Fireworks and drought conditions

The Town of Edgewood has approved Resolution 2016-08 which affects the sale and use of fireworks within the town boundaries.

From the town website's civic alerts page:

The Town of Edgewood has a resolution proclaiming extreme or severe drought conditions within the Town of Edgewood, and has banned the sale and use of certain fireworks within the boundaries of the Town and its wild-lands.

Art show at South Mountain Elementary tonight at 5:30:

Art work created by South Mountain Elementary Students;
Photos by Cynthia Smith Daly

For families who will be moving from MTV and EES to new schools...

...A reminder from Moriarty-Edgewood Students First:

Tonight is Open House Night!!! Moriarty Elementary, Route 66 Elementary and South Mountain Elementary are all having an Open House (5:30pm) at each of their schools to welcome all families and students from Edgewood Elementary and Mountainview Elementary. This is a chance for all students and parents to meet the teachers and staff for next year, tour their new schools, and get to know everyone! Everyone is looking forward to tonight and we hope to see all of you!

New development on the MESD reorganization plan:

Moriarty-Edgewood Superintendent of Schools, Tom Sullivan, read a statement at last night's board meeting about the status of the reorganization plan.  The Public Education Department and the school district have reached an agreement in principle by which PED has agreed to approve the reorganization plan as submitted by MESD.  The school district will, in turn, drop its lawsuit against PED. However, the agreement to settle the dispute between MESD and PED does not prelude independent action on the part of the Town of Edgewood in support of its resolution calling for the immediate formation of a separate Edgewood School District.  

Online petition opportunity:

I've put a link at the top of the right sidebar for anyone who would like to sign an online petition in support of the Moriarty-Edgewood School District.  If you do not want to share your Facebook or Twitter information, creating an iPetition account instead is free, fast, and easy.  There is very little in the way of required information. But as in all other online activities, please read their privacy/use of information policy first.  iPetition's policy is more clear and reasonable than many others I've seen. 

Town hall meeting location announced:

Town Hall Meeting
Location: Cafeteria of the Edgewood Middle School
Time: 3:00 PM
Date: Saturday April 12, 2014

The town clerk is working on the exact wording for the meeting's agenda; I will post the link when it's available.

New page added:

I've added a new page named Economic Development which currently has information about the town's economic development activities, Senate Bill 175, the MESD reorganization plan, and Lone Pine Ranch. 

More on the proposed school closings (edited)

[Note added on March 6, 2014:  It has been pointed out to me that the proposal sent to the PED calls for re-purposing the school buildings not closing them, and for moving students and most staff members to other schools.] 

It failed to reach the local newspapers in time for publication this week, but the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED or PED) has sent a letter to the Moriarty Edgewood School District detailing what it believes to be deficiencies in the district's plans to close Mountainview Elementary and Edgewood Elementary Schools and move 6th Grade students to the middle schools.  In the letter, Secretary of Education Designate, Hanna Skandera, cites a number of factors as the basis for her decision to nix the plan.

New sidebar added:

Because I continue to receive requests for information about the Town of Edgewood Resolution 2014-01, I decided to place the information in the upper left sidebar so that the links aren't buried under subsequent posts.  I will add a link to the minutes of the 01/18/2014 special council meeting when they are available.

Preliminary versions of ToE Resolution 2014-01

I requested and received two draft versions of the resolution from the town clerk.  One is the draft prepared by the town and provided to the town council prior to its special meeting of January 18.  The other document is a substitute resolution proposed by Councilor John Abrams.  That document bears the clerk's handwritten note of a change which was needed before the clause could be inserted into the final version.  The final document bearing the signatures of the mayor and the town clerk appears to consist primarily of the official draft into which Councilor Abrams' "now therefore..." clause was inserted, although the tone of the final version is somewhat less strident than the first draft. 

The closure of Egewood Elementary is the subject of the first ToE Resolution of 2014

The text of Resolution 2014-01 can be read and downloaded from the town website. I have also placed a copy on Drive.