Proposed as an agenda item for the Village Council’s July 20 session is discussion about possible regulations for walls and fences along Corrales Road aimed at protecting scenic quality. The topic has been surging and ebbing over the past year with the Planning and Zoning Commission prodded to present a draft ordinance that mirrored what the Village of Los Ranchos enacted for Rio Grande Boulevard on the other side of the river. (See Corrales Comment Vol.XXXX No.8 June 5, 2021 “New Rules for Corrales Road Walls, Fences.”) At least three council members are
A planned high-volume drive-thru coffee shop near the corner of Cabezon Road and Loma Larga-Ellison Drive has residents in Skyview Acres warning that Corrales’ heavily-used exit to the south would become impassable from lined up cars. The now-vacant land east of the Mister Carwash along Highway 528 (Alameda Boulevard) is the site for a Dutch Brothers coffee shop and a phase two 3,350 square foot restaurant with another drive-thru. Neither of these would have a direct
A new law restricting secondary dwellings on residential lots in Corrales was passed unanimously at the June 15 Village Council meeting. Ordinance 21-04 clarified what constitutes an impermissible kitchen and defines a dwelling unit which “may be a mobile home, modular home, manufactured home or site-built house. It may also be an independent unit of an apartment, townhouse or other such multiple-unit residential structure where allowed by Zoning Code. Recreational vehicles, travel trailers or converted buses, whether on wheels or a permanent foundation, cannot be a dwelling unit.” The key point in the wording above is that Corrales law permits only one such dwelling unit on an acre of land, or on two acres of land in the former Bernalillo County portion of the village. The ordinance does not ban, or otherwise restrict casitas, or guesthouses, or so-called “mother-in-law” quarters, that already exist here.
The adopted amendments to Section 18-29 and Section 18-203 of the Village’s Code of Ordinances were considered necessary because such secondary dwelling have proliferated in recent years with property owners erecting them as rentals. The preamble of the ordinance passed June 15 states the intent as follows. The Village Council “directs the Village to require the residential dwelling unit density to be limited to a maximum of one per lot, with a minimum lot size of one or two acres,
Corrales’ first, and so far only, legal marijuana retail outlet has been open more than a month at the corner of Corrales Road and Rincon Road. Operated by Southwest Organic Producers (SWOP), it sells only medical cannabis to patients with a prescription. But next year, the site may also sell recreational pot. “We look forward to the future of cannabis, and the changes that will come with recreational approval next year,” SWOP’s northern regional manager, Sheena Brogdon said in an email to Corrales Comment July 2. She said her firm “is excited to be the first dispensary in Corrales. At SWOP, we focus on meeting our medical patients’ needs through a variety of products.
“We carry a little bit of everything: tinctures, edibles, concentrates and flower. Our specialty is our locally grown cannabis, from our farm right here in Corrales.” For months, signs announcing the dispensary would be “coming soon” were posted roadside
What should be done to provide bicycle, pedestrian and equestrian paths along upper Meadowlark Lane between Loma Larga and Rio Rancho? The roadway was re-designed and rebuilt more than two years ago with the promise that a new effort would be made to learn what villagers wished to have along the road shoulders. That had already been determined a long time back based on extensive public involvement, including a consultant conducting a planning charette, but the resulting 2013 plan was scrapped when it was learned the proposed path along the north side of the road could not use funding contingent on compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).
Finally, the public input effort has resumed with a meeting in the Village Council Chambers Thursday, July 8. Results of that meeting could not be included in this issue. According to Public Works Director Mike Chavez in 2019, approvals were in place for the bike and pedestrian trail along the westbound lane, although no start date was announced. That part of the overall project was delayed for a re-design of a paved bike trail to satisfy the N.M. Transportation Department’s concerns about compliance with ADA. The original design had problematic slopes both east-west and north-south at the same locations near the top of West
By Carol Merrill
On Monday, June 7 the Corrales Library welcomed patrons in person for the first time in more a year. In the quiet shady park one young lady sat in the grass and leaned her back against a tree listening to something on her phone. Children played at the swings and slides. One person walked into the library in the first hour. Then more and more showed up. This cultural hub has awakened. A volunteer meets you at the door with a smile, a special Corrales mask, if you need one, hand sanitizer and sanitary wipes. And, the bathroom is open. That’s an important service. There is a plastic shield around the circulation desk to protect the volunteers checking out materials. Even with all the precautionary items here and there, it’s good to be back. The graceful koi fish are swimming circles in their pool surrounded by green plants. The koi are the new emblematic motif for the library logo on stationery.
