It’s the last weekend of January; chilly mornings but mostly warm, sunny and dry. Perhaps February will bring winter weather - we will have to see what the groundhog says on Wednesday. Meanwhile, if you are experiencing “pandemic burnout,” here are a few tips on how to cope: https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/covid-fatigue
Due to the COVID surge, the Corrales Senior Center will be closed for exercise and congregate activity until February 18th. Meals will still be available for pick-up or homebound delivery. The Center plans to reopen on February 21st.
Good news from the Library. You can now access the New York Times by getting a one-day pass to the New York Times, New York Times Cooking or New York Times Games.
Here’s the status of cannabis regulation in the Village. The Governing Body passed an ordinance on January 4, 2022. Relying on language in the New Mexico Cannabis Regulation Act granting a municipality the right to impose “time, place and manner” regulations, Corrales prohibits commercial growing of cannabis in A-1 and A-2 Village zones. The amended ordinance can be viewed here. The state issues commercial licenses, but the Village will deny zoning approval for any application seeking to grow cannabis commercially in the A-1 or A-2 zones. To date, the Village has received no commercial grower applications. If challenged in court, the Village will vigorously defend the ordinance.
Fewer options exist for municipalities to regulate recreational use. The State of New Mexico has made recreational use of cannabis completely legal throughout the state and every person is legally entitled to grow 6 plants for personal use (12 per household).
The Friends of the Corrales Library (FOCL) is holding its Annual Meeting via Zoom on Monday, January 31st, at 7:00 pm. For more information, please go to: https://friendsofthecorraleslibrary.wildapricot.org/news/12155151
There is a wonderful article in the January 21st issue of the Corrales Comment about the heroic efforts to save the soggy materials that emerged from the 25th Anniversary Time Capsule. Read and enjoy! https://corralescomment.com/2022/01/25/issue-1-22-22-heroic-effort-to-rescue-water-damaged-memorabillia-from-leaky-time-capsule/. Again, many thanks to Ann Van Camp, Kitty Tynan and Mary Davis.
Please note that candidate signs are only allowed on private property. If in doubt, putting them on a fence or gate is the safest option. If the Village has removed a sign from a public ROW, they can be picked up behind the Handicapped Parking sign between the recycle bins and the Planning and Zoning building in the Administrative Parking area at 4324 Corrales Road.
The Village of Corrales never endorses political candidates. If you receive candidate information or campaign fliers mailed to you under Village letterhead or seal, it is not coming from the Village.
Learn candidate views on the issues! Two non-partisan Zoom forums will be sponsored by the League of Women Voters, and exact details should be coming this afternoon. We will post details when they become available on the Village website.
Early voting for this election will run from Tuesday, February 1st, 2022 through Friday February 25th, 2022 at the office of the Village Clerk, 4324 Corrales Road, Monday through Friday during regular business hours 8 am to 5 pm. Early voting will also take place Saturday, February 26th, 2022 from 10 am to 6 pm. You can request an absentee ballot as well as track the status of an absentee ballot here: https://portal.sos.state.nm.us/OVR/WebPages/AbsenteeApplication.aspx.
Sadly, C3’s restaurant (4940 Corrales Road, Ste 400) will be closing permanently, a pandemic casualty. They will be open one last time, Saturday February, 5th from 9am to 6 pm. All three menus will be available for $20 per person, per plate (eat there or take-away). Please stop by to eat good food, help with expenses and say goodbye to the lovely Hundley family and wish them all future success.
Corrales should be receiving a shipment of Covid test kits that we will make available to the public sometime late next week. Check our website for updates.
January is all but done! Here’s hoping for a February with declining case counts and increasing optimism. Don’t forget to revel in our beautiful Village and all it has to offer. (https://visitcorrales.com). More great football? Whatever you choose to do, stay safe and enjoy yourselves, Corrales-style.
Jo Anne Roake
Mayor of Corrales