Board and Community Meeting Minutes
May 4, 2026, 5:30 pm
Home of Jeanne Boyles

Attendees & introductions
• Lynn Pickard (Chair) opened the meeting and introduced the TVCA board and attendees.
• Board/officers introduced: David Dougherty (Director), Margo Cutler (Director; secretary emeritus; acting recording secretary), Jack Lippincott (Treasurer), Christi Clancy (Corresponding Secretary), Jerry Baron (Director), Cathie Sullivan (Director).
• Guest/neighbor association: Nina Rosenberg (HOA board, Los Caminitos near 592/Rancho Encantado) attended due to overlapping community issues; brief history noted that “Las Tres Villas” previously covered broader nearby areas.
• Local election candidates present: Justin Greene (current county commissioner; running again); Henry Roybal expected/arrived later (running against Greene).
• Additional attendees introduced included: Jennifer Wilson, Deborah Stark, Dorothy Vatsan, Kate Holmes, Richard Renaldo (former board), Cam Duncan (former board/founding member), Carol Sorenson, Bruce Stewart, John Horton, Rusty Day, D Williams (visitor), Jacob Clemens, Bradley Barnes, Jeanne Boyles and others.

Treasurer & Membership
• Treasurer report (last 3 months): cash at Enterprise Bank increased from $3,370 to$3,887.98 (up ~$517), primarily from dues plus some significant donations.
• Dues payment methods include cash/check and PayPal via the TVCA website.
• Jack filed the nonprofit 990-N “postcard” filing; no payment due (reported as maintaining compliance).
• Membership update: 374 members on the mailing list; 34 people have paid dues so far this year (via website or checks to Jack).
• Dues timing clarification: members were asked to re-up even if they paid at or shortly before the December meeting (dues were raised at the January meeting).
• Website shared for dues/payment: tesuquevalley.org (link to pay dues online).

Firewise & Wildfire Preparedness
• Firewise report emphasized heavy coordination work by Rachel White (not present) and ongoing initiatives.
• Free chipping day at the fire station had about half the turnout of last year; Rachel is looking for ideas to improve participation next year.
• Bishops Lodge Road/Bishop’s Lodge area trimming and cleanup: volunteer event (~15 people) loaded seven trailers of branches; timed with a free green-waste date.
• Annie Laurie Coogan was credited for spearheading trimming/cleanup efforts near the “dip” by Bishop’s Lodge; area seen as a key evacuation route during wildfire due to road narrowness.
• Bishop’s Lodge appeared “inspired” by the activity and discussed removing more dead trees on their property; more volunteer loading likely to be organized around the next free green-waste date.
• Firewise assistance/grant activity: three families were assessed for cleanup help; one will be nominated for a grant Rachel received.
• A neighbor paid for six hours of wood chipping related to cleanup.
• County evacuation planning support: Firewise team reached out to Commissioner Greene about connecting with a county emergency evacuation coordinator; county requested TVCA to propose a date for a first meeting. Margo is coordinating this.
• Fire camera update: funds raised for a camera originally intended for a Monte Sereno rooftop (permission withdrawn) were redirected when Jonathan quickly substituted a different, higher site; new camera is active and funds will cover operating costs.
• Board plans to attach Rachel’s written Firewise reports to the minutes and post them to the website.

Land Use, Roads and Neighborhood Concerns
• County master plan revision: no new updates reported since last meeting.
• Land use committee process: open to anyone; reviews development requests and comments only when needed.
• Two accessory/additional dwelling unit requests were reviewed; committee members attended neighborhood meetings and saw no issues and no reason to comment (appeared consistent with county land use code).
• Capital outlay/road-safety follow-through hit staffing disruptions: the county staff member coordinating survey-related items and the road maintenance/signage contact both left; Lynn planned to contact new county points of contact and “be the squeaky wheel.”
• Potholes guidance: use the county website portal to report potholes (https://www.santafecountynm.gov/public-works/road-concern); Lynn offered help filing reports. Example shared: a report about pavement loss on Bishops Lodge Road was fixed within two days.
• Animal and light concerns raised by a resident near the post office: neighbor has multiple animals (horses, pigs, chickens, peacocks, dogs) plus bright spotlights on 24/7.
• Commissioner Greene noted animal limits depend on zoning and lot size; confirmed there is a light ordinance.
• Suggested approach on the light issue: take nighttime photos because code enforcement is less likely to visit at night.
• Community suggested trying neighbor-to-neighbor conversation first; context shared that the neighbor’s dogs were attacked by a mountain lion, possibly motivating the lights.

