Published December 23, 2022

Luminaria Skate Dec. 24th

Start a tradition with family and friends by spending Christmas Eve at the Ice Rink. Quiet holiday music, luminarias, and holiday lights will transform the rink. Admission includes coffee and cocoa.

5:00–7:00 p.m.

Los Alamos County Ice Rink

$6.50 - ages 6+, $2.50 5 and under

Includes skate rental and admission

Teen Center skate night Jan. 6th

The Los Alamos Teen Center along with Los Alamos County Recreation is hosting the annual high school teen-only skate event. Teens will be skating to a DJ and in glow/disco club lighting.

9:00-10:00 p.m.

Los Alamos County Ice Rink

General Admission applies

County provides clarification on biennial Community Survey 

Los Alamos County, in partnership with its contractor National Research Center (NRC), mailed in early December its biennial Community Survey to 2,500 randomly selected households throughout Los Alamos and White Rock. The survey aims to provide a comprehensive picture of citizen perspectives on community livability. County officials offer the following clarification regarding the survey.

Council goals and priorities. Question 14 in the survey asks citizens to identify the top three Council priority areas. While very similar to the 2022 Council priority areas, the 2021 Council priority areas were inadvertently provided by County staff to NRC for inclusion in the survey. The 2022 Council priority areas were modified in February 2022 and are available on the County Council webpage here: https://lacnm.com/CouncilGoals22. 



Online and paper survey responses. Residents who received the survey can use the unique link included in the letter to access it online, or individuals can fill out the paper copy. Paper surveys are color-coded by neighborhood and do not require a code or return address. To ensure it’s received in time, County officials recommend returning the paper survey by January 9, 2023. 

Open participation period. To augment the responses from the valid sample mailing, an open participation period will be extended to all citizens and businesses starting January 2, 2023. A link will be provided to the public at that time. Question 14 of the open participation survey will include the 2022 Council priority areas.

The Community Survey will close for everyone, and all paper copies of the survey must be received by January 16, 2023. 

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

ARPA Individual Assistance grants are available

Officials with Los Alamos County announced they have launched an Individual Assistance grant program utilizing funds from the U.S. Government’s COVID-19 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Administered by the County’s Social Services division, the program provides up to $2,000 in financial assistance to eligible Los Alamos County residents to help with food insecurity, rent, utilities, technology, or other household expenses that have been difficult to cover due to the global pandemic.

DPU forewarns of high natural gas rates

Officials from the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU) are encouraging county residents to consider the impact of natural gas usage on their pocketbooks this winter as rising market costs are driving the local natural gas rate up. The high price may motivate consumers to use less natural gas than usual when they are able to do so.

“The market price that DPU pays for gas is more than double what it was at this time last year,” said DPU Utilities Manager Philo Shelton. “With gas consumption rising as it gets colder, winter utility bills will be higher than in the past and those high rates may last a while.”

Abbey Hayward, DPU’s water and energy conservation coordinator, said there are things residents can do to reduce the financial impact of heating their homes this winter. Aside from the obvious suggestion of putting on extra layers to turn down the heat, Hayward suggests the following.

• Seal air leaks around doors and windows, behind outlets and around plumbing pipes.
• Wash laundry with cold water.
• Keep fireplace dampers closed when the fireplace is not in use. An estimated 8% of heat loss escapes through the chimney.
• Prepare several meals in advance so you can maximize residual oven and stove heat without reheating cooking appliances daily.
• Put your thermostat on a schedule: 68F when home during the day, 62F at night or when away.
• Cover bare floors with rugs or carpets and replace light curtains with thicker drapes.

In Los Alamos, natural gas customers pay a pass-through cost-of-gas rate. More specifically, they pay a 3-piece charge that includes a standard service charge, a fixed rate per therm and a variable rate per therm. That variable rate changes from month to month to match the customer’s share of the actual cost that DPU paid to purchase the natural gas commodity. The fixed rate and service charge cover the expenses budgeted for infrastructure, maintenance and operations.

