The agenda for the Village Council’s last meeting of the year was light with just four action items, including routine resolutions done annually to set the meeting schedule and employee holiday schedule for the next year.
But the Dec. 12 meeting went on for more than two hours with much of the time spent on discussion rising from topics covered under the Administraor’s Report.
Village Administrator Ron Curry covered several topics, including progress onconstruction of the new gymnasium at the recreation center and the closing of the sale of the former Wells Fargo Bank building. But the situation involving the animal shelter that was supposed to open months ago and Albuquerque Public School’s transition of Corrales Elementary into a K-8 school drew the most interest.
Curry said a group of village officials that included the mayor, planning and zoning director and fire chief met with APS officials on Nov. 28 to discuss impacts that would result from the school’s remodeling. While not yet even on the drawing board, Curry saud some initial conceptual plans were revealed by APS at the meeting.
“This is a big project,” he said.
Curry said the plan now is for APS to demolish the front part of the school building, creating more of an open area with landscaping facing Corrales Road. They would add on to the back part of the building, including what was described as a two-story addition 40 feet tall.
Curry couldn’t say whether the addition was two levels of classrooms or something else, like a gymnasium. But what is for sure is that the Corrales Fire Department currently doesn’t have a 40-foot ladder.
Other unanswered questions had to do with whether the plans would include a performing arts center, something that is already under discussion by the Village’s Multi-Use Facilities Committee, and if the school would manage its own septic system or eventually tie into a Village sewer line.
Mayor Jim Fahey said as a public school district and extension of the state’s Public Education Department, APS doesn’t have to abide by Village codes and regulations and can pretty much do what they want to. But he emphasized with them the need to approach the project collaboratively.
The mayor said converting the elementary school into a K-8 would increase enrollment from its current 350 to about 500 students. APS is developing a traffic plan for the site and staggered schedules for students at different grade levels would mitigate some of the increased traffic congestion.
Fahey said he was impressed by APS’s commitment to the project, saying the school district wanted to turn it into a “jewel” among its many schools that would also fit the character of the Village. But right now the process is just at the beginning.
“It’s very early but we are talking and they are talking,” he said.
Councilor Rick Miera, a former state legislature with experience in education matters, was glad to hear the Village and APS were communicating. He said the Village can negotiate with the school district on some issues, and he liked that planning would keep the Village’s character in mind.
“We really want it to look like Corrales. That’s very important,” he said.
Animal Shleter
Curry said administration was working through negotiations with the company that built the Village’s new animal shelter and the one that installed it.
The portable unit, built by Pennsylvania-based Horizon Builders and installed by locally owned Facility Build is identical to the one Horizon built for Sandoval County. But differences in the foundations used caused state regulators to red tag the building. Originally scheduled to open by October, it now looks like it won’t be ready until the end of April.
Councilor Bill Woldman asked whether there would be additional costs the Village would have to take on. Curry said there would be, but it was unclear who would end up paying for them.
Councilors were alarmed to hear that while the building itself cost about $86,000 the installation cost $180,000.
Councilor Zach Burkett said he was “blown away” by it, even though the installation also included the construction of a retaining wall.
“That’s incredible,” he said. “It seems like a large sum of money for not a large job,” he said.
Curry said there was room for negotiation with Facility Build, but the conflict is largely between Horizon and state regulators. He acknowledged that there were assumptions made and some things weren’t documented, but there still had to be accountability in the matter, adding that the Village was “not going to give a free pass to anybody.”
Woldman also asked about what was happening to the animals that normally would be housed at the shelter.
Police Chief Victor Mangiacapra, whose department includes Animal Services, said the Village has an agreement to shelter them at the Animal Humane Association. But few animals have come through. Two chihuahuas were transported earlier this month and another dog was adopted out.
In the meantime, the Village maintains a temporary indoor shelter next to where the new shelter stands unused in the Village Administration Complex.