BY CORTNI NUCKLOS
Los Alamos

Dear Council,

Regarding the Diamond Drive property proposal there has been much flurried discussion of possible car washes and fear of possible car washes.

And as I’m sure you’ve noticed, transparency on this matter is of great concern to the community. I have submitted IPRAs that will hopefully give me more context. 

But there are a great many public records pertinent to this that can be found in minutes through Google, and this is the concerning context I’ve discovered.

• Speedy Shine LLC and Russ NM LLC are both delinquent in the state of Colorado. 
  
• Mr. Ross appears to have sold his car washes (previously on 8th Street in Colorado Springs and Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe) to Take 5, a national chain.
  
• Both Speedy Shine and Russ NM LLC’s records with the state of New Mexico are outdated and list a company address he sold to Take 5.
  
• Even his website, speedyshine.com, redirects to Take 5, which would be counterproductive to any impending Speedy Shine locations.

I am left with concerns about the picture that has been presented to the community, given the sold nature of the car washes, apparent unwillingness to maintain records with secretaries of state, and website redirect to a company Mr. Ross doesn’t own. 

All this, and according to the Community Development Department’s public-facing records, the demolition project (which was contracted out for $102,000 not the possible $700,000 -$1.2 million broadcast in the press) is listed as only 50% complete. 

When someone in these circumstances asks for payment 2.69x the assessed value under an expedited deadline, we have reason to be concerned. And I must also register that no one should accept the harm this could cause as a precedent. 

Please vote against this real estate purchase.