SantaFe.com

Jay Maze looks at the Earth as one big solar collector.

So when people call Dahl Plumbing asking about solar energy systems, he tells them about geothermal: using the stored heat in the ground for heating and cooling.

He must be winning some of them over. The company has 16 geothermal projects active; that compares to a rough estimate of 25 or 30 done over the four years Dahl has been providing that alternative. “A lot of them were big jobs,” Maze added in a recent interview.

Geothermal is still a small percentage of Dahl’s heating and cooling business — a small number in terms of total...

Tuesday, September 2, 2008
by Jackie Jadrnak • Journal Santa Fe

San Isidro Plaza and Village is revving up as a hub of activity on Santa Fe’s South Side.

“I just signed a lease yesterday,” said Leonardo Razatos last week of his plans to open the third of the “sister restaurants” that started with the Plaza Café downtown. “As far as I can tell, most of the businesses there are going pretty well.”

Just in case the name doesn’t ring a bell, here’s a reminder: San Isidro Plaza is the retail development tucked between Airport, Cerrillos and Zafarano roads and anchored by Regal Cinema and Lowe’s Home Improvement.

The Village part of the development refers to...

Tuesday, August 26, 2008
by Jackie Jadrnak • Journal Santa Fe

Most people buying houses don’t expect them to come equipped with a car in the garage or driveway.

Rick and Randi Theobald are trying to change that — at least for four houses on Santa Fe’s east side. They’re throwing in a free Smart car as part of the deal.

“We did have a good turnout at the open houses on the weekend,” Rick Theobald said Monday. He couldn’t tell, though, if that was a result of his ad that ran Friday with the lure of the diminutive cars or a result of the Haciendas, A Parade of Homes that brought home buyers and agents out last weekend.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
by Jackie Jadrnak • Journal Santa Fe

If the water flows, they will come. That twist on a “Field of Dreams” cliché held true along northern sections of the Rio Grande this summer, where rafting companies have had a bustling season.

“It’s actually terrific. We’ve had great water, the best water since ’05,” said Allegra Huston of Los Rios River Runners in Taos. “We’ve had an excellent season.”

And while there have been fears about how gasoline prices might affect touristrelated businesses this summer, northern New Mexico rafting companies haven’t noticed those costs affecting the number of people seeking river adventures.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008
by Jackie Jadrnak • Journal Santa Fe

After two years traveling The Trail of Painted Ponies in New Mexico, Rod Barker rode off into the sunset.

But that’s true only because he headed west to Arizona. The author and entrepreneur certainly didn’t fade away.

Instead, Barker converted his idea of painted-horse public art into collectible figurines that he says have racked up more than $80 million in retail sales over the last five years. And that doesn’t even count related merchandising, such as kits for kids to paint their own pon ies (t he figurines, not the flesh-andblood ones), as well as use of the artistic horse images on...

Thursday, August 14, 2008
by Jackie Jadrnak • Journal Santa Fe

If you see trees being felled on the Plaza this fall, don’t panic. They’ll all be replaced, and seven new ones will be added.

That’s just part of a planned renovation scheduled to start in late September or early October. New lights, leveledout flagstone, and a higher central banco all are part of the scheme to upgrade the historic green space.

As for the benches — well, there’s the real question.

Sharon Woods, chairwoman of the Historic Design Review Board, called the proposed benches “pedestrian” at a meeting Tuesday night. The bench intended to replace the 36 currently on the Plaza,...

Wednesday, August 13, 2008
by Jackie Jadrnak • Journal Santa Fe

The red stripes bleed into the white on the American f lag reversed in a sign of distress. Old shoes, hats, bras, dollar bills, passport folders and a water bottle are attached to the fabric.

But it was the sight of people using spray paint and markers to write on it that apparently upset a caller to Journal North. A man who identified himself as Jimmy Hayes, an El Paso veteran, reported what he saw and said, “This is a travesty .... Goddamn, they can’t be doin’ that!”

The flag is part of an arts installation at El Museo de Cultural put together by Neil Bernstein, an artist who brought...

Friday, August 8, 2008 at 10:00 AM
by Jackie Jadrnak • Journal Santa Fe

Hotel guests will wander the halls of buildings that once housed tuberculosis patients and the old St. Vincent Hospital, while parking lots will be built over with additions to the south face of the old hospital, new suites and a parking garage.

Those are just part of the plans unveiled Wednesday evening by Drury Hotels for a major restoration/ construction project at the corner of Palace Avenue and Paseo de Peralta. For about 50 people who showed for a neighborhood meeting on the project, traffic, parking and construction upheaval ranked high amid their concerns.

Thursday, August 7, 2008
by Jackie Jadrnak • Journal Santa Fe

The folks at Encantado want their guests to have the sun, the moon and the stars. And that’s just at the spa.

That spa treatment — yes, the four-hour package really is called “The Sun, The Moon and The Stars,” offering couples massage and other treatments, fireside relaxation, soaks and steams, capped with champagne, truffles and a chef’s plate — reflects the tone the resort is aiming for.

Indulgence. Romance. Pampering.

Betty Egan would hardly know the place.

People who remember the old Rancho Encantado, where Egan held court from the time she purchased it in 1968 until her death in...

Tuesday, August 5, 2008
by Jackie Jadrnak • Journal Santa Fe

Rows of slot machines blinked their multicolored come-ons. Water lapped at the bases of Romanlike arches bisecting the indoor pool. Vivid portraits of flowers and succulents glowed over massage tables.

But no one was responding to their allure. Instead, workers were swarming over the grounds of Buffalo Thunder Resort & Spa recently, unreeling carpeting, finishing off walls and smoothing earth for a patio, all in feverish preparation for an opening less than a month away.

The resort will be ready, promised Richard A. Ross, director of sales and marketing.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008
by Jackie Jadrnak • Journal Santa Fe