The Silver City Neighborhood Alliance held its annual meeting Thursday, Jan. 23.

The group holds regular quarterly meetings.

Annie Lessem, vice-president who represents District 4 of the alliance, said the district would hold, on Feb. 16, a get together of residents to get to know the Silver City candidates for local office.

Kathy Anderson, president, reported she is working on the 501c3, filling in paperwork.

"We have just about finished our contracts for advertising the upcoming Silver City/Grant County Symposium on Preparedness," she said.

It is to take place from 8-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 7 and 8, at the Western New Mexico University Besse-ForwardGlobal Resource Center. The symposium is open to the public at no cost.

"We have several sponsors, with the major funding coming from the Freeport-McMoran (Copper & Gold Inc.) Grant County Community Health Council Community Investment Fund," she said.

"We are getting donations for two all-weather radios from Tractor Supply, and we are hoping for one large and one small chainsaw donation," she continued.

She reported the Graffiti Gone Program has been successful, but the group now has to provide its own paint. "We have five strong volunteers."

Nick Sussillo, board member, gave an overview of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan for Silver City and the extra-territorial zone, being worked on by him; Jeff Fell and Tim Heidrick of the Silver City Fire Department; Randy Villa, Grant County fire management officer; and a representative of the Tyrone Volunteer Fire Department.

"It will take us longer in planning," Sussillo said. "We are trying to think outside the box. We have no funding. '

He reported that the Silver City Fire Department has identified high-risk areas. "Eighty percent of the residences are in high fire-risk areas."

"We will start our planning for detailed risk assessment in Wind Canyon," Sussillo said.  "We've chosen that area for several reasons, the main ones being that the area has no fire hydrants, and the prevailing winds make it a threat to the town."

Lessem said the alliance wants to have conversations with all the communities and should actively solicit participation.

Sussillo said, for at least the 14 high-risk areas, "we want to talk to the residents and involve them in the conversation.

Anderson reported on the Downtown Safety and Security Task Force, which meets every two months. "They usually have a speaker brought by Police Chief Ed Reynolds or Faye McCalmont, who represents the Mimbres Region Arts Council and the Silver City Arts and Cultural District.

William Joseph, board member, reported on his taking the town noise ordinance to the Town Council to "increase attention and enforcement. A lot of people came to support the effort."

"Councilor (Mike) Morones responded, as did Councilor Cynthia Bettison," Joseph said. "They are wanting to address the issue. The mayor (James Marshall) expressed frustration. The chief also said he would increase attention to the problem. We do plan to revisit it and bring it back to the Town Council."

Anderson said the policemen-on-bicycles effort also seems to be a "dangling loose end."

Gordon West, local business owner, asked for support for his watershed restoration project grant application proposal to find uses for woody material. He has developed a product—Zerosion—to help prevent erosion. The application is being made to the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program of New Mexico. The letter of support was approved.

In the treasury report, Anderson reported the funding from the Freeport Community Enhancement Fund of about $8,600 for the symposium has been almost half spent.

Anderson also said the alliance is trying to get neighborhood groups to form to be prepared for emergencies, such as wildfire.

Lessem suggested that each new neighborhood group formed be given a stipend to pay for copies of information to put on neighbor's doors.

"The Neighborhood Alliance is an alliance of groups," Anderson pointed out. "The groups could be eligible for grants for tools or gardens or whatever."

Lessem said it might be harder to coalesce lower-income neighborhoods. She reported that Aldo Leopold Charter School is working with neighborhoods to create "sustainability cells." She said Debaura James is working with Aldo Leopold on the effort.

Lessem said it would be necessary to identify the neighborhood leaders, so the groups organize from the inside.

Anderson also announced the need for a membership chair.

For more information, visit http://www.scneighborsalliance.org