Retired Corrales dentist Guy Clark continues his advocacy work as chairman of Stop Predatory Gambling, and he now focuses on the Campaign for Gambling-Free Kids to restrict the gambling industry from targeting children and teens. Clark became involved in advocacy work against predatory gambling in the 1990s when he was asked to serve as a representative from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling (NCALG). The coalition transitioned to the Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation in 2008. The Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation limits its advocacy work to predatory gambling and does not intend to limit social gambling. The foundation defines predatory gambling as a government-corporation partnership that sanctions commercialized gambling that exploits citizens.
Predatory gambling often involves the marketing of commercialized gambling to the public, and the industry is designed so that the gambling corporation collects the bulk of money gambled. In contrast, social gambling is usually conducted in a small environment without a corporation collecting most of the money spent. Gambling at a dinner party or at a local office event are examples of social gambling. The Stop
By Scott Manning
Jay Block, a current Sandoval County Commissioner, is running to be governor of New Mexico because he said he wants to use his leadership experience to help New Mexico recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, support local businesses and keep families safe. His district within the Sandoval County Commission includes residents in the Village of Corrales and in southeast Rio Rancho. Block is one of four Republicans who have announced they would challenge Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham who seeks re-election. Also preparing to run in the Republican primary are Karen Bedonie of Farmington, Greg Zanetti of Albuquerque and Tim Walsh of Albuquerque.
Corrales kids usually have been successful in showing and selling livestock they raised at the annual Sandoval County 4-H Livestock Fair and Auction. The event returns August 4-7 at the fairgrounds in Cuba, even though the full county fair will not be held. Livestock check-in is Wednesday, August 4, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The 4-H Horse Show starts at 9 a.m. the same day. Thursday, August 5 begins with events for small animals, rabbits, poultry and a lamb and goat dress-up show. The main events come Friday, August 6 with such attractions as shows for dairy goat, meat goats, swine, lambs and steers. Buyer check-in is Saturday, August 7 9-10 a.m. The livestock sale starts at 11 in the Leeson Arena. No food booths or vendors will be on hand, so take your own food, drinks, chairs and shelter if needed.
Entries for small animals and livestock must be submitted online at http://sandoval.fairwire.com.
New Mexico’s two national labs could get a funding boost from provisions within a massive technology investment bill making its way through Congress. The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act has been passed by the Senate and will soon be considered by the House. The package was cobbled together by multiple senate committees and would authorize $200 billion in spending, including $52 billion in funding for manufacturing semiconductors, which are used in electronic devices, and other types of research and development programs in the United States. American production of such microelectronics has fallen significantly in the last 30 years, while countries like China have ramped up production and are dominating the industry.
U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján worked to include two amendments in the bill that would benefit New Mexico. One was a $17 billion investment into Department of Energy facilities and national labs. The other would create the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation, an organization that would “advance collaboration with energy researchers, institutions of higher education, industry and nonprofit and philanthropic organizations to<
A free presentation on large and small animal evacuations will be presented at the Seventh Day Adventist School gymnasium on July 19, at 6:30 pm. The event, organized by the Corrales Equestrian Advisory Commission and Corrales Horse and Mule People (CHAMP), will feature Village first responders who will brief animal owners on the Corrales Animal Evacuation Plan and go over details. The gym is at 24 Academy Drive. “Fire season is here, and the dry weather, hot temperatures and wind make for a dangerous combination. We have already had a close call, so it is imperative that animal owners are prepared for the worst possibility,” said Janet Blair, co-chair of the commission. “Our evacuation plan is a good one, and we should be able to protect village residents and animals as long as everyone is familiar with it,” Blair added.
The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions will be receiving more than $600 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding from the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration to replenish the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, as well as to pay back a federal loan issued by the U.S. Department of Labor. That loan was to support the surge of unemployment insurance claimants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state’s Trust Fund balance on Jan. 27, 2020, was $460.1 million. Later, after the onset of the pandemic in March, the state's number of unemployment claimants increased by more than 1,300 percent in a matter of weeks. The economic impact of the pandemic pushed almost 200,000 individuals, at the peak, into the state's unemployment insurance system; the State was able to disburse almost $4 billion to displaced workers and New Mexicans all across the state amid the crisis. The number of claimants qualifying for state and federal unemployment benefits, however, contributed to the depletion of the trust fund by mid-September 2020.
The funds transferred will be used to both complete the repayment of the
If you’ve been in Corrales any length of time you have probably seen Ray Thone and if you really live in the village you probably knew him. He was always here, in his blue pickup driving from job to job, at the Frontier Mart for coffee in the mornings, at Perea’s for lunch, at the Sandia Bar from 4 p.m. on.
He mostly took care of animals for his living, and he was good at it. He loved the Chicago Cubs, horse racing, his dog Little One, and he loved to play pool and shoot the breeze. His daughter Jennifer says he was always looking to help. If you needed a hand, Ray was there. Those of us who count ourselves as his friends, and there are many of us, will always remember his smile, his humor and his kindness.
He died June 16. Farewell Ray; we will miss you.
—Rick Thaler
