County Council Proclaims July 6-11 ‘ScienceFest Week’ - 8:42 pm
MainStreet Executive Director Lauren McDaniel holds up the County proclamation for ScienceFest along with Los Alamos County Councilor David Reagor. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
Staff Report
Los Alamos County Council proclaimed Tuesday, July 6 through Sunday, July 11 as ScienceFest during its Tuesday night work session.
“We’re excited to host the 14th annual ScienceFest,” MainStreet Executive Director Lauren McDaniel said. “We welcome the community to participate.”
County Councilor David Reagor read the proclamation, which states:
WHEREAS: Each summer, ScienceFest provides an opportunity for residents to take pride in our scientific heritage, our unique relationship between science and creativity, and an avenue to explore new & exciting elements of science, to inspire future generations and provide a unique visitor experience; and
Council Congratulates Retiring County Manager
kirsten@ladailypost.com
After 10 years of service, Los Alamos County Manager Harry Burgess participated in his final County Council meeting Tuesday night.
Burgess’ last day at the office is Friday; he is retiring.
“I just want to say thank you to each of the councilors, current and past that I’ve worked with,” Burgess said. “It’s been an amazing adventure … thinking back on my time here in Los Alamos I think it is important to note that this was my longest tenure of any position I’ve held in my career; I think that for me it reflects my appreciation for the community and the type of work we do here. It has been enjoyable despite all the stress …”
County Council Ponders Pedestrian Retail Overlay Zone
kirsten@ladailypost.com Los Alamos County Council voted Tuesday night to approve a motion for the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) to review a proposed ordinance that will change Chapter 16 of the County Code.
The change includes a pedestrian retail overlay zone in which offices would no longer be permitted to occupy ground level spaces.
According to agenda documents: “…the downtown district is limited to pedestrian-oriented ground floor mixed use retail sales, entertainment, restaurants, including food and beverage, and personal and medical services with upper floor residential and professional offices”.
The motion passed 5-2 with Councilors David Izraelevitz and Sara Scott opposing the ordinance, which was introduced by Councilor Sean Williams.
County Council Passes $245 Million FY22 Budget - 7:49 am
County Council, along with County Manager Harry Burgess, right, bottom row, discuss the $2.4M budget item to purchase bear proof trash carts during Monday’s budget hearing. Councilor Sean Williams, center, and Vice Chair James Robinson, bottom left, show support for purchasing the roll carts. Screenshot/LADP
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Monday night, Los Alamos County Council approved the FY22 budget, which totals $245,119,586.
The budget was passed 6-1 with Councilor David Reagor opposed. Earlier in Monday’s budget hearing, Reagor motioned to reduce the County Manager’s budget, specifically for the Partners in Progress. He proposed reducing the program’s funding from $1.5 million to $585,000, which is the sum of the three previous projects that were in the program.
County Council Considers High-speed Broadband
kirsten@ladailypost.com
High-speed broadband service is under consideration in Los Alamos and, as the Council learned Tuesday night, now might be the best time to act.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Rep. Christine Chandler presented an overview of the 2021 legislative session and said that she, along with seven other women lawmakers, successfully sponsored a bill that focuses on broadband and ensuring it is cohesive across the state.
New Mexico is ranked at the bottom of the states in terms of connectivity, Chandler said. This really became visible when COVID-19 hit and New Mexico students needed to connect to their schools remotely, she said.