Charter revised and Board approved May 4, 2024
The Environment & Safety Committee (E&S) is charged with protecting the environment, and improving the safety and security of our surroundings in the Sandia Heights neighborhood, by staying abreast of any changes or potential impacts. The E&S Committee fosters communication with homeowners, local government, and other public entities, to achieve our goals, and makes recommendations to the SHHA Board as necessary. The committee also plays a role in educating residents about traffic, safety, security, and environmental issues.
Environment
Sandia Heights is unlike most neighborhoods. Our community borders on unoccupied land (wild land-urban interface) causing a medium to high risk of wildfires. We have limited access to many of our homes, which in times of emergencies, be it the health and safety of our homeowners or in times of natural disasters, can be a major issue. Our surroundings are dominated by native vegetation that we share with wildlife. To preserve our natural environment and keep our residents safe, our responsibilities include education, resolving issues, and suggesting improvements to include:
- Maintaining properties to minimize the impacts of natural disasters, especially wildfires, and education on wildfire prevention and preparedness, and alert communication systems.
- Education on the natural vegetation and interacting with wildlife.
Traffic Safety
Our roads are shared by pedestrians, bicyclists, automobiles (and even skaters and skateboarders). The streets are narrow, curvy and have speed limits that are lower than many residents wish to drive. To help keep our residents and wildlife safe, our responsibilities include education, resolving issues, and suggesting improvements to include:
- Educating homeowners and encouraging them to follow our traffic laws and speed limits.
- Encouraging clearing the set back area to keep the edge of our roads trimmed for traffic safety and pedestrian visibility.
- Resolving parking issues.
- Working traffic pattern changes (eg. new turn lane) and unsafe conditions (eg, drag racing) within our community with appropriate agencies.
Bernalillo County/ABQ Parks and Open Space
Within our community, we are fortunate to have several County parks and border on Open Space and National Forest. Because of our close proximity, our actions affect these spaces. To steward our natural spaces, our responsibilities include education, resolving issues, and suggesting improvements to include:
- Overseeing park-related issues such as development, maintenance, and improvements.
- Being involved in other bordering Open Space or National Forest developments as it affects Sandia Heights safety, security, and the environment.
Safety and Security of our Residents and Property
Sandia Heights Services is responsible for maintaining some of our common infrastructure, resolving issues (eg, water main breaks), patrolling our neighborhoods and offering assistance. Many times they can respond to emergencies before the Bernalillo County Sheriff. To help ensure the safety and security of our residents, in areas not already mentioned, our responsibilities include education, resolving issues, and suggesting improvements to include:
- Liaising with SHS, reviewing reports and incidents, and communicating relevant information to residents.
- Recommending security improvements, or programs to promote awareness of security concerns or illegal activities (eg. neighborhood watch).
- Maintaining a contact list names and numbers for emergencies and important public agencies and liaisons.