The photo for the message this week is of the Village’s new vactor truck. This truck has many uses: sanitary sewer cleaning, storm sewer cleaning, manhole cleaning, catch basin cleaning, inlet cleaning, line spotting and hydro excavating. Public Works Director Michael Chavez and his team have been training the past two days to learn how to use the new truck, and have practiced using it by cleaning out a few culverts around the village. The Village appreciates all the hard work these men do year-round to keep our Village functioning.
Two significant historical celebrations occur this weekend: Father’s Day and Juneteenth (June 19th).
Father’s Day was not immediately accepted when it was proposed. Mother’s Day came first, and it was officially recognized in 1914. Men in the early 1900s couched the celebration in terms of femininity. It was a way to recognize the tender, gentle population of mothers in America. The idea of a Father’s Day was not acceptable because men derided the sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers of gift giving. Men believed these holidays were a commercial gimmick to sell more products often paid for by the father himself. The first known Father’s Day service occurred in Fairmont, West Virginia, on July 5, 1908, after hundreds of men died in the worst mining accident in U. S. history on December 7, 1907. A special service was held to honor all fathers who had died. However, it did not become an annual event. Subsequently, the first Father’s Day events commenced in Spokane, Washington sponsored by the Spokane Ministerial Association and the YMCA to honor fathers and veterans on the third Sunday in June, June 19, 1910, so as not to conflict with Mother’s Day. In 1918, President Calvin Coolidge signed a resolution in favor of Father’s Day, but it wasn’t until President Lyndon Johnson signed an executive order in 1966 that it was established as the 3rd Sunday in June. Congress made Father’s Day a national holiday in 1972.
June 19, 2022, is not only Father’s Day this year, but also Juneteenth, officially known as Juneteenth National Independence Day. It is now a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved black Americans. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it has been celebrated annually on June 19th in various parts of the United States since 1865. The day was recognized as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day into law. This commemorates is the anniversary of the June 19, 1865, announcement by Union Army General Gordon Granger, which proclaimed freedom for enslaved people in Texas, which was the last state of the Confederacy with institutional slavery.
Tuesday the 21st marks the first day of summer. The New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) reminds all people in New Mexico of the dangers of heat-related illnesses and encourages staying hydrated and indoors whenever possible. Temperatures are on the rise in most parts of the state, and are forecasted to remain so for some time. Heat-related illness under these circumstances are possible, and can get serious, even deadly, very quickly if not recognized. Visit https://nmtracking.doh.nm.gov/health/climate/HeatIllness.html online for more details about heat-related illness.
Sandoval County is listed as HIGH on the Covid transmission maps as of yesterday. Things you can do to stay healthy: wear a mask indoors in public, stay up to date with vaccines, get tested if you have symptoms, and take additional precautions if you are at high-risk for severe illness. Check out the Covid 19 resources on the Village website for more information.
The dial a ride service for eligible Corrales residents has begun. Corrales Dial-a-Ride is a weekday door-to-door transportation service for Rio Rancho and Village of Corrales residents 62 years of age and older, and for disabled adults 18 years of age and older. This service is for Rio Rancho and Village of Corrales residents only and you must be registered to use the service. For more information, or to register for the program, visit their website at https://www.riometro.org/243/Rio-Rancho-Corrales
Jim Fahey
Corrales Mayor
On June 10, an elite group of Corrales elders (rejoicing in the name "The World Famous Corrales Codgers"), gathered to dedicate a bench in La Entrada Park in honor of its deceased founder, Don Rightley. Don was a brilliant engineer and renaissance man whose intellectual curiosity and community involvement were exceptional. Board members of the Corrales Senior Center joined the festivities to honor of Don as well. Hal Dillenback, Jerry Dusseau, Michael Roake, Bill Dail, George Biehl, James Wright pictured; Harry Simmeth and John Reeves not pictured.
Public Works staff members with the new vactor truck. Left to right: Randall Maestas, Laurie Rebarchik from Pete's Equipment Repair Inc., Danny Lovato, Julian Trujillo, Michael Chavez