In its last meeting of the year, the Multi-Purpose Facility Committee planned its schedule between now and when it is supposed to present recommendations to the Village Council on March 12. But the committee may not be ready by then. A motion was approved to wait until after two public forums are held in January before assessing whether it should ask the mayor for a three-month extension.
This is the second committee assembled by Mayor Jim Fahey to explore the idea of building a facility that could accommodate crowds of 200 or more for such things as theatrical performances, concerts, and large parties – and also include an educational element with classrooms, exhibition space, and maybe even a community kitchen. The committee is working to define just what amenities the community wants from such a facility, if one is built. They are currently collecting input with an online survey that can be found on the Village’s website: www.corrales-nm.org.
The committee is operating without a budget and there’s currently no funding source for what was originally proposed to be an $8 million facility. But Mayor Fahey said he’s confident that the Village can come up with the funding through government and private funding. He has proposed a portion of the former Jones property north of the recreation center as a possible site.
The committee is also operating under a tight deadline. Its six-month term expires in March.
At its Dec. 21 meeting, committee member Ken Martinez suggested the committee ask the mayor to extend their term another three months.Â
“I think we owe it to the mayor and council to be specific and concrete,†he said, adding they’d have more “solid†information by then to share with Village officials.
But committee chair Johnny Martinez, no relation, said he’d prefer to wait on that decision until after the two public forums in January when they’ll have more input. “In my opinion, we should wait until we have the information … after the forums.â€
It was reported earlier in the meeting that the committee had already received nearly 100 comments, which have been separated into 29 categories of concerns. The committee plans to input additional comments at the public forums. After that, there will be much more to add to the spreadsheets and maybe even a few more categories.
The committee wanted to accommodate people who were unable to attend their usual Thursday morning meetings. So the first forum will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 11 at the old San Ysidro Church, 966 Old Church Road. The second forum is set for 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14, also at the old church.
While the public meetings are intended to be less formal and facilitate discussion, Ken Martinez said a group of committee members thought there should be some structure to the forums. They’ll each open with an overview of the process so far. The bulk of the sessions will be collecting feedback from the public. At the end, the committee will summarize some of what they heard and outline what the next steps will be.
Chair Johnny Martinez has always allowed public comment at committee meetings. Fewer people spoke than at previous meetings.
Leading off was John Schumann, who chaired the first committee appointed by the mayor, which was tasked with exploring the idea of a performing arts facility. But he said he was there to speak as president of the Corrales Cultural Arts Council, which, among other things, puts on the popular Music in Corrales series at the old church.
While there has been some pushback from the public over the design of a facility with a 240-seat auditorium that came out of the first committee, Schumann urged the committee to include a large performance space in the plans. He said Music in Corrales could easily sell out a 200-seat auditorium. Currently, performances are held at the old church. He said even the reduction of seating from 175 to 150 by order of the fire chief has a significant impact on their finances.
And while some people have criticized the original plan for performing arts taking up 70% of the space under the original design, “Think about who will be paying for the operation of the center,†he said.
Schumann also advocated for a regional facility, noting his group’s email list extends well beyond Corrales. While he didn’t mention it, committee members have said it would be easier to attract state and even federal funding if the facility was billed as a “regional†attraction.
Speaking after Schumann, former Village Councilor Fred Hashimoto said he didn’t think a regional facility was justifiable. But, using a visual aid depicting a performance space at Chatter – formerly Church of Beethoven – in Albuquerque, he offered the idea of an auditorium with portable seats that could be cleared to make way for dances and exhibitions.
“It really serves a need. Corrales doesn’t have a space like this,†he said.
Lastly, Rudy Miera urged the committee to reach out to the youth and families. He suggested invitations to the public forums be made up and handed out to parents when children return to school Jan. 8.
Miera was one of several people who signed up to volunteer publicizing the forums and the committee’s efforts. Committee member Pat DeVivi will head up the outreach campaign. The committee also discussed creating a paper survey for people without easily internet access and ways the survey can be distributed to people who might not even know about the proposal.
After the public forums, the committee agreed to hold three regular meetings in February in advance of the pending March 12 deadline. The meetings will be held on Thursdays, Feb. 1, 15, and 29, each one at 10 a.m. in the Village Council chambers. The meetings are also being broadcast over Zoom through the Village’s website.