of warning citations will cese and regular citations wil be issued.

Photo Enforcement will be utilized in school zones from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m. and in other high speed violation areas throughout the City both day and night.

The GCCC will be hosting the New Mexico Senior Olympics Basketball Tournament at these times. The basketball Gymnasium re-opens at 5:30 am on Monday November 9th. All other areas of the GCCC will be open for business as usual.

The Genoveva Chavez Community Center is a 177,000 square foot recreational facility which includes: gymnasium, three pools, ice arena, weight room, indoor track and many other amenities. The center is located at 3221 Rodeo Rd, Santa Fe NM. GCCC website

The workshop will take place on Novewmber 14 at 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Community Room at REI, 500 Market Street in the Railyard. Robert Wood, arborist and Integrated Pest Management Program Manager for the City of Santa Fe will lead the workshop. The workshop is free!

Tree Topics to be covered include:

1. Pruming Trees - the basics!

2. Integrated Pest Management for Trees

3. Tree Myths

Please RSVP to the Railyard Stewards at railyardstewards@gmail.com.

The Fire Department will use these funds to hire 10 individuals for a wildland firefighting handcrew. The wildland fire crew will assist in suppressing wildland fires within the City, State and throughout the West. When the handcrew is not suppressing fires they will be removing hazardous and invasive non-native trees along the Santa Fe River as part of the River Parkway Project.

The Youth Conservation Corps Commission awards grants to eligible applicants that employ youth between the ages of 14 to 25 to conserve New Mexico’s natural resources and provide community benefits of lasting value. Santa Fe Fire Department

The City Council chose to honor Mr. Hillerman and the Hillerman Family selected the Southside Branch Teen Patio as the place they wished to honor him. The Dedication will take place at 1:30 p.m. at the Southside Branch on Sunday, November 8. The event is open and free to the public.

Mayor Pro Tem Rebecca Wurzburger will host the celebration which will include words by Mayor Coss, the blessing of the Patio and a carved stone in Mr. Hillerman’s honor by Mr. Tommy Pino, a medicine man of the Ramah Band of Navajo Indians. The Hillerman Family will be present to accept the honor. A reception will follow.

Santa Fe Public Library website

Fitch Rating Services awarded the top AAA rating, the City’s first. Standard and Poor’s increased their rating from AA- to AA+, a two level jump. Fitch analysts who focus on utility ratings have only issued about a dozen AAA ratings nationwide and Santa Fe’s rating is only the second awarded west of the Mississippi River. These higher ratings were also applied to the Water system’s existing debt of $48 million.

Rating analysts cited the City’s excellent planning for the system and its financial needs, including the Councils’ recent approval of needed rate increases; the strength and balance of the local economy, the diversity of its water supply sources and the community’s commitment to conservation as major factors in the ratings. The Buckman project and conservation efforts will minimize the need to issue debt for large facilities in the future.

Public Utilities Committee Chair, Councilor Rebecca Wurzburger said about the higher ratings “The entire Council should be as thrilled as I with these ratings. They are a clear affirmation of the hard decisions we have made this year in managing our financial future.”

The bond issue is being handled by RBC Capital Markets as the lead underwriter with participation by George K. Baum Company and Southwest Securities. Advertisements about where to purchase the bonds appeared in the November 1, 2009 Santa Fe New Mexican Opinion Section and in the November 2, Journal North.

Printed copies of the revised schedules will be available on all Santa Fe Trails buses, at all city libraries, and at multiple other locations throughout the city beginning Friday October 30, 2009.

Buses and Santa Fe Ride para-transit vans will run according to the times indicated in the new schedules beginning Saturday, October 31, 2009. Reduced weekday service hours will begin on Monday November 2, 2009.

For questions about the new bus schedules, or to request that a copy be mailed to you, call Santa Fe Trails at 955-2001. Bus Schedules and Routes

All cases subsequent to, or postponed from, the November 5, 2009 Planning Commission hearing will be heard at the regularly scheduled December 3, 2009 meeting.

The changes that Santa Fe Ride customers will notice most will be the hours of operation and service on holidays.

Instead of operating 24 hours a day/seven days a week/365 days a year, Santa Fe Ride will operate the same hours as the revised Santa Fe Trails schedule: Monday through Friday 6 a.m. until 10 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Sundays 8:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.

There will be no regular service provided on either Santa Fe Trails or Santa Fe Ride on New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas. A Saturday schedule (8 a.m. until 8 p.m.) will be observed on Martin Luther King’s Day, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve Day.

The Santa Fe Ride and Santa Fe Trails service areas will remain the same.

