Mayor's Message for March 22nd, 2024

The Village Engineer requested that we inform those who live on West Meadowlark that surveyors will be out checking surveys that were previously done for accuracy over the next two weeks. With the verified data he can move ahead on the ultimate design that will be presented to the neighbors sometime this summer. We will then move on with construction when the capital outlay funds are available, which is usually by October. This plan will cover from Loma Larga west to the Village boundary and will not negatively impact any private residential property with the construction. There will be a meeting with neighbors this summer to discuss the plan.

During a meeting earlier this week with Public Works Director Michael Chavez to discuss how to fund road maintenance and fix drainage issues over the next fiscal year, the subject of bees came up. Do you realize there are 20,000 species of bees? The ones more common to our area are the honeybees, bumble bees, and mason bees. Our discussion actually started with bumble bees, because I said they were not aggressive and wouldn’t usually sting you. They aren’t and they don’t. If one lands on you, carefully brush it off or blow it off, and then move away. If you are close to their nest, they will sting you and since they have no barb on their stinger, they can continue to sting you. Bumblebees are important pollinators of both crops and wildflowers. Because bumblebees do not overwinter as a hive, they do not stockpile honey, and therefore are not useful as honey producers. Bumblebees are increasingly cultured for agricultural use as pollinators, and they are very effective.

The best-known honeybee is the western honeybee which was domesticated for honey production and crop pollination. Honeybees are known for their construction of perennial colonial nests from wax, the large size of their colonies, and surplus production and storage of honey, distinguishing their hives as a prized foraging target of many animals, including honey badgers, bears, and human hunter-gatherers. Honeybees represent only a small fraction of the roughly 20,000 known species of bees. There are a number of beekeepers at the Corrales Growers’ Market who can tell you more about bees and sell you some local honey.

Getting back to roads and drainage: when voters approved bonds for roads and drainage last November, no specific projects were tied to those bond funds. When the bond is sold, that money goes into a fund that our Public Works Director uses in various ways. He often applies for grants for road projects that require matching funds from the Village, and he will use the funds from the bond to provide that match. For example, if he applies for a $100,000 grant that has a 25% match, then the Village receives $75,000 of grant funds and will use $25,000 of the bond money for the match. That multiplies the value of the funds to bonds ratio by a factor of 3 or 4 depending on the match required. We get more money for a project and are not using “our” (i.e. Village funds) money, or property tax dollars, for the project. This allows the Village to leverage our borrowed (bond) funds to get a bigger bang for the buck. $1 million in bond funds gets a total package of perhaps $4 million to improve roads and drainage. That money spent on roads, drainage, or fire suppression provides for the public safety, health, and welfare of the community and our citizens. Voters approved a total of $4 million in bond projects last November. However, the Village can only sell up to $2.4 million in bonds this year. Selling more than that would increase the mill levy and property taxes, which we want to avoid. The remaining portion of the approved bonds will be sold in about two years. The Village council voted at the February 27 council meeting to sell the $2 million in bonds earmarked for farmland preservation easements and open space, with the addition of $200,000 for roads and drainage projects, and $200,000 for the fire substation. The next bond sale in two years will fund $800,000 each for roads/drainage and fire.

Don’t forget to stop by either the Grower’s Market lot or Sprouts today between 2 and 5:30 PM to pick up your complimentary bunch of daffodils from the Corrales Kiwanis Club for Daffodil Days. Donations will be accepted, and proceeds will benefit the Presbyterian Healthcare Robert Wertheim Hospice House.

HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATE

Respiratory Viruses are still high in New Mexico. The CDC has New Mexico as one of only 15 States, including the District of Columbia, still in the high level of activity.  You can protect others by staying home if sick.  If you must go out, mask using a N95 or KN95.  To protect yourself, wash your hands frequently and use hand sanitizer when hand washing is not available.  If you are 65 or older you can get a second COVID 23/24 vaccine.

As of March 14^th, the CDC reported the US has had 58 cases of measles in 2024.  In 2023 there were only 58 cases reported for the entire year.  New Mexico has not had any cases reported in 2024.  People at high risk for complications from measles are children under 5 years, adults over 20, pregnant women and immunocompromised persons. Measles is highly contagious but vaccination is highly affective in prevention of illness.  One vaccine is 93% effective and 2 vaccinations is 97% effective. Common complications from measles include otitis media, bronchopneumonia, laryngotracheobronchitis, and diarrhea.  1 out of 1,000 will develop acute encephalitis which often results in brain damage, 3 out of 1,00 children will die from respiratory and neurologic complications. Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a rare, but fatal degenerative disease of the central nervous system characterized by behavioral and intellectual deterioration and seizures that generally develop 7 to 10 years after measles infection. For CDC recommendations on vaccinations visit.

Burning weeds in Corrales:    Burn hours on designated burn days can be 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and may be shortened or canceled based on weather conditions. Call 505-899-9819 to verify that it is a “burn day” and register your address. Burn only dried vegetation, not household trash, construction debris or paper. Burn only a small pile: three feet diameter by one foot high. Clear the site and pile at least 25 feet from the nearest flammable items … 50 feet is even better. Fill your garden hose and stretch it to the burn site. Have a rake or shovel nearby. An adult must be with the fire at all times. Choose a burn site that will not send smoke to your neighbor’s home or across a roadway. If the winds pick up, extinguish the fire.  Make sure the fire is out cold to the touch. Citizens that need to burn for agricultural purposes, such as planting or harvesting of crops, for ceremonial, or recreational burning, need to obtain a special permit and the form can be downloaded by clicking here. If you have questions call 505-898-7501.

UPCOMING EVENTS

MONDAY Corrales Library Book Club meets at 2:30 PM. For a list of this year’s books, please visit

TUESDAY – Village Council Regular Meeting, 6:30 PM, Village Council Chambers, 4324 Corrales Road, or by Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81948455587?pwd=UGpnbjYvbXk5MVBTT2p5NVBYRHJxZz09

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

MARCH 29 – Village offices will be closed for the spring holiday.

MARCH 30 – Corrales Kiwanis Club’s Annual Egg Hunt at La Entrada Park 10 AM sharp. Ages 1 – 8 years can bring a basket and hunt for candy-filled eggs. Parking will be available at the Corrales Library, the Gonzales lot (North of the old Wells Fargo Bank), and the Village Hall Complex.

APRIL 6 – The Corrales Fire Department and the Bosque Advisory Commission will be sponsoring another Bosque wood removal event from 10 AM – 12 PM. Meeting place will be at the south end of Andrews Ln. This will be the last wood removal event until the fall due to migratory bird and nesting season. Please come out to help clear the Bosque of dead and down wood to protect the Village from fire danger.

Come visit the vibrant new art exhibit at the administration offices, called “Spring has Sprung” by local artist Beth Waldron. Drive safely and obey the posted speed limit. Walk your dog on a leash and scoop the poop.

Jim Fahey

Corrales Mayor