Permaculture for Renters

http://permacultureforrenters.com/

Over the years, I’ve often wondered at the unique and sometimes confusing situation of the urban-renter-beginner-permaculturist: trying to figure out how to utilize the ethics and principles of a framework originally conceived to develop areas thousands of acres in size, while often finding oneself without access to an area even hundreds of square feet in size.

While most permaculture teachers will tell you that the ethics and principles of permaculture are not limited to rural broadacre applications, the vast majority of literature on the subject (not to mention course curriculum) displays no uncertain preference for rolling food forested hills, cascading ponds, and just beyond, the beckoning vastness of Zone 5.

(My point of entry into this wonderful world, Permaculture Two, mostly referred to properties that were comparable in acreage to the more notable state parks in the area!  Meanwhile, I was trying to figure out how to reconcile a desire to grow massive amounts of food with reality that I couldn’t dig up the lawn.)

The Goal

The overarching goal of Permaculture for Renters, both the workshops and this blog, is to dispel the myth that you need to own, or have access to, large amounts of property to integrate the principles of Permaculture in your life.  It’s an antidote to “I wish I had the space to insert-homesteading-activity-here,” and a little dose of empowerment for the landless many.

http://permacultureforrenters.com/

Permaculture in Action – Greening The Desert

Permaculture in Action – Greening the Desert – Geoff Lawton’s Ground Breaking implementation of Permaculture in The Dead Sea Valley. This video illustrates how Permaculture design techniques can restore a Salt Ridden Degraded Landscape to a flourishing and diverse Oasis.

Dryland Permaculture Strategies

Dryland Permaculture Strategies – Part 1

Dryland Permaculture Strategies – Pt2

Dryland Permaculture Strategies – Pt3

Edible City

Could this happen in Santa Fe?

Edible City is a documentary film that explores the issues of food justice, security, and sovereignty through a comprehensive view of urban farming in the Bay Area a grassroots effort that sees people responding to climate change, rising food costs and gas prices, and increasing health concerns by strengthening connections to the food they eat and reaching out to their local communities.

The Story of MyFarm from San Francisco to Santa Fe?

A short glimpse into the kind of world we are creating at MyFarm in San Francisco. We are creating a decentralized urban farm. We grow vegetables in backyard gardens throughout the city. By increasing local food production we are creating a secure and sustainable food system. By connecting people with their food we are creating an understanding of and respect for our greatest gift … earth.

If the members of a local community want their community to cohere, to Flourish, and to last, these are some things they would do:

From “Another Turn of the Crank”
By Wendell Berry

Via http://tribes.tribe.net/thelandspeaks/thread/cd97770c-ff9e-4f62-8384-cd9cbf69d08a
If the members of a local community want their community to cohere, to
Flourish, and to last, these are some things they would do:

1. Always ask of any proposed change or innovation: What will this do to
our community? How will this affect our common wealth?

2. Always include local nature – the land, the water, the air, the native
creatures – within the membership of the community.

3. Always ask how local needs might be supplied from local sources,
including the mutual help of neighbors.

4. Always supply local needs first. (And only then think of exporting their
products, first to nearby cities, and then to others.

5. Understand the unsoundness of the industrial doctrine of “labor saving”
if that implies poor work, unemployment, or any kind of pollution or
contamination.

6. Develop properly scaled value-adding industries for local products to
ensure that the community does not become merely a colony of the national or global economy.

7. Develop small scale industries and businesses to support the local farm
and/or forest economy.

8. Strive to produce as much of the community’s own energy as possible.

9. Strive to increase earnings (in whatever form) within the community and
decrease expenditures outside the community.

10. Make sure that money paid into the local economy circulates within the
the community for as long as possible before it is paid out.

11. Make the community able to invest in itself by maintaining its properties, keeping itself clean (without dirtying some others place), caring
for its old people, teaching its children.

12. See that the old and the young take care of one another. The young must
learn from the old, not nessisarily and not always in school. There must be
no institutionalized ‘child care’ and ‘homes for the aged’. The community
knows and remembers itself by the association of old and young.

