What pappened to 2010?

Hey, my apologies to anyone expecting to find something Presidio-related on this page during 2010. What can I say? It's been a great year in Presidio; time flies when you're having fun.

We're almost to November, and what a beautiful Fall it's been. Of course, Fall in Presidio is like late summer in most other places. The mornings are mild and afternoons are still quite warm. But it's usually around this time of the year when we get our first cold snap, so don't be surprised when that happens. On the plus side, Presidio winters are almost an oxymoron. If it doesn't get above 70 F on a January afternoon, that's a chilly day.

Presidio got a new, state-of-the-art sulfur-sodium battery this year (for power outages), along with many new paved streets. We're gettin' there...

On the down side in "things Presidio" I keep watching and waiting for a hopeful sign of Mexico to turn the corner with its internal issues. At least for right now, gone are the days when you could travel Mexico with hardly a care. In the past I ventured into rural areas where most tourists wouldn't think about going. Now even I am nervous. It's not really the cartels that I worry about, because I am of no value to them. It's the lower-tier criminal element who have been emboldened by the general chaos to prey upon others through kidnapping, extorting, and being a general pain in the ass to the populace. It's really unfortunate.

Any up for a bike ride on a sunny Sunday afternoon?

In the Devils' house

Presidio is enjoying an entertaining high school basketball seaon this year. The boys are right in the hunt, and the girls are competitive more often than not. The basketball program is well-coached and the teams are loaded with outstanding players and lots of heart. Going to see the Blue Devil teams play is definitely the most sought-after ticket when the teams are in town.

Part of this year's excitement is the addition of a school pep squad and pep band. When these spirit groups get revved up, the electricity starts to buzz, and the Blue Devils seem to take their game to the next level. It's a different feel because Presidio fans aren't used to being rowdy unless the refs make a questionable call. But now they're learning the art of how to get inside the visiting teams' heads, and it makes for great fun.

Trash in the news

Slow news day, I'm afraid.

First, some non-trash related news. Evidently an individual representing a national chain hotel was in town surveying the landscape for a possible new location here. Presidio really misses out on a lot of tourist hotel stays simply because our current offerings aren't that great. Let's see if anything comes of this business visit.

Probably the biggest news recently is that Presidio will end its contract with Duncan Disposal in April and begin trash pick-up with city-owned equipment immediately thereafter. Solid waste disposal is a headache for cities, and it's a financial pain in the bee-hind for customers. Due to rising prices being charged by commercial trash-haulers, the city opted to give the service a "go." It won't necessarily result in trash fees going lower, but maybe they won't head for the stratosphere quite so fast, either. Another very important consideration will be that the money spent on solid waste disposal may now re-circulate within town.

Finally, a commentary on trash. Presidio has a significant litter problem. Just about everywhere you look, there is either trash on the ground or plastic bags hanging from mesquites. Sadly, I think we locals have just become jaded to this reality. If everyone would just get out and clean up their property from time to time, this blight would cease. The reality is that we will need a coordinated campaign to clean up our town, and guess who's headed to city hall on Tuesday to get this ball rolling...

Catching Some Rays At The Smelly Place

Happy 2010! Well 2009 was a good one and I'm hoping 2010 is better.

So what's news in Presidio? We'll how about plans for a solar-powered sewage treatment plant! Normally news about such a place focuses on how it overflowed, or why Presidio originally built evaporation ponds that are uphill from town. Well, come 2010 Presidio will have a brand new facility, and we're just now hearing that it will be powered by solar panels. I don't think I'll plan on hanging out there to sing praises to Ra (Utopia album, 1975), but altenative energy rocks! In addition because Presidio will be utilizing solar power, we will be eligible to recieve credits and incentives to expand this type of electrical generation.

Evidently, there are other projects being proposed to utilize solar energy locally, as well. One thing's for sure: we got lots of sun! I don't think it's quite windy enough here to do wind power, but one thing's for sure: we got lots of sun!