Septic, road safety survey, Bishop’s Lodge wastewater, and announcements
• “Safe septic” handout/report (Cathie) was completed with help from Lynn and Mark DeCamp (away); paper copies were distributed and attendees were encouraged to take extras for neighbors.
• Road safety survey results: 69 responses out of ~1,300 emails (~5% response); noted as not statistically strong but reflects those most interested (and possible duplicate emails may mean the response rate is slightly higher).
o Top concern from survey responses: sediment entering Bishops Lodge Road, especially around Arroyo Griego.
o Lowest concern/usage: the “Blue Bus”; few respondents use it and there was no interest in improving the bus stops.
o Blue Bus service info shared: stops at the trailer park, post office, and the triangle; runs several times per day; carries bicycles.
o Many road-safety topics were split/divisive: bike lanes, sidewalks, center line striping vs. keeping roads unstriped/rural.
o Speeding: recognized as a major issue; community divided on solutions.
o Funding/traffic calming progress: $150,000 allocated (credited to Commissioner Greene’s support) for bulbed medians and “welcome” signs at key entrances (post office area, Glen Green Gallery area, and Tesuque Valley entrance coming down Bishops Lodge Road).
o Speed bumps were explicitly ruled out (fire/ambulance opposition; not appropriate for road class).
o Stop sign at the market: noted as repeatedly knocked down; a work order was placed and the sign was quickly restored; sweeping requested but expected to take longer.
o Additional planned traffic calming: center line expansion, wider fog lines, bulbed medians, and more speed feedback signs (three more expected this year, including near the post office and school).
o When Mark returns, he and Lynn will analyze and summarize the data from the survey and send it out.

Protect Tesuque / Bishop’s Lodge wastewater update (Rusty):
o A prior community meeting discussed SB 240 capital funding for trucking treated water offsite.
o A recent court hearing ordered the parties into mediation toward a global resolution (expected to take months).
o The group sought underlying treatment plant/leach field data; when not provided by the resort, a public records request was filed with NMED.
o NMED disclosed some records: five quarterly reports exist (Q1–Q4 2025 and Q1 2026), but only Q1 and Q2 2025 were provided.
o Early reports were described as not reassuring: the lodge predominantly used the disposal field across months, with very little irrigation.
o Treatment performance concern: Q2 2025 effluent nitrate levels reportedly exceeded permit limits by ~4x, confirmed by retesting; subsequent quarters are missing.
o Key unknowns: extent of offsite groundwater nitrate impacts, where/when water quality returns to “pristine,” and what corrective actions were taken after June 2025.
o Constraints: enforcing public records compliance may require court action; group reported being out of funds.
o Trucking plan timing/requirements: funding (~$200,000) begins July 1; procurement and agreements between the county and Pojoaque Pueblo are being worked out; trucking depends on water meeting high treatment standard (Class 1A).

Other Items
• Community BBQ: Rachel confirmed the fire department will host the community barbecue again in October; Rachel will coordinate it.
• Community agriculture idea (Jacob): starting a small regenerative farm on McGregor Lane; asked for community input on desired vegetables, potential participation, and whether others have land/water to support growing.
o Suggested connection: school engagement for kids/families; referral to Denise Hurtado (old Stedman property) with well-based irrigation; another attendee offered a conservation trust acre plus a well connection for possible gardening.
o TVCA email list use: Jacob will draft a message for TVCA to send to the community list (no objections raised); draft to be sent to Lynn for distribution.
• Candidate remarks:
o Justin Greene highlighted work on reopening the Tesuque Transfer Station and extending its permit while Jacona facility is still years out; also emphasized efforts opposing county financing of Bishop’s Lodge wastewater project and raising public awareness (including media attention) to block direct discharge proposals.
o Henry Roybal (former county commissioner) reviewed prior service, transfer station closure context, and experience with civil projects/traffic calming; offered palm cards with his personal cell number for follow-up.
• Next meetings announced: board meeting on September 14; annual community + board meeting on December 7.