Santa Fe Trails Routes 5, 6 and M will now operate every hour. Service frequency on Routes1, 4, 21, 22, and 24 will remain the same. Route 2 will continue to run every 15 minutes until 5:30 p.m. Routes M and 2 will now serve the Railyard and Route 21 will now serve the Nava Adé subdivision on Governor Miles Road.

The changes to operating hours, routes and service frequencies were necessary to reduce system costs and were approved as a part of the City of Santa Fe’s FY 2009/2010 budget. More severe reductions were considered, including eliminating Sunday service, but a public meeting that was held in September that gathered constituents’ input, and the city’s current financial picture, staved off these cuts.

As part of the week, there will be a free half-day patient conference on Saturday, November 14 at the Hilton Santa Fe, 100 Sandoval Street. The half-day conference will feature three speakers:

Connie Lee, President of Angioma Alliance. She will give a general overview of the illness and talk about advocacy.

Dr. Amy Akers, the new Angioma Alliance Chief Science Officer will be speaking about general research advances, one particular research project that partners Angioma Alliance with the University of New Mexico. She will also speak about new clinical drug trials.

Joyce Gonzales, Angioma Alliance New Mexico coordinator will talk about the Common Hispanic Mutation family tree and how it could affect people born in New Mexico. Being a survivor herself, she will offer a personal perspective.

After the speakers, conference participants will break up into small groups for discussion and sharing stories.

In order to assist the conference planners, participants are strongly encouraged to RSVP to info@angioma.org or leave a message at 757-623-0615. The half-day conference begins with check-in and a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. The conference ends at 12:30 p.m. Angioma Alliance

Santa Fe applied for the grant through a competitive process administered by the State of New Mexico’s Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department.

The funds will be used for improving the energy efficiency of various City buildings. New lighting, heating and cooling systems, hot water heating and other retrofits are some of the changes that will be financed with the money.

In addition to reducing the City’s carbon footprint, the projects are expected to save Santa Fe over $75,000 each year in energy costs. Also, seven new jobs will be created by the projects and greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 849 tons per year.

As part of the Housing and Community Development Department, the City of Santa Fe’s Energy Efficiency Team works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the most cost-effective way possible without imposing unreasonable community mandates or compromising city operations.

The Housing and Community Development Department works to ensure that Santa Fe continues as a diverse community that honors the past and embraces the future.

tomorrow October 27 so that crews can pour concrete and redo the skateboarding surface and expand the grinding areas.

This work is part of the $30 million Parks Renovation Bond that is enabling the city’s Parks Division to improve and enhance city parks.

There have been quite a few vehicle burglaries around the De Vargas mall area. If you are parking to shop at either of the malls in Santa Fe or parking your car for the day for a car pool program, please remember the following:

1. Do not leave valuables in your car.
2. If you must leave valuables in your car, store them out of sight.
3. At night, try to park your car under or near a light.
4. When returning to your vehicle at night, remember to check around and under your vehicle.
5. Remember to look inside your vehicle before you enter to make sure there is not an unwanted person inside
6. If there is any suspicious activity going on around your vehicle, notify the Santa Fe Police Department immediately from either a phone at a nearby business or your cell phone. For emergencies, call 911. For non-emergencies, call 428-3710.
7. Remember to stay calm and give clear and complete information to the dispatcher.

The Santa Fe Police Department encourages residents to sign up to receive messages from Nixle. Nixle is a service that allows you to receive trusted, up-to-date information where you live, work or visit. You can choose to receive messages by text, phone or email. The service is at no cost to you. However, standard text messaging rates apply. To sign up for Nixle go to www.santafenm.gov and click on “Sign-up for Nixle” on the upper left side of the homepage. Santa Fe Police Department

Dale Norton will discuss shimmering images, the building blocks of memoir. Participants will practice finding them, teasing out the meaning that hides inside them and putting them together in a life story.

Lisa Dale Norton is the author of the popular book, Shimmering Images: A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir and the critically acclaimed literary memoir Hawk Flies Above: Journey to the Heart of the Sandhills. She blogs about story for The Huffington Post, teaches online memoir writing classes at Lisa Dale Norton The Official Site, and is on the faculty of the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. She lives in Santa Fe.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library. Santa Fe Public Library

There will be two Saturday workshops at the Southside Library, 6599 Jaguar Drive on November 7 and 14 from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. Workshops at the Main Library, 145 Washington Avenue will be on November 14 and 21 from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Teens are invited to explore the art of Western graphic novels and Japanese manga in these workshops lead by manga enthusiast Aline Hunziker. Participants will use nib pens and brushes to create their own sequential art for graphic storytelling such as comic strips. Art techniques will focus on hatching, gesture, and the use of comic panels to tell a story. All materials are provided.

