City leaders celebrated a key Westside project with a groundbreaking ceremony for a new multigenerational center to be built near Cibola Loop and Cuba Road NW.
The center, expected to open in August 2025, will bring to the area city services and programs aimed at residents of all ages. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said access to those services, including breakfast and lunch, is important for seniors and youth.
The center is the first of multiple new amenities planned for the site; a library and municipal pool will follow. The area already has new police and fire stations.
A multigenerational center was a logical first step, as it will serve as a bustling community hub during future Westside growth, Keller said.
“We have, I think, realized a little bit of a consensus, which is that multi-gens are the way to start,” he said, “because they are the most accessible and most beneficial for everyone.”
The new multigenerational center, Keller said, will have a drawing power that extends beyond the city limits.
“Our neighbors in Rio Rancho are gonna love it,” he said.
Dejah Moss, who lives near the site, said she’s excited about the potential of the new center to bring the community closer together. She said it’s a better fit than Section 8 housing that had been considered for the site.
Moss said her family will use the center, particularly her husband, whose prework workouts will be made easier.
She said she was surprised at the ceremony, which indicates progress on a site that’s been discussed since she moved there several years ago.
“I wasn’t sure what was gonna happen or when,” Moss said.
State Rep. Cynthia Borrego said the center is a great need, as the nearest multigenerational center, North Domingo Baca, is eight miles away and Bernalillo County’s Westside Community Center is 17 miles away.
City Council President Dan Lewis, who has at times been at odds with the mayor, praised Keller’s efforts.
“Tim Keller has been a great champion of this project,” Lewis said. “A lot of our directors (were) really championing this project and really pushing to move it forward. So, thank you to the mayor for giving good leadership on that and seeing that this project gets built.”
Keller, for his part, directed credit elsewhere, both for the new multigenerational center and other projects launched or completed during his term; those include the International District Library, New Mexico Media Academy and new Sierra Community Center.
“None of these projects were my or my administration’s idea,” he said. “They were all ideas from the community from decades past. I said ‘Let’s build something.’”
Keller said the groundbreaking was in jeopardy, but the City Council moved quickly by passing a bond issue about two weeks ago to make sure there was enough money to launch the project.
Voters previously approved $13 million in city bonds over several years for the first phase. The state Legislature has contributed about $3 million and the recent council action added another $1.8 million.
State Sen. Harold Pope Jr., one of several legislators lauded for their assistance in securing state funding for the project, said he’ll keep his gym membership, but will be a user of the new center.
Multi-Gen Centers
The new multigenerational center will be the fourth operated by the city’s Department of Senior Affairs. It will join Manzano Mesa, North Domingo Baca, and the newly constructed Santa Barbara Martineztown Multigenerational Center, which is slated to open in the coming months.
Lewis said the new center is, for the time being, referred to as the “Cibola Loop Multigenerational Center,” though the plan is to consult with the community and eventually decide on a permanent name.
The building, which will have almost 15,000 square feet of space, will be constructed in phases, with the first phase to include a multipurpose room, meeting room and classroom.
Jennifer Turner, director of the city’s Municipal Development Department, said the August 2025 completion date is an informed target, as general contractor Weil Construction was brought in during the design phase and could discuss costs and scheduling associated with the project.
Another recent city project, the North Domingo Baca Park Aquatic Center, continues to move forward. Local construction firm Bradbury Stamm was selected to build the swimming and diving complex and is now in contract negotiations with the city.
That process is expected to wrap up around the end of this month, said Emily Moore, a spokesperson for the Albuquerque Parks and Recreation Department.
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