13. Account for costs now conventionally hidden or “externalized”. Whenever possible, these costs must be debited against monetary income.

14. Look into the possible uses of local currency, community-funded loan programs, systems of barter, and the like.

15. Always be aware of the economic value of neighborly acts. In our time the costs of living are greatly increased by the loss of neighborhood, leaving people to face their calamities alone.

16. A rural community should always be acquainted with, and complexly connected with, community minded people in nearby towns and cities.

17. A sustainable rural economy will the dependent on urban consumers loyal to local products. Therefore, we are talking about an economy that will always be more cooperative than competitive.

Ten-lined June Beetle – Polyphylla decimlineata

Just the other day one of these fellows visited my home. I was surprised at how large he was and startled when he hissed at me as we tried to catch him to put him outside.

He got some lint hanging out at my house.

Check out these links to find out more info on this guy . . .

http://bugguide.net/node/view/207325#288706

http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recNum=IS0028

MAXIMIZING MEDICAID AND SCI IN NEW MEXICO

I am dealing with something very much like the situation I cut and pasted below. I will post more as the situation develops or is resolved. Has anyone else out there had a similar experience?

via http://www.nmpovertylaw.org/Report-Maximizing%20Medicaid%20and%20Covering%20Adults%20Report-2009-01-27.pdf beginning at the bottom of page five

MEDICAID ADMINISTRATION AND PROGRAM ISSUES
Applications are Automatically Denied by Computer Even for Eligible Applicants
In 1994, HSD changed the way it programs its computers and instituted an “auto-denial” function. This computer function is different from “automatic closure” which many have heard about. Auto-denial is the computer function which results in HSD’s computer automatically denying an application 45 days after the applicant submitted it, with a computer generated notice stating that HSD is denying the Medicaid application for failing to provide the necessary information to complete the application. The problem is that, according to HSD’s data, half of the applicants who are automatically denied have not first been informed what they need to provide in order to complete the process. Others have been told that they have provided all the information but they still get the auto-denial notice, indicating that the proper information was not entered into the computer before the auto-denial date kicked-in.

Federal regulations require the state to process all Medicaid applications within 45 days of receipt. The state is also required to give each application an individualized review, and approve or deny the application on the merits.  Applicants for Medicaid have a right to a needs-based decision by the 45th day after they submit their application.

Moreover, the law requires that Medicaid applicants are told what information and/or documentation they need to provide to complete the application, and that they be given at least 10 days to do so before the state denies their application. By law, caseworkers should not allow the computer to automatically deny a case simply because the application is incomplete.
New Mexico is illegally depriving tens of thousands of people their due process rights through auto-denial. This must be stopped, both to decrease the outrageous numbers of people who are uninsured, and to avoid exposing the state to legal action.

Recommended Solution: Eliminate the auto-denial function on the computer and institute other procedures to ensure timely and proper processing of applications.

“2012: Time for Change”

The Santa Fe Evolver is collaborating
with individuals and organizations in
the Santa Fe area, organizing film
screenings, workshops, panel discussions,
regular news letters and podcasts,
and much more in an effort to
create a symposium for cultural transformation.
We are participating in the
internationally synchronized Evolver
Spore Events that occur around the
third Wednesday of each month. If
you are interested in being involved in
any of these areas, get in touch.

http://www.evolver.net/group/evolver_santa_fe_new_mexico

Santa Fe Alliance

Listen in to “Local First Radio” (Santa Fe Alliance) Sundays 11AM to 12Noon. Get involved in your community and stop by for the Green Drinks events. Check out what the Santa Fe Alliance is up to http://www.santafealliance.com/

Check their Event Calendar

http://www.santafealliance.com/event_calender.php

About the Santa Fe Alliance

The Alliance was founded in 2003 as an all-volunteer organization; we now have a full-time Executive Director, a large board of directors, and community committees. The Alliance is committed to the health of our local independent businesses; we advocate and lobby on behalf of local business issues.

