The Santa Fe New Mexican, Jan 28, 1990

Scientologists' tunnel project raises doubts
by Sally Ooms

For the New Mexican

More than 45 miles from Las Vegas, N.M., members of the "Church" of Scientology have dug a 350-foot dirt tunnel into a mesa and kicked up a dust storm of mystery and rumor.

"Church" members working on the project say the tunnel will be used to store steel plates and gold-plated chrome-and-glass compact discs preserving Scientology writings and lectures.

But neighbors of the project and residents of nearby Las Vegas, while publicly saying the project has been a small economic boon, privately speculate that the tunnel and three houses being constructed near it will be used for something other than their stated purpose

The site's isolation - 3,600 acre ranch in the juniper and pinon-studded plains of eastern San Miguel County - and the secrecy of "church" members surrounding the four year project have contributed to the rumors.

Other than "church" members and a handful of visitors, only about 100 construction workers have been allowed on the site. Visitors are not encouraged.

"Church" members say they simply are seeking privacy.

"Contrary to any rumors that might have started, there's no mystery about what we are doing," said Jane McNairn, administrator for the "Church" of "Spiritual Technology," a Los Angeles based organization of Scientologists formed to preserve "church" teachings and materials for other key "religions."

Eastern San Miguel County was chosen for the tunnel project because "it is away from the pollution of a major city and it is an area that is not likely to be a nuclear target," she said.

Nairn is quick to point out that although the "Church" of "Spiritual Technology" is associated with the "Church" of Scientology, the "Church" of "Spiritual Technology" has an entirely different mission.

"Church" members will not hold "church" services or meetings at the site, project manager Chuck Dugan said.

"The intention is that once the initial phase of construction and renovations is over, our 'religious' materials will remain quietly undisturbed for years to come." he said.

The tunnel and two of three caretakers houses have been completed. A third 12,000-square-foot house and a storage vault inside the tunnel are scheduled for completion in mid-March.

The "Church" of Scientology was founded by L.Ron Hubbard, whose 1950 book Dianetics became a best seller.

Hubbard described dianetics as a "modern science of mental health" that allows one to resolve problems by tracing behavior back to earlier causes.

Scientology, Hubbard said, is "an organized body of scientific [sic] research [sic] knowledge [sic] concerning life, life sources and the mind." It "is designed to make individuals better able to communicate, to study and to deal with life's problems successfully," McNairn said.

The "church," now with 5 million members [Fact: about 300,000 members world-wide], has many missions worldwide, she said.

"But our mission in San Miguel County is more narrow." she said. "It is concerned strictly with the preservation of valuable 'religious' materials and 'scripture.'"

The Scientologists got the idea of a tunnel from the Mormon Church, which has a similar storage center in Utah..

"Church" of "Spiritual Technology" representatives declined to disclose the cost of the project. They dwell on the archival-research aspect of their task.

McNairn said about 45 "church" employees in Los Angeles are transferring the "religious" writings of Hubbard and other Scientologists onto long lasting paper and etching them onto thin sheets of stainless steel capable of lasting 1,000 years.

The "church" is using only the highest-quality archival-grade papers, cloths and threads made from pure cotton and linen fibers, she said. Staff members also are using digital recording techniques to preserve recorded Scientology lectures. Once they are digitally recorded, McBairn said, they will be put onto special compact discs made of gold plated chrome and glass. The special discs are superior to the commercially produced discs, which decay within about ten years.

The archival work is the culmination of seven years of extensive research on preservation of documents, and the "Church" of "Spiritual technology" has consulted other preservation minded institutions, including the U.S. Library of Congress, the National Archives and the Smithsonian Conservation library.

The land for the "church" ranch was purchased in 1983, but harsh weather and the task of building a road over rugged terrain delayed construction, Dunagin said.

John Pye, lead engineer with Underground Support Assistance of Santa Fe, describes the tunnel as Y-shaped - 200 feet long before branching into two 150-foot legs, which will be used for storage.

At the end of one tunnel is a horseshoe section about 11 feet high by 10 feet wide and designed for storage of archives of particular value.

