BajaNomad

Clean-up projects in San Felipe

ToBeInBaja - 3-18-2011 at 10:06 PM

Was just thinking tonight about how San Felipe seems to be starting to seriously take on the overflowing trash issue lately. In the past while, we've had new trash cans installed on the Malecon, a couple of Beach Cleanups, and this year at Carnival, I was happy to see town workers following right after the parades with brooms to clean up as they went along.

It's great to see this effort! As a thought, it would sure be nice to see something like the Adopt-a-Highway project, where local businesses could try "adopting" a section of street in San Felo, keeping it clean, and a sign put up on that stretch to promote the business.

Better yet, have the schools get involved in something like that...

We always try to pick up trash along our street and do our part to keep our little sea-side town looking beautiful...it would be great if there was a town-wide project to help keep things clean...

Thoughts anyone?

San Felipe seems to be starting to seriously take on the overflowing trash

mcfez - 3-19-2011 at 08:31 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ToBeInBaja
Was just thinking tonight about how San Felipe seems to be starting to seriously take on the overflowing trash issue lately. In the past while, we've had new trash cans installed on the Malecon, a couple of Beach Cleanups, and this year at Carnival, I was happy to see town workers following right after the parades with brooms to clean up as they went along.

It's great to see this effort! As a thought, it would sure be nice to see something like the Adopt-a-Highway project, where local businesses could try "adopting" a section of street in San Felo, keeping it clean, and a sign put up on that stretch to promote the business.

Better yet, have the schools get involved in something like that...

We always try to pick up trash along our street and do our part to keep our little sea-side town looking beautiful...it would be great if there was a town-wide project to help keep things clean...

Thoughts anyone?


Actually...San Felipe has been seriously taking on the overflowing trash for a long time now.

A handful of years ago, coming into San Felipe from Mexicali.....was a tour drive thru the dumps! From cars to general trash (no cartel bodies) was spewed along the M5. This was a major complaint from tourist . SF, Mexicali, and the Rotary Club got together and was able to get this route cleaned up. It's pretty good I must say.

Yes...new cans down on the malecon. I have seen them overflowing often. Tires and junk reappearing again. Seen that too. I think the issue is that the tourist dollars are not there as much...to budget for the on going maintenance.

There were groups that gathered a few times of the year too...to clean up targeted areas of San Felipe. Again...the deck of economic cards is playing a hardship hand.

Over there in the north edido....was a great Lady building houses from recycled tires. She had campaigned for a long time to rid the tires of San Felipe. She I believe, is no longer around.

"adopting" a section of street......might be real hard to get that a go. The deck of economic cards is playing a hardship hand there too.

Solution? I dont any. Wish I did.

