Summer temperatures are here! The weather is HOT and DRY, so burn bans are in effect. Please check out the Village website and call the burn line (899-9819) for full details. Be safe!
This is Memorial Day weekend; it is time to honor all those in the military who have died defending our country. This Monday, pause for a national moment of reflection at 3:00 p.m. Red poppies, often worn on this day, symbolize the beautiful flowers that bloomed in the fields after the carnage of WWI battles. To read the classic poem, “In Flanders Fields,” click: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47380/in-flanders-fields. We remember so many this year and honor their lives.
On a less somber note, Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer. We have a lot to celebrate. But are you not feeling so great yet? You may be experiencing Third Quarter Phenomenon (https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/coronavirus-covid19-isolation-third-quarter-phenomenon-has-begun/12190270). About ¾ of the way through a difficult period, people often feel anxious and vulnerable, even as the end is in sight. Hang in there; we will feel better as the pandemic ebbs and we get back out into the world. Good news: most of us have been vaccinated and the vaccines seem effective against the Indian and British variants of COVID-19.
New Mexico has a new website for the Trusted Voices Campaign. It’s a grassroots effort where folks can share their experiences with COVID-19 and vaccinations. Any New Mexican (in any language) can submit a 1-minute video. For information and instructions on how you can participate and get involved, visit TrustedVoicesNM.org. The full list of published videos is on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYOwoMAmeJV55mNave-tikOuW9UBNLCbh).
Looking for safe ways to engage? Check out the New Mexico First & Share NM Newsletter; you can support veterans’ health through a virtual run, participate in A Dose of Wellness campaign or tune into “The Rio Grande’s Drier Future.” For all the opportunities, go to https://nmfirst.org/reports/newsletters/
Corrales Clean Up Day was a huge success – apparently 196 of us went Marie Kondo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Kondo) and lightened our loads – huge thank you to the folks in Public Works and the volunteers who came out to help.
Corrales also had its first Lacrosse game played on our fields; the only hitch was that, according to Parks and Recreation Director Lynn Siverts, the turf is in such good shape, the ball just sat in the grass and wouldn’t roll!
The Village Council has approved, for publish and post, an ordinance clarifying definitions of a portion of our Land Use (Chapter 18) regulations. Please check out the proposed ordinance, which will have a final reading at the June 15, 2021 Council meeting. Many people are working (tirelessly) on this project and deserve our thanks: the Governing Body, the Planning and Zoning Department, the Citizen Steering Committee, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the professional planners at the Mid-Region Council of Governments (MRCOG). The goal is to make our Land Use regulations more uniform, easier to follow and to enforce. The completed product is due at the end of 2021.
This regulatory clean-up is not intended to change policy. Review and possible change to Village land use policy is best achieved with a new Comprehensive Plan (CP), after extensive public participation and study. With Council approval, work on a new CP could start in 2022.
The NMDOT is projecting a June 7th start date for the Corrales Road repaving. The project will begin at the southern end of town. The Village will use the electric signs and the Village website to update you as we learn more. We want a speedy project with an excellent result. But please, do not let the road work keep you from supporting Corrales businesses. They need you more than ever.
As summer season approaches, so does recreational use of the Rio Grande and the bosque. Have fun and do follow the rules. Fires and smoking are prohibited. When in the water, wear a life vest and be water safe. Please don’t block the access gates. Lives depend on CFD getting to an emergency quickly. Thank you.
Please have a great Memorial Day weekend. Get out there and smell the roses. Take advantage of our pre-paving status to use both lanes of Corrales Road to shop play and eat local! Don’t forget the Corrales Growers’ Market on Sunday from 9-12. Whatever you choose to do, please do it safely and with flair, Corrales-style.
JoAnne Roake
Mayor or Corrales