The floor of the tunnel is concrete, the walls stuccoed and painted. The underground structure was designed for easy maintenance and to be deep enough to ensure it will hold up for the 1,000 year period the "church" hopes to preserve its records, Pye said.

A strip of land on top of the mesa resembles an airstrip. Three houses designed by Mazria Associates, an architectural and planning firm based in Santa Fe, will be used to house five to six caretakers, "church" officials said.

A metal house at the lowest elevation is 1,500 square feet. The 12,000 square foot house still under construction is a half mile closer to the mesa. The third house on the side of the mesa is 5,700 square feet and covers the tunnel entrance. Access to the tunnel is through the third floor, said Ed Mazria, owner of Mazria Associates.

Only a few people other than construction workers and "Church" of "Spiritual Technology" members have seen the construction and the inside of the tunnel.

Perfecto Padilla of Las Vegas, who owns land adjacent to the "church" property, is one of those few visitors. He granted the group an easement on his road.

"I sincerely hope that the tunnel is what [ illegible ]

He has no quibbles with "church" members whom he dubs "polite and congenial" but he is disgusted about construction workers who have been careless about leaving gates open. Padilla owns cattle and said he has had to round them up because the wandered off when gates were not shut.

He said he also resents the traffic and dust created by the project and having people come into what was once a secluded area. "If I had known there would be this much traffic when they started, I probably wouldn't have given them an easement," Padilla said. He has had sewage dumped on his stretch of road and believes it came from trucks that were supposed to be hauling the sewage from the "church" land to Tucumcari for disposal.

McNairn said the "church" took responsibility for the dumping and cleaned up the sewage.

In late December a propane tank was stolen from his property. "Now we're too public," he said. "There are too many people nosing around."

Robert Gutierrez, a Las Vegas schoolteacher who owns property near the "church" ranch, said he has never been asked to visit and can't help but wonder what is going on.

"It's not really accessible." he said. "Communication with them is not that great."

Furthermore he is worried about the impact the construction will have on the environment. He maintains that heavy construction equipment has worn down the county access road to the property, and he worries that new wells will put a strain on an already-low water table.

However, Charlie Vigil, a san Miguel County commissioner when the "church" brought plans to commission meetings in 1983, said the organization has helped maintain a county access road. Vigil has visited the property and said the "church" was instrumental in installing needed culverts and cattle guards.

Officials responsible for ensuring that state regulations are followed report cooperation with the "Church" of "Spiritual Technology." A representative of the state Engineer's Office said the ranch area in not a groundwater basin, therefore no permits drilling permits were required.

Anita Roy, an environmentalist with the Las Vegas [illegible ]

improvement division, said the "church" has complied with state environmental regulations. Roy has inspected the water supply, the field kitchen for construction workers and the liquid waste-disposal system.

The "church" drilled several wells before finding adequate water but now has two producing wells, she said.

The "church" also complied with state laws governing excavation of a tunnel, said Luke Quinones, an inspector for the New Mexico Bureau of Mines. His office reviewed construction plans and trained "church" employees in safety and emergency first aide.

Construction Industries in Santa Fe said all permits for the houses were applied for and granted. Construction Industries representatives have inspected the plumbing, electricity and buildings and found the workmanship to be good-quality construction, a representative said.

Some Las Vegans note the project has been a source of revenue for area businesses.

Mayor Tony Martinez said he is not very familiar with the project. "But when they first started out they were pretty good customers." he said.

Gordon Hays, owner of Hays Plumbing and Heating in Las Vegas, has done plumbing work for the "church."

"The seem like pretty good people to me." he said.

The Las Vegas San Miguel Chmaber of Commerce lists Chuck Dunagin as a member and chamber Director Martin Leger said Dunagin has donated time to help with chamber functions.

Law enforcement officials in Las Vegas said they are not privy to much information about the project. Although the ranch is in the jurisdiction of the Las Vegas office of the New Mexico State Police, Capt. David Bibiano said he does not remember a state police officer ever going to the property.

"It's private property." he said.

Joe Urban, a San Miguel County Sheriff's deputy, said he doesn't believe anyone from his office has been on the land, either. "All I've heard is that they are making archives for books." he said.

"At least they are... [ illegible ]

Go Back