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The purpose of this letter is to let you know what’s happening at Balloon Fiesta’s main RV Lot where we house Premium and Standard RV parking.
• Balloon Fiesta 2007 is on schedule and it is sure to be a Grand Event!
• Balloon Fiesta and the City of Albuquerque are working hard to make sure all RV Lots will be OPEN and all Reservations will be honored.
There has been some speculation about the safety of the Balloon Fiesta’s main RV Lot where we house Premium and Standard RV parking. That speculation has centered on questions about the electrical service and methane on the Lot. To provide you as much information as possible as to the history of this RV site, we offer the following summary:
The RV Lot is located on the former Los Angeles Landfill. Because it was a landfill the buried trash is decomposing. The decomposition causes a couple of problems: First, the underground trash generates methane gas as it decomposes. We’ve known about the methane for years. The City of Albuquerque constructed a methane extraction system on the Landfill and uses the methane to generate electricity. In fact the extraction system is powered by the electricity that’s produced by the methane. Some excess electricity actually gets supplied to the City’s power grid. Whatever methane is collected that can’t be used for generation of electricity is burned in the tower at the southeast corner of the RV Lot.
Secondly, as the trash decomposes the surface of the RV Lot subsides. Unfortunately that subsidence isn’t uniform throughout the RV Lot and the City has to bring in dirt and re-grade the area. As a result of the subsidence, the underground electricity lines have been broken. Thus the State of New Mexico has recommended that the existing electric lines be de-energized. That will be accomplished this summer. The electricity that will be provided during Balloon Fiesta will be provided from generators or new transformers that will be placed outside the area that might subside.
The City of Albuquerque and Balloon Fiesta have been aware of the many complexities associated with the old land fill site for many years. This area is crucial to the operational requirements of Balloon Fiesta and its guests (RVers). The Mayor’s office and the City Council together with Balloon Fiesta and the surrounding neighborhood groups are working hard to provide a long term and quality solution to the land fill. One suggestion that we believe to be the most useful solution is to compact the landfill using a 30 ton weight dropped from a crane. After the compaction is complete, fill dirt and non-expansive clay would be brought in to “seal” the landfill. After this is done, the landfill could be reclaimed for use as a public park, soccer or football fields. This reclaimed site would make a nice place for our RV guests too!
As always, Balloon Fiesta is committed to the safety and quality experience of our guests and pilots. Please be assured that we will make sure you have a place to park your RV AND that all necessary precautions will be taken concerning your safety when you visit us in October. If you have any questions about our plans, please visit our website - www.balloonfiesta.com or contact Bill Anthony.
Paul R. Smith
Executive Director
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