By Roger Lanse

The Silver City Town Council approved amendments to Sections 6-187 and 6-190 of the town €™s municipal code regarding animals running loose and the providing of proper care and maintenance, sponsored by District 1 Councilor Cynthia Bettison.

One amendment is €œreally is to ensure that folks have their animal on a lead when they €™re out in public, € Bettison said. The other amendments prohibit single-point tethering of animals whether on public or private property, with exceptions for working, hunting, or search and rescue dogs. For those pet owners who have no enclosure or fenced yards, a trolley system of tethering is recommended. Access for the dog to shelter, fresh water and fresh food is the driving force behind the ban on single-point tethering, Bettison said.

Additionally, Bettison said the new amendments would give law enforcement better guidelines to judge whether an animal is being mistreated.

Three members of Animal Advocates of Grant County spoke in support of the measure. As did Mayor Michael Morones, who stated, “I encourage the council to pass this.”

Town Clerk Ann Mackie told the council that the ordinance should become effective on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

According to Bettison, hundreds of emails, phone calls and messages have been received by councilors and town staff, all supportive of the measure, while one negative response was received.

Bettison said that she hopes a summary of these changes to the animal ordinance can soon be put online, and handouts made available, to better inform residents of the new amendments.

Council approved the amendments.

Assistant Town Manager James Marshall told the council that much time has been spent since the storm that swept through Silver City on Saturday evening, Aug. 22, cleaning up storm damage. He praised the Youth Conservation Corps for the help they gave in a timely manner. Town Manager Alex Brown asked residents to be patient with regard to the debris cleanup. “We’re now getting into neighborhoods. We only have so many vehicles.”

Marshall also said the recent agreement between the town and Silver City Museum’s next-door neighbor involved cutting down the Siberian elm tree and trimming the poplar, so that branches and other debris from the poplar don’t fall on the next-door property.

George Dworin, director of the Silver City Arts and Cultural District, reported that visitors in July were up 24 percent from July 2014. Matching funds, in the amount of $40,000, from the New Mexico Department of Tourism will enable SCACD to begin a 12-month campaign to attract cultural travelers in the Albuquerque, El Paso and Tucson airports that should reach millions of travelers, Dworin said.

The funding from NMDT will also enable SCACD to post digital messages on the 40 RailRunner commuter trains in Albuquerque for 12 months, Dworin said. “We’re going to be able to change our message on a regular basis to highlight festivals and events.”

Dworin also told the council that during September eight radio stations in Albuquerque will be running a Silver City get-away give-away. “We’re alive and well,” Dworin exclaimed.

Three people told the council of their concerns of the danger of electromagnetic radiation from smart water meters.

District 2 Councilor Lynda Aiman-Smith justified the small amount of radiation from the smart meters saying cell towers and radio stations put out EM radiation continuously.

Brown said that a meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday morning, Sept. 2, at the Annex to take action on the bond ordinance, the financing, for the new water meters.

A resolution to adopt the fiscal year 2017-2021 Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan was approved by council. Brown said the plan lists 66 projects the town would like to complete at an estimated cost of $85,589,472, of which $75,217,752 has yet to be funded. The first five projects on this wish-list are Scott Park Multi-Use fields, Phase III; Chihuahua Hill water system improvements; College Avenue Street and Drainage improvement, Phase II; sidewalks Silver City; and, chip and fog-seal local streets.

Brown said the town has $100,000 to fix crumbling curbs in downtown. He emphasized the town will not be doing whole blocks but just where the deteriorated curbs need fixing.

Bobbie Ball Neal Little was appointed to the Museum Board.