Teens age 13 to 16 are invited to register by calling 955-2820 at the Southside Library and 955-6783 at the Main Library. These workshops are sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.

Santa Fe Public Library

The program will present five of the eight EPIK Artists in concert. The program includes singers Eric Illick and Maya Rose Tweten, who will perform songs, arias and duets; cellist Pecos Singer and violinists Eric Illick and Sarah Rogowskey. Sponsored by a grand from the EPIK Foundation, these talented young performers are all from Santa Fe.

The young performers will discuss their instruments and take questions from the audience. This is a free event open to the public. The BRAVO KIDS! Program is coordinated by Gina Browning. Santa Fe Public Library

Fifty-five Keep America Beautiful affiliates applied for this grant, with Santa Fe being one of only 12 cities that received the grant.

These containers have been placed in the following parks and city buildings:

Salvador Perez Park
Alto Park
Municipal Recreation Complex
Along the River Walk
The Railyard Park
Frenchy’s Park
Fort Marcy Park
Santa Fe Plaza
City Hall, 200 Lincoln Avenue
Transit Division, 2931 Rufina Keep Santa Fe Beautiful

new book, TONY HILLERMAN'S LANDSCAPE: On the Road with Chee and Leaphorn. The Harper Collins book features photographs by Don Strel.

The program will be held Sunday November 8, 2009 from 4 - 6 pm, at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, 201 W. Marcy Street.

This event will feature a slide show of photographs from the book, showing the places in Indian country that served as the inspiration for Tony Hillerman's mystery novels. It will be narrated by Anne Hillerman, his eldest daughter. She and her husband, photographer Don Strel, spent three years visiting the iconic landscapes Tony used as settings for his Indian country mysteries. She will share memories of her life with her father, and his travels.

Billie Blair will serve as mistress of ceremonies.

The program will be followed by a reception and book signing. Books will be available for purchase.

Tickets will be available from the Lensic, 988-1234, or at the door. Ticket prices are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the Santa Fe Public Library programs.

For more information, call Maria at 955–6789. Santa Fe Public Library

Each meeting will feature a different anime film. Teens participate in the selection process! Join us after school for a movie and snacks. Teens are welcome to just drop by.
Santa Fe Public Library

commemoration of the founding of Santa Fe to be located at Ragle Park in Santa Fe. The budget for the project is $150,000, inclusive of all expenses. Funding for the project is provided by the City’s 2% for Public Art program. All professional artists with past public art experience are eligible to apply by responding to City of Santa Fe Request for Proposals #10/12/P. Interested artist must download a copy of the proposal packet from the Arts Commission’s website, www.SantaFeArtsCommission.org. The deadline for proposals is Monday, November 30, 2009 at 2:00 PM.

For more information, contact Debra Garcia y Griego at degarcia@santafenm.gov or call 505-955-6707. Arts Commission

MEDIA RELEASE
Date: Friday, January 16, 2009
Contact:
Laura Banish, City of Santa Fe Public Information Officer, (505) 955-6046
Sevastian Gurule, City of Santa Fe Constituent Services Manager, (505) 955-6047

Santa Fe Living Wage Rate Adjusted to $9.85

The City of Santa Fe announces that the Living Wage has been adjusted to $9.85 per hour for the year 2009.

In November 2008, the City of Santa Fe announced a Living Wage increase from $9.50 per hour to $9.92. The City of Santa Fe used the Consumer Price Index 12-month average from October to October as the figure for the previous year in order to give businesses and employees the most stable, up-to-date number while also providing enough time to plan for the upcoming year.

Now that the January to January numbers have been released, the City is adjusting the Living Wage to $9.85 to best reflect the intent of the City’s Living Wage law. The ordinance states that “Beginning Jan. 1, 2009, and each year thereafter, the minimum wage shall be adjusted upward by an amount corresponding to the previous year's increase, if any, in the consumer price index for the western region for urban wage earners and clerical workers.”

The City of Santa Fe's Living Wage Ordinance was adopted to establish minimum hourly wage rates. Santa Fe is a national leader in the Living Wage movement. Minimum wage laws promote the general welfare, health, safety and prosperity of Santa Fe by ensuring that workers can better support and care for their families through their own efforts and without financial governmental assistance. All profit and non-profit businesses with a business license or business registration issued by the City of Santa Fe, including part time and temporary employees as well as city contractors, are required to pay their workers according to the minimum hourly wage set by the city.