Focus on Carlsbad Fall 2011

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PLUS Firefighters - Beating the Heat, A Modest Man, Life Without Preservatives, The Grapes of Seven Rivers and more!

Carlsbad Businesses& Residents are Greening Up

Going Green

575.887.5555 • 1044 N. Canal • Carlsbad

AUTOPLEX

Focus on the Chamber

Tidbits and Trivia

From the Editor

FoCus on businEssCarlsbad businesses are Going Green

FoCus on FoodCommunity supported AgricultureHas sprouted in Carlsbad

FoCus on THE ArTs And CuLTurE A Modest Man - Frank Westfall

Carlsbad Mainstreet

FoCus on HEALTH CArELife Without Preservatives

PHoTo sPrEAdPhotos in Focus

FoCus on TECHnoLoGyFirefighters beating the Heat

FoCus on rECrEATionThe Grapes of seven rivers

FoCus on HisToryLove blossoms at CAAF

FoCus on A CArLsbAd CHArACTErGardner FugateCleaning Carlsbad, one Can at a Time

Focus business directory

Focus on Carlsbad is published quarterly by Ad Venture Marketing.Ad Venture Marketing, Ltd. Co. - 866.207.0821 - www.ad-venturemarketing.com

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission of the publisher is prohibited.Every effort was made to ensure accuracy of the information provided.

The publisher assumes no responsibility or liability for errors, changes or omissions.

Kyle Marksteiner, Editorial Director - Alyx Duncan, Advertising DirectorPhotography by Kyle Marksteiner - along with submitted photos

Special Contributors: Donna Birchell, Eve Flanigan,Margaret Sage Bemis & John Safin

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FALL 2011

BeallsLA Nails

SearsBig 5 Sporting Goods

GNCSocial Security Admin. O�ce

Athlete’s FootExtreme Audio

Fish’sClaire'sCloud 9

Connie’s Snack ShackTurquoise n ThingsAverage Jane’s GymPlay it Game Room

Neish & Neil Clothing & AccessoriesSouthwest Trophies

AbouT THE CovEr: The world is going green! This issue of Focus shows how Carlsbad, its residents and businesses, are doing their part.

on the chamber

tourism cornerCarlsbad Chamber of CommerceWelcomes Tourism cabineTsecreTary To carlsbad

Cabinet Secretary Monique Jacobson was honored at a meet and greet reception on July 5th at the Trinity Hotel.

Members from the Chamber executive board, Governmental Affairs, Tourism, Christmas on the Pecos and Retirement councils helped welcome Monique on her first visit to Carlsbad. Monique and members of her staff are traveling to different parts of the state for grant presentations and are enjoying several cities during the trip as well.

Although Monique has spent the last several years in Chicago working on marketing campaigns for Gatorade, she was born and raised in Taos where her family currently owns several tourism related businesses.

Now living in Santa Fe she is ready to put that real tourism experience together with some hard hitting marketing and

business experience to elevate New Mexico’s ranking as a tourism destination.

During her first three months, she has traveled the state and held meetings in each of those districts and she intends to make a second tour soon. The Tourism Department will launch a summer campaign with its intent on bringing more visitors from within our own state. The new program will launch on July 14th with an official press release from the Governor.

Stay tuned for more details on this exciting new program which is actually a game in which visitors will be encouraged to visit 10 different cities in two months to collect clues. A grand prize of over $10,000 in vacation packages will be up for grabs. Information on the program is available on the Chamber website at www.carlsbadchamber.com.

The Chamber looks forward to an exciting new year with the new administration at the Tourism Department and developing a relationship with them to help promote New Mexico as an Enchanting Destination.

Monique Jacobson NM Tourism Cabinet Secretary

Retire in Carlsbadare carlsbad and eddy co. PrePared?With baby boomers reaching age 60 at the rate of one every seven seconds, many will have retirement jobs in the future. It is hard to define retirement as many people continue to work into their 70s. The members of the baby boomer generation will redefine retirement as they have many other areas during their lifetime. In addition to climate, medical facilities and leisure activities, they are seeking a friendly community.

Carlsbad and Eddy County are prepared to tap the potential of the wave of older adults as follows:• Increased the availability of specialized training for public safety and emergency staff in dealing with older adults.

• Experienced a significant growth in home health support services to allow seniors to remain in their homes and communities as long as possible.• Expanded services at Carlsbad Medical Center, Landsun Homes and Lakeview.• Increased programs that support older adults’ participation in local educational opportunities. For many retirees, this is a time to go back to school. NMSU-Carlsbad offers a great discount for senior citizens (persons 65 years of age or older) who are New Mexico residents. The cost is $5 tuition plus a $3 administrative fee for a total of $8 per credit hour.• Carlsbad and Eddy County have opportunities for full and part time jobs such as nursing, clerical, mechanical, mining, retail fields, and construction. Many retirees are looking to “reboot” or enter new careers.• Expanded opportunities for older adults to contribute to the community. Volunteers are always needed at the

Living Desert Zoo and Gardens and the Carlsbad Medical Center Auxiliary. Numerous civic clubs and organizations welcome new members and encourage them to become involved in our city and county.• Expanded the city transit to include regularly scheduled routes. • Increased housing development.• Carlsbad and Eddy County offer a sense of community that will have retirees feeling right athome.

reTiremenT ain’TWHaT iT used To be

4 Focus on Carlsbad | FALL 2011

Letter from the chairman

Welcome!neW members

All American Cleaners

Carter’s Air Conditioning

CH2M Hill

Dalnor Systems

Elite Nails & Spa

Guadalupe Mountain Fencing

IHOP #3362

Jerri McTaggart

Main Street Trading Company

McDonald’s

Randy Jones CarpetCleaning & Stretching

Washington Federal

WW Construction

...............................................................Contact the Chamber at (575) 887-6516

www.carlsbadchamber.com

Robert Defer, Chief Executive Officer [email protected]

Brenda Whiteaker, Director of Operations [email protected]

Lisa Boeke, Director of Marketing & Tourism [email protected]

Janell Whitlock, Director of Retirement [email protected]

Roland Caudill, Director of Facilities Maint. [email protected]

Chris Forsbach, Director of Facilities Maint. [email protected]

Donna Cass, Senior Administrative Assistant [email protected] Aguilar, Administrative [email protected]

Albert “Dewey” Griffith, Facilities MaintenanceAlbert Perez, Facilities Maintenance

Your Chamber Staff

2011-2012Board of Directors

Susan CrockettSpringtime Cleaning

Judi WatersFirst United Methodist Church/Class Act

Todd Hyden Russell HardyNMSU-Carlsbad

Tina BritainCurves International

Mike CalvaniCalvani Carpets

Jeff CampbellCarlsbad Department of Development

Kirstin CarlsonUnited Way of Carlsbad& South Eddy County

Lisa Chavez Small Business Development Center

Rudy DominguezIntrepid Potash NM, LLC

Wanda DurhamDurham & Associates

Bobby ForrestBest Western Stevens Inn

Jim HarrisonCarlsbad Community Foundation

Tom HollisCarlsbad National Bank

Ben JaimeXCEL Energy

Maria KnittelNew Mexico Texas Coaches

Donavan MagerURS - Washington TRU Solutions

Susan OwenLakeview Christian Home

Dave RogersCARC, Inc

Jerry RogersSoutheast Readi-Mix

Lisa SextonAccu-Rite Tax & Accounting

Johnna StephensCarlsbad Mental Health

Brenda SuggsWestern Commerce Bank

Jack VolpatoSouthwest Pharmacy

Debe WagnerPioneer Bank

Bob YeagerCentury 21

Ken BrittLiving Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park

Wes CarterCity Council

Dale JanwayCity of Carlsbad

Honorary Board MembersAmy BarnhartCarlsbad MainStreet

Greetings! As the new Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, I would like to take a few moments to introduce myself and discuss my vision for the Chamber over the next year. I am a Carlsbad native, graduated from CHS in 1991, and attended NMSU-C. I am employed by Springtime Cleaning as VP and General Manager where I am fortunate enough to have the time and support to be involved

and active in our wonderful community. I am married to my best friend Jason and we have two wonderful sons, Clay and Logan.

My theme for this year is “Uniting Business……..Advancing Carlsbad.” This theme is also my vision for the year. I feel that it is a common and important goal as Carlsbad continues to weather the economic crisis and grow. I am so proud of our community and the great things that are happening around town. The Canal St. project is under way and our Chamber office is set for a remodel. We have several new businesses and restaurants as well as a new housing development.

I want to work closely with Carlsbad Main Street, Carlsbad Department of Development, the City and the County to promote tourism and create an environment for continued community growth. As part of that effort I am excited to announce that the Carlsbad Chamber will be hosting a wine festival in conjunction with Christmas on the Pecos December 2 and 3rd that we hope will become an annual event!

The Chamber has a great board this year and I look forward to serving with them over the next year. I would like to personally thank the Chamber Board, Honorary Board and the current membership for your continued dedication and support! Thank you for being committed! I look forward to a great year serving the members. I encourage you to contact me with any suggestions, questions or comments.

Please remember as we start the new school year to watch out for kids and crosswalks.

Sincerely,

Susan Crockett“Uniting Business…..Advancing Carlsbad”

John BenjaminCarlsbad Caverns National Park

Alison BryantCarlsbad CommunityAnti-Drug/Gang Coalition

Chad CampbellCarlsbad Medical Center

Larry CoalsonSmall Business Development Center

Roxanne LaraEddy County Commission

Ernie MendozaEddy County Sheriff

Gary PerkowskiCarlsbad Municipal Schools

Dennis VasquezGuadalupe Mountains National Park

George VeniNational Cave & Karst Research Institute

John WatersCarlsbad Department of Development

5 FALL 2011 | A Community Magazine

Grand OpeninGs ribbOn cuttinGs GrOund breakinGs

Elite Nails & Spa cuts the ribbon to theirbusiness located at 904 W. Pierce Street.

