District 2 Newsletter

Hello Neighbors,

Last week, I had the pleasure of joining Wells Park residents and Suzanne Probart of Tree New Mexico planting street trees in the Wells Park neighborhood as part of a “Neighborwoods” pilot project.  A special thanks to Suzanne Probart, City Forester Joran Viers, and Amy Bell and Rob Loftis with the New Mexico Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) for their assistance.  I look forward to expanding this effort to other neighborhoods and city-wide!

Legislation of Interest

• Naming the Civic Plaza Stage in Honor of Al Hurricane Sr. R-17-173 (Sanchez, Peña, Benton): will be acted on at the Monday’s Council meeting.  This bill names the exiting state and buildings at Civic Plaza the “Al Hurricane Sr. Pavilion at Civic Plaza” in honor of the “Godfather of New Mexico Music,” for his dedication and commitment to Albuquerque and New Mexico and for his 60 year music career.  A Tribute Concert is planned for the stage dedication on May 7.

Upcoming Events

• Tribute to a Legend: “The Godfather” Al Hurricane Saturday, May 7 | noon – 5 pm
• Downtown Growers’ Market is back! Saturdays 8 am – noon thru November 4 at Robinson Park
• Mental Health Awareness Month:  May events
• Free Classical Music Performances Downtown:  First Wednesday of the month at 12:05 pm, September – May
• ABQ365 Events:  Year-round events in Albuquerque!
• ABQtodo:  More year-round events in Albuquerque!

Project Updates

• Project List:  We have updated the project list with new projects and will be working to get pages up for each of them.
• Downtown Central Avenue Street Trees and Irrigation:  Construction begins May 8!
• Rio Grande Boulevard Complete Street Concept Plan (south of I-40):  The final report has been completed and is available online.  We are planning another public meeting in June to present the recommendations.  Stay tuned for details!
• Alameda Drain and Trail Master Plan:  I secured funding in the capital budget (GO bonds) for design and engineering of the first phase (within the city) of this project.  GO bond questions will be on the ballot in October’s municipal election.  The City is also pursuing federal funding.
• Coronado Skate Park:  I also secured funding in the capital budget for design and engineering of renovation and expansion of the Coronado Skate Park.
• Rio Grande Boulevard/Rose Avenue Intersection & Bicycle Improvements:  We have finally received approval for use of state grant funds for this project.  I will be contributing additional District 2 set-aside funds for improved bike lanes north to approximately Matthew Avenue where the Rio Grande Boulevard Pilot Project was striped last fall.
• 14^th & Lomas Bike Blvd Crossing:  I’ve used District 2 set-asides to fund the design of this project, identified in the Downtown Neighborhoods Area Traffic Study.
• Downtown Walkability:  We continue to make progress in implementing the recommendations of this study.  New striping plans for Lead and Coal Avenues between 2^nd and 8^th Streets are currently being designed.  Bike lanes will be placed between a parking lane and the curb.
• Kirtland Park/Thomas Bell Community Center Dog Park:  I am using District 2 set-aside funds to supplement state funding received for this project in 2015.  Design is complete and construction is fully funded.  Stay tuned for more details about a timeline!

Community Announcements/Resources

• Botanical Mural Project presented by 516 ARTS: Check them out in person!
• Free ABQ Images Library hits 5,000 downloads. This is an online collection of professional photos and videos of the Albuquerque area that can be downloaded and used by anyone for free.  
• Air Quality Awareness:  The Environment Health Department has announced an awareness campaign.  Sign up to get Air Quality alerts.
• ART Construction: Get updates on the construction schedule. 
• ARTBeat on the Street Events:  Please support our Central Avenue businesses!
• Behavioral Health Initiative: Stay updated on the progress of this important initiative and read the ABCGC Behavioral Health Newsletter online.

Sincerely,
Isaac Benton
City Councilor, District 2