The Village of Corrales will get some help from a community development specialist as the administration contemplates the use of some recently acquired properties.Â
At the Dec. 12 Village Council meeting, Mayor Jim Fahey announced that the administration has been in contact with Corrales MainStreet about how to utilize, and in some cases tie together, several recently acquired properties.Â
The properties include the Gonzales property across from the Village Administration Complex purchased earlier this year and the former Wells Fargo Bank building and property the Village is in the process of purchasing. Those properties are both front Corrales Road and border La Entrada Park and the library grounds.
A little further north of there is the Anderson property the Village also closed this year. It also fronts Corrales Road and has been earmarked for parking, possibly in support of a proposed multi-use facility and a possible new location for the Corrales Growers Market.Â
The Village has designated the former Jones property, just west of the Anderson property, as a possible site for a multi-use facility, if one is built. The Jones property to the south of the recreation center was purchased a few years ago. The Village is already utilizing a portion of the Jones property for Public Works.
Fahey said the plan to tie them together could include public restrooms at the former Wells Fargo building, expanding La Entrada Park, and the creation of pathways.
“It should not be very complicated,†he said.
Attending the meeting via Zoom, Corrales MainStreet Director Angela Gutirrez said the organization has been in contact with Rhea Serna, a community development professional with New Mexico MainStreet. She said Serna can offer a broad scope of services to decide how to best utilize the MainStreet District.
MainStreet is a federally and state-funded organization that contracts with municipalities to support economic development and cultural and historic assets.
Also at the Dec. 12 meeting, the Village Council heard a report from Village Clerk Melanie Romero on the November local election.
Under a new arrangement, the Village Clerk’s Office did not conduct the Nov. 7 election, the Sandoval County Clerk’s Office did. But Romero reported that 1,732 people, or 23% of the electorate in Corrales, cast votes. That is 200 more voters than in 2022 but 52 fewer voters than in 2020.
Councilor Zach Burkett said the decrease may be deceiving in that there were no contested races on this year’s ballot.
In response to a question from Councilor Bill Woldman, Romero said the Village Community Center, where nearly two weeks of early voting was held, did function as a secure voting location. She said that the County did not utilize the voting drop-off box outside the Village Administration Office this year. It was reported at a recent County Commission meeting that just two drop-off boxes were used: one at the County Complex and another one at the Placitas Community Library.
Village Administrator Ron Curry reported that the new gymnasium is getting closer to completion. They were still awaiting the arrival of scoreboards that will need to be installed. Curry said an optimistic opening date projection for the new gym is Jan. 10, but it could be closer to Jan. 30.
Curry also gave an update on speeding statistics. He said that from Dec. 1-11, Corrales issued 37 speeding citations. Of those, only six were issued to Corrales residents.
“It seems the people of Corrales are obeying,†he said.
Councilor Mel Knight reported on the most recent Rio Metro Regional Transit District board meeting. She said the board was adopting new leadership and modifying its bylaws. She also said Rail Runner Express travelers should notice better internet connectivity with a switch to satellite technology.
It was also reported that the state Department of Finance and Administration is now asking that municipalities put tax money it receives through cannabis taxes into a fund separate from its general fund. Romero said the Village gets between $900 and $1,300 per month from cannabis sales in the Village.
Fire Commander Tonya Lattin reported that Covid-19 and flu cases were increasing in New Mexico. Nearly 100 people were hospitalized for Covid illnesses, while 72 people were in for the flu. Covid cases accounted for about 3% of all hospitalizations, while flu cases accounted for 2.6%. She recommended people get a flu shot, as there would be more opportunities for exposure at holiday get-togethers.