Randy Jones Carpet Cleaning & Stretching celebrated the grand opening of their storefront

at 1501 S Canal.

Ken Thurston Homes breaks ground on the new Farmview Subdivision located off

Thomason Road. For more information,call Means Real Estate at 887-9137.

Southwest Trophies recently celebratedthe move to their new location

in the Carlsbad Mall.

TLC Home Health Care employees, family, friends, and Chamber Ambassadors celebrate

their grand opening at 320 W Mermod.

Family, friends and the ChamberAmbassadors helped the Calvani Pecan

Company announce that they are now open on Friday & Saturday – they’re located at 3401 S

Canal Street (the Loving Highway).

CHAMbEr ProGrEss rEPorT:WHAT did your CHAMbEr oF CoMMErCE ACCoMPLisH in 2010-11?

In Fiscal Year 2010-2011 (July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011) the Chamber:

• Sent 16,540 visit/relocate/retire guides and 1,125 retirement brochures to trade shows.

• 24,150 visit/relocate/retire guides were sent to other visitor information centers and/or chambers of commerce.

• Relocation information was either sent or given to 209 individuals.

• The staff prepared 871 welcome packets for events in Carlsbad.

• We greeted more than 2,600 visitors to the Chamber.

• The Chamber web site was visited 25,097 times and the Retire in Carlsbad site had over 1,300 visitors.

• Focus magazines and retirement and tourism information was sent to 8,737 individuals and Chamber members.

• 53 new members were welcome to the Chamber.


#1 Three switches outside a windowless room are connected to three light bulbs inside the room. How can you determine which switch is connected to which bulb if you may enter the room only once?

#2 Who’s bigger: Mr. Bigger, Mrs. Bigger or their baby?

#3 A man is replacing a wheel on his car, when he accidentally drops the four nuts used to hold the wheel on the car, and they fall into a deep drain, irretrievably lost. A passing girl offers him a solution which enables him to drive home. What is it?

#4 What letter comes next? O T T F F S S E

#5 What letter comes next? P O I U Y T R E W ?

#6 Isaac and Albert were excitedly describing the result of the Third Annual International Science Fair Extravaganza in Sweden. There were three contestants, Louis, Rene, and Johannes. Isaac reported that Louis won the fair, while Rene came in second. Albert, on the other hand, reported that Johannes won the fair, while Louis came in second. In fact, neither Isaac nor Albert had given a correct report of the results of the science fair. Each of them had given one correct statement and one false statement. What was the actual placing of the three contestants?

#7 97 baseball teams participate in an annual state tournament. The champion is chosen for this tournament by the usual elimination scheme. That is, the 97 teams are divided into pairs, and the two teams of each pair play against each other. The loser of each pair is eliminated, and the remaining teams are paired up again, etc. How many games must be played to determine a champion?

solutions

#1 Switch one light on for a minute; turn it off and turn another on. Go into the room and feel the off-bulbs. The warm one is connected to the first switch. The on bulb is connected to the second. #2 The baby, because he’s a little bigger! #3 Use one of the nuts from each of the other three tires. #4 N (for Nine) #5 Q (It’s the letters on the keyboard, from right to left). #6 Johannes won; Rene came in second; Louis came in third. #7 96. All teams but the champion team will lose a game exactly once.

LivinG dEsErT TriviADid you know?

• The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens has had 73 Bolson tortoises hatch since 2007. • The Living Desert’s bald eagle weighs 13 pounds

• White western diamondback rattlesnakes are amelanistic, which means that they are lacking the pigment melanine which gives them their coloration. They are not albino.

• The park’s 5 Mexican gray wolves are brothers.

• The park’s bull elk dropped his antlers in February and they weighed a total of 19.6 pounds.

• The Living Desert’s prairie dogs give birth in mid-March and we first see the (pups) babies above ground in early May.

• The majority of the Living Desert’s animals were either born in captivity or were injured or orphaned in the wild and could not be re-released due to physical limitations or were too used to humans. Some of the animals were also confiscated from their owners by New Mexico Game and Fish or other out of state law enforcement agencies due to having them illegally. Wild animals do not make good pets and most are illegal to have without the proper permits.

CoMMuniTy uPdATEiT’s TiME To PuT THAT CELL PHonE AWAy

- AT LEAsT WHiLE drivinG. In July, Carlsbad’s city council, with a 6-2 vote, passed an ordinance prohibiting drivers of motor vehicles from using a hand-held mobile telephone in city limits. The ordinance was modeled after similar policies in Las Cruces and Albuquerque. Hands-free devices such as a Bluetooth are still allowed. read the full story online at FocusonCarlsbad.com.


from the editor

Years ago, I was taking pictures at a local, afternoon football game when I announced to some of the people I was sitting with that it was time to slip over to the field next door to get some shots of the soccer game also taking place.

“Soccer?” one of them snarled.

He then proceeded to tell me he felt soccer was a Communist recruiting

device, as un-American as hot cats or zucchini pie. It was a threat to our way of life and to football, he told me, and it was going to weaken our children.

Now, I’d met other folks who criticized soccer for being low scoring and sometimes uneventful, but I’d never encountered someone before who genuinely believed it was a threat to God and country.

It was soccer-hating guy I kept thinking of when we first discussed the possibility of doing a “green” edition of Focus. This here is oil and gas territory. Am I going to be run out of town if I do an edition talking about solar panels and wind power and threatening our way of life?

Hear me out.

For starts, I was fed and sheltered as a child thanks to the oil and gas industry. I’m an advocate of drilling, and I think people who post things like “We need to just focus all of our efforts on wind and solar and get rid of everything else!!” on the internet are clueless.

I think the solution to an “energy crisis,” however you define it, is all of the above — petroleum, coal, nuclear, solar, wind, geothermal, even perhaps hooking power-catching devices up to energetic toddlers. What I’m saying is that putting up a solar panel does not mean you hate oil and gas, or football. I do feel being green is a sensible part of the solution.

I also strongly believe that nuclear is a green energy that should always be a part of the equation. Carlsbad residents are fairly educated in the nuclear industry, so for this edition, I wanted to look at some of the other energy alternatives that are relatively new to town.

There’s a developing relationship with the green process in business that I find fascinating. To encourage green technologies, federal and state governments have begun offering incentives, tax deductions and contracting point preferences in some instances.

At this point, some national green efforts rely on these crutches to sustain themselves. But would it be

possible that government’s “encouragement” of these industries eventually supplies enough prodding to where technological developments can enable such industries to become fully self-sufficient? I hope so.

Alternative energy sources are important for their own altruistic reasons, but they need to become affordable and relatively simple to install to ever catch on en masse. Are we there yet?

In talking to local businesses while preparing this edition, I enjoyed speaking with Scott Bacher, owner of Carlsbad’s KOA, who gave me some very candid answers about his green efforts.

Wind power hasn’t paid off so far in this area, he told me, at least with current technologies being used, and over a reasonable time frame. Solar power use in the area is starting to pay off over a fairly short term, and the right types of technologies are gradually becoming more affordable.

The Roofs to Roads people are backed by some of the sharpest business minds in Carlsbad. I’m very interested in keeping up with this project because I think it serves as a great litmus test for the future.

And then there’s Rick McKean and his hydrogen fuel kits.

My first thought is that if something is profitable and worthwhile, it would probably have already fallen into the hands of a major corporation.

That’s not historically the case, though. Corporations tend to be over-conservative in their decision making process. Thousands of years ago, while the members of a corporation were still sitting in meetings deciding on acronym use and management divisions, an adventuresome caveman from down the way was already rolling down the mountain in his newly-crafted “wheel-thingy.”

So I don’t know if Rick and his fellow adventurers are discovering the energy answers to the future, but I do know that I like the idea of people still doing experiments in their own garages.

The Fall 2011 edition of Focus should offer a little something for everyone. I hope you enjoy it. And after you are done reading, please log on to www.focusoncarlsbad.com for more local blogs, calendar items, back issues, sports (soccer and football both), and much more. We’re pretty excited about our new website, and we’d love to have you join us.Marksteiner is Editorial Director of Focus Magazine.Email him at [email protected].

Green acres isthe place to be


on business

The grass is no longer greener on the other side of the hill. Whether the motivation is bolstered by federal incentives, inspired by high gas prices or brought about by plain old altruism, Carlsbad’s businesses, big and small are going green.

It should come as little surprise to anyone that, in an area with more sunshine than is often desired, the go-to option for green efforts is solar power.

Even local schools are benefitting from solar power. In January, Xcel Energy and Carlsbad Municipal Schools began using a 13- kilowatt solar installation at P.R. Leyva Middle School.

The project was the fourth and final project of a program launched in 2009 when the company began to place solar installations in four eastern and southeastern New Mexico communities as a means of educating the public about the benefits of solar power.

The Leyva solar panels were installed alongside the shop building on the school’s courtyard and produce solar-generated electricity for the area power grid. Solar energy curricula is also being developed specifically for New Mexico schools to enhance youth understanding of energy products and consumption.

There’s also a large solar plant being constructed (as of late July) along Carlsbad’s Derrick Road. The plant is associated with Signal Energy, which currently has renewable energy projects under construction in ten locations in six states, including solar projects in Tennessee, New Mexico and Arizona.

