|
Parks & Rec Board Plans Grand Opening |
|
|
|
Written by Jesse Darling
|
|
Tuesday, 18 December 2007 |
|
First in a series
At their December 4 meeting, Corrales Parks and Recreation Commission
members crowded into the Village Office conference room to make plans
for an April grand opening of the long-awaited skate park and
tennis courts, among other matters.
Keeping projects like the skate park and tennis courts moving along to
completion at the Corrales Recreation Center is a big part of what the
commission does.
But less obvious to the general public are the committee’s efforts to keep parks and rec facilities environmentally friendly.
The sprinkler system at the rec center, for example, operates with data
collected and transmitted by satellite. It senses current weather
conditions, evaporation rates and soil types, among other factors, to
determine how much water is needed on the rec center playing fields.
This cuts down on over-watering, an obvious concern in a desert
environment.
Combine this approach with the solar water heating system for the
swimming pool and use of goats to eliminate weeds rather than mowing
with gasoline-powered equipment, and the result is a “greener” rec
center.
Also new is a jogging path installed by the Corrales Kiwanis Club, a project which was reviewed and approved by the commission.
Ongoing youth programs at the rec center include a basketball league
which now serves about 160 children from Corrales and the surrounding
area.
One of the longer-serving members of the commission, Sarah Cobb, has
recently announced her resignation. She has seen the committee
through many challenges over the years: her son was a main
initiator of the skate park project now finally getting under way.
Asked what she considers to be the biggest challenge that commissioners
face, she said laughingly, “Getting to the meetings each month.”
Membership is about half veterans and half newly appointed. They meet
the first Tuesday each month in the Village Office. David Lafferty is
chairman.
The public is always welcome.
Editor’s Note: this is the first in a series of articles on various
boards and committees appointed by the Village of Corrales. These
volunteer committees are the backbone of Village government and
grass-roots support and direction for Corrales’ quality of life. |