grace59 - 3-19-2011 at 09:09 AM

Here is copy of a letter that was sent to me by a friend in San Felipe talking of a new committe to bring improvements to the area.
"The newly elected Mayor of Mexicali has taken over and his administration is taking a very active role in the issues affecting all of San Felipe.
He has appointed young aggressive people to be the San Felipe Mayor, head of Cotuco, and tourism.
One of the first things they have done is form the Consejo Empresarial De San Felipe. This is a group of business people and local people that will address the issues and make recommendations to the Mayor to help improve the area. It is based on the Mexicali business alliance that has been highly successful in growing Mexicali.
The first meeting was held and a president, secretary and treasurer were elected. Rafael Navaro of Pete’s Camp was elected President with Pat Butler Secretary and Octovio Ascolani – Baja Mar- as Treasurer.
They then set up groups representing the following: Public safety, Developers, Ejidos, hotels, bars/restaurants, commercial/sport fishing, commercial/retail, professionals/realtors, events, Gold mine, and the San Felipe first.
Each group is to meet every 2 weeks and report at the general meeting held once a month. I am on the Public Safety group and the Developer group and the meetings are open to everyone that wants to get involved.
Areas they are looking at for improvement is cleaning up the area, rebuilding of the Malecon, Marina and airport. The tourism Dept. has started a campaign to advertise the corridor from Mexicali to San Felipe as a safe corridor. They are advertising in the states and are working with the events to bring down TV and news crews to report about San Felipe.
The ex-mayor reported to us the income and expense of running San Felipe. Currently they receive 60 million pesos from the property taxes and expenses are app. 80 million pesos. They have to make it up from other sources so don’t have a lot of $$ to do any new projects. The new Mexicali administration will be approached to fund more to San Felipe.
The airport was discussed and it looks like the land dispute with the people who own all the land around it is close to being resolved. This should allow for expansion if things fall into place. The current airport is run by the tourism board and has an operating deficit of app. $200,000 dollars according to the report.
The medical issues were talked about and the government has secured money to build or remodel one of the existing hospitals. Pat Butler said the medical center by the Pemex is negotiating with the El Centro Hospital to provide helicopter service and they will put up a heli-pad south of town and 1 north of town. They have to work with the Mexican Gov. as the airport cannot have night flights.
The next meeting was held on March 1st. There was a very good turn out and the main issues were trying to find funding for the projects. The group will be working with a consulting firm out of Mexicali to find and secure funds. This is available for all groups in the council.
The head of the commercial fishing reported on the activities they are working on. All funding-subsidies- have been discontinued for the fisherman and the new rules for fishing have taken 60% of the fishing area out of production. This has really had a huge impact on the industry. They have secured $$ for 2 major projects that will begin soon that will have an impact on all of us. They have engineered a new marina for the Malecon area and showed a picture of the proposed project. They also are going to be extending the 2 boat ramps at the Marina for easier access. They plan on installing 2 new ramps 1 each in Puertocietus and Gonzoga by 2012.
Pat Butler has donated the use of the old century 21 building for the Consejo as headquarters.
It was brought up the problem with the road construction has caused and what can we do? After a lot of discussion Octovio Ascolani is to contact the head of the road department and schedule a meeting with him to voice the concerns. He will be invited to speak at the next meeting.
The last problem was the funding of the Baja 250. The Cotuco reported that the total cost to bring it here was just over $49,000 dollars and they were short $14,600 and anyone willing to donate to contact Cotuco.
The other groups will report at the next meeting on March 15 at 10am at the building by the soccer field. Open to all interested people who want to be involved.
The Consejo Empresarial De San Felipe goal is to make San Felipe a better place to live and work by having all groups work together to improve San Felipe."

mcfez - 3-19-2011 at 09:53 AM

grace59
Excellent report!!!!
I'll have to go through you for further area information :)

TMW - 3-19-2011 at 12:40 PM

Cleaning up the trash is an excellent thing to do but what do you do with it then. The trash dumps in Baja are ridiculous. Throwing trash on top of the ground is not the way to do it even if it is out of sight for tourist. Someone needs to get a bulldozer and dig a big hole and put the trash in it, burn if necessary and cover it so it doesn't blow all over the place. We call it a landfill. Sorry but I see the same problem all up and down Baja.

Also San Felipe could maybe paint the highway lanes as you get close to town. At night especially it's hard to tell what lane if any your in and no I wasn't drinking.

mcfez - 3-19-2011 at 01:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by TW
Cleaning up the trash is an excellent thing to do but what do you do with it then. The trash dumps in Baja are ridiculous. Throwing trash on top of the ground is not the way to do it even if it is out of sight for tourist. Someone needs to get a bulldozer and dig a big hole and put the trash in it, burn if necessary and cover it so it doesn't blow all over the place. We call it a landfill. Sorry but I see the same problem all up and down Baja.

Also San Felipe could maybe paint the highway lanes as you get close to town. At night especially it's hard to tell what lane if any your in and no I wasn't drinking.


Yeah....them lines are the beast of night!

Some years ago I was in my house there, and had decided to go down to the beach for a while. Well...I dont even close the front door when I am there, why bother, right?

Come back, and there's a million flies hangin on the walls and ceilings. Freakin army of em. Neighbor comes by and says..."oh...it's Sunday".

San Felipe does have a dump...way out by the northern edido. How do I know? Well......"oh...it's Sunday" and they burn trash at the dump. The flies take off for town!

ToBeInBaja - 3-19-2011 at 02:06 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by TW
Cleaning up the trash is an excellent thing to do but what do you do with it then. The trash dumps in Baja are ridiculous. Throwing trash on top of the ground is not the way to do it even if it is out of sight for tourist. Someone needs to get a bulldozer and dig a big hole and put the trash in it, burn if necessary and cover it so it doesn't blow all over the place. We call it a landfill. Sorry but I see the same problem all up and down Baja.

Also San Felipe could maybe paint the highway lanes as you get close to town. At night especially it's hard to tell what lane if any your in and no I wasn't drinking.


Amen to the highway lines...they painted the ones in town, not sure why they didn't do the highway lanes too... :P

But it's just a shame that rather than go through all the government protocol, budget, and etc, we couldn't just have a community movement...all you really need to do a clean-up, at least in town, is a lot of garbage bags and willing hands...