In 2010, Signal Energy completed work on nine solar energy projects that totaled more than 34 megawatts. Since its formation in 2005, Signal Energy has completed over 35 renewable energy projects ranging from 10 megawatts to over 120 megawatts in the United States

and Canada. For more information on Signal Energy, visit www.signal-energy.com

The Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is also striving to take advantage of the local abundance of sunshine and wind. WIPP is participating in the energy Park Initiative, with a goal of converting DOE facilities into assets by focusing on providing solutions for renewable energy technologies.

WIPP has set the goal of trying to become

the first DOE site operating with 100 percent clean energy. A team, consisting of representatives from CBFO, WTS, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico State University, Texas Tech, the Carlsbad community and area utilities are currently looking at several potential solutions.

Perhaps most interesting, however, are some of the green efforts being put forth by smaller businesses.

Roofs to RoadsAnyone who has ever had an itch to drive on their neighbor’s roof may soon be in luck. A new business, Roof to Roads New Mexico LLC, aims to recycle today’s discarded shingles into tomorrow’s Canal Street.

One of the business’ owners, Scott

Carlsbad Businesses are Going

Photo: Roofs to Roads New Mexico LLC is a local business turning used shingles into asphalt. The business began collecting shingles in January, and the material was turned into aggregate in July.


on business

Goodale said he read an article last year that discussed the process.

“Then in March of 2010, we had a big hail storm and my own roof was totaled,” he said. “I started doing some research. It’s been done east of the Mississippi for several years where there are less landfills, but in this direction it’s still developing.”

Roofs to Roads began collecting shingles in January at a fenced-off location along Boyd Drive.

Many of the shingles were removed from homes due to hail damage, Goodale said. To obtain the shingles, he put flyers up next to the city’s building permit office and also received assistance from a local business, Hamilton Roofing, which benefitted from not having to haul the materials all the way to the landfill.

Another of Roofs to Roads’ business partners, Neal Dungan, noted that it has been “a simple concept, but a complicated process,” getting the project off the

ground.

“What started this process has been Constructors Inc.’s attitude toward bringing in green technology, along with encouragement by Mayor Dale Janway,” he said.

Constructors, Inc. is a large, local construction company specializing in general, asphalt, concrete, dirt, and utility construction. Mosaic Potash served as Roofs to Roads’ first pilot project, Dungan said, and the state’s Department of Transportation has issued letters supporting the project.

“The District is supportive of this initiative and believes that it holds substantial potential to recycle old asphalt shingles, reduce landfill use and reduce the cost of roadway projects,” wrote Gary Shubert, District Two Engineer for the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

“Artesia Mayor Phil Burch has also indicated a desire to build a new

subdivision using recycled asphalt,” Dungan said. “He said ‘It’s the right thing to do.’”

In mid July, Roofs to Roads rented and brought a specially-modified industrial sized wood grinder from Colorado to Carlsbad. Employees spent most of a week feeding shingles into the grinder and collecting the aggregate product on the other end.

“The machine also separates all the nails, so we’ll get the steel, and the rock that comes out of the ground,” Goodale noted. Another New Mexico company has put together a mixed design — essentially a recipe — which Constructors Inc. will be able to use.

The recycled material will account for only 5 to 15 percent of the final asphalt product, Goodale said, but will reduce fossil fuels by up to 30 percent.

“The end client will be any asphalt company or municipality,” Goodale said,

There’s all kinds of ways for each of us to makea difference in this community. You’d be surprised how little it takes to make a big difference.It’s our community. Let’s make a difference in it.

Make a difference!

Community MINdEd.™


pointing out that the asphalt used for shingles is very similar to the asphalt used for roads, with only some deviation in polymer content.

Getting the business started was expensive, Dungan admitted.

“There are lots of startup costs the first time through that have to be recovered,” he said. “We are confident in our business model that at some point this will become less expensive than creating aggregate from another source. I think next time through we will be able to be more efficient, but it’s going to take some time.”

Right now, there are no tax incentives for having an asphalt recycling company. Dungan and Goodale hope to see more specifications added to government Request For Proposals that award such green efforts.

For example, the National Cave and Karst Research Institute follows the federal Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system in all it’s projects, which would be very attractive toward companies such as Roofs to Roads.

While the economic benefits represent a balancing act, the environmental assistance is clearly already in place.

“The cost and process of maintaining the landfill is substantial,” Dungan stressed, gesturing to the pile of shingles. “That’s about six or seven hundred tons, but just imagine when you add everything up in Carlsbad, Artesia and Roswell over the course of a year. When it’s put in the landfill, it’s there forever. How much more efficient is it to re-use it and put it back?”

Goodale and Dungan are also two of the partners with Solar Solutions, another local green company.

“It’s a company we started to help people take advantage of some of the state and federal incentives of using solar panels,” Dungan said.

Essentially, Solar Solutions prepares a how-to package for smaller companies wanting to use solar power.

“We’re creating a mechanism where the owner of a building does not have to finance the entire startup and process,” Dungan said. “We’re trying to create a model for helping people with the

organizational process of, for example, filing for a tax credit.”

“The philosophy,” Dungan concluded. “Is that we need to be good stewards of our resources.”

CaRLsbad KoaScott Bacher, owner of Carlsbad’s KOA Campground, said he wants to use “green” alternatives at his park when they are economically viable.

Carlsbad’s KOA is routinely lauded as the best KOA facility in the state, and is respected locally for its flavorful barbecue.

Prior to taking the helm of Carlsbad’s KOA with his wife, Susan, Bacher was an electrical contractor in New York State. That’s where he learned the value of researching energy saving products while helping build schools, jails and air terminals in the area. Now the owner of his own business, he’s got to find a pragmatic balance between Mother Earth’s shade of green and the green of his own pocketbook.

“We’re experimenting with different ways to be more green that are also economical,” he said. “Solar can be a great answer, but if I can’t do it and make money then I just can’t do it.”

So far, the KOA’s efforts to go green have yielded mixed results. Barbecue has been especially resistant to the change.

“We wanted to move from plastic products to an easily renewable resource,” he said. “We tried to go to a corn-based container, but the beans melted the container. Then we went to a corn knife and fork, but the ribs and brisket snapped too easily.”

Still, Bacher said his family is “experimenting as much as we can,” with alternatives. Solar, in limited doses, has been very useful.

“We got rid of the propane heater for our swimming pool and have a computerized solar system running it,” he said. “In the summer, we can run it in reverse at night to cool the pool.” sTory ConTinuEs on PAGE 12 >

Photo: A large wind turbine dominates Carlsbad’s KOA. The turbine meets a percentage of the facility’s needs.


on business

The park’s most noticeable green effort is an experimental $14,000 wind turbine looming above the facility’s buildings. Winds averaging 12.8 miles per hour just aren’t quite enough to be worthwhile yet. Bacher said it will take almost 20 years for the device to pay for itself.

“There just isn’t enough wind. If we would have had 14 miles an hour, the payoff would be just five years,” he noted. “The curve for a 1.2 mile per hour difference is dramatic.”

Bacher said he was considering adding a much larger turbine to tackle much of the park’s energy needs if the smaller turbine’s payoff had been just a little better. He also isn’t giving up on finding a source of just a little more hot air.

“If any politician wants to come out there, I’m sure it would help,” he joked.

Still, the turbine is taking care of about five percent of the office and restaurant’s electric bill, which helps, and local power companies have been supportive.

He’s also considering an experimental solar panel film that he could put on the roof of the entire restaurant. His research has concluded that the payoff isn’t quite worthwhile – yet.

“Right now, the product is so expensive that it would take 15 years to pay off,” he said. “It’s just too new of a product. I’m waiting for costs to go down.”

RICK MCKEaNIf you ever see a bunch of people staring intently at their mileage as they drive between Carlsbad and Malaga, chances are you’ve spotted Rick McKean or one of his growing number of hydrogen kit enthusiast converts.

McKean and his family’s involvement with hydrogen fuel car kits started in 2006 when gas prices were soaring. He saw an advertisement selling an e-book for $99 offering solutions of using water to boost gas mileage. The book gave directions on building a little cell using water and baking soda.

“It created all these little bubbles which gave you better mileage,” McKean said.

How does it work? Hydrogen fuel car cells are devices that, proponents state,

effectively breaks down water into hydrogen and oxygen and uses the energy to greatly boost gas mileage. Installation of the kit effectively turns a vehicle into a hybrid, with a water re-supply only needed every now and then.

Does it work? It’s worth noting that the television show “Mythbusters” claims such kits do not work. It’s also worth noting that hundreds of people responded to the episode on the Mythbusters web page claiming the show did not conduct the experiment correctly. Supporters say it’s the invention of the century, while detractors argue that it violates one or more laws of thermodynamics. There are also some individuals in the middle, who feel there might be some opportunities down the road.

McKean’s response to doubters is that actions speak louder than words.

“People will tell you that they learned in college that this isn’t possible,” he said. “I once drove up to Roswell to meet with a friend about this, but he just said ‘don’t you know it can’t work!’ and he kept trying to give me a book to read explaining that it didn’t work.

The thing is, McKean noted, he’d made that drive to Roswell in an old Dodge hooked up to a kit and gotten incredible mileage along the way. “Why do I want to read that book when I

just saw it work?” he asked. “In chemistry, they’ll tell you this is not possible because it takes more energy to get hydrogen out than it’s worth, but in this case it separates gases through electrolysis.”

McKean is also the owner of “Rick’s Special Interest,” and his property in south Carlsbad is packed with unrestored cars and motorcycles. He says hydrogen fuel kits are something you can try at home, but you need some instruction for installing them correctly.

