By Margaret Hopper

In a follow-up to the paragraph on the letter of information between the Town of Hurley and Cobre schools regarding the crosswalk at Hurley Elementary School, Cobre's superintendent, Robert Mendoza, offered more comment and said he would be pleased if more information went out on the work being planned.

According to Mendoza, the school and town have been working, for the past two months or longer, on the changes that should make peak traffic periods smoother and safer for everyone.

The personnel giving input include the Hurley Town Council and the clerk Martha Salas. Pete Ordonez, chief of police, and maintenance supervisor Bernie Marin, are project heads. Mayor Encinas, Superintendent Mendoza, and Ed Stevens, a residential property owner who needed to make changes to a nearby drive that affected the project, have also contributed.

Mendoza said they studied the traffic concerns and consulted New Mexico statutes that related to the changes they needed, and came up with a number of recommendations.
Hurley will supply additional ordinances to meet the need. The letter the Cobre School Board received Wednesday night listed the planned changes.

Basic to the re-design project was making Carrasco Avenue a one-way street heading east during the critical hours of 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and the afternoon hours between 2:30 and 3:30. The Stevens property is presently being remodeled and the letter states that Stevens has agreed to eliminate the front driveway entrance to alleviate parking and safety issues.
He has redesigned rear parking for the property. By fencing off the front drive, he also
creates an additional parking space for the school's curb loading zone.

Other changes include repainting curbs to show the code colors, painting the old and new crosswalks, moving or adding signs to inform drivers of the new plans and relocating some designated areas, such as the Disabled Parking Area, which may have additional benefits for those who use it.

Both Hurley and Cobre have worked on the agreement. The school board received the letter as information at its meeting Wednesday. Their joint efforts should make the school traffic safer and the shared expenses are estimated to be $700 for Cobre Schools, remarked Mendoza.

Negotiations continue.