WHITE ROCK MASTER PLAN IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE 2009 REPORT

by Kent Budge

After the completion of the White Rock Center Plan in the summer of
2008, the County Council appointed an Implementation Committee
comprised of citizens to work with the Community Development
Department in advising the County on steps to implement the WRMP. The
WRMP Implementation Committee held its first meeting in October 2008
and has met at least once a month since then. We report our
accomplishments for the past year and our plans for the coming year
and beyond.

Committee Activities in 2009

One of the committee's first actions was to work with staff to develop
applications for four "immediate action" infrastructure improvement
projects to be funded through the County's Capital Improvement Program
(CIP). The projects were:

* Roadway and Streetscape Improvements to State Route 4. This project
will make improvements with an emphasis on the Sherwood Boulevard
intersection to promote traffic calming; safe pedestrian crossings and
intersections; accommodations for biking and public transit; enhanced
landscaping, street furniture, and lighting; and the creation of a
sense of place and identity for White Rock.

* White Rock Trails and Arroyo Improvements. The project will create a
trail system which would traverse through the study area and connect
with the existing Canada Del Buey trail east of Rover and with Piñon
Park west of Sherwood.

* White Rock Gateway Improvements. This project will construct a gateway
monument east of the proposed White Rock Center in the vicinity of
Rover and State Route 4.

* White Rock Visitors Center Complex. This project will include the
construction of the first phase of a new Visitors Center, including a
transit/transfer hub and RV parking, to be located on the northeast
quadrant of the planned White Rock Town Center, bordered on the east
by the Fire Station and on the south by Route 4.

All four applications were endorsed by the Capital Improvement Program
Evaluation Board and subsequently approved for funding by County
Council. The first three projects have effectively been merged into
one design study awarded to a single contractor, Wilson and
Company. Mullen-Heller Architects was awarded a design contract for the
fourth project.

Implementation Committee members participated in preparing Requests
For Proposals, reviewing the proposals that were received,
interviewing the firms, and scoring the proposals. Their participation
helped to ensure effective two-way communications between the
contractors and the residents of White Rock. The RFPs mandated that
each proposal was to include a Public Participation Plan specifying
public meetings, including workshops and charettes, to allow citizens
opportunity to give feedback to the contractors and help guide
conceptual design option decisions for detailed design and
construction.

Two important events in White Rock this year were the foreclosure sale
of a significant land parcel in the Longview Village area and the
failure to further the development of the A-19-A parcel. Neither event
was anticipated in the Master Plan, and both are likely to set back
White Rock revitalization.

The WRMPIC has also followed events outside the immediate
community. We have had facilitated conversations with representatives
of San Ildefonso Puebo, which is considering development projects
along its portion of the State Road 4 corridor between Totavi and
White Rock.

The Committee sees its role as a communications conduit
through which the citizens of White Rock can be informed of these
developments and have an opportunity to express any concerns that
arise. Such communications have been coordinated closely with County
Council and staff.

Plans for 2010

Both the State Road 4 alignment study (which includes arroyo and trail
improvements and site recommendations for the gateway monument) and
the Visitors' Center design study are expected to complete Phase 1 by
late spring of 2010. We anticipate that these projects will be
proposed for Phase 2 funding. If funding is approved, it is like that
construction work can commence in the late spring or early summer of
2011.

County staff have informed our Committee that the County itself may
have to take the initial steps toward developing A-19-A, including
preparation of a master plan and the placement of basic
infrastructure, to make the tract purchases financially feasible to
developers. Given the importance of A-19-A in siting other community
facilities, we strongly recommend that County staff be directed to
develop such a master plan with the Committee playing an advisory
role.

While recognizing tht there are limits to the actions the County can
appropriately take to encourage revitalization of the privately-held
Longview Village area, we cannot ignore, and in fact share, the
concerns of our fellow White Rock residents, and believe that the
Master Plan may require updating to reflect this new situation.

With the two infrastructure design projects under way, we have begun
turning our attention to the next elements of the new White Rock
center called for in the Master Plan. These are the municipal and
civic buildings recommended to be placed near the intersection of
State Road 4 and Sherwood, which could include a new library complex
with youth and senior centers. We also wish to explore the possibility
of some County departments having offices in this area.

We are pleased to note the active participation by Bandelier National
Monument. Bandelier has a strong and immediate interest in having the
County transit system extended to include a shuttle route between new White
Rock Visitors Center and the Monument headquarters and selected trail
heads. Our Bandelier representative has also expressed a strong
interest in having a National Park Service presence in the Visitors
Center. We recognize that this may require extensive negotiations with
NPS, but we believe these are wonderful opportunities for the County
and White Rock that should be vigorously pursued.

Conclusions/Lessons Learned

The White Rock Master Plan Implementation Committee has made a good
start on advising Council and assisting County staff in implementing
the first steps of the Master Plan. Two critical design projects are
under way, with provisions in place for continuing public input, and
we have a vision of the steps to follow. We strongly recommend that
Council authorize County staff to develop a master plan for A-19-A and
that the County begin discussions with the National Park Service on
putting an NPS presence in the White Rock Visitors Center and extending the
transit system to include the Bandelier Monument Headquarters and
selected trail heads.

By helping to maintain the lines of communication between the
residents of White Rock and County Council, the Implementation
Committee will help ensure that the Master Plan does not become a dead
letter, but a living effort that is successful in revitalizing the
Community of White Rock.