Once McKean gets really excited talking about hydrogen fuel kits, it seems possible that he might be capable of powering vehicles on his enthusiasm alone.

“What comes out of the exhaust is water, and 85 percent of the world is water,” he said. “It’s very exciting. We’re getting ready to move into the hydrogen age, just like when we moved into the industrial age. I think you are going to see major changes world-wide toward hydrogen in the next 10 years.”

McKean’s contribution to the revolution is that he offers regular classes on building and installing hydrogen fuel kits at 7 p.m. on the second Friday of each month at the Eddy County Extension Office. He also builds and sells kits for

Photo: Carlsbad resident Rick McKean supports using hydrogen fuel kits as a way of reducing his gas prices.


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interested individuals, and spends a lot of times researching and building new experimental devices. “What we’re doing now is we’re not doing water any more,” he said. “We’re using ammonia. Water is good during the summer, but it freezes. Ammonia does not freeze.”

Some of McKean’s explanations of the process get pretty complicated, but the payout is that he’s seen vehicles hooked up to certain kits showing a 71 percent increase in miles per gallon. McKean’s son, Caleb, is currently attending graduate school in Colorado, but he still helps his dad when he’s home for a visit. Over the years, they’ve moved from glass jars to cells while researching in a garage that doubles as both a shop and laboratory.

Potential recruits will travel great distances to attend McKean’s annual HHL Hydrogen Fuel Rally. The next one is scheduled for October 7-8. “It’s the only one in the nation where we pay money.

We’re planning to give away $500 for first place this year,” McKean said. “This is a hydrogen rally, so they have to make on board hydrogen kits.”

Competitors at the rally are judged by how well their actual mileage per gallon turns out when compared to industry estimates of what their vehicles mileage per gallon should be.

“They come as far as Houston and Arizona,” McKean said. “It’s all experimental, and we tell people that. We do not guarantee how much mileage per gallon you are going to gain, but if it didn’t gain mileage why would we waste your time?”

Most mileage test runs go from the United truck stop on Highway 285 to Malaga and then back again.

There are still a number of variables on any given run, McKean said, so mileage saved is not always consistent. Still, he notes that even slight savings on gas will

quickly pay off the $600 kits.

“It’s experimental and there’s no guarantee, but we’ll work with you and if we come up with a new idea we’ll share it with you.”

More information on McKean’s classes, kits and rallies are available at Pecostwister.com, or by calling 575-361-3083.

“We have learned so much it’s unbelievable,” McKean said. “This is experimental, but it is fun and it works.”


Did you know that nearly two-thirds of the fruits and vegetables eaten in the USA are imported? Did you know that, by its own estimate, the

Food & Drug Administration would need 1,900 years to inspect every plant-based food imported into our country on any given day? If the implications of eating un-inspected produce from faraway lands concerns you, our local options for community-supported agriculture (CSA) might be of interest—and tasty!

Carlsbad is home to two CSA options. One, the community garden on the 800 block of North Mesquite Street. It is a lot in a residential neighborhood owned by Barbara Barron and operated by Carlsbad Community Garden Association. The other is Jupiter Hollow Farm, a 10-acre property on Hopi Road south of Carlsbad, owned and operated by David Culp.

The CSA food production model is based on shared investment, in the form of money and/or labor, by local people. Produce (and in some cases, animal products like eggs and meat) is primarily planned and grown by the CSA organizer and his/her core group, often

family. Investors receive, in exchange for membership fees, fresh in-season produce. Why CSA? David Culp, a nurse practitioner by trade, wanted to offer people an opportunity to buy locally grown produce and build a sense of community. “Our produce may have a little remaining dirt to wash off,” said Culp, “but you know it wasn’t chemically treated with much of the nutrients drained away before you eat it, and you know whose hands touched it.”

Culp also noted, “the average piece of produce goes 1,400 miles from farm to plate. “ “The advantage for the consumer”, continued Culp, “is fresh, flavorful produce that comes from a known place. Carlsbad is a good place to do this. There are lots of educated people here who are aware of the issues surrounding the food supply today.”

Growing produce in the desert has special challenges, but Culp is enthusiastic. “I’m the son of a landscape contractor, so I always had a shovel in my hand and have been planting things all my life. I used to sell what I grew on a city-sized lot at the farmer’s market”, the Montana native said. “Right now, Bermuda grass is a challenge. It grows well in this heat and is trying to take

over some of the place.” Corn, okra, basil and tomato plants are all growing at Jupiter Hollow, though Culp is working to grow a number of other produce types as well. “We use all heirloom plants, no hybrids and no genetically modified species,” said Culp.

A tour of Jupiter Hollow reveals an uncommon feature for south Eddy County—an irrigation pond. This is the crown jewel of the farm. Culp has worked to keep a healthy balance of microbes, plant and animal life in the pond, and his efforts have paid off. A solar panel provides energy for aerators that send bubbles to the surface. A gaggle

on food

Main Photo: Volunteers with the Carlsbad Community garden work on the garden’s property on Mesquite Street.

inset Top Photo: The Carlsbad Community Garden’s compost bins.

inset bottom Photo: David Culp and Sarah King run Jupiter Hollow Farm, a 10-acre property on Hopi Road.

by Eve Flanigan


of ducks dabble happily at water’s edge--“we’ve become sort of a sanctuary for ducks that were given as Easter gifts and got bigger than people realized they would,” Culp explained. Beneath the water’s surface, a large catfish, bass, perch and minnows are easily visible. Culp welcomes fishing by CSA members.

CSA operations can appear different to the eye than industrial methods of farming common today. Much labor is done by hand or smaller equipment. At Jupiter Hollow, irrigation borders are kept stable not by repeated seasonal construction by a tractor and disc, but by native wild plants whose roots keep the dirt from washing away. Walking his field, Culp selectively plucks some weed species out of the border while letting others be. “We grow organic here, without chemicals” he said.

His partner and business associate, Sarah King, states that she likes knowing that so few hands have handled their produce in contrast

to store-bought. Corn and tomato plants are grown outside, while herbs are tended under the roof, protected from the blazing desert sun. This is just the first season for Jupiter Hollow CSA. Long term plans include a greenhouse and kitchen/classroom.

Carlsbad Community Garden is Jupiter Hollow’s somewhat citified relative. Now in its second season, this volunteer effort is supported by members’ donated goods and labor. At its start, several local businesses donated tools, pallets and other goods.

The Community Garden is growing an array of vegetables this year, many of which are visible to passers-by through its fenced lot. Volunteers are given access so they can water, weed, and pick crops as well as donate biodegradable waste to the compost bin. Last year, all crops were donated to charitable organizations. This year, volunteers can take free produce for personal/family use. In the long term, organizers hope that new community gardens

will take root in other neighborhoods. The group has done some outreach projects with P.R. Leyva Middle School, located across the street, in an attempt to ignite youthful interest in gardening.

Not sure how to prepare fresh produce? You’re not alone. In a society where many foods are heavily processed, lack of cooking knowledge is nothing to be embarrassed about. Simply asking a question like, “what do you like to do with your carrots?” on a Community Garden workday will likely yield several cheerful, useful responses.

Whether joining a CSA as an investor/consumer or at the level of getting dirt under one’s fingernails, Carlsbad has two good options for filling your plate with healthy, essential, locally grown nutritional fare. Both welcome new members.

There is time to be involved. Many vegetables and greens just begin to grow in late summer, and many are available for picking now. Both organizations offer no-obligation invitations to visit the facilities, meet the people involved, and decide if it’s for you. Seasonal membership in Jupiter Hollow Farm will be available in 2012. The cost will be $100 per month for four months or $400 lump sum. Labor as partial or full payment can be negotiated.

For information, contact David Culp at 575-706-0301 or [email protected]. Carlsbad Community Garden offers open-garden workdays on selected Saturdays throughout the summer. Refreshments are provided; work gloves are suggested. For more information on Carlsbad Community Garden, contact co-coordinator Tiffany Sullivan-Owens at 575-885-5379.

Flanigan is a longtime Carlsbad resident and CSA proponent.Her education in a master of public health program includesspecialization in food politics.

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on the arts and culture

As you EnTEr THE HoT FLAsH ForGE, you are greeted by a smile as warm and welcoming as the shop itself. Blacksmith Frank Westfall, formerly a beloved Carlsbad dentist of 38 years, is enthusiastic to show off his chosen craft in the small forge which helps him produce his many beautiful works of art.

Laughing that some of his fellow blacksmiths have commented on the compact size of his forge, Westfall explained the close quarters work well for him as he can go straight from the hot forge or cold forge to the hydraulic drop-hammer or on to the anvil without allowing the metal to cool.

It is said blacksmithing lifted man from the Stone Age, as metal weapons are far superior to ones made of stone or copper. Accounts of metal forging go back to the Bronze and Iron Ages when man found a certain ore produced a substance which when heated could be formed into tools and weapons. But the art of blacksmithing came into its own during the Middle Ages

when each village contained a smithy. Metal working became an art form, as advancements in intricate metal forming also allowed for such practical creations as chain mail and plate armor.

As a child, Westfall was introduced to blacksmithing on his father’s ranch, but it wasn’t until he retired from his

dentistry career that he pursued his interest in earnest. He was referred to a blacksmithing school in Tijeras, New Mexico run by forger, Rob Gunner, where he acquired the basic knowledge to start a 15 year love affair with metal.

One of the first tasks of a blacksmith is to forge handmade tools. Commercial

by Donna Birchell


tools are not readily available, so it is left to the smith to develop his own assortment. Frank has a large selection of tools including chisels, and forms displayed around the forge which he explained are formed out of old car springs which have high carbon content.