Green Drinks
Date:	06/24/2009
Time:	6:30-8:30pm
Location:	Zia Diner, 326 S. Guadalupe, Santa Fe, NEW MEXICO 87501
Description:	Learn about the Farm to Restaurant project, Cook with the Chef, and meet the new ED of the Farmers Market. Meet others who want to support our local food economy and security, just like you!
Registration:
Contact Info:	Kathleen Chambers, programs@santafealliance.com
Website URL:	http://www.santafealliance.com/

Sunday 11AM to 12Noon – “Local First Radio” (Santa Fe Alliance)

Talk 1260 KTRC

Taking Care of Business with the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce Radio Show

Keep up on what is going on in the local business world here in Santa Fe.

Simon Brackley, President and CEO, of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce hosts local businesspeople and community leaders on the weekly Taking Care of Business radio show on 1260 AM.

Sundays 10AM to 11AM – “Taking Care Of Business” (Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce)

Talk 1260 KTRC

Santa Fe, New Mexico Spore’s first regular off-line gatherings

Food gardens to take root in city parks

Organizers look for volunteers to help projects grow

By Julie Ann Grimm | The New Mexican

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/PrintStory/Food-gardens-to-take-root-in-city-parks

5/6/2009

Photo by: New Mexican file photo

Are you interested in growing vegetables, but lack a good place to do it?

Community gardens are expected to sprout soon in three Santa Fe public parks, and organizers are looking for participants who want to get their hands into the good earth.

At the city’s new Railyard Park, a group of volunteers is getting ready to launch the community garden that will be partly watered via the Acequia Madre. Meanwhile, city officials are reviewing policies that will allow residents to use community garden spaces set aside at Frenchy’s Field and Maclovia parks.

“We are really excited that there is going to be a place for food production in the new Railyard Park. I think it really demonstrates Santa Fe’s commitment to sustainability,” said Libby Reinish, who recently helped found a nonprofit called Santa Fe Community Gardens.

Her idea is to create a network system by which community gardeners can share information and resources. Although so far the group is only helping with the Railyard Park spaces, she hopes to expand that mission later.

About 18 plots are available at the Railyard garden for a $40 fee that helps defray the cost of water and some fencing materials. Nearby, there will also be a demonstration waffle garden designed and maintained by Santa Fe Master Gardeners, Alvord Elementary School and other volunteers.

City Parks Division Director Fabian Chavez said his staff is ready to start collecting names of people who want to spearhead the other garden projects, forming groups that will comply with pending new city regulations. Several city committees have already agreed to the rules, and they are set to appear on the City Council agenda for a final vote later this month.

The prospect is not slated to be a city-driven one, however. Each garden needs a core group of volunteers who will build consensus and be self-governing, said Chavez. The group will also receive an annual water bill from the city.

“For this first year, Parks is not getting involved in this,” he said. “We want these individual garden communities to make those decisions based on their needs, which may change over time.”

Dozens of potential participants have formed a loose group to kick off the Frenchy’s Field garden, which has about 5,800 square feet. There is no leader so far for the much smaller gardens at Maclovia Park, Chavez said. A group of residents who helped plan recent park renovations has not expressed much interest in organizing a garden group this summer at the park west of Cerrillos Road.

Although these three spaces represent the first Santa Fe city parks to welcome community gardeners, the concept is not new. A privately owned community garden off Rodeo Road has been in operation for more than 10 years and this year is full for the first time in recent memory, said organizer Lauren Longworth.

Longworth said she’s glad to hear that the city spaces are ready for action because she has had to turn away many inquiries this year.

“I get a lot of calls, and I would like to be able to send people to the garden that is closest to where they live,” she said. “I always dreamed when we started this community garden that some day there would be a network of community gardens. I never thought it would actually happen.”

Contact Julie Ann Grimm at 986-3017 or jgrimm@sfnewmexican.com.

