S.C. Association minutes for 6/28/05

APFS, A.C. Meeting 22
June 28, 2005

Nine people present: Horst, Magdalena and Mitzi (Litibu); Erik (Hojanay and San Pancho); Virgilio (Hojanay); and Sajeela, Ken, Jeffrey and Greg (Sayulita).

(Since we seem to have dedicated ourselves to working without an agenda, we tend to bounce around a bit. This, and the fact that the subjects being discussed intertwine a good deal and because an estimated one fourth of the meeting was conducted in Spanish, has led the acting secretary to take a few liberties regarding the sequence of events and the way in which they are reported.)

Ken reported on his conversation with Jorge Careaga, notario, about the possibility of a local governing body having the power to review development proposals. Nuevo Vallarta is said to have something like this in place. Ken will see if he can find out more. There was a cautionary note sounded by several people because of the amount of work that could be generated by taking on this kind of responsibility and the probable need for office space and a paid staff. Horst mentioned the "partial plan" concept which is contained in the country's "human settlement" legislation as another possible avenue to greater local control. We will continue this exploration.

Because of the nearness of state and local elections (July 3 - Sunday), there was serious thought given to political considerations. Sajeela and Erik are particularly knowledgeable in this regard. We hope to be able to schedule meetings with the both the new governor of Nayarit (state), as well as the new president of Bahia de Banderas (county). Because there were people from other towns at the meeting, the discussion had a more regional tone to it. There was clearly consensus that a coastal alliance would have a stronger impact in areas where there are common interests and the potential for regional impacts (i.e., the highway to Punta de Mita, other new highways on the drawing board, FONATUR's quest for additional hotels, golf courses and marina development along the Costa Verde, etc.). The new governments do not take over until September. Erik noted that it is typical for there to be a lot of "last minute express decisions" and permit applications during this time of transition and that we should be on the alert.

As always, there was a reminder that our groups continue to focus on our individual communities and pick battles we have a reasonable chance of winning. It was agreed that offering viable alternatives be an essential part of our strategy. Horst talked about the "value giver-value taker" dichotomy and the need for compromise when appropriate. Also, the idea of having an escrow account with the aim at improving town infrastructure was brought up.

Ken (research) and Greg (footwork) described the step-by-step "permit process primer," which Cyndy also helped with. A rough draft was given to four realtors and several individuals for review last Thursday. The feedback felt both honest and thankful. It will be posted at www.preservesayulita.org soon. There was a realistic discussion of what the primer would mean to the Mexican community and some of the reactions we might expect. It will be a bilingual document and, hopefully, will be widely distributed.

We tossed around some ideas about the new highway to Punta de Mita. It has moved very fast and is a done deal in many respects. We will continue to pursue measures which might limit its use, slow traffic down, make it more people-friendly, etc. The ideas did not seem to be simply "pie-in-the-sky" ones. Erik, who got President Fox to name 2005 as the year of the jaguar, has had experience dealing with the transportation agencies and feels there is still an opportunity for remediation. He and Virgilio gave a list of names of people in the Punta de Mita area who would be able to influence highway-related decisions and recommended this be one item to focus on right now.

The final part of the meeting focused on our relationship with Dr. Alberto Szekely, the association's lawyer. It was pointed out that a number of matters under discussion are concluded by the words "Alberto is taking care of that." He will be coming here in a couple of weeks or so and we resolved to be prepared. Erik felt as though Alberto would have to have help for him to be able to deal with all that's on the table and suggested a lawyer he knows who works with CEMDA (Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental - www.cemda.org.mx). Horst mentioned that he assumes the people from Litibu would very much like to get to know Alberto, become clearer about the scope of his work and what the present priorities are for him and the Sayulita group. Also to find out how this concurs with Litibu issues and priorities. He was asking when Alberto would be coming, also that he would like to have a closer idea about his schedule. It was agreed to prepare a list of topics for the upcoming visit of Alberto and everybody will e-mail their points to Greg and Cyndy (contact@preservesayulita.org) so that an agenda can be prepared.

Next meeting will be next Tuesday, July 5, 2005 at Haramara at 9 a.m.

Thank you all for attending.

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