Hand-forged tongs are a part of the

process as well. “If you can’t hold it, you can’t forge it,” he said.

After completing school, Westfall was given the name of the man who he considers to be his mentor, Leroy Simmons then of Mesilla Park, and most recently of Mountainair, New Mexico. It was with the instruction of Simmons

that Westfall’s artistry came to life.

Under Simmons’ careful instruction, Westfall developed the ability to create fine artwork from metal. Roses, leaves, calla lilies, small animals, and rosettes came to life from pieces of 5/16” flat bar steel. Frank has mastered the art of turning hard steel into miniature vignettes with personality, making the observer want to touch the work to see if it truly is metal.

Being a modest man, Westfall describes his work as crude. “My work has a lot of character.” He quips. “Art is dirty.”

One of his favorite subjects is the grape cluster. You can find many examples of these on the gates and stair railings forged at Hot Flash Forge over the years. If you visit Frank’s workshop you will notice a cluster of plastic grapes hanging over his work table. With a glimmer in his eye, it is explained a friend once brought them to show him how grapes “really” look. They hang as a comical reminder.

When asked where the name of the forge originated, Frank relayed with a smile that his first forge was called the Off Center Forge, because he was told most of his work was a little off center. When Marsha Westfall, an accomplished pottery artist and Frank’s wife, expanded her pottery studio, Hot Flash Pottery next to the forge, collaboration was born, hence Hot Flash Forge & Pottery. Besides, he related, it’s easier to have only one business card.

This collaboration has also manifested itself outside the studio as Frank creates exquisite stands to cradle Marsha’s pottery creations. The hardness of the steel and the delicacy of the pottery make for a unique pairing - much like their creators.

The typical metal used by blacksmiths for metal sculpture is 16-gauge steel which takes to cutting and welding well. Although Westfall calls himself a blacksmith rather than an artist, his great talent for metal sculpture is well represented by his recent work, “Vinnie Vulture Vane”, in the Living Desert Art Show which earned the purple “Best of Show” ribbon.

Vinnie Vulture rises out of his twig nest,

Photo opposite Page: Blacksmith and metal artist Frank Westfall outside his Hot Flash Forge.

Photo This Page: Known for his fine architectural metal work, the garden gate at the Westfall home shows many beautiful examples of his handiwork. Grape clusters provide a decorative accent along with the floral designs.


wings spread in magnificent fashion ready to capture the New Mexico wind. Through this sculpture, Frank has brought to life a children’s story character of the same name written by park docent, Susan Young, to celebrate International Vulture Awareness Day.

At the same venue, Frank Westfall was honored by the commission of a sculpture to be placed near the front entryway to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the park. Whimsical takes on the tortoise and the hare mixes with the traditional yucca plant and cacti background making for a delightful visual welcome to all who visit.

A shop sign states, “we can forge everything, except your check”, to which he quickly adds with a shake of the head and a wink, “and I’m working on that.”

Throughout history, it’s the blacksmith who has formed the world we live in the most. The tools, machinery, engines which we use daily originated in the forgery. Frank is proud of his skill as an artist, but foremost a blacksmith keeping alive a nearly lost art.

“Determination creates talent. Pain and repetition are great teachers,” is a self-authored shop motto taken to heart by Westfall as he creates his architectural pieces with pride.

Frank’s work can be found around Carlsbad at various homes and commercial facilities. As a member of the Carlsbad Area Art Association, his work can also be seen and purchased at the Artist Gallery at 120 S. Canal Street and the Old Pecos Gallery at 102 W. Fox Street.

About the Author:Donna Birchell is a native of Carlsbad, a free-lance writer, a blogger, and the author of two books, Carlsbad and Carlsbad Caverns and Eddy County, which highlight the fascinating history of the area. She currently working on several projects and is always in search for a good ghost story.

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Photo to right: As with any great marriage, a couple who works together...makes beautiful art. Marsha Westfall, Frank’s wife, an accomplished potter, reaps the reward of having a blacksmith for a husband, as he provides decorative stands for her delicate glazed pottery.

Photo below: Although called the cold forge, all work is done hot. This forge allows larger items to be worked, but produces scaling on the metal which requires extra work to remove.


by Amy M. Barnhart

Most of us have been forced to come up with creative detours to navigate our way through the current road construction in Carlsbad. While that detour may save us some travel time and traffic-induced

frustration, it can hurt our community if that detour causes you to forget about the businesses in the construction zone. Because, despite limited access, noisy machinery and dust, the businesses in the construction zone are open and ready to provide service to their customers. In fact, many of them are willing to go above and beyond to make sure they maintain their customer base throughout the Canal Street improvement project.

By staying informed, business owners are better able to communicate to their employees and customers at what stage their business will have limited access and the best routes to reach their business. If community members make an effort to stay informed, they will be able to reach their favorite businesses and restaurants with far less stress.

In Carlsbad, this can be done by attending a monthly meeting with the New Mexico Department of Transportation and James Hamilton Construction in the Library Annex, at 6 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month through the completion of the project. A representative of James Hamilton Construction is on hand at every meeting to update the public on the current state of the construction project and what changes will occur in the near future.

Those unable to attend the monthly meeting can visit www.carlsbadorangebarrels.com for up-to-date information. Additionally, by e-mailing [email protected], you can be added to the weekly e-mail blast to receive timely updates on the construction project.

Road construction is a sign of progress – It’s progress because our city is receiving a much-needed facelift on the busiest thoroughfare in town. But that’s not all. It’s progress because this project will ultimately also improve traffic flow and provide better access to businesses.

By focusing on the positive aspects of this project, business owners can encourage and generate a positive, healthy environment to support their staff and ensure retention of valued customers. And if the community can focus on the positive aspects of this project as well, they will see that dodging orange barrels for a period of time is not so bad when it means you are supporting local businesses and our economy as a whole.

Everyone knows there’s no way around road construction. Every day we are forced to find new ways to get to work, the grocery store, our favorite restaurant or business because

of the road construction project. By keeping a positive attitude, we remind ourselves that the end result will be a great enhancement for our community. By supporting our businesses in the construction zone, we ensure that they are able to contribute to the enhancement of our town and local economy, long after the orange construction barrels are gone.

For information on what Carlsbad MainStreet is doing to support businesses during the road construction project, please visit our website carlsbadmainstreetnm.com or call the MainStreet office at (575) 628-3768.

Amy M. BarnhartCarlsbad MainStreetExecutive Director

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on health care

In the United States, most big events are celebrated with food and drink. We take one day out of the year, Thanksgiving, to see how much we can eat while watching football

for eight hours. Some dishes make us feel good, otherwise it wouldn’t be known as “comfort food.” Chocolate is a food group to some people, as is bacon, alcohol, and beer (a sandwich in every glass). Great food is usually followed by a great nap, watching “Dancing with the Apprentice,” hours of Face-twibbering, or some other inactivity. It will take six more cups of coffee to get the energy to write about exercise. So, let’s get back to food, glorious, food!

Here is a fact: you are what you eat. That doesn’t mean someone is “full of baloney” or “plain nuts.” Foods are chemicals to our bodies. The nutrients are used to give us energy, build and repair tissue, grow hair, and allow other functions to happen. Too much, too little, or the wrong types of food will force our bodies to change and not usually in a good way. That previously mentioned cup of coffee will stain teeth, increase heart rate, weaken bone calcium, and usually chemicals that end in “-ine” are poisons, such as caffeine, nicotine, chlorine, and morphine.

Another fact: not all fat people are unhealthy and not all skinny people are healthy. Curley Howard of the Three Stooges was a competitive ballroom dancer and could handle every sledgehammer Moe could throw at him. Britney Murphy became very slim and still died from pneumonia, iron deficiency anemia, and a mix of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Being overweight or underweight are signs or symptoms of a potential problem. Being height-weight proportionate means a person is “fit,” but it doesn’t mean a person is healthy. (Note: the writer would be height-weight proportionate if he were 8-ft, 10-inches tall. Good thing he has a big heart). Fortunately for all of us in Carlsbad, help is just around the corner.

“The most frequent question from customers is ‘does this really work?”

explained Vance Parrott, owner of a nutrition store inside the Carlsbad Mall. “Of course, everything works when used correctly. The average person coming into the store has a goal in mind, but doesn’t know how to get started.” His customers range in age from teenagers to senior citizens. “Some people come here to find a way to lose weight, build muscle, or get in shape. People seem to be more health conscious over the past few years instead of trying to fix a particular problem.”

Vance, the original owner, opened the doors thirteen years ago. He proudly gave a tour of the brightly lit store with its dozens of shelves offering vitamins, minerals, healthy snacks, and hundreds of other products designed to make us be and feel healthy.

“The Food and Drug Administration increased the recommended dietary allowance of many vitamins and minerals we need every day. Some were increased to a point where you couldn’t eat enough to get the recommended dosage. Vitamins are supplements. Eat your meals, enjoy your food, and then add to nutrients,” he said.

He explained his primary supplier develops many of the products and provides guides for many common goals, such as weight loss and muscle building. “I can find a way to help with almost any problem. My first suggestion for being healthy would be to cook your own food. It takes less than thirty minutes to cook a well-balanced meal. This allows the vitamins, minerals, and other supplements the best chance for helping you achieve your goal.”

