Gloom as PNM moves to chop down trees

Apr. 29—PNM, the state's largest electric company, wields a different sort of power at Fort Marcy park.

The utility intends to cut down an unspecified swath of Siberian elm trees in Arroyo Mascaras, a section of the park between Magers Field and the ballpark.

PNM's community relations director, Jamie Aranda, distributed an orange flyer saying the trees pose a hazard based on their proximity to power lines.

Jennifer Johnson, who for 24 years has lived one block from the park, disputes the company's claim.

"If you stand on the bridges and look at the power lines, you can see there's excellent clearance. We need all kinds of brakes on this. There is no urgency," Johnson said.

PNM has a different, rapid-fire schedule in mind. The company at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday is staging a community meeting at the park gazebo to outline its tree-removal schedule.

"Work is anticipated to begin in mid-May and end mid-June," Aranda wrote in PNM's flyer.

The company asserts authority to take down the trees because they sit in a designated easement.

Opponents nonetheless have posted their own "Stop the Chop" signs. They say the trees cool the park and enhance the city. Already birds are nesting in the elms, which protect against flooding when waters run hard and fast through the arroyo.

There's more to this debate than limbs and leaves.

Many who want to save the trees worry about PNM spokesman Ray Sandoval exerting undue influence over Fort Marcy park because of his avocation.

Sandoval doubles as chairman of the Santa Fe Kiwanis Club's most famous cultural celebration, the annual Burning of Zozobra in the park. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the creation of Zozobra, a marionette effigy.

In a phone interview Monday, Sandoval said the Zozobra festivities are no factor in PNM's plan to clear trees from the park.

"I get that I'm employed by PNM, but this project wouldn't improve the sight lines" for Zozobra customers, Sandoval said.

Residents still wonder whether shedding trees from the park might increase capacity for Zozobra's burning. The Kiwanis capped attendance at approximately 65,000 customers last year. Zozobra drew a record crowd of 71,000 in 2022.

Those with longer memories point to Zozobra's power as a tourist attraction in felling some 15 Siberian elms at Fort Marcy park in 2017.

A wooden bridge on the arroyo gave out during the 2015 Zozobra festivities. City government removed the elms so a concrete bridge 90 feet wide could be installed as a safer accommodation for customers flocking to Zozobra one night a year.

Graffiti mars the concrete, which didn't come cheaply. The bridge cost about $750,000. Sandoval's Kiwanis Club contributed $80,000, and city taxpayers covered the rest of the bill.

Perhaps more than the oversized puppet in the park, Sandoval is the public face of Zozobra. That fact was made plain when he was part of PNM's contingent that two weeks ago outlined the company's tree-removal plan for Melissa McDonald, the city parks director.

Two arborists employed by PNM also attended the meeting to help the utility make its case for fewer trees.

Sandoval's connections to Zozobra led PNM to designate another company spokesman, Eric Chavez, to answer my questions about the latest plan to remove trees.

I started with the bottom line: Is PNM committed to removing trees regardless of what issues or objections are raised by the public?

"We understand the importance of community input and value what our customers and community members have to say. The meeting will allow the public to share their input while also allowing PNM to talk through the process and explain in more detail why this is necessary," Chavez wrote in an email.

He included an overview of the main argument his company will make.

"Trees that grow too close to power lines pose a risk to public safety. During storms or high winds, limbs or entire trees can fall, bringing down power lines, causing outages, and potentially leading to fires, property damage, or injuries." Chavez stated. "To help mitigate these risks, PNM is planning to remove the trees in the arroyo."

While many users of the park see the trees as an asset, Chavez described them in less flattering terms.

"All of the trees that will be cut down are invasive elms," he wrote.

PNM is sure to receive many more questions at the meeting, including the most obvious one: If a tree actually threatens to touch a power line, why not trim it instead of killing it?

That one no doubt will lead back to the horrors of Siberian elms in an arroyo. PNM is determined to knock the elms before knocking them down.

As for PNM listening to and considering objections, I'd bet on a reduction in electricity rates to happen first.

Ringside Seat is an opinion column about people, politics and news. Contact Milan Simonich at msimonich@sfnewmexican.com or 505-986-3080.