District 2 Newsletter

Hello Neighbors,

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Correction:
The last newsletter listed the wrong time for the Candelaria Nature Preserve public meeting, which begins at 5:30 pm.  See the events listing below for more details.

Hearing Scheduled: 
O-19-48 Limiting the Use of Single-Use Plastics and Polystyrene (Benton, Davis, Gibson, Borrego) is scheduled for a hearing at the Finance & Government Operations (FGO) committee Monday, January 28 at 5:00 pm in Council Chambers, basement level of city hall (not the usual Committee Room on the 9th floor). See a for a fact sheet on the proposed ordinance.
I encourage you to speak during public comment on the bill and/or to submit comments in writing.  You can email the committee members (Harris - Chair, Davis, Sanchez, Pena, Gibson) or the full Council from the Council website.  If you would like your letter to be part of the public record, copy or forward it to Crystal Ortega, Council Clerk at [email protected] and request that it be included in the record.  If you want to comment at FGO, sign up to speak at the staff table just outside of the Council Chambers.  Staff there can also validate parking for the garage under Civic Plaza.

Other Legislation

• O-18-23 Amending the Police Oversight Board Ordinance (Benton, Winter) will also have a hearing at the FGO meeting on Monday.  This is a relatively minor update of the existing ordinance, which in my opinion has been working quite well.  We are actively having discussions with advocacy organizations, the police union, and community members. I encourage you to follow the progress and participate.
• R-19-117 Establishing a Census 2020 Complete Count Committee (Borrego, Benton, Pena, Sanchez) passed unanimously at Monday's Council meeting.  Creating a policy for the City and establishing a Complete Count Committee for the 2020 Census is an important step in the process.  To be clear, the census is a count of every person, regardless of citizenship.  An accurate count is essential for the allocation of representation on elected bodies, boards, and agencies that have population based representation.  The annual appropriations of federal intergovernmental funding for health, education, transportation, child and elder care, emergency preparation and response, and social support programs of all kinds depend on complete and accurate age, population and other ethnic and demographic information that is gathered through the census.
• R-19-122 Establishing a Downtown Safe Zone (Benton) will have a hearing at the Land Use Planning & Zoning (LUPZ) committee on Wednesday, February 13 at 5:00 pm in the Committee Room, 9th floor of city hall.  This resolution stablishes a boundary for a walkable downtown core with a maximum 20 mph speed limit. The zone also consolidates information in an attachment for several existing policies and plans, clarifying existing and future multi-modal projects. Lomas Boulevard is the northern boundary of the zone, but itself is not within the zone and remains at 30 mph. 
  
  Pedestrians have a 90% survival rate is when hit by car at 20 mph; the pedestrian survival rate is only 50% at a 30 mph car speed.  The 20 mph zone emphasizes that the naturally-slow speeds of the Downtown core make cycling and walking an exceptionally safe activity within its limits.

Upcoming Events

• Legislative Town Hall: State Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino will hold a Legislative Town Hall on Saturday, January 26 from 1 - 3 pm.  It will take place in the Main Library downtown at 5th & Copper, in the auditorium in the basement.  Free parking is available in the City's parking structure across the street. 
• Rail Yards Inspired Art Exhibit @ South Broadway Cultural Center:  Thru January 26.
• Candelaria Nature Preserve Public Meeting: January 30 | 5:30 - 7:30 pm | Public input meeting for the Resource Management Plan for the public open space surrounding the Rio Grande Nature Center.
• One ABQ: Youth Job & Volunteer Fair: February 2 | 10:00 - 2:00 pm
• Silver Avenue Bicycle Boulevard Review (Yale to Paseo del Bosque):  Feb 5 | 5:50 - 7:00 pm | Public meeting to review draft design concepts and recommendations.
• Valley Area Command Community Policing Council:  Meets every 4th Thursday from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at the Wells Park Community Center.  Community policing is a two-way street; get involved!
• Open Space Visitor Center Events: We have the best open space system in the country!
• ABQ365 Events:  Year-round events in Albuquerque.

Community Announcements/Resources

• CNM FUSE Makerspace:  Learn about the community and opportunities!
• Rail Runner's Seniors Ride Free:  Wednesdays all year!
• One ABQ: Youth Connect:  Fall activities and programs for youth in Albuquerque.
• S.H.A.R.P. Program to Clean Up Needles and Syringes: Get information about reporting needles on public property.
• City Traffic Construction Reports Available Online along with the Department of Municipal Development’s (DMD) Interactive Map!
• Downtown Arts & Cultural District Interactive Map: Explore galleries, coffee shops, museums, theaters, restaurants, and more. 
• MurosABA.com: Directory of murals in Albuquerque

Projects

• Silver Avenue Bicycle Boulevard Review (Yale to Paseo del Bosque):  Feb 5 | 5:50 - 7:00 pm | Public meeting to review draft design concepts and recommendations. 
• Santa Barbara Martineztown Pedestrian Improvements: There will be a public meeting Tuesday, February 26th at 6:00 pm in the community room at the Santa Barbara School (1420 Edith Blvd NE) to discuss the results of the participatory budgeting voting process and the next steps for implementing the projects.
• UPDATE: Rio Grande & Candelaria Roundabout:   Patti Watson at CWA Strategies will be handling notifications, updates, public information, etc. regarding the Rio Grande/Candelaria Roundabout project as we approach and throughout construction. We are experiencing a delay on the start of construction of the roundabout due to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority's (ABCWUA) need to replace infrastructure in the area prior to the start of roadway construction at the intersection.  You can ask to receive all future updates on the project at http://rgc-roundabout.com/contact.php.

Sincerely,
Isaac Benton
City Councilor, District 2