One suggestion for finding the more healthy food at a local grocery store is to shop in the outer aisles where the deli, produce, and butcher sections are typically found. Another way to shop healthy is found at Healthy Choices at the corner of West Church and North Canyon Streets. Easily spotted by its large green sign and green awnings, Healthy Choices offers an assortment of natural, organic, and whole foods, dairy and alternative

by John Safin

VAnCe PARRoTTCarlSbad Mall nutrition Store

• A good multivitamin, with a complete range of vitamins and minerals, needs to be based on sex, age, activity level, and correct dosage.

• Calcium supplements, even for men, are a preventive for the future.

• Vitamin C is needed every day.

PHiL & FReidA PAyne And AMy URqUidez healthy ChoiCeS

• Stop smoking.

• Stay away from fast foodand soft drinks.

• Exercise and sleepon a regular schedule.

JACkie STeVenSenChanted herb Pantry

• Drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day (example: a 100 pound person needs 50 ounces of water).

• Limit coffee and tea; they dehydrate the body and Carlsbadis in a desert.

• Have positive thoughts and create positive energy for yourself.


dairy, beauty supplies, and a variety of nutritional products. Owners Phil and Freida Payne have smiles ready for everyone who walks in the door.

“Most people are surprised we’re in Carlsbad,” said Freida. “Customers like our store because of the bigger variety than the health food stores in other cities.”

As expected, there are many shelves filled with bottles of all types of vitamins, minerals, and remedies for practically any ailment. The back corner is dedicated to cosmetics.

“Many commercial make-up brands have harsh and harmful chemicals that can cause irritation or worse. The cosmetics we offer are cleaner; made with pure minerals,” said Freida.

More surprises are to be found in the grocery section. Especially the jars of peanut butter mixed with a choice of white or dark chocolate, Gluten-free “S’morables”, and a full line of pet foods.

Buyer and Manager Amy Urquidez explained: “Eating the right way is

important to us. We also have many customers who feel it’s just as important for our pets to eat healthy.”

Amy, who has been at Healthy Choices for five years, created the pet section and it’s been a great success. “There are people who drive from Clovis to get food and treats for their pets.” Amy’s yorkies, Mandy and Sasha, might have had some influence on her decision to bring in healthy pet foods.

Aside from buying products for the store, Amy is a certified dietician. She can put together programs to help create a healthier lifestyle for customers. “Eighty percent of being healthy is what you eat. Ten percent is working out and ten percent genetics,” she said.

She also explained that “organic” means the growers didn’t use any pesticides, only organic fertilizers, and properly rotated the crops to capture as many nutrients and enzymes as possible. “This is the reason organic fruits and vegetables taste so much better.”

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Owner vance Parrott, at his nutrition store, inside the Carlsbad Mall.

Healthy Choices Health Food store Freida and Phil Payne, owners, andAmy urquidez, manager/certified dietician.

Enchanted Herb Pantry owner,Jackie stevens, and a selection of natural products offered at her store.


of the month for a class reunion, don’t count on an instant fix. Freida explained: “Getting healthy takes time and effort. There are always ways to get better and solve many lingering health issues.”

“Everyone needs to simply take one day at a time,” added Phil. He built Healthy Choices, an independent health food store, 28 years ago. He and Freida have been married for about twelve of those years.

When asked how he felt about owning the store for such a long time, Phil replied, “We help people. It’s always a good day when you can do that.”

Helping people is common goal for everyone in Carlsbad’s healthy living industry. Certified Natural Health Consultant Jackie Stevens, owner of Enchanted Herb Pantry, agrees. “Most people who want to improve their health and lifestyle aren’t quite sure how to start. I help people get started. After only a few weeks, they don’t know why they didn’t start sooner,” she said.

Jackie also has a Bachelor of Science in Natural Health Studies and Doctor of Natural Health Degrees. She opened

Enchanted Herb Pantry in 2005 and, earlier this year, opened a newly remodeled office, classroom, and retail space in Loving.

Jackie offers natural, ethically grown and harvested herbs, spices and supplement products. “Balance is your body’s natural state. It’s easy for your body to become out of balance with the pesticides and other chemicals used, and all the high calorie, processed foods everyone eats. It’s all toxic. I provide natural solutions and treatments to bring a body back into balance.”

Besides the traditional pills, tablets, and liquid supplements, Enchanted Herb Pantry has natural options for putting good nutrients into your body, such as aromatherapy and herbal tinctures, an extract of herbs or other plants.

Removing toxins can be as easy as sitting in a chair with your feet in a tub of water. Jackie’s energy foot spa uses water and electromagnetic charge to pull contaminants out of your body through the bottom of your feet.

“It’s a painless and relaxing procedure. Feet have the biggest pours in our bodies,

which makes it easier to extract the toxins,” she said.

Jackie offers weekly healthy living classes, one-on-one consulting, free informational newsletters, and other services to help reinforce a healthier lifestyle. “Paying attention to your health now will save you pain, a visit to the doctor, and a doctor’s bill later in life,” she observed.

Everyone agreed that a “cheat day” is allowed even when committed to living a healthier lifestyle. No one thought a pepperoni Hot Pocket covered in Chez-Whiz and a can of Coca-Cola for breakfast was a good idea even on a cheat day. It was strongly suggested eating, even the healthy foods, needs to be done in moderation. A good guide would be proteins for breakfast, carbohydrates for lunch, and a smaller portion of proteins for dinner. Of course, everyone is different so check with your doctor.

About the Author:John Safin has a background in business operations, marketing, event planning, and public relations. Originally from Upstate New York, John moved from Glendale, AZ to Carlsbad, NM, which he now calls

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1: A member of the Carlsbad Fire Department’s helmet falls off in the heat of the competition during the team portion of the Firefighter Combat Challenge, held at the Carlsbad Beach. 2: From left, Cindy Sharif, former Governor David Cargo, Farok Sharif and Ken Britt pose near a statue unveiled at the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens anniversary. URS Washington TRU Solutions was one of several companies recognized for supporting the park’s anniversary celebration. 3: Carlsbad National Bank won this year’s Spelling Bee for Literacy, a fundraiser supporting the Carlsbad

Literacy Program. It’s the second time a team from the bank has won the competition.”4: This year’s AJRA Rodeo drew a huge crowd to the Eddy County Sheriff’s Posse Arena and included a large number of local participants.5: Local youth show off their zumba skills at a performance at the Chili Cook-Off.6: Members of a local team greet visitors during Carlsbad radio’s summer Chili Cook-Off. 7: Residents cheer during the Independence Day celebration at the Carlsbad Beach. With public fireworks limited this year due to severe drought conditions, the annual display put on by firefighters was especially appreciated.

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on technology

THis is An ArTiCLE AbouT HoT FirEFiGHTErs.

Sorry ladies, but that doesn’t mean the shirtless calendar variety. Because when it comes down to saving your life in the event of a fire, it’s best done while wearing quite a bit more clothing.

This summer, the Carlsbad Fire Department hosted its 5th annual Firefighter Combat Challenge. Fire Chief Mike Reynolds said it is one of 15-25 combat challenges held nationally and the local event has grown every year.

It’s a challenge exactly like what firefighters use for practice on a regular basis, which in turn was clearly designed to simulate the difficulty of rescue work under intense pressure. And part of that difficulty is the equipment.

Bunker, or turnout gear can weigh between 45 and 60 pounds, said Ken Ahrens, staff development officer for the Carlsbad Fire Department. The equipment enables firefighters to save lives by protecting them from extreme levels of heat.

“It’s mainly thermal protection,” Ahrens said. “There’s also an outer layer that provides extra padding and an inner layer that’s main purpose is to act as a moisture barrier to keep fluids in or out.”

When the bell goes off at the Carlsbad Fire Department, first responders have two minutes to get all their bunker gear on and be ready to go. They’ll put the

breathing apparatus on when they get to a structure fire.

What did firefighters do before such equipment existed?

“They didn’t go into fires,” noted Ahrens.

Historically, fires were just fought from the outside, and firefighters had no safe way to rescue anyone trapped inside of a burning building. Wool pants, a wool trench coat and leather boots eventually offered firefighters some protection against the elements, according to the website www.fireengineering.com.

The first fire helmet was invented in the 1730, but a version very similar to what is used today was designed in 1836.

Respiratory protection at the time was especially slim. Some firefighters grew their beards long and soaked them in water to act as a sort of makeshift filter, according to fireengineering.com. Then in 1825 a mask was designed to provide heat protection, and the first self-contained breathing apparatus was designed in 1863.

Throughout the first half of the 20th

century, firefighters wore long rubber trench

coats with long rubber boots that covered the firefighter’s legs to above

the knees.

After World War II, the National Fire Protection Association began

developing set standards for firefighter personal protective equipment. Since then, the typical uniform for most firefighters has evolved, but has not changed drastically.

“The only major change is the nature of the fabric,” Ahrens said. “It’s gotten more synthetic, lighter and has a higher abrasion resistance.”

Advanced brand-name products such as Nomex and Kevlar were introduced in the 1980s, as were Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) devices, which send out an alert when a firefighter remains motionless or is running out of air.

“Since Chicago’s force stopped wearing the high boots in 1994, the layout of the gear has pretty much been the same for everyone,” Ahrens noted.

Bunker gear isn’t cheap. The coat, hat, helmet, boots, breathing apparatus, hood, mask and gloves all together cost several thousand dollars, noted Rick Lopez, assistant fire chief.

The numbers vary slightly depending on the model, but most modern sets of bunker gear are designed to allow firefighters to withstand sustained temperatures of up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for close to 5 minutes. The equipment should also withstand four second heat flashes of close to 1,200


degrees F.

For some comparison, a hamburger is cooked at 155 F, electric light bulbs are at 212 F and lead melts at 622 F. On the upper ends of the spectrum, gold melts at 1,947 F and molten lava is 3,140 F. A Zytol welding blanket, on the upper end of the protection side of things, can protect up to 2,000 F.