GET INVOLVED

Frenchy’s Field Community Garden. City Parks Division staff and volunteers with Friends of Frenchy’s will meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Frenchy’s Barn to talk about the garden. For more information, contact Jessie Esparza at 955-2106.

Santa Fe Railyard. Residents can apply for a plot in the Railyard Acequia Garden until May 22. A $40 membership fee is collected for each 50-square-foot plot. A work day is planned from 9 to 11:30 a.m. May 16. Information is available at santafecommunitygardens.org or 982-6975.

Maclovia Park has spaces for a community garden, but so far no area residents are taking on the project. To get started, contact Jessie Esparza at the Parks Division, 955-2106.

Milagro Community Garden is located on land owned by Lutheran Church of the Servant off Rodeo Road. The garden’s 30 plots are already filled for this year, but a waiting list is forming. For information, e-mail milagro_garden@att.net.

THE WORD ON COMMUNITY GARDENS

Excerpts from a pending city resolution about the benefits of community gardens:

“A garden tended by a community’s residents brings out the best in that community, becoming a source of physical activity, recreation and civic pride for all who participate.”

“Community gardens tend to foster relationships among residents creating strong neighborhoods.”

“Fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables are a nutritious and healthful addition to residents’ diets and surplus produce harvested from community gardens can be a welcome boon for food pantries and soup kitchens.”

“With public interest and awareness of green living at an all-time high, there’s never been a better time for partnerships among public parks and community gardening advocates.”

Xaos Lent continues

I am not a practicing Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Christian, but this lent I decided to do an Eastern Orthodox fast in the timing of the Roman Catholic Lent. Since I live in a Roman Catholic City I decided to ride the momentum and energy of the community; the burger places even have fish specials on Fridays.

During the time frame of Roman Catholic Lent I fasted from these foods: Meat (animal flesh), Dairy, alcohol (mostly) and junk foods.

I also fasted from television, and all media except for what is necessary to school and regular business.

The main theme and reading (aside from school) was: The Bodhicharyāvatāra, sometimes translated into English as A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life.

I also decided to focus on positive events and blessings, leaving complaints to the side.

Now, a few weeks out of the fast, I want it to continue. I know that most of these things should be a regular occurrence, but I have fallen out of practice in many of them. I used this Lent to get back into gear and to keep a daily practice again. It is easy to get thrown off track.

So this is a posting of my intentions to keep up on this fast and to hear from anyone else’s experience or ideas on these things.

College of Santa Fe for New Mexico

Check out the College of Santa Fe for New Mexico website.

@ http://csffornm.blogspot.com/

College of Santa Fe’s unfortunate financial situation (scheduled to close in May) is a rare opportunity for the working class people of New Mexico, to have an affordable four year college available in Santa Fe (which we do not have currently), the state’s third largest concentration of citizens.

Voice your opinions and reasons on the 1001 Reasons Page

Keep updated on the News and Updates Page

Find out what you can do now on the Act Now Page

EVERY VOICE MATTERS!

‘Whatever it takes’ Governor charges new task force with saving The College of Santa Fe

John Sena | The New Mexican

3/24/2009

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/-Whatever-it-takes–Governor-charges-new-task-force-with-saving-The-College-of-S#- 3/25/09

Members of a newly appointed task force charged with saving the College of Santa Fe began their task during an hour-long meeting Tuesday in a campus classroom.

Gov. Bill Richardson, declaring that “our objective is to keep the College of Santa Fe going forever,” named more than two dozen people to the panel during a news conference at the private college.

The governor said the future of the financially troubled school will be considered during an expected special session of the New Mexico Legislature, which during its recently completed 60-day regular session didn’t go along with a proposed state takeover.

Task-force members include officials from four of the state’s four-year universities, including New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, N.M., which had expressed interest in acquiring the Santa Fe campus. Others include legislators, Santa Fe Mayor David Coss, state agency administrators, the executive director of the New Mexico Finance Authority and the president of Santa Fe Community College.