DPU’s pass-through rate for customers is capped at $0.99/therm plus the fixed rate portion of $0.25/therm, and 2021 was the first time that the rate had ever exceeded $1/therm. Since then, it has been greater than $1/therm five times and has now reached its all-time high of $1.24/therm—the variable $0.99/therm cap plus $0.25/therm fixed charge.

With gas costs continuing to rise, DPU management predicts the rate will stay at or near the cap for the foreseeable future. There are two considerations to keep in mind about the cap. 1) It doesn’t prevent the full costs from being passed back to customers, it simply postpones pass through of the full cost. In other words, if the rate should have been $1.30/therm but was capped at $0.99/therm, there is still $0.31/therm that will need to be collected and that will be pushed forward to a later date in time. 2) It doesn’t include the $0.25/therm fixed portion of the rate. Customers will be billed $1.24/therm at the cap.

Eco Station/Overlook Convenience Center New Year hours of operation

In observance of the New Year holiday, the Eco Station and Overlook Convenience Center schedule will be as follows:

December 31 – Open 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

January 1–Closed

January 2–Closed

Additionally, there will be no residential or commercial trash and recycling collection service provided on Monday, January 2nd. If the observed date falls on your normal collection day, place your materials out on Wednesday, January 4th

Atomic City Transit services closed Monday, Dec. 26

Atomic City Transit regularly scheduled bus service and paratransit will not operate on Monday, Dec. 26 in observance of the Christmas holiday.

Regular service will resume Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022.

Route 3 regular route, 2, 1, & 6 Peak Services will remain suspended until further notice due to staffing shortage.

Please call our office at (505) 661-RIDE (7433) for any additional information or use the ACTracker to locate your bus route in real time.

For the specific route service schedules, please visit our website.

Restrooms unavailable at East, Piñon, Rover, and Overlook parks this winter

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Los Alamos County Parks Division will not have restroom facilities available this winter at East, Piñon, Rover, and Overlook Parks. The porta potties that service those areas during the colder months are being removed due to vendor complications.

The Parks Division closes the permanent restroom facilities during the colder months to winterize the facilities and turn off the water. The porta potties have been in place to continue to provide public restroom services during those months. However, since the pandemic, securing porta potties and services for them has been a significant challenge.



Public restrooms are available at the White Rock Branch Library and the White Rock Visitor Center in the proximity of Piñon Park, and at the Los Alamos County Animal Shelter next to East Park; however, in the case of Rover and Overlook Parks, restrooms will not be available in the area until spring. The permanent restroom facilities are scheduled to reopen in April 2023.

Los Alamos libraries’ innovative programs keep it going in 2023

Los Alamos County Library System is keeping Native American heritage programs running through the end of January! Explore contemporary Native American culture like never before—we’ve put together an exciting challenge that pulls together a broad range of resources covering a variety of topics, and we’re rewarding participants with some truly fantastic prizes. The program ends on January 31st, so if you haven’t gotten started yet, now is the time!

The challenge has something for everyone—from reading (of course) to watching Rutherford Falls or other highly entertaining videos, planting seeds, and so much more. One of the best things about the challenge is that it was thoughtfully planned to accommodate everyone—the reward-based activities are scaled to work with leisurely and busy schedules alike. Adults and teens will enjoy the thought-provoking content, and parents and children will also find a fantastic array of kid-friendly activities. Everything is easily accessible through digital and print content. Through as little as four categories or as many as twelve, participants will learn about contemporary Native culture through art, film, humor, rock & roll and hip hop, regional small businesses, local history, traditional literary genres, and more.

To participate in the challenge, simply visit LosAlamosLibrary.org and watch for the scrolling Native American Heritage tile on the homepage. From there, you can download the game packet, or you can swing by a service desk at either library to pick up the printed version. Prizes include a 1-year family membership to the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, puzzles (for all age groups), books, craft kits, and much more. Please see the game packet for the complete program and prize information. Do you need help accessing the program? Please contact a librarian.

Los Alamos County Library System’s Native American Heritage Reading and Activity Challenge were designed to serve both Native and non-Native users. It is intended to address the need for respectful representation of Native peoples and culture by public institutions, to foster cultural sensitivity among non-Natives, and to provide highly engaging educational opportunities to all. Made possible by the general support of Friends of Los Alamos County Libraries. 

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