Is Citizen Safety a Concern in Rio Rancho?
Staff Contribution 9/6/2006
This question has come to the forefront recently due to hazards that have cropped up such as impassable roads, exposed utility lines, and non-existent flood infrastructure. Just how concerned about safety is our city government? Road safety is only one issue. Another is the fact that Enchanted Hills school rests smack dab in the middle of an arroyo, and has been flooded at least once during the severe rains we've had. No effort to pave that arroyo has been made, and the edge of the "river" runs less that 50 feet from the playground.
Now, let's get it straight: when it comes to safety enforced by our local police, the city is there, providing officers that are always at the ready to pull over little old ladies with dim headlights. Checking for speeders, or attempting to nab suspected drunk drivers - even when those drivers have shown no indication of being drunk (we know, it's happened to us) is their forte. So why does the city ignore other dangers? It's hard to tell.
Several years ago a driver was killed as she drove down one of the unpaved, washboard roads the city says is not their responsibility. Sometime later, one of the school buses that serves Enchanted Hills elementary school slid off the road into a ditch, and injured over twenty people, some of them severely. More recently (one week ago as of this writing) bus #60 fell into a crevice and nearly tipped over with a full load of kids, most of them screaming and running to the opposite side of the bus to try and shift the load.
The city officials have been told of these hazards, and still, they do nothing. The bus that slid off Idalia road slid into the ditch several years ago because of a mud slick surface after a hard rain. We still see no paving on heavily traveled roads, and we see no effort to protect our kids. Impact fees to pay for heavily traveled roads like Alberta and Saratoga shouldn't be used and according to city officials can't be. The city should have enough money in the general fund to take care of these issues. These roads are heavily traveled, and they feed the school from many different areas of the city, not just Unit 17 children. They cause major road wear and tear as they travel each day school is in session.
Someone is going to get hurt. It's only a matter of time. We took a drive down Alberta road today, and at the intersection of Alberta and Acapulco, a fire hydrant was nearly covered by silt that had washed down during a flood. It's incredible, but true. How will fire trucks use the hydrant after the next flood?
Will they even be able to find it? We know the city says it's working hard to repair all the damage, but it's been weeks. They haven't formed any sort of center of command that we know of. They haven't come up with any official listing of areas designated on the fix list. If they have, they're missing some key areas. If they're relying on citizen complaints, that won't tell them the severity of each case. Is safety on the minds of those in charge? Do their children ride school buses? Do they feel safe, and therefore ignore nearly covered fire hydrants because they have one nearby that's fully available in case they need it? We wonder.
If you hear of, or see any safety issues in the city you'd like us to know about, email us at contact@riorancho-nm.com. We'd like to know of all safety concerns, especially those that threaten life and property.