But there is the issue of the San Felipe dump...at least it is a dump, and we'd be getting the garbage off the streets... in the long-term, a landfill would be a better solution...but maybe if we all helped to pick up garbage in town, the government could budget for a landfill rather than town clean-up operation..just my thoughts... :)

BajaBlanca - 3-19-2011 at 05:31 PM

If anyone at all comes up with a way to get a gvt agency to approve funds / EIRs for a landfill, please let me know ....

the garbage dumps in Baja and Baja Sur are absurd. don't even get me started. I tried for years to get someone to help us out in la bocana, to no avail. So short sighted to burn trash and cause so much pollution, to let it fly around in the wind over thousands of kilometers ....

:fire:

bajalou - 3-19-2011 at 05:35 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ToBeInBaja
[
Amen to the highway lines...they painted the ones in town, not sure why they didn't do the highway lanes too... :P



The city streets are the town's responsibility, the highway north of town - Hghy 5 - is federal. Don't think anyone can do anything to it but the federal highway dept. Just like it has to be a federal highway patrol to issue tickets on it.

sancho - 3-19-2011 at 06:09 PM

In Mex, trash does not seem to bother the locals,
seems to be taken as part of the natural environment.
Can't even call the trash disposals areas dumps, just
open vacant land. Add to it the ever present San Felipe
wind. As time goes on, it's interesting to see
Gringo practices/habits creep into
Mex life. Finally no smoking restaurants, drunk driving
POSSIBLY being taken a little more seriously,
will we ever see doggie bags hanging from dispensers
on the Malecon to clean up after your dog?
Don't get me wrong, I welcome the additions,
I clean the beach daily in front of the RV Park I
stay in SF

Jim/Liisa - 3-19-2011 at 06:29 PM

Looks good to them...



[Edited on 02-05-2011 by Jim/Liisa]

sanfelipepre.jpg - 33kB

BajaBlanca - 3-19-2011 at 07:28 PM

you guys, this is one of my biggest pet peeves ... you all know that we just got back from the most wonderful mainland trip...well...in the canyon del sumidero which are these HUGE cliffs with a river far down below with an amazing boat trip ----- the trash was UNREAL in the river. and since this was NOT the main tourist season and there were easily 30 boats and boat captains sitting around, you wd think they wd go out and clean up the mostly plastic bottles that were literally corraled in these pockets along the river. and I mean hundreds of plastic bottles in this otherwise pristine river .... sooooooooooooo horrifying.

mcfez - 3-19-2011 at 09:03 PM

Wow.....very nice spot u went to. Too bad about the trash.

Chiapas, Chiapa de Corzo, Canon del Sumidero, vista aerea - Foto por la Secretaria de Turismo de Chiapas.jpg - 29kB

CortezBlue - 3-19-2011 at 09:34 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mcfez
Quote:
Originally posted by ToBeInBaja
Was just thinking tonight about how San Felipe seems to be starting to seriously take on the overflowing trash issue lately. In the past while, we've had new trash cans installed on the Malecon, a couple of Beach Cleanups, and this year at Carnival, I was happy to see town workers following right after the parades with brooms to clean up as they went along.

It's great to see this effort! As a thought, it would sure be nice to see something like the Adopt-a-Highway project, where local businesses could try "adopting" a section of street in San Felo, keeping it clean, and a sign put up on that stretch to promote the business.

Better yet, have the schools get involved in something like that...

We always try to pick up trash along our street and do our part to keep our little sea-side town looking beautiful...it would be great if there was a town-wide project to help keep things clean...

Thoughts anyone?


Actually...San Felipe has been seriously taking on the overflowing trash for a long time now.

A handful of years ago, coming into San Felipe from Mexicali.....was a tour drive thru the dumps! From cars to general trash (no cartel bodies) was spewed along the M5. This was a major complaint from tourist . SF, Mexicali, and the Rotary Club got together and was able to get this route cleaned up. It's pretty good I must say.

Yes...new cans down on the malecon. I have seen them overflowing often. Tires and junk reappearing again. Seen that too. I think the issue is that the tourist dollars are not there as much...to budget for the on going maintenance.

There were groups that gathered a few times of the year too...to clean up targeted areas of San Felipe. Again...the deck of economic cards is playing a hardship hand.

Over there in the north edido....was a great Lady building houses from recycled tires. She had campaigned for a long time to rid the tires of San Felipe. She I believe, is no longer around.

"adopting" a section of street......might be real hard to get that a go. The deck of economic cards is playing a hardship hand there too.

Solution? I dont any. Wish I did. [/quote

Mr. McClean

I agree, I remember when we use to come down and see numerous rusted out cars and trucks along the road.

