By Jesse Jones
The Bernalillo Town Council wrapped up a brief meeting Feb. 24, bidding farewell to retiring Fire Chief Michael Legendre and recognizing his service. Councilors also approved an asset plan to track town infrastructure more effectively and discussed a zoning change amendment.
Fire Chief Legendre attended his final council meeting before retiring after nearly two years of service. Fire Marshal Mike Carroll will serve as interim chief while the town searches for a permanent replacement.
“We appreciate all you’ve done for us and wish you well in your path forward. Thank you, Chief,” Mayor Jack Torres said.
Councilors approved a resolution to develop an asset management plan to map and catalog critical infrastructure, including fire hydrants, water mains, sewer lines and public buildings.
According to Torres, the plan was first discussed during last year’s budget meetings, and the project is about halfway complete. The town has been working on the plan through workshops with Souder, Miller & Associates, its on-call engineering firm.
Councilors discussed an ordinance to update zoning for town-owned properties around 829 Camino Del Pueblo.
According to the mayor, the change would streamline classifications for public facilities.
“We’ve been trying to clean up all of our properties on this campus and this is the next step to do that,” Torres said
The proposal would amend the zoning map to reclassify the Town Hall complex from R-1A and C-1 to Special Use (SU) for public facilities, including an economic incubator, museum, fire and police departments, library, town hall, and recreational amenities, aligning with the town’s Comprehensive Plan adopted June 13, 2022. The ordinance will go before the council next month.
Public Works Director Troy Martinez said the Old Highway 44 bridge reconstruction is scheduled to be completed in the third week of March.
He said the work inside the ditch was finished and irrigation was scheduled to start. Crews poured the concrete deck late last week and are now completing curbs and gutters, with paving expected in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, Martinez said milling and overlay work was completed on Ronald Road, Santa Ana Road and Rose Drive, with only striping left on Santa Ana Road.
Economic and Community Development Director Christina Jones said several Keep Bernalillo Beautiful events are set for April.
The annual E-Cycle event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 5. The Arbor Day sale will move to the community garden at the Bernalillo Community Museum on Saturday, April 26, to coincide with the launch of the Plants of the Bosque exhibit.
Jones said the town’s Drug Take Back event is pending confirmation for April 26. She also attended a Breaking Bad Habits initiative at the Roundhouse, where organizers launched a new website featuring Keep Bernalillo Beautiful events, which she plans to update regularly.