The Sandias are wearing a beautiful dusting of snow. There’s been cold weather this week but we will return to the 70’s in a few days. Meanwhile, trees and daffodils all over town are blooming everywhere.
Improvements continue to take place around the Village. A new floor is being installed in the Courthouse. In a long-awaited development, Corrales Elementary School is now connected to our Village wastewater line, which should improve the efficiency of our system. The Fire Department has completed the school’s fire inspection, so they are almost ready to open on April 9th. Congratulations and welcome back!
Lynn Siverts, our Director of Parks and Recreation, is preparing for the opening of the community swimming pool in late May. He is looking for lifeguards. If you know someone who is 15 or older and would be interested in this (fabulous) job, please contact Lynn at lsiverts [at] corrales-nm.org.
The Council approved Bosque Advisory Commission management guidelines at the meeting on Tuesday night. To see the entire Bosque Commission presentation, please click here The Fire Department will continue to remove noxious Ravenna grass in the bosque until the beginning of nesting season in April.
The Steering Committee for the Chapter 18 (Land Use Planning) revisions had their first meeting on Wednesday and will be meeting from now until the process is complete. Also, for several months, Planning and Zoning committees have already been hard at work analyzing several issues in our Village. In April, they will have information and a survey for public completion surrounding “casitas.” The information you provide will be most helpful to the Village. Stay tuned. We must thank all the members of the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Steering Committee (volunteers all) for the tremendous amount of work they are doing on behalf of our Village.
The State of New Mexico expanded the eligibility for vaccinations and continues to be the national leader in administering vaccines. Sandoval is still in the YELLOW zone. Our positivity rate is low, but we have too many cases. Hang tight; stay safe, even if you have been vaccinated. The New Mexico Department of Health has a new tool to help. NMDOH is offering a new COVID-19 exposure app for your phone. It will alert you if you have been exposed to anyone who has verified being infected. For full details, go to https://nmnotify.com/.
The Legislative Session is officially over. Fewer bills were passed this year, but highlights include voter approval for a larger distribution from the permanent fund for education, a Civil Rights Act, a police reform bill emphasizing training and education, a ban on animal trapping and snaring on public land, repeal of a long-dormant anti-abortion law and approval of aid in dying. Also, constituents will now know what projects their legislators funded under the ICIP list. Cannabis legalization stalled, but a special session may soon be called.
March 26 is Make Up Your Own Holiday Day; so, I will leave the celebration up to your creativity! Whatever you do this weekend, stay safe and have some fun, Corrales-style.
Jo Anne Roake
Mayor of Corrales