Also named to the group were Robin Martin, editor and publisher of The New Mexican, as well as students and top executives of the College of Santa Fe.

Actress Ali MacGraw will serve on the task force, along with others from the Santa Fe arts community, such as the executive director of the Lensic Performing Arts Center. Garrett Thornburg, a Santa Fe investment executive and chairman of the Thornburg Companies, will represent the New Mexico School for the Arts, a residential public charter school for the performing and visual arts that’s scheduled to open next fall.

“This is a really high-powered group of people,” said Richardson’s deputy chief of staff, Bruce Perlman, who chairs the study group. The task force will make recommendations to the governor by the end of April.

Perlman said Tuesday’s was an “organizational meeting” at which members discussed two basic questions: how to finance any future possibilities for the college and what those possibilities might look like.

As one option, Perlman said, the group could consider a higher educational learning center where various state universities offer different programs. He stressed, though, that discussions about any options are preliminary.

Coss, who was an outspoken supporter of the legislation that would have authorized a state college or university to acquire the college campus, said Tuesday that the task force will definitely consider maintaining a strong arts focus at the college, but will also look at other educational needs.

He mentioned the possibility of the city or county using bonding authority to purchase the campus, but also said the task force might consider some sort of public/private partnership.

The group is scheduled to meet again April 3.

Legislative members include Sen. John Arthur Smith, a Deming Democrat and chairman of the Finance Committee, who opposed the state takeover proposal during the session; Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe; and Rep. Luciano “Lucky” Varela, D-Santa Fe, a graduate of the college who sponsored the failed takeover legislation. The House approved the measure, but it died in the Senate Finance Committee.

Although the committee did not hold a hearing on the takeover bill, the takeover was debated by the Senate when it defeated a proposal to earmark $3 million for operating the school if it became part of the state’s higher education network.

Richardson said the school is “so valuable to our state that we must do whatever it takes to keep it open.” He said the liberal arts college was well-known for its dance, film and theater programs and described it as “an economic engine” for the city of Santa Fe.

Richardson said he will put the college on the agenda of a special session that’s expected to be held on budget matters. No date has been set for the session, although the governor and legislators have suggested it might be in the fall.

New Mexico will get a new revenue forecast in July, and it’s likely to indicate the state will receive less money than expected in the coming year. That could force lawmakers to revise the 2010 budget, which was approved by lawmakers last week and sent to Richardson to be signed into law.

Tuesday’s event resembled a pep rally, with students cheering loudly as Richardson and others declared their support for the school.

Students and employees of the college expressed a somewhat tempered optimism about what the task force could accomplish.

Cristina King, who works in the college’s Contemporary Music Department, joked that she’ll wait to pack the cardboard boxes stashed behind a couch in the office.

After about a year of failed possibilities — the college explored partnerships with Savannah College of Art and Design and Laureate Education Inc., then sought legislation to save the school — many are ready for the whole ordeal to be over.

“I’ll be hopeful on April 30 when I hear something,” said Ali Sanders, a senior at the college.

Others have said that whatever happens, it might be too late because faculty will have to find new jobs and students, if they want to attend school in the fall, might have already have made plans to transfer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Finance Committtee 49th Legislature of New Mexico

Just who is on this Finance Committtee that is purposely letting HB 577 stall, effectively blocking the democratic process of our state and our country?

Why here they are right here via http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/committeedisplay.aspx?CommitteeCode=SFC

FINANCE

Monday through Saturday – 1:30 p.m. (Room 322)

Title	Name	Role
Senator	John Arthur Smith – (D)	Chair
Senator	Carlos R. Cisneros – (D)	Vice Chair
Senator	Rod Adair – (R)	Member
Senator	Pete Campos – (D)	Member
Senator	Carroll H. Leavell – (R)	Member
Senator	Howie C. Morales – (D)	Member
Senator	Steven P. Neville – (R)	Member
Senator	Gerald Ortiz y Pino – (D)	Member
Senator	Mary Kay Papen – (D)	Member
Senator	Nancy Rodriguez – (D)	Member
Senator	Sue Wilson Beffort – (R)	Ranking Member

Time running out on state takeover of CSF

John Sena | The New Mexican

3/20/2009

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Time-running-out-on-state-takeover-of-CSF

A sign on the window of Sen. John Arthur Smith’s office Friday might dash the hopes of people wanting a state university to acquire the College of Santa Fe campus.

