Multi-Use Facility Committee to Finalize Survey

Published November 30th, 2023 at 10:02 pm

After having been asked to participate in a community survey by the Village’s Comprehensive Planning Committee, Corralenos will soon be urged to take another survey that will help shape the village’s future.

The Multi-Use Facility Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 7 in the Village Council chambers to finalize questions for a survey it’s planning to conduct regarding the proposed facility. The survey should be available online and in paper form in the coming weeks.

Committee members discussed whether to make the survey anonymous or require people to put their name to it at its last meeting on Nov. 19. The consensus was that names – or some kind of identifier – would be required to discourage people from filling out the survey multiple times. However, the identities of the respondents would only be used by the committee strictly for that purpose and would not be made publicly available.

This is the second ad hoc committee with a six-month charge to explore the idea of constructing a public building that could include performance, educational and meeting space. The proposed site is on a portion of the Jones property near the recreation center acquired by the village a few years ago. The recent purchase of the Anderson property would provide access to the facility from Corrales Road.

The first committee, however, was charged with creating a design just for a “performance arts center” and came up with a plan that included a 240-seat auditorium. That committee discovered that people wanted more than just a performance venue, so it included some classroom and gallery space into their design. 

But the design got some public pushback, some saying the proposed facility was too big and too expensive. That led Mayor Jim Fahey to appoint a second committee, and the idea that citizens be surveyed to achieve input from a broader audience.

Committee member Sherry Jones stepped up to create the survey, which she said was intended to be “short, sweet, and to the point.” She said it was meant as a tool to gather information from residents about just what they would want from a multi-use facility. People would be asked their architectural preference for the facility and how important it was to them that it be WiFi equipped. The key part of the survey, she said, would ask how they or a group they’re involved with would utilize indoor classroom, auditorium and gallery space, as well as outdoor areas.

There will also be a question about whether the Village should build a multi-use facility at all. A few people attending the Nov. 16 meeting of the committee didn’t think so.

Greg Howell, who has lived in Corrales all his life, said he’s afraid the village is turning into a “boutique subdivision.”

“Corrales has always been a community. We were all involved. I feel as if this is being shoved down our throats,” he said, adding to a round of applause that the agricultural community should be listened to.

Doug Castillo, who appointed himself project watchdog at a previous meeting, said he would talk to Village of Los Ranchos Mayor-elect Joe Craig, who sued that village over development projects, about what legal avenues might be available to citizens if the project went forward.

“We don’t need any more facilities,” he said.

One big answer the committee hopes to glean from the survey is whether it should be a “regional” venue with performances and other events that would attract people from outside the Village, or should it be a more intimate setting without fixed seats better suited for small, local activities.

Bob Belinoff, a filmmaker who has lived in Corrales 35 years, said such a facility wouldn’t add value to the community. Instead, he said it would take one of its most valuable commodities: open space.

“Everybody wants to build a building,” he said. “For $8 million, think of the incredible things we can do.”

Belinoff said he was resigned that the project would probably go through, but he suggested that the committee first gather public input – or hire a third-party to head it up.

“If you’re spending $8 million, spend $10,000 on an independent consulting company that knows how to do this and do it right,” he said.

Janet Blair, chair of the village’s Equestrian Advisory Commission, urged the committee to reach out to other village groups to hear what they had to say. She said the horse community has concerns about how the facility would impact horses and trailer traffic going to and from TopForm Arena. She reminded them that Corrales is known as “The horse capital of New Mexico.”

Since he was picked as chair of the Multi-Use Facility Committee, Johnny Martinez said he wanted a transparent, open process in which everyone’s opinion would be welcomed and respected. That’s why he supported making it a requirement that respondents identify themselves by name.

“You have to back up what you say,” he said. 

Committee member Ed Boles felt differently. He felt requiring a name would discourage participation. 

Boles also noted that not everyone has access to a computer and suggested that paper surveys also be distributed in English and Spanish to ensure everyone has access.

“If it takes some manpower on the part of the Village, the Village has to do it,” he said.

Village Administrator Ron Curry said the Village office and library could be made available to distribute the survey.

Committee member Ken Martinez noted that the committee’s term ends in April and time will be needed to process the information, so it was important to get the survey out soon.

“The substantive work starts after getting the data,” he said, urging people fill out the survey. “However we do it, please participate.”

There is no current funding source for the facility. However, Mayor Fahey said construction could be funded using a combination of federal, state and local money, as well as private donations.