News
Test

Residents Evaluate Fire Damage

Fire Camp Is Its Own Little Village

Red Cross Coordinating Aid for Fire Victims

Say Bye To Bella Vista Eyesore

Newborn Filly Recovering After Attack

Defense: Sobriety Tests Fumbled

Death Penalty Showdown

Deputy May Have Taken Evidence

A Beeline From the Trigo Fire

More
News

HOME	CLASSIFIEDS	OBITUARIES	SPORTS	OPINION

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Say Bye To Bella Vista Eyesore

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
      The dilapidated shell of what was the Bella Vista restaurant might soon be hauled away.
       According to county officials, permits and necessary arrangements have been made for the demolition to go forward.
       Long considered an eyesore by many along the Turquoise Trail, a National Scenic Byway that includes N.M. 14 and the Sandia Crest Highway, the restaurant closed in 2001. It was known for its all-you-can-eat fried chicken and fish platters.
       The land was owned by the Guelfi family but was bought by Bella Vista Partners LLC. The partners, who own what is left of the old restaurant and some of the land around it, also rent space to the nearby Triangle Grocery store.
       With broken windows and surrounded by a fence and “keep out” signs, concerns have been raised, not only about aesthetics, but also about the safety of having such a building in the area.
       “A lot of folks along the trail are getting tired of being kind of neglected,” said Sharon Berg, a co-founder of the Turquoise Trail Preservation Trust, a group of residents concerned with the preservation and enrichment of the Turquoise Trail.
       Due in part to the direction of County Commissioner Michael Brasher, the county filed a criminal complaint against Gilbert Luna of Universal Constructors and a member of the Bella Vista Partners. It was received by Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court on Monday.
       According to the complaint, the owner failed to “comply with an official notice issued by the building official to abate a public nuisance …”
       The action did not come soon enough, according to Berg.
       “I'm surprised Brasher hasn't come forward sooner on this when the community itself has been pretty vocal.”
       Brasher said he has had a number of meetings with the owners and has been working on the problem.
       “In fairness to (the owners) I think they had some difficulties that were out of their control,” he said.
       One of those difficulties was an environmental concern. The building was found to have asbestos, but the level it contains was recently found to be suitable for demolition, according to Brasher. And another recent holdup was approval for dumping the demolished building in the Sandoval County Landfill, which only recently expanded.
       “It was really waiting for the landfill expansion to take place,” said Sandy Fish, director of the county's Zoning, Building and Planning Department.
       Another setback is getting the money to do the job, which might cost $100,000, according to Fish.
       “I don't think the criminal complaint is what led to (the partners) getting all the I's dotted and T's crossed. I think that would have happened regardless,” Fish said.
       According to Brasher, that's not the point of the criminal complaint.
       “It's to make sure that they respond in a timely manner,” he said.
       Fish said if the job isn't completed, his department could take the owners to court.
       “That in itself is a long process,” he said. “The work should all be done. If it's not, then we have the option of going through the legal process,” he said.
      

---