Mayor's Message for September 30th, 2022

The 50^th anniversary of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta begins this weekend!

It looks like the weather will be nice, cool but not cold, warm but not hot, and no rain in the forecast so get ready to see lots of balloons flying over Corrales! For more information about this year’s Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, check out their website at: https://balloonfiesta.com/.  You may notice white plastic sheets spread on the ground in an X around the village at various places and those are to help the pilots know where it is safe to land their balloon. We still have some “X marks the spot” markers for those residents that will allow balloons to land on their property available in the administration office. Drop by and pick one up while they last.  Traffic will increase in the village so be alert because many visitors may not be familiar and know where they are and where they want to go. A detailed and printable guide of events is available online at: https://balloonfiesta.com/files/galleries/2022_Guest_Guide_for_Web_9-9.pdf

The facilities managed by the Parks and Recreation Department Director, Lynn Siverts, have expanded and developed over the past almost 30 years to what we have today. In recent years there has evolved a greater diversity of ages and interests. The gym has become a go to place for a multitude of activities although it is inadequate for some others which is the reason to build a newer and larger facility. The old gym can be repurposed, filling a need for many in the village into the future. Outdoor activities continue to increase and attract others from the surrounding area making our facilities regional in scope.

Our Public Works department, managed by Michael Chavez, now has enough personnel and equipment to respond quickly to many of the needs within the village, only occasionally needing to contract out some work. The village is now able to handle many of our road and pipeline issues.

A special thank you to our Animal Services Department for all of their help with the pet mayor and pet parade. The Harvest Festival this past weekend was a huge success, and everyone seemed to have a really great time. Much of what happens in the Village requires volunteers. That was demonstrated this past weekend with the Harvest Festival. The local Kiwanis organization may have been the organizers and leaders, but volunteers helped in a big way to make it safe and successful. Thank you to the local youth clubs and organizations that came out to volunteer and to all our amazing volunteers that help keep our Village running smoothly!

There are several areas that need attention in the future, but let’s talk about parking. There are limited areas in the Village to park when we have the kind of activities as the Harvest Festival. We also have popular businesses that bring many people to Corrales. There are some places in the Village where this could cause safety issues. Having open space land that could provide an additional service as special event parking might be a good start.

Fun activities continue this weekend in the Village. The 34^th Annual Juried Corrales Fine Arts Show begins on Saturday, October 1^st and runs through October 9^th at the Old San Ysidro Church. Also, First Sunday “Arts in the Village” will be this Sunday October 2^nd from 10am-4pm throughout the Village business district and don’t forget about the Corrales growers’ market on Sunday October 2^nd as well as many activities all week at the Corrales Library.

The glass recycling bin has moved to its new location on Double S Road. To find it, turn onto Double S Road (just south of the Post Office off Corrales Road). The bin is located north of the Parks and Recreation front field. Please use caution when dumping glass in the bin, broken glass on the ground is a hazard to others. Please do not leave other trash or donation items next to this bin. 

Those of you who are interested in what the village government is doing can attend the bi-monthly meetings by ZOOM. Go to the village website. click on the calendar to see when the meetings are being held. Next, click on the meeting information on the calendar and there are directions to join the meeting through ZOOM. You can listen and if you decide you want to participate, there are directions on how to do that.

Everyone please have a safe and healthy weekend and enjoy the Balloon Fiesta!

Jim Fahey

Corrales Mayor