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Thursday, January 31, 2008

Edgewood to Kids: Go, Play

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
    A resolution to encourage kids to go outside and play met with some resistance in the Edgewood Town Council at its regular meeting Jan. 23.
    The resolution, called "Leave No New Mexico Child Inside," will help bring programs for children to explore the outdoors to groups like 4-H and Girl Scouts of the United States of America, according to Roger Holden, Edgewood's parks and recreation director.
    The resolution passed on a 3-1 vote.
    Councilor Glenn Felton said he couldn't support the resolution, which has a number of sponsors in New Mexico, including Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, Bernalillo County and Santa Fe County.
    Felton pointed out that the resolution makes several questionable statements. In particular, Felton pointed out a part of the document that states that attention deficit disorder is a growing problem in New Mexico.
    Felton said he didn't feel comfortable supporting such a claim.
    Councilor Chuck Ring pointed out that the resolution is taken from a "cookie-cutter," where the name of any organization or group can inserted. The full document is on the Sierra Club Web site.
    To address Felton's concern, the section with the reference to attention deficit disorder was struck.
    Felton also said the document was complex and that he wasn't sure what it empowered the recreation department to do.
    "I don't see a problem with waiting another two weeks (to vote)," Felton said.
    Despite Felton's concerns, a vote was taken, with Felton casting the only "nay."
    At the Edgewood Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meeting Friday, committee member Roger Alink, who manages Wildlife West Nature Park, spoke in favor of the resolution.
    "(Children) need some activities that interest them, so they get excited about being outside," he said.
    Another member, Paul McClure, said it's that kind of recreation that is partially responsible for giving his daughter, Renee Rice-McClure, her current direction.
    Rice-McClure worked at Alink's nature park for a number of years and is currently going to college for a business degree, he said.
    Later on in the parks and recreation meeting, Holden introduced an adjustment to the parks and recreation budget to increase it by $82,646. The proposed budget includes $24,700 for fencing, survey and other work on the roughly 680-acre Section 32. It also asks for $18,000 for banner signs to advertise six events throughout the year on the light posts along N.M. 344 and $26,446 for a four-wheel-drive Ford F-150 for Holden to use.
    The vehicle he used is now driven by one of the town's animal control officers. Holden added that he figures the cost to drive a vehicle to be about $.60 a mile, while he gets $.33 a mile to drive his personal vehicle for work.
    The budget was unanimously approved by the committee but has yet to be approved by the town council.
    Members also discussed fuel reduction projects on the Section 32 and 34 open spaces south of old Route 66, several upcoming town events and discussed proposed trails through the town.
    "Every one of the council people and mayor should know all that is in place or started," said attendee Sue West near the end of the meeting. "I think that most of them would really like to have been here."