Letters

The article in the Los Alamos Monitor about the water wells proposed to be on White Rock Canyon did not include some issues, which should be an important part of the discussion.
Many of us support the Los Alamos County desire to get access to additional water. What we oppose is drilling wells in county open space land adjacent to residential areas. These proposed wells will permanently degrade the quality of life and therefore health of a good many residents of Los Alamos County.
The impact of these wells will be permanent. The impact during the time of construction is agreed by all to be severe — construction of the access roads, laying the utility lines, drilling the wells and constructing the well site. But there is a permanent impact.
The small open space areas will be effectively destroyed by the access road and the one acre walled site containing the pump and wellhead. In addition to this visual impact, the noise of the operating pump will impact will affect all the nearby residents 24 hours a day.
Constructing these wells as planned violates County Comprehensive Plan. A great deal of effort was put in by citizens and county councilors to identify the values of the County, and to write a comprehensive plan that captured these values. Two sections are quoted below that are specifically violated.

May 6-10 was Teacher Appreciation week, and I again had the privilege of organizing Piñon Elementary’s Teacher and Staff Appreciation Luncheon.
This reminded me how many people at Piñon work together to provide a good educational experience for the children.
This includes teachers of preschool through sixth grade, special education, gifted and talented education, English language learners, art, library, Physical Education, music/band and orchestra; instructional assistants; principal; secretary; clerk; custodial and maintenance workers; counselor; nurses; psychologist; social worker; speech language pathologists; physical and occupational therapists and technology specialists.
Thank you to all of you for all that you do for our children.
Thank you, CB Fox and CB Fox’s Pajarito Greenhouse in Pajarito Acres, for again supporting Piñon Elementary’s teachers and staff by helping provide the beautiful blooming pansy plants for the staff gifts by obtaining the pansies, providing the individual pots and soil for the plants, transplanting and caring for the plants until the luncheon and even delivering the plants to us.

I would like to express my wholehearted support for Kathryn Vandenkieboom, Aspen principal. I know Kathryn to be a kind, compassionate and supportive woman of integrity. The students of Aspen are always her first priority.
Though the demands of her position require much of her, her door is always open and she is always available. She is the ultimate professional. Kathryn exudes a calm and confidence as a leader. She does not make decisions lightly, but rather is very thoughtful and conscientious.
Her high expectations of her staff, students, and herself have provided a school of excellence where all are valued and respected. She has provided a purposeful direction for Aspen school, of which I am honored to be part.
I have never worked in a more encouraging, supportive, professional environment. Aspen school is fortunate to have such a respected and dedicated leader. I am privileged to be able to work for and with Kathryn!
Tammy Moore
Los Alamos 

Imagine my surprise when returning from out of town I find a brand new (huge) trail sign behind my neighborhood proclaiming The Satch Cowan Trail. And all this time I thought that Joe Devaney had built this trail, although it had almost disappeared after the Cerro Grande fire and Joe’s subsequent death. And then I thought that I had never seen Satch Cowan on this trail or on any other near the Quemazon trailhead in more than 30 years of hiking here.
And then I remembered the spectacular trail that Jim Billen built single-handedly in Pueblo Canyon, possibly the most scenic in the county — a great wide path 1.2 miles long cut into the Bandelier Tuff below the rim.
I even attended his trail completion party where he bought donuts and coffee for the hiking community.
And then I did a little asking and found out that trails are not named after living people in this community and I thought about the Mitchell and Knapp trails that bore the names of the young men who built them and the Devaney Trail in Los Alamos Canyon named after Joe while he was still alive.
What does it take to get the county to name the Jim Billen Trail after him while he is still alive? Why can’t credit be given where credit is due?
Andi Kron
Los Alamos