News @ Noon / 9 July 2013

Welcome to News @ Noon for Tuesday 9 July 2013 brought to you by Gila / Mimbres Community Radio in a community media collaboration with The Grant County Beat – your daily newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County.

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Cobre School Board hears report on Forest Service’s use of
San Lorenzo School during Silver Fire
Created on Tuesday, 09 July 2013 10:57
By Margaret Hopper

The Cobre school board met July 8, beginning with the closed session at 6:02 p.m. Toy Sepulveda reported that the board discussed hiring, the new superintendent’s evaluation guidelines for a January report, and limited personnel. No decisions had been made. The public session began at 7:11 p.m., with all board members present.

Under unfinished business, Patsy Sanchez agreed to meet with Supt. Mendoza later this week to continue the plan to rename the Cobre Fine Arts Center for Chuck Gerheart, the band instructor who has brought home 14 state competition first place honors for the Indians in about that many years.

In the superintendent’s report, Robert Mendoza outlined the Forest Service’s use of the San Lorenzo facility, due to the recent fire at Silver Creek, which ended July 7…  Mendoza was told the Service would send the finances shortly and it was likely that the work would be finished before school opened in August.

While there, the fire fighters asked what could be done additionally, and Linda Jones, San Lorenzo’s custodian, suggested a raised bed for the children’s greenhouse project. The result was a work of art, which some Hopi fire fighters painted on three sides of the raised bed, with Hopi designs, desert willow designs and flames with fire fighters outlined against them. By report, these scenes are being covered in local papers.

San Lorenzo requested approval for its Harvest Festival fundraiser to be held on October 5 and for the use of school facilities to do this.

The topic of an independent auditor for the district brought in three bids, two of them local and a third from Albuquerque. The board approved the Stone, McGee bid.

Board members set the next meeting for July 29 rather than the July 22 regular date.  The meeting adjourned at 7:40.

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Nm-152 closed from MM 16-42
Created on Tuesday, 09 July 2013 08:54

Grant County: The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) District One office is reporting a closure for NM-152 east of Silver City due to erosion along the roadway. This route is closed from mile marker 16 – 42 just past the San Lorenzo Bridge.

In Mogollon NM-159 remains CLOSED from mile marker 10 – 25 due to erosion and large debris along the roadway. Maintenance operations are in full force and will open the roadway once it is deemed safe for the traveling public.

Traffic notifications will be posted on  www.nmroads.com, and can be retrieved by calling 511 in state and 1-800-432-4269 out of state. Please avoid any travels within this area until conditions change.

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NM 152 closed due to erosion along the roadway
Created on Monday, 08 July 2013 20:32

The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) District One office is working with law enforcement with the placement of the CLOSURE for NM-152 east of Silver City due to erosion along the roadway. The NMDOT will begin clearing the area, and will open the road once it is deemed safe for the traveling public.

Traffic notifications will be posted on  www.nmroads.com, and can be retrieved by call 511 in state and 1-800-432-4269 out of state. Please avoid any travels within this area until conditions change.

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Catwalk National Recreation Area Open Hours
Created on Monday, 08 July 2013 18:14

Silver City, NM; July 8, 2013—As of this morning, hours at the Catwalk National Recreation Area, Gila National Forest,  returned and will be from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The open hours include the Whitewater Picnic Area and ¼ mile of the lower trail. During the monsoon and since rain typically occurs in the afternoon, the facility will normally be open during these hours. In the event of predicted severe weather or flooding, the facility will be closed to protect visitors.

Please contact the Glenwood Ranger District, 575.539.2481, during weekday hours,
8:00 am to 4:30 pm, before planning a trip or visit the Forest website:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/gila/

Remember:

• ONLY ¼ mile of the “old” trail and the picnic area is currently open.  The rest of the old trail is closed pending treatment of a dangerous rock outcrop that caused the recent rock fall onto the trail. Once the rock hazard has been cleared, the suspended trail can be opened to the Octagon.
• The Universal Trail is also closed for treatment of rock hazards.
• The currently closed upper canyon will probably stay closed through the monsoons due to the extreme difficulty of evacuation in event of a flood, and the need to evaluate and repair damage to structures and the trail. The upper canyon is defined as the trail and associated canyon from the Octagon to the end of the trail.

Visitors are asked to use extreme caution during the monsoon season. With burn scars from this year’s Silver Fire and the 2012 Whitewater-Baldy Fire Complex, the potential for post-fire flooding is possible.

When heavy thunderstorms are expected:

• If camping or picnicking, place the campsite on higher ground and avoid camping in drainage areas such as rivers, creeks, or arroyos and especially in narrow canyons.
• Flash floods can quickly develop during heavy thunderstorms! During these downpours, extreme caution should be exercised when crossing these drainage areas.
• Be informed! Know the weather forecast and plan accordingly.
• Know the weather patterns of the area! In mountainous areas, thunderstorms typically develop in the early afternoon, so plan to hike early in the day and be down the mountain by noon.

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Gila National Forest Lifts Stage 1 Fire Restrictions
Created on Monday, 08 July 2013 16:11

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