A group of residents living along the minor roads connected by Llano Road North, known locally as Pinabete or Mountain Valley Acres, have organized a community project to repair and maintain deteriorating dirt roads. These roads are not currently owned by nor the responsibility of Taos County or the Village of Questa, therefore the Pinabete community has been forced to pool resources and labor on their own in order to make the roads safer and more accessible.
The effort, dubbed the Pinabete Roads Project, is a voluntary initiative led by resident and project manager, Dan Kuehn, along with core community members Joseph Cruz, Paul Mooney, Wesly Chapman, as well as approximately 30 residents who have contributed to the project in various ways. Organizers stress that the Pinabete area is not under a homeowners association and does not involve covenants, rules about property, or mandatory dues. “We’re residents and landowners living along the dirt roads… but we all share the same roads — and the same challenges,” a project statement read. “We have the people, tools, and willpower to make change — but we need coordination and shared effort.”
The group originally outlined two funding goals to address the severity of the road damage caused by erosion from water and heavy vehicle traffic. The top goal of $40,000 would have allowed the project to hire local construction company Sanchez Excavation to supervise road improvements, provide equipment, and a crew of skilled labor. Key improvements under this plan would have included importing quality material from locals Ortega Gravel or Mascareñas Trucking Company (MTC), Inc. to raise a 5/8-mile stretch of road by 9 inches, installing culverts at driveway entry points, crowning and creating swails for drainage, improving existing bar ditches, and using a roller to compact the finished road for durability.
When organizers realized the $40,000 top goal was financially unfeasible, they adopted a more pragmatic approach: “We’ll do what we can with what we’ve got.” The community ultimately raised close to $6,000 through small donations ranging from $50 to $500. This amount was enough to secure 235 tons of base coarse road material from MTC in Costilla and rent a skid steer for two days, with remaining funds allocated for a roller to pack the road after grading.
The minimum goal of $5,000 relied heavily on volunteer labor and equipment. This minimal option has already been put into action after having raised enough money in donations and pledges to initiate the project. Thanks in part to an affordable permit to extract Red River washout material from the US Forest Service, and generous gratis loading and delivery of material by Entact, organizers have coordinated the initial phase by spreading Red River runoff material as well as new material delivered by MTC. Pinabete local Wesly Chapman volunteered long days recently to spread the material, avoiding major disruption to his neighbors. Next steps include clearing drainage and reinforcing existing bar ditches. “Once we get everything done and ready and looking good we will bring a roller in to pack it all down and hopefully keep it in place over the winter,” Kuehn said.
The most recent update to the project was on Nov. 12, when Granite performed the necessary grading for the project free of charge. The material was then packed down by a roller completed by Sanchez Excavation, with both activities leaving the road in good, drivable condition.
Residents and supporters wishing to contribute to the Pinabete Roads Project have two options for funding: through a dedicated GoFundMe campaign, or by directly depositing funds into the Pinabete Road account (#4771-00) at the Questa Credit Union to avoid platform fees. Organizers stress that all funds go directly to the road work, with a commitment to full transparency regarding expenditures.
You can check for updates about the project and see before and after pictures by visiting pinabete.us.
