Published January 6, 2023

BPU to hold special meeting

The Board of Public Utilities will hold a SPECIAL MEETING on Wednesday, January 11th at 5:30 p.m.  This meeting will be conducted in-person in Rm 110 of the Municipal Building (location changed). Members of the public may view proceedings and provide public comment via Zoom. The Zoom link, Webinar ID and call-in mobile/phone numbers are also available online: https://losalamos.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx.

Beneath and Beyond the Night Sky: The Work of Darla Graff Thompson and Trish Foschi

Exhibit runs January 26-February 22, 2023

Opening reception January 28, 2:30-4:00 p.m.

Step Up Gallery

Two artists--an encaustic painter and a ceramic sculptor--met during a weeklong writing retreat at Ghost Ranch in northern New Mexico. This exhibit has evolved from their continuing friendship and couples Trish’s mystical moonscapes with Darla’s curious grotesques to wonderful effect.

Both artists are retired from successful careers in science and both will tell you that their scientific background has greatly influenced their creative processes and expressions. Trish, now an established painter in Santa Fe, was a professor in the field of satellite image analysis. Her most recent encaustic paintings have included a series of landscapes and skyscapes from the moons of our solar system. Darla was a government scientist in the field of explosives and has been showing and selling her ceramic heads part-time for many years. Her gargoyle-like sculptures are tormented but thoughtful, almost always looking heavenward as if seeking some inspiration or a higher goal.  

Step Up Gallery is located on the upper level of Mesa Public Library.

Current Hours

Monday: 10 a.m.- 8 p.m.

Tuesday: 10 .am.-8 p.m.

Wednesday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Thursday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Closed on Sunday

EV charger prep work scheduled at Municipal building

In preparation for the installation of a Level 3 EV fast charger in front of the Los Alamos County Municipal Building, a portion of the parking lot and a section of sidewalk on Iris St. will be closed for potholing operations beginning Tuesday, January 10. The work is expected to be completed no later than Friday, January 20.

A Department of Public Utilities (DPU) contractor will be doing the work in the northeast corner of the parking lot where parking spaces sandwich the sidewalk on the south side of Iris Street. Pedestrians are asked to use the sidewalk on the other side of the street while the work is being conducted.

There are currently three Level 2 charge ports at the Municipal Building which were installed when the building was constructed in an initiative to obtain LEED certification. DPU received grant funding awarded through a Volkswagen settlement to install two Level 3 chargers in the county. The other charger is being installed at the White Rock Visitors Center.

Once installed, use of the Level 3 charger will require a ChargePoint account, through which users will be charged a fee of $0.30/kWh. This fee is equivalent to the one established by the New Mexico General Services Department for several DC fast chargers in Santa Fe.

DPU officials anticipate the White Rock Level 3 fast charger to be installed within the next 4-to-8 weeks. Timing for the installation of the charger at the Los Alamos County Municipal Building can’t be estimated until the potholing work is completed.

County Parks Division announces stables lot reallocation draw process

Los Alamos County Community Services Department (CSD) kicks-off the North Mesa Stables lot reallocation draw process next week. The random draw selection process includes a registration period, followed by the draw itself. Interested patrons can submit registration forms beginning January 09, 2023.

The North Mesa Stables area is public land owned by Los Alamos County. Separate stable lots are individually licensed to residents on an annual basis, but the improvements on each lot are owned by the licensee. Los Alamos County has three lots – 48, 115, and 143 – which improvements and associated lot licenses will be made available through the draw process.

County & United Way of NNM thanks the community for their generosity

“Kindled Hearts for Warm Homes” Nov 22-Dec 31

Los Alamos County and United Way of Northern New Mexico (UWNNM) would like to say “thank you” to the Los Alamos County employees and the community for their generosity during the CommuniTree “Kindled Hearts for Warm Homes” drive from November 22 through December 31, 2022. The two organizations partnered to collect warm weather apparel and everyday essentials, as well as raise funds for families impacted by the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fires and subsequent flooding in Taos, San Miguel, and Mora Counties earlier this year.

Individuals donated over 300 items to families in need, including warm-weather apparel for children and adults, food, and self-care essentials. In addition, individuals had the opportunity to sign-up to give to UWNNM on a monthly basis through their payroll or give to a variety of non-profit organizations directly.

Several non-profit organizations are working hard in northern New Mexico to help in the recovery efforts following the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fires that burned 341,735 acres in the spring and summer of 2022, destroying at least 903 structures and damaging 85 more. Interested individuals can continue to make direct donations using the links provided:

United Way of Northern New Mexico

Self Help

Help New Mexico

All Together New Mexico

Salvation Army New Mexico Fire Relief

The Red Cross/AZ-NM

County accepting applications for Personnel Board 

Los Alamos County is accepting applications for eligible candidates for an immediate appointment to complete the term of a vacant seat on the Personnel Board. This vacancy will expire on March 31, 2024. Interested Los Alamos County residents who do not hold public office and are not employed by the County may submit an online application by visiting the County’s Boards and Commissions webpage and selecting “apply.” Applications will be accepted now until the vacancy is filled. 

