Wildfire season is here. It will probably be with us for some time. Our Fire Chief, Anthony Martinez and Code Enforcement officer, Sherrie Rice, are on the lookout for areas that have fire hazards with the potential for causing damage to homes and are need mitigation efforts to help prevent wildfires. Things to remember to reduce the risk to your home or vehicles is to prepare before a fire occurs:
- Create a 10-foot noncombustible buffer around your home and any deck areas.
- Check and maintain your roof and gutters.
- Install ember resistant vents.
- Ensure that you have at least a 6-inch vertical clearance on exterior walls. More would be better. Provide clearance of structures of at least 5 feet.
Some people think they don’t need to worry about cleaning up their property because they have natural vegetation. However, sagebrush is fuel to a fire, and a little ground maintenance can go a long way in saving your home. Removing dead portions of sagebrush, cleaning underneath bushes, and thinning them out helps protect your property and others. Best practices for protecting your home can be found at https://www.corrales-nm.org/media/18941. Insurance companies are starting to set guidelines for fire protection and have already stopped insuring some areas in California from weather related disasters, including fires.
¡Viva Corrales! generated some good crowds last weekend and is on the schedule again this weekend. The Corrales Arts Studio Tour is May 4 and May 5 from 10 AM until 5 PM. Follow the yellow signs to visit private studios and galleries where you will see a variety of art. On May 4 at 10 AM at the Corrales Community Library the Story Book Spring Planting will be held. This garden on the south side of the Corrales Library building is an edible garden for children. This project is the work of the Sandoval County Master Gardeners.
May 5th marks the beginning of Municipal Clerk Week. Clerks are the bridge between the residents and the local government and are your go-to people when you are looking for information about the Village. This is a special time to honor the high quality of work that our Village Clerk, Melanie Romero, and Deputy Clerk, Skye DeVivi, do for our community. In a community of our size, they are involved in almost every aspect of the administration. Please be sure to thank them if and when you see them.
Sandoval County Indivisible is sponsoring a candidate forum on Monday, May 13 with the main event being a Townhall-type discussion / debate between the two candidates vying to be the Democratic nominee for State Senate District 9 (Corrales, Rio Rancho, Placitas, Bernalillo, Algodones, and some of NW Albuquerque) - Cindy Nava and Heather Balas. There will be a social hour beginning at 5 PM before the regular meeting at 6 PM at Mulas Restaurant, 4908 Corrales Road [the old Bistro Site].
It doesn’t look like there will be another freeze, so all those plants you bought at the Master Gardeners tent at the Growers’ Market last Sunday should be safe to plant after a little hardening to the cool nights.
The Village of Corrales has made the top 10 in two different lists. We are one of the Best 6 Towns to Retire in New Mexico: https://www.worldatlas.com/cities/6-towns-perfect-for-retirement-in-new-mexico.html. We are also one of the 8 Most Idyllic Small Towns in New Mexico: https://www.worldatlas.com/cities/8-most-idyllic-small-towns-in-new-mexico.html.
HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATE
If you are planning a trip on the Rio Grande, remember USCG approved life vests are required by law to be worn. Using tubes in the river is not recommended as there are numerous trees and branches in the river that can pop the tubes. If you do decide to go into the river, make sure phones are in a waterproof case and have a whistle with you in case you need to call for help and your phone is not working. Put contact information on your watercraft so it can be returned to you if it gets away from you. Please let someone not going with you know when and where you are entering the river, where and when you are going to get out. This way if you are not heard from, they can contact local emergency officials. The What3words app can assist rescuers to locate you faster. You can get more information here: https://what3words.com/.
UPCOMING EVENTS
TODAY – Ribbon cutting event at Mulas,3 PM, 4908 Corrales Road. Come check out Corrales’ newest restaurant and meet Esther the mule.
SATURDAY – Spring planting day in the Storybook Garden at Corrales Library starts at 10 AM. Children are welcome to join the Sandoval County Master Gardeners in planting beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, and squash.
SATURDAY - Aldo Leopold Land Ethic Discussion with Elena Kayak at the Corrales Library, 10:30 AM
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY – The Corrales Art Studio Tour (CAST), locations throughout the Village 10 AM – 5 PM. The tour will showcase 87 artists, 5 galleries and 50 students from local elementary schools. For more information visit: https://corralessocietyofartists.org/studio-tour/.
SUNDAY – Corrales Grower’s Market 9:30 AM
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
May 11th – Rio Grande Classic Balloon Glow, Rec Center 6 PM
May 13th – Candidate forum with Democratic nominees for State Senate District 9, Heather Balas and Cindy Nava, 6 PM at Mulas, 4908 Corrales Road
May 14th – Coffee with a Cop is back and at the Senior Center. Come have some great coffee and chat with your local officers 10:30 – 11:30 AM
May 18th – Village clean up day 8 AM – noon, 500 Jones road – follow the signs to drop off household trash and yard waste. No large appliances or hazardous waste will be accepted.
May 18th – Corrales Tractor Club Antique Tractor Show 9 AM – 4 PM Rec Center soccer fields
May 18th – Fiesta at San Ysidro Parish, 5015 Corrales Rd, 10 AM –3 PM Car show, Bingo starts at 6 PM
May 19th – Fiesta at San Ysidro Parish continues 10 AM Mass and Matachines, 10 AM – 4 PM Arts and Craft Fair
Would you or someone you know like to receive the weekly Mayor’s Message directly to your inbox? Email our clerk, Melanie Romero, at mromero [at] corrales-nm.org () and ask to be added to the distribution list. You will receive the Mayor’s Message on Fridays, the Crime and Safety Update on Mondays, and the occasional important notice from the Village.
With all that is going on in the Village, don’t forget the Growers’ Market on Sunday. The season is just starting. Get there early to get the best stuff before it sells out.
Remember to leash your dog when out walking. Take a bag to scoop the poop. Drivers, look out for pedestrians, equestrians, and bicyclists. Honor the posted speed limits. Be safe.
Jim Fahey
Mayor of Corrales