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We, the Ajijic Citizens Recycle Committee, need your help!
Last weekend we were notified that we had to vacate the Centro de Acopio in El Bajio (the big trash dump), so we quickly proceeded to round up as much cardboard as we could to sell and started emptying out one of the 2 rooms at the building so that the Mexican Army could move in .. that location has served as their 'barracks' in past years during Easter season.

After 2 hectic days of cleaning we were told they had found another location .. but getting the space even near "usable" showed us that with manpower we could utilize the area much more efficiently.

When we took over the program as a citizens committee in December of 2018 the problem of trash contamination was already severe and we could never get ahead of it since the municipal government did not have the $$ to send us workers, the hit and miss efforts by them to help us was not enough.
Now, thanks to our early sales of materials that we have collected we have enough money to hire 2 workers for 2 months AND start clearing out trash and begin organizing with the dream of making this a functional center to receive and sort materials. So we are organizing a massive 'volunteer' effort for Saturday April 6 (9am to 2pm) to sort what materials we have, move them into the cleared space in the bodega and hopefully finally make some progress in turning the 'dump' into a program! There is an unbelievable amount of unsorted plastic and huge deposits of cardboard scattered all over the land behind the warehouse building.

We could use all the help we can muster that day sorting materials and moving them inside. Also we need help spreading the word to friends and neighbors to come help or send their gardener that one day to get the job done. After we have cleared the mountain of unsorted materials behind the warehouse we plan to call in the heavy equipment (that will cost $$) to scoop out the pile of 'trash in front', and tear down the wall that is blocking access to the east side of the building so that our truck can enter the property there and no longer leave materials outside in the highway access area.
Then, when money permits, we want to place large recycle containers in front with highway access for the public to leave their donations in a "more sightly manner" ..

If you cannot help physically and have no one to send that day, you could help by sending fruit, sandwiches, water, or the like, to keep the volunteers "fully charged" that day. Those who come to help should bring gloves and a hat..

Please call me at 3314 97 3620 or email us at reciclajeajijic@gmail.com to coordinate efforts and make this a success. This is a pilot program, let's show the Chapala government what Ajijic can do!! Tom Thompson and the entire committee of Citizen Volunteers!

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5 hours ago, oregontochapala said:

As usual, in a municipality that includes numerous pueblos, this is directed solely at those residing in Ajijic. They fail to realize time and time again their belief that Ajijic (and those who reside there) are the center of the universe is to their detriment. Maybe someday, you'll come to realize that inclusiveness benefits everyone, but I'm not holding my breath.

I believe this is specifically the Ajijic recycling program is it not?  It does not cover Chapala.  There's an article in this week's GDL Reporter that makes this abundantly plain.

Hence the call for volunteers was directed at Ajijic which also happens to be the community that provides by far the greatest support for all sorts of civic efforts in the larger community including helping disadvantaged kids and animals among other things.  I see very little volunteer effort for anything coming out of Chapala in particular, probably because you all enjoy the "benefit" of everyone's taxes being spent mainly in your town.  In short, In the 11 years I've lived here I've never seen anything close to the level of effort for helping the greater community that Ajijic sponsors coming out of any of the "numerous communities." you refer to. 

In addition to that, Ajijic taxpayers see most of their money going everywhere but here.  This had not changed with the new government as anyone who follows the Chapala government Facebook page regularly can see with their own eyes.  Indeed, once again Ajijic people had to fund raise to fix the benches on their Malecon while being treated to Facebook plaudits and pictures of the same being done on the Chapala Malecon by government workers and government purchased materials paid for with among others, our tax dollars.

The latest affront is the Chapala government bragging about all of its road repair efforts everywhere while the folks in Ajijic are trying some sort of senior beauty contest to try and raise money to get some of the hundreds of potholes in Ajijic fixed.  Personally while I laud the good intentions of some of my neighbors to try and ameliorate the worst of the neglect of this community by the Chapala government I can't help but feel these things just enable and encourage the ripoff to continue.  And it is continuing, make no mistake about that.

So, Chapalans and long gone ex Chapalan, instead of your constant insults of our community I suggest you enjoy the fruits of our taxes and try and be a little more gracious about it.  Don't bite the hand that feeds you.  In this case, you all don't lift a finger to have your own recycling program though I have no doubt at some point the Chapala government will do that for you too.

 

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51 minutes ago, Ginger said:

A lot of the money for the bench project came from people who do not live in Ajijic.  I was one who coughed up 1000 pesos and I never go to the Malecon.  I live in Riberas which you constantly trash even while trying to sell your house there.

Well, if you classify pointing out the obvious that due to lot density and groundwater issues Riberas needs sewers, than I am guilty as charged.  Otherwise you are incorrect.  I also wonder why Riberas residents don't question more the even more neglect of it by the Chapala government.  Yeah your tax dollars are being spent elsewhere too.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Ferret said:

Why don't you ask CBob gringal. I also live in Riberas and never go to the malecon.

I also supported the bench project. I live in SAT and it was probably a year ago I was last on the Ajijic malecon. I do believe in supporting our community however.