The Personnel Board, comprising five members, serves in an appellate and advisory capacity in the administration of the personnel program for the County of Los Alamos per Section 306.2, Article III of the Charter for the Incorporated County of Los Alamos. Members meet on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 11:30 a.m. at the Municipal Building, 1000 Central Ave., Los Alamos, NM. Once appointed by Council, members serve staggered three-year terms and may be eligible for up to three terms.  

Duties and responsibilities include advising Council and the County Manager on personnel issues, reviewing, and commenting when requested on County-wide employee surveys, personnel rules, salary plans and various employee personnel programs. Board members may be asked to provide citizen input on improving the County’s personnel programs. Additionally, the Personnel Board serves in an appellate capacity and reviews disciplinary decisions taken against regular employees by the County Manager. 

"Los Alamos County employees contribute greatly to the fine quality of life the community enjoys,” stated Board member Bernadine Goldman. “It is very rewarding to ensure through my service on the County Personnel Board that these County employees will continue to benefit from a supportive and professional work environment." 

More information on the personnel board can be found on the County’s Boards and Commissions webpage or by contacting Los Alamos County Human Resources Manager Mary Tapia at 505.662.8040.

County looking for volunteers to test web navigation

Help Los Alamos County website users! We’re looking for Los Alamos County residents and commuters to volunteer for 15 minutes or less to test a new navigation structure for the County website. Your input will help us improve the website experience for all who use the County website. Please follow the link below to provide us with your name and email address and we will send you a link to the exercise when it becomes available.

DPU launches Voice of the Customer Survey

The Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is kicking off 2023 with the launch of its now annual Voice of the Customer Survey to measure customer satisfaction and engagement in areas like quality, reliability and service.

Begun a year ago, the Voice of the Customer is being conducted by GreatBlue Research via the internet and telephone. It will be sent to a randomly selected group of utility account holders first by email and later by phone. The information gathered will provide benchmarks for comparison to other utility providers. GreatBlue will analyze the data and provide recommendations to DPU for improvement of overall service to customers.

DPU runs a year-round transactional survey as well which pertains to specific business interactions. That survey is provided to customers who have had recent contacts with DPU and Customer Care Center staff. The Voice of the Customer Survey is broader in scope and targets multiple aspects of DPU as a utility service provider.

In the 2022 Voice of the Customer Survey, results showed there was room for improvement in providing customers with information about and methods for conserving electricity, gas and water. Since that time, DPU has added a full-time Water and Energy Conservation Coordinator who aims to fill that need.

“The information we are able to glean from our surveys is important in helping us see any potential gaps so that we can remedy them,” said Utility Manager Philo Shelton. “Both surveys give us great insight into our service. Where we’re successful, we want to continue to improve and where we’re not succeeding, we absolutely want to make corrections.”

Prior to 2022, DPU conducted a customer survey every two years. The annual Voice of the Customer Survey replaced that effort. It will be conducted online from January 3 through January 24, and then by phone from January 23 through February 6. DPU’s transactional survey is conducted on an ongoing basis at the URL https://ladpu.com/123 with data collected and summarized quarterly.

Open Participation Community Survey Launched Jan. 2 

Los Alamos County, in partnership with its contractor National Research Center (NRC), began its biennial Community Survey in early December with a valid sample mailing to 2,500 randomly selected households throughout Los Alamos and White Rock. January 2, 2023, the Open Participation survey begins, allowing all Los Alamos County citizens to share their feedback. The survey aims to provide a comprehensive picture of citizen perspectives on community livability.

The Open Participation period is extended to all citizens and businesses to augment the responses from the valid sample mailing. All the questions are the same, with three exceptions: 

• Citizens are asked to select the neighborhood where they live (you do not need to live in Los Alamos County to take the survey), 
• Question 14 includes the 2022 Council priority areas, instead of the 2021 Council priority areas, and 
• Citizens are asked to provide their zip code and email address (providing your email address is not required but is encouraged to allow for follow-up).
•  

The Open Participation survey is available here: https://polco.us/losalamos22open 

To date, NRC has received 523 responses from the valid sample mailing, with 191 responses coming from the paper survey. To ensure it’s received in time, County officials recommend returning the paper survey by January 9, 2023. 

The Community Survey closes for everyone at midnight on January 15, 2023. All paper copies of the survey must be received by then. 

For more information or any questions, contact Leslie Bucklin at 505-663-1726 or email le.bucklin@lacnm.us.

Los Alamos County is hiring! With numerous openings in a variety of areas, we’re sure to have a position that’s right for you. Come join our team! Apply today at www.losalamosnm.us/jobs

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