Click on image to enlarge

“Senate Finance Committee Will Not Meet For Remainder Of The 2009 Legislative Session,” the sign said.

House Bill 577, which would authorize a state school to acquire the campus, has been stuck in the committee, but supporters were hoping that senators would eventually come around and move it forward.

Now the bill’s only chance is for a two-thirds vote of the full Senate to pull the bill out of committee for a hearing on the floor.

The latest news comes only minutes after Santa Fe Mayor David Coss and CSF supporters staged a rally outside the Roundhouse, asking Senate Finance to hear the HB 577.

“The College of Santa Fe is such a critical, critical component of Santa Fe,” Coss told the crowd of about 200 people.

He expressed dismay that after passing the House and being approved by one Senate committee, the bill had not received a hearing in Senate Finance.

“I say that’s not democracy in New Mexico,” he said. “Vote it up or down, but we deserve for it to be heard.”

Many of Santa Fe’s legislative delegates, including Reps. Ben Luján, Lucky Varela and Brian Egolf and Sen. Peter Wirth, spoke at the rally. They urged supporters to ask senators for a hearing on the bill. “This is the type of push we need in the last day or two,” Varela said.

Legislators also emphasized the importance of the college, not just for staff and students, but the entire community and state. “This is a huge issue for our community,” Wirth said. “To lose this and not keep the options open seems like a shame to me.”

The death of House Bill 577 would set in motion a series of events, including the possible foreclosure of the campus by an insurance company. On campus, there are rumors of lawsuits from both students and faculty against the college’s administration.

What is known for sure is that the college has already defaulted on $25 million in bonds and could be foreclosed on at any moment. College officials have said that rumors that Radian Group, the company that insured the bonds, would freeze the college’s assets and shut it down after April 1 are not true.

Radian has had the ability to foreclose on about 75 acres of the campus for about four months, when the college defaulted on repayment.

As for other plans, the state’s General Services Department is already considering buying the property after foreclosure. A department spokesman said Thursday that the state needs more office space and is considering the college property because of its location near existing state offices.

But the space could be used as by an educational institution only if the state doesn’t need it for offices.

Coss said city officials are also working with Santa Fe county commissioners and Richardson to come up with more options. “I think everybody’s willing to do something,” Coss said. “But we need to be moving relatively quickly.”

ACTION ALERT: Join Mayor Coss and College of Santa Fe Students in Protest Tomorrow

From the City of Santa Fe: Santa Fe Mayor David Coss will join College of Santa Fe students at a rally tomorrow, Friday, March 20 at 10 AM on the east side of the Roundhouse. College of Santa Fe students plan to ask for HB 577, College of Santa Fe Acquisition, to be heard by the Senate Finance Committee so it can be moved forward for a vote of the full Senate before the legislative session ends.

House Bill 577 passed three committees in the State House of Representatives before passing the full House, and unanimously passed the Senate Education Committee. The next step is for HB 577 to go to the Senate Finance Committee, but the bill has not been allowed to go on the committee agenda.

“The College of Santa Fe is too important to our community to let it go. In these challenging economic times, it’s more important now than ever to invest in our community. The repercussions of letting the College of Santa Fe dissolve will have negative impacts far into the future, beyond the current economic recession,” Mayor Coss said. “We’re asking that the democratic process be used to let this bill be heard and move this bill forward before the legislative session ends.”

http://www.democracyfornewmexico.com/democracy_for_new_mexico/2009/03/action-alert-join-mayor-coss-and-college-of-santa-fe-students-in-protest-tomorrow.html

College of Santa Fe in limbo as buyout clock ticks

xCollege officials say firm could foreclose on 75 acres over default on bonds

John Sena | The New Mexican

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/

Legislation that would authorize state acquisition of the College of Santa Fe campus has stalled in committee with only three days left in the legislative session. And without a state takeover, even completion of the current semester is not a sure thing for the financially troubled private school.