SunFan

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Mainecoons got me going with his post about inherent corruption and entitlement  exhibited by the local municipal government. I don't normally agree with his philosophy but in terms of his rants about favoritism and blatant corruption I support his mission.

I've lived in Mexico (Lakeside) for seven years now. I've traveled to dozens of towns in many of the states.

No matter how poor the town, how little wealth or how desperate the state I have never seen road infrastructure as badly neglected as here at Lakeside, particularly Ajijic.  Even the poorest towns and villages I've been in have sidewalks that aren't battle worn and streets that aren't a Chiropractor's dream.

Lakeside is wealthy. Look at the homes. Look at the cars. Look at the wages.

I live in Chula Vista. The Fracc provides it's own services at homeowners expense - water, road maintenance, street lighting, garbage collection, maintenance. The owners still pay municipal taxes. As a former Fracc treasurer I would estimate Chula Vista puts a million pesos a year into the Chapala coffers. In return the only service residents receive that I can think of is Policing. Ouch.

There are at least twenty Fraccs at Lakeside. Many have the same Concession Agreements that Chula Vista has with Chapala. What on earth is the municipality doing with those millions of pesos?

OK I know the answer.

SunFan

 

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"A lot of the money for the bench project came from people who do not live in Ajijic." (Ginger)

I don't doubt that some folks contributed who do not live in Ajijic, but since I questioned the "a lot of", I will ask CBOB on TOB.

I agree with Mainecoons that the infrastructure in the area is being sorely neglected, unfairly.

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Sunfan , I guess you have never been to Tuxtla Gutierrez and walked around town... the place is a total disgrace the minute you leave the better part of town.. sidewalks?? holes where half a car can go down, bad sewers , name it the place is a disgrace.. No Ajijic is not the worst or the only one but I agree with you it should be way better considering the make of the population..

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I have ridden and continue to ride all over Mexico on my moto.  At this point I have visited more than half the states and some dozens of muncipios as far north as the U.S. border and as far south as riding the coast from Tecoman to Puerto Angel and beyond.  You see a whole lot from the seat of a moto.

What I have seen are many, many places that don't begin to have the prosperity and tax base of this one that are far better taken care of by their local governments.  Actually, one does not have to go near that far or even out of Jalisco to see the same thing.  There is something seriously wrong with a government that is constantly being censored for illegal acts regarding granting of permits, lack of transparency, stiffing lower level employees, having their bank accounts frozen and on and on.  The result is what we are living with in Chapala muncipio.

Like many others, I first believed and hoped the last election would signal a change in Chapala's dismal record of corruption and ineptitude.  While it appears more money is actually being spent on fixing things up and less being stolen or squandered, I have sadly concluded that the problem of taking everyone's money around the municipality and largely spending it on Chapala has not changed.  I invite everyone to simply follow their Facebook page for a couple months and draw your own conclusions.

Also please do not construe my comment on CBob's Malecon project as anything other than praise and appreciation for what he and other volunteers accomplished.  Having spent years suppressing graffiti here with the help of a few others I understand the time and commitment needed to get stuff like this done.  He and his group deserve our thanks.  

Unfortunately the need to do it again will come around as long as we have a government that uses these and other local efforts as an excuse and enablement to continue to short change Ajijic.  Yet, as bad as our pothole ridden streets have become, however, for a real eye opener take a short drive in Riberas down San Lucas to the corner of San Isabel and see what complete neglect looks like.  Warning:  suitable for high clearance vehicles only.  

Thanks SunFan for the support.  Before there can be real change, there needs to be real awareness and an end to making excuses for the Chapala government.

BMH the fact you can name other places with obviously bad government does not negate the fact there are many that do so much better.  Why would we want or support a government that strives to be the worst rather than one that strives to be the best?

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24 minutes ago, Kyle said:

Can we not just be supportive of someone doing a good thing.  Recycling is good for the planet thus good for all of us

There was ONE on-topic comment posted after the OP. Then the usual grumbling, complaining, bickering posts began. The only good thing about this is it keeps the OP appearing at the top of New Content. I so appreciate the optimistic people who remain hopeful against the on-going tide of negativity. They are better people than me. 

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"Thread wander", up to a point, is normal. This one did go far afield.

The whole recycling issue is a quandry.  When you see the labels on the blue recycling bins, it doesn't name all the things that were in the article about what gets recycled.  Sorry to say, when we were directed to put out separate containers with the recycling things in them, our plastic containers disappeared twice.  Other times, the regular garbage truck took the contents  along with the regular bags of garbage.  What to do?

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I like the way the bridge to Jesus statue, and the Ajijic Malecon benches worked. Private people raised the construction materials and the Municipality supplied the labor. A lot less opportunity for corruption this way. If the Mayor tries to skim worker wages, their Union will get involved, and they are already skimming wages. Look into raising money for airport runway repair cement. This stuff is super durable and you can land a plane on it in fifteen minutes.

The trash picked up in Chapala is sorted at the Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos facility. A huge building like an aircraft hangar. Some are Municipal truck, some are private trucks, but this were they all unload. It is expensive. Sent the gardener with a small pickup load of trash, including construction materials, and the fee was around 600 pesos. Yes, I did see the receipt.

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