“The main thing we need to worry about now is the roof collapsing,” Lopez said. Fire helmets do offer protection from falling debris, but it is limited.

There’s also a downside to wearing all that armor, however, in that a firefighter can’t judge quite as well when things are literally getting too hot to handle.

“It used to be when they started feeling it (the heat) they could get out,” Ahrens noted. “Now you slowly start getting hotter, and then it just fails.”

“When your ears and the back of your head start to get hot, you know that’s when you need to start getting out,” Lopez said.

There’s also the simple fact that the weight of the gear wears you down.

“Heat stroke and exhaustion are still

the number one killers of firefighters,” Ahrens said.

Concerns aside, the benefits of modern bunker gear still greatly outweigh the drawbacks. However, anyone watching the summer firefighter’s challenge should remember that the gear itself is perhaps the biggest challenge of the course.

This year’s Firefighter Combat Challenge took place during Fun and Fitness in Carlsbad week. The annual event, now sponsored through lodger’s tax, brings hundreds of visitors to the area. With temperatures last year hitting the 113 F mark, the more grueling events were moved to the evening.

To start the challenge, a competitor decks out in about 40-45 pounds of bunker gear. Some departments, Ahrens noted, use lighter equipment for the challenges, but the Carlsbad Fire Department does not. Competitors then have to hoist a 42 pound hose on their shoulder and carry it up five stories.

“By the time you get done it’s dangerous,” Fire Chief Mike Reynolds said. “You drop the hose back and reach over the edge to pull another rope hand over hand.”

Then it’s back downstairs, where the competitor uses a nine pound sledgehammer to push a 160 pound weight back about four feet.

“You put the hammer down and run 70-75 feet through a serpentine corridor. You pick up a full fire hose and drag it under pressure,” Reynolds added. “You spray water and hit the target, then you grab a 175 pound mannequin and drag

it backwards 100 feet to the finish line.”

Reynolds is often one of the oldest people to compete in the competition each year. He said it is the same course used to test rookie firefighters.

“When we test candidates who want to be firefighters, we require that they finish it in less than seven minutes, which is pretty lenient,” he said. “Once in rookie school, they have to improve every week on their starting score.”

The world record is about 1 minute and 20 seconds.

“But anyone who does it in less than three minutes is doing fantastic,” Reynolds said.

This year’s challenge was a banner year for the Carlsbad Fire Department. The team of Robert Sanchez, Geronimo Ontiveros, Jay Carter, Andy Ruiz and Anthony Franks finished the team event in 2 ½ minutes to qualify for the world finals in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

In the team event, each competitor takes on a portion of the challenge, Reynolds said. Carlsbad’s team made some mistakes and actually could have scored much higher.

Reynolds said he had a pretty rough year, and despite the change to evening it wasn’t much cooler.

“It was 117 degrees in the parking lot during some of the solos Friday evening,” he said. “I’m looking at lighting it all up and starting even later next year.”

Center Photo: First responders with the Carlsbad Fire Department practice at the Permian Basin Regional Training Center. This summer, Carlsbad’s firefighters will host another combat challenge.

Left & right Photos: This year’s Carlsbad Firefighter Combat Challenge drew a record number of participants. A Carlsbad team beat the heat to qualify to compete in the world finals in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.


on recreation

by Kyle Marksteiner

THE PoETry oF WinE ALL bEGins WiTH THE GrAPE. THE soiL. THE vinEyArd.

How many artists have been mesmerized while attempting to describe the spirit of a vineyard, drawn as they walk alongside the neat rows of grapes, seemingly entranced by some subconscious, ancestral pull?

Close your eyes, and you are in ancient Greece. Take a deep breath, and you are drawn back, somehow, to the birth of mankind.

“It looks romantic, but it’s a lot of work,” interjects local businessman Dale Balzano.

We are strolling down a row of red grapes at Balzano’s vineyard, located in Seven Rivers, about halfway between Carlsbad and Artesia. Pecan orchards loom on three sides of the vineyard. Balzano’s pickup is parked on the fourth side. The vehicle is currently loaded

down with commercial video games needing repair – symbols of a family business hitherto vastly more profitable than the vineyard.

Balzano also owns Carlsbad’s Trinity Hotel restaurant, and wine/bar, the only place in the world where you can purchase wine made from Eddy County grapes.

“Actually, we started this before the hotel,” noted Balzano. “When I started the vineyard, we needed a place to sell the wine, so we were looking for a place to have a building. Derek (his son and business partner) kept trying to convince me that the old Carlsbad Irrigation District building was perfect, so we finally went ahead and decided to try that.”

The Balzano vineyard started about five years ago and currently has 600 vines on about 3 ½ acres. Grapes from northern Italy are the specialty.

So far, Mother Nature has been anything but kind. Bird attacks on the grapes are

common, and they aren’t alone.

“The first year, we had no deer fence, so the deer and rabbits wiped us out,” Balzano said. “Our oldest vines are right at four years and are really just starting to produce.”

Then, a huge freeze this past February killed a lot of the younger vines and caused many of the other grapes to ripen too quickly.

“Vineyards all over the state suffered tremendous damage from that freeze,” Balzano said. “It doesn’t look like it is going to be a good crop for anyone.”

The freeze hit about 20 degrees below zero, Balzano said, which was about 15 degrees colder than he’d planned for. He gestured to several vacancies along one row.


“All those vines were on the wire last year. They froze and died, so now we’re starting over,” he said. “I grew up on a farm. I thought I could grow anything, until I started working on grapes.”

In all these man vs. nature battles, the Balzanos have an ally in Paolo D’Andrea, owner of the Luna Rossa Winery and Jedi Master of New Mexico wines.

“He’s the expert, and everybody in the state uses him,” Balzao said. “He’s one of the best, if not the best, in New Mexico.”

D’Andrea’s label is available at the Trinity, along with Balzano’s own – “The Spirits of Seven Rivers.” While Balzano’s label contains some locally-grown grapes, he’s still relying on D’Andrea for some of the product. The exact amount varies depending on the type of wine, but Balzano said the Spirits of Seven Rivers Shiraz has the highest percentage of Eddy County grapes.

“It’s been a small crop, so we really do rely on Paolo to help us,” he said, but noted that the Trinity has still done a lot to introduce the state’s wines. “I think we’ve kind of changed the idea of wine in Carlsbad. The New Mexico wines we have there are excellent.”

If everything goes right, the grapes begin the process of becoming wine in August. Balzano uses a device to measure the natural sugar level of the grapes so he knows when the time is right.

“We’ll come out here with friends and family and go down the rows with tractors,” Balzano said. “We take the grapes over to our nearby winery and crush them.”

He’s currently got the capability to hold about 15 barrels, he said. The fermented grapes then age locally, with some of the reds resting for up to two years. After the aging process, Balzano hauls the barrels to Deming, where D’Andrea bottles the wine.

Balzano’s goal is to expand to about six acres, have healthy vines throughout, and produce about four tons of grapes

per acre.

“Then we’re looking at 20-24 tons of grapes, which would make about the amount of wine we’d need to sell at the Trinity,” he said. While the vineyard has had its share of problems, abundant clumps of grapes could be seen peeking out from entanglements of green at numerous locations along the property’s two oldest rows.

The wine itself has also turned out well, Balzano said, though he’s quick to give credit to D’Andrea. “If we were doing it by ourselves, I think I’d be very worried,” he noted.

Rich in tradition, vineyards are also steeped in the bureaucratic process. To obtain a master wine grower’s license, it takes proof of a vineyard, proof of equipment, a federal license and then a state license.

Balzano gestures at several other plants growing along the row. One vine grew in the wrong direction and seemed to be interfering with its neighbor. Another clearly died along its main stem, but seem to have found new life along another offshoot. Each of the hundreds of vines will require some touch of personal care.

Grapes, it seems, are pretty high maintenance.

“This is something of a hobby, you might say,” said Balzano. “It’s something I’d always thought about doing. I’d originally bought this land for another project, but when that fell through, we decided to see if we could use it for something beneficial.”

The Trinity Hotel is one of Carlsbad’s most historical locations and naturally comes pre-packaged with its own set of legacies, legends and ghost stories. Turns out, the Spirits of Seven Rivers vineyard is

no slouch on the supernatural front either. Seven Rivers was an old West town, and graves were exhumed when Brantley Lake dam came into being. “When we moved out here, we noticed several strange things,” Balzano said. “People who have lived here for a long time say it all started when they dug up all those graves.”

Balzano said family members have seen an old cowboy walk through a nearby building, and some of the hands in the nearby pecan orchard claim to have seen a lady in a long white dress with a black veil.

“The sheriff’s department calls this the cursed mile because there are so many accidents on this stretch,” Balzano said. “Believe me, we’ve seen it. When we got to thinking about a name for our wine, we decided the Spirits of Seven Rivers would be appropriate, and we’re not talking about the wine spirits.”

“Wine is sunlight, held together by water”: The words of Italian stargazer Galileo Galilei capture the essence of the enchanting nature of wine. But an old adage perhaps better captures the more profane side of one of mankind’s oldest hobbies – wine may be serene on the surface, but it took a heck of a lot of paddling to get there.

Photo: Local businessman Dale Balzano, who opened a winery several years ago as a hobby, holds a bottle of his “Spirits of Seven Rivers” Shiraz.