College officials acknowledged Tuesday that Radian Group, the company that insured $25 million in bonds that the school issued to borrow money, could immediately foreclose on 75 acres of campus property put up as collateral.

“Radian has had the right to foreclose on the college for months,” President Stuart Kirk said, referring to the fact that the college went into default on bond payments four months ago.

Kirk said he stays in contact with Radian and that the company is waiting and watching while legislators decide on state acquisition. “As long as there are activities being pursued,” Kirk said of Radian, “they are very likely to withhold any action.”

While Kirk said state takeover is the “strongest possibility” for ensuring a four-year college education will still be available at the college, he held out hope that there could be others.

“I think it’s very important for people to understand that the activities of the last year have made our dilemma known,” he said, adding that some for-profit educational institutions have contacted the college.

The school’s immediate fate lies in the hands of the 11-member Senate Finance Committee.

House Bill 577, introduced by Rep. Lucky Varela, D-Santa Fe, would give a state institution the authority to buy the campus. But since approval by the House and the Senate Education Committee, the bill has been sitting in Senate Finance for more than a week with no action. So far, the committee has not scheduled a hearing for HB577. And if the committee does approve the bill, it would still require action by the full Senate.

Gov. Bill Richardson put $3 million in his proposed state budget for an acquiring institution to use in operating the college. However, that money was removed from the budget bill by the Senate Finance Committee.

Some have speculated that an acquiring institution could do without extra state funding and absorb the cost of operating the campus in Santa Fe.

Jim Fries, president of New Mexico Highlands University, said he and his staff have not had any serious conversations about his school absorbing operating costs. So far, Highlands, based in Las Vegas, N.M., is the only state school to take any serious steps toward trying to acquire the college here.

If state acquisition is not approved, there is a chance that Radian could foreclose on the campus property immediately in an effort to preserve all of the college’s remaining assets. Radian did not respond to calls for comment.

Adding to the unknowns, college officials still aren’t sure they’ll have money to pay off a group of employees who are owed a lump sum at the end of the school year.

Kirk said Tuesday that some donors have allowed the college to use endowment money and restricted funds for salaries. The college also is considering a property sale, Kirk said, but still does not have enough money for salaries.

Last month, faculty and staff who earned more than $20,000 a year were hit with a 25 percent pay cut and given official notice that the school planned to shut down May 22.

Contact John Sena at 986-3079 or jsena@sfnewmexican.com.

Read all 11 comments »

CSF takeover bill clears House committee

Legislation awaits OK from second panel before full vote

from: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/SantaFeNorthernNM/CSF-takeover-bill-passes-House-committee

John Sena | The New Mexican

2/20/2009 – 2/20/09

The House Education Committee on Friday morning narrowly approved a bill that would give a state institution the authority to take over the College of Santa Fe.

Members voted 6-5 to approve House Bill 577, which was introduced by Rep. Lucky Varela, D-Santa Fe, and outlines the requirements for any institution interested in a takeover.

Discussion of the bill lasted more than 90 minutes and presented the first opportunity for lawmakers to publicly question both the bill’s sponsors and higher-education officials.

More than 50 supporters of the college crowded the committee room, while more sat on the floor in the hall outside the room.

Varela appealed to the committee to pass the bill. “I’m hoping that we can find a way to utilize this facility and provide affordable education,” he said.

The most obvious concern was the cost to the state if the college is absorbed into the state system.

The school’s total annual operating cost has been estimated at about $16 million per year, with the state’s portion estimated between $3 million and $7 million annually — with tuition and fees paying for the rest.

While the state’s higher-education funding formula would eventually cover the operating cost, because the formula is based on enrollment numbers from two years prior, the state would have to pay for operations for two years.