I remember reading several years ago about a group of university students working together to clean M5. Shortly after reading it I saw a huge stock pile of Recycled materials on the side of the road south of Mexicali.
they had it neatly stacked into wood, paper, plastic, glass and metals.

A few weeks later there were large tractors and trucks moving it out. It was quite a huge undertaking.

BTW, I have heard of Ejido's but never an Edido, what is that?

mcfez - 3-19-2011 at 10:18 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by CortezBlue
Quote:
Originally posted by mcfez
Quote:
Originally posted by ToBeInBaja
Was just thinking tonight about how San Felipe seems to be starting to seriously take on the overflowing trash issue lately. In the past while, we've had new trash cans installed on the Malecon, a couple of Beach Cleanups, and this year at Carnival, I was happy to see town workers following right after the parades with brooms to clean up as they went along.

It's great to see this effort! As a thought, it would sure be nice to see something like the Adopt-a-Highway project, where local businesses could try "adopting" a section of street in San Felo, keeping it clean, and a sign put up on that stretch to promote the business.

Better yet, have the schools get involved in something like that...

We always try to pick up trash along our street and do our part to keep our little sea-side town looking beautiful...it would be great if there was a town-wide project to help keep things clean...

Thoughts anyone?


Actually...San Felipe has been seriously taking on the overflowing trash for a long time now.

A handful of years ago, coming into San Felipe from Mexicali.....was a tour drive thru the dumps! From cars to general trash (no cartel bodies) was spewed along the M5. This was a major complaint from tourist . SF, Mexicali, and the Rotary Club got together and was able to get this route cleaned up. It's pretty good I must say.

Yes...new cans down on the malecon. I have seen them overflowing often. Tires and junk reappearing again. Seen that too. I think the issue is that the tourist dollars are not there as much...to budget for the on going maintenance.

There were groups that gathered a few times of the year too...to clean up targeted areas of San Felipe. Again...the deck of economic cards is playing a hardship hand.

Over there in the north edido....was a great Lady building houses from recycled tires. She had campaigned for a long time to rid the tires of San Felipe. She I believe, is no longer around.

"adopting" a section of street......might be real hard to get that a go. The deck of economic cards is playing a hardship hand there too.

Solution? I dont any. Wish I did. [/quote

Mr. McClean

I agree, I remember when we use to come down and see numerous rusted out cars and trucks along the road.

I remember reading several years ago about a group of university students working together to clean M5. Shortly after reading it I saw a huge stock pile of Recycled materials on the side of the road south of Mexicali.
they had it neatly stacked into wood, paper, plastic, glass and metals.

A few weeks later there were large tractors and trucks moving it out. It was quite a huge undertaking.

BTW, I have heard of Ejido's but never an Edido, what is that?


Well CB ...as you know well...I am Irish. In Ireland we spell Ejido as like this : Edido :rolleyes:

Boy...I tell ya...I am in dire need of a vacation. I apologized twice this week, spelled incorrectly 3 times.....and got my facts backwards once. I need to go to "Pueticitos" :o



[Edited on 3-20-2011 by mcfez]

CortezBlue - 3-19-2011 at 11:14 PM

been here 9 days heading back tomorrow.

great weather, no wind.

spent several afternoons at Pete's

mcfez - 3-20-2011 at 06:40 AM

Wish I was able to meet you.

Too bad the cigar chompin' old man at the front office passed away, he was a character.

grace59 - 3-20-2011 at 06:43 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by CortezBlue
been here 9 days heading back tomorrow.

great weather, no wind.

spent several afternoons at Pete's

Thanks for the report, CB! We will be there in 13 days...hope the weather holds! Looking forward to some warm days, cold beers and fish tacos!

BajaBlanca - 3-20-2011 at 05:40 PM

McFez, that canyon was really one of the highlights of many highlights on our trip. The boat trip is spectacular, there are crocs in the river and no buildings at all except at the very end where they built a damn ... but the trash was horrible.

BajaWarrior - 3-20-2011 at 05:51 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mcfez
Wish I was able to meet you.

Too bad the cigar chompin' old man at the front office passed away, he was a character.


His name was Paul, retired cop, yep, real character.

mcfez - 3-20-2011 at 06:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaWarrior
Quote:
Originally posted by mcfez
Wish I was able to meet you.

Too bad the cigar chompin' old man at the front office passed away, he was a character.


His name was Paul, retired cop, yep, real character.

I am not good at remembering names.
Yes..Paul.
I didnt know he was a retired officer though.