For many young soldiers, Carlsbad Army Air Field was just a short stop in their preparation to go to war in Europe or the South Pacific. For some, it was their last stop as they would not return from the war. For a few, though, their stay at CAAF determined their destinies and shaped their lives.

bLAir & MiriAM GAFFnEyMiriam Means came to Carlsbad with her parents in 1940, graduating from the new high school (now P. R. Leyva Middle School) in 1941. She landed a job as secretary to Maj. McCall, Director of Bombardier Training at the newly completed army air field.

“Like most girls my age,” Miriam recalled, “we were dating the fellows at the base. Blair (Gaffney) was a cadet. He and some of his buddies came into town but were not welcome at the Officers’ Club at the Crawford Hotel. So they walked through town and sat on the side of the basement stairs at the old Methodist Church.” Miriam and a girlfriend went over to talk to the cadets. “Then Blair walked me home, and he fed me the biggest line. He told me that he was 23 years old. He didn’t know that my boss was the Director of Bombardier Training. I went to work on Monday and pulled his file. He was actually only 20 years old, but we kept dating.”

Blair and Miriam married November 4, 1944, in St. Edward’s Church. Blair became a bombardier instructor at CAAF and at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada. After the war they returned to Carlsbad where Blair had a long career as a banker and they raised their five sons. Blair died on Thanksgiving Day in 2010.

rEid & MAriE McCLoskEyReid McCloskey came to CAAF in 1944, a member of the class of 44-2. The boy from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, would eventually end up in a squadron with other Pennsylvania boys who called their B-24 “The Flying Dutchman.” But in 1944 he was a raw recruit in a lonely desert town looking for some company. A USO had opened, so Reid went to a dance there.

“I heard this music and I noticed people were going in and out, but they were enlisted men. I had to take off my insignia because I was just a cadet,” he said. It was at the dance he met Marie Sears.

“I was in high school,” Marie said. “The USO opened, and they asked us if we’d like to attend dances. They had a wonderful band from the base. It was a Halloween party, so

we were all in costumes, and this fellow asked me to dance. We danced and had a good time. He offered to take me home which was really against the rules. But I went with him, so I could never go back to the USO.”

Reid and Marie continued to see each other until he graduated from bombardier training. When he left Carlsbad, Marie thought, “Well, that’s the end of him.” Reid finished his training and shipped out to England, traveling on the Queen Elizabeth. He flew 35 bombing missions, returned to the United States, and was stationed at Midland Army Air Force Base.

“There my roommate was Bruce Pardue. One day Bruce said, ‘I’m going to go see my wife.’ She was living in Loving. I said ‘I used to go with a woman named Marie Sears.’”

Marie picked up the story “Reid called, saying he was back from the war and was coming to visit for the weekend, and would I be available to visit. And sure enough, things just went on pretty well.”

“About two weeks later,” Reid continued, “we got orders to go to Carlsbad Army Air Base to teach—instruct people on how to bomb. So there Bruce and I are as instructors. Darned if we didn’t have Chinese students. They didn’t speak a word of English.

“We started to go back together again. Then I had orders to be discharged, so I had to make a decision. I took her to the La Caverna where we had a nice dinner, and I said, ‘I’m going to have to go. Do you want to go?’ And she said yes.”

“Waited a long time for that,” said Marie. “We moved into a place where my parents had lived. We rented a room from the woman who bought it from them. I was at home that morning when we heard about the atomic bomb. Exactly the same place where I’d been when I learned about the Japanese dropping the bomb on Pearl Harbor.”

Reid and Marie were married at Grace Episcopal Church on August 4, 1945, just two days before the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. After the war, they returned to Pennsylvania, where Reid finished his teaching degree. In 1950 they settled in Carlsbad where Reid coached football and taught, and they raised their children. He retired from Carlsbad Municipal Schools in 1983, finishing as director of personnel and assistant superintendent. They recently moved into Landsun Homes.

AL & LynnE PiTCAiTHLEyLynne and Al Pitcaithley were already married when they came to Carlsbad. Al was stationed at CAAF in the Entertainment Section.

“He brought entertainment in,” said Lynne. “Popular singers, magicians. He put an ad in the paper asking for artists to entertain the troops.” Al was surprised when Stanley Siebenthall, the high school band director, showed up. “They had worked on a show together many years before in the Midwest and were very good friends.”

Lynne, an actress, followed Al to Carlsbad later, riding a train loaded with GIs, their wives, their children. “I gave up my seat to a lady with a baby, and I sat on my suitcase in the middle of the aisle until Clovis, New Mexico, where I got on that funny little train that came here once a day. It was loaded with GIs, and they all had the curtains pulled down.” Wanting desperately to see the country she was moving to, Lynne asked to trade seats with a young man sitting by the window. “He turned to me and said, ‘Lady, you don’t want to see it. It’s the land that God forgot.’ But he was a gentleman and changed places with me. I fell in love with the desert. I’ve been a desert rat ever since.”

While Al worked at the base, Lynne worked at the local radio station. She and Al had two children, and Lynne’s heart’s desire was to bring up her family in one place, preferably Carlsbad. “I had this speech all prepared, telling him how much I wanted to stay here. I wanted children, and I did not want them being brought up the way I had been brought up. I was going on and on about how wonderful the people were here. About halfway through my speech Al said, ‘I realize how much you want it, and anything you want, I will give you. We will stay here.’ And we did.”

Lynne eventually went to college, completing a Master’s Degree in education. She taught at Eddy School for many years before retiring in 1999 at the age of 80. The Pitcaithleys were founding members of the Carlsbad Community Theatre, whose stage Lynne graced for years. She is president of the board of directors of Noah’s Ark Animal Shelter and is a 2011 recipient of the Governor’s Award for Outstanding New Mexico Women. Above all, she was able to raise her family in the small New Mexico community she fell in love with.

The Carlsbad Army Air Field was in existence for only a few short years, but its impact on these lives and others was remarkable. Like the cactus that blooms after a desert rain, the CAAF produced startling and beautiful stories of love.

on history

by Margaret Sage Bemis


on a carlsbad character

Gardner Fugate and his co-workers are Carlsbad’s primary line of defense against the forces of trash overflow.

Fugate and more than a dozen other clients of Carlsbad’s CARC Inc. work for Rainbow Recycling, where they divert recyclables away from the nearby Sandpoint Landfill.

“Rainbow Recycling is proud to provide 14 developmentally disabled adults a place to sharpen vocational skills in the effort of gaining independence,” said Mary Garwood, project supervisor. “We strive for our individuals to reach independent living, as well as gaining work skills in a safe and productive environment.”

Fugate, 33, began working for Rainbow Recycling in 1997 and has been there on and off since then.

“I operate the machinery most of the time,” he said. “I’ll usually help sort stuff out when we get our products ready to be shipped.”

Garwood called Fugate a staple of the town’s recycling program.

“He is extremely knowledgeable of operations here,” she said. “Gardner helps in unloading city trucks, baling our material, operating our Allegheny Shredder/Baler System, and keeping the yard clean.”

He also gives tours of Rainbow Recycling and is known for his friendly personality.

“Many probably recognize him from our front porch, as he enjoys waving to people passing by during break times,” Garwood said.

“I love helping my community out,” Fugate said. “Recycling is very important, because we have a landfill that is filling up right now and about 28,000 people in Carlsbad. There needs to be a valuable recycling program, which is what CARC is providing Carlsbad.”

Fugate has lived in New Mexico his entire life.

“I was born in Albuquerque,” he said. “My mom and dad lived here when I was a baby. We moved to Alamogordo and spent nine years there, then we moved back to Carlsbad in 1987.”

A client of CARC Inc., Gardner participates in the organization’s assisted living program, where day-to-day assistance is limited.

He has also worked as a radio assistant for

Carlsbad Radio, and radio of one variety or another occupies much of his free time.

“I’m a licensed ham radio operator and long-time CB operator,” he said. “When I get home, I’m either on the net or listening to my 2-way radio.” His radio call signal is KESNJD.

Work is generally a positive experience too, but during his time at Rainbow Recycling,

Fugate and his co-workers have occasionally come across products put into the recycling bin which should not be there.

“We had different car parts coming off the belt one day,” he said. “We’ve had meat on those belts, and that brings flies and maggots. Please leave those out. It’s hard for us to do our job when we have to smell that.”

Recycling bins around town divide materials into boxes for paper, aluminum, cardboard and plastic bottles. Only certain types of plastic bottles, the ones with “1” or “2” on them, can be recycled, Fugate said. Rainbow Recycling can do nothing about Styrofoam.

Gardner said a portion of his paycheck is determined by how much dropped off materials are processed, so he is motivated to get as much work done as possible each day.

Materials are shredded, sorted or compacted at Rainbow Recycling to prepare them for the next stage.

“We have a company that picks it up,” Fugate said. “They’ll further refine what we’ve done and make it into different kinds of products.”

Rainbow Recycling receives funding through the state for its clients, through a contract with the City of Carlsbad and through the United Way, Garwood said.

A new Allegheny Shredder/Baler System, funded by the county and the city, and a curbside recycling program has resulted in improved bale production rates over the past four years. The recycling center, for example, processed 171.8 tons of material in 2007 and 358.9 tons in 2010.

Garwood said Rainbow Recycling is currently looking for ways to expand, including the possibility of a new facility.

rainbow recycling is located at 103 E. Greene st. and can be reached at 885-0917. other recycling drop-off sites are located on Lamont street and at the Loving Transfer station.

Photos: Rainbow Recycling employee Gardner Fugate has been working at the facility since 1997. He is one of the operators of the facility’s Allegheny Shredder/Baler System.

CLEaNINg CaRLsbad,one Can at a time


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Focus on Carlsbad Fall 2011