The current estimates are based on projected enrollment numbers and a ratio of in-state and out-of-state students, which would likely change if New Mexico Highlands University assumes control.

On Friday, Secretary of Higher Education Reed Dasenbrock conceded that officials couldn’t be sure how many students would attend the college if it were acquired by the state.

He stressed, though, that more students are likely to stay at the college and more students could be recruited if the state takes over the school as soon as possible.

Another concern of legislators was the college’s approximately $35 million debt owed to the Royal Bank of Canada, First Community Bank and Laureate Education, Inc. The college’s entire 100-acre campus has been mortgaged for the bond and loans.

The proposed bill prohibits a state institution from assuming any of the college’s debt.

Dasenbrock and Highlands President Jim Fries — whose institution is the only state school to express real interest in the takeover — explained that Highlands has been working with the college’s creditors to refinance the debt.

In essence, Highlands would issue its own bonds for the amount owed and pay that amount to creditors, acquiring the college’s property and building and creating its own debt.

Those explanations were not enough for some committee members, who said they were concerned about how the college got in its current situation. “To go into an investment without knowing that isn’t good business,” said Rep. Nora Espinoza, R-Roswell.

While she supports higher education, Espinoza said, she’s concerned that the college accrued so much debt and was not able to pay it off. “To place that responsibility on us,” she said, “I have a hard time with that.”

Rep. Dennis Roch, R-Tucumcari, said he had a problem giving money to a new institution while state programs in his district were facing cuts. He also worried that colleges in his district would have to compete for a shrinking pot of capital money.

Dasenbrock countered both Espinoza and Roch, saying that the state is not looking at how the college arrived in its current predicament, but rather is considering that it can acquire an entirely new campus — which officials said has been appraised for more than $50 million — for $35 million or less.

In the end, Roch and Espinoza voted against the bill, as did Rep. Karen Giannini, D-Albuquerque, Rep. Diane Hamilton, R-Silver City, and Rep. Jimmie Hall, R-Albuquerque.

Democrats Rick Miera of Albuquerque, Rhonda King of Stanley, Thomas Garcia of Mora, Sheryl Williams Stapleton of Albuquerque, Mary Helen Garcia of Las Cruces and Jack Thomas of Rio Rancho voted for the bill.

After the meeting, Varela admitted that he is concerned that the close vote might be a sign of things to come. “This is why we have to work with (legislators) that are not supporting it,” he said. “This is going to be a difficult process.”

Staff and students, though, tend to take a more optimistic view. “This is the first bit of good news our students have had in a while,” said Chris Nail, an alumnus of the school and an employee.

The bill also is assigned to the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, but is not yet scheduled for a hearing. It will have to be approved that panel before being heard by the full House.

Contact John Sena at 986-3079 or jsena@sfnewmexican.com.

Santa Fe Community College, New Mexico; a College or a High School?

February 11th 2009 at approximately 10:00 P.M. to 10:30 P.M. two of my fellow students and I were detained by a SFCC security guard. Our class ends at 9:45 and we needed to stay after to speak with the instructor on very important topics. No where that I can find is it posted or printed that SFCC closes at 10:00 P.M. and that students can receive some sort of “action” for multiple “offenses” as I was told on said above night. We were told this rule is found in the SFCC Student Handbook, I can’t find it yet.

I refused to comply as I had done nothing wrong, was never notified of this rule and felt like I was being criminalized for being a responsible and safe student.

As we were released the story changed and we were told that were were only getting a warning or some such equivalent. This is not how it was made out at the beginning of this incident. At the start we were to be reported, and repeat “offenses” could be punishable in some nondescript manner.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, you would be shocked to hear all the horror stories I know.  Don’t worry, I will post them as they lock up in a stale mate or remain unresolved on the part of the college. As of now these other cases are in the works of being resolved, no thanks to SFCC, but all efforts are on the part of the students affected.

Trader Joe’s

Not our trader joe’s, but close enough.