News
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

Business Owners Had Had Enough

More
News

HOME	CLASSIFIEDS	OBITUARIES	SPORTS	OPINION

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Luis Garcia Park to Open This Summer

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
    There are plenty of new projects in the works in the village of Tijeras.
    Plans include a water system, which will cost just under $4 million; a veterans memorial and playground; and a new senior center.
    The Luis Garcia Park, between the East Mountain Library and the historic Holy Child Church, is dedicated in remembrance of Luis Garcia, a Tijeras resident who was killed in a notorious shooting along with two friends as they sat in their car in Sandia Knolls on May 29, 1999. In addition, a veterans memorial will be included in the park.
    Work has been done on the park over the course of several years, but it is not yet open.
    The council is expected to review bids for the work on March 17 and construction may start in about a month, according to Village Mayor Gloria Chavez.
    She said there will be a grand opening in the middle or end of summer this year, which will coincide with the village's 35th anniversary of incorporation.
    In addition, work is being done to finalize plans for a village senior center. The village has about $300,000 in appropriations, which will be used to purchase a prefabricated building that will be built to an architect's design specifications. Chavez said a final design should appear before the village council in a month or two and she hopes the building will be completed by the end of the year.
    There was recently a meeting to explain another of the village's projects: a proposed expansion of the village water system.
    The meeting was held at Los Vecinos Community Center on Monday.
    On hand to explain the project were Kevin Eades and Mark Kelly, both engineers with Molzen-Corbin Associates, a firm under contract with the village.
    Eades explained that $4 million for the project was collected from 2003 to 2006 with about half from federal and half from state appropriations.
    Water pipelines will be laid in three phases, starting in roughly the northwestern part of the village, where they will tie in with the existing lines, and ending at the eastern part of the village.
    Construction is expected to be completed in 2010.
    In addition to pipelines, a well and a 50,000 gallon storage tank may be added to the system.
    There are currently two tanks with a combined capacity of 276,000 gallons.
    The wells combined can produce up to 150 gallons per minute, with one producing 70 and the other 80. The engineers said a new well similar to the other two may be needed. It will likely be located south of Interstate 40.
    The water system, which is being designed to serve the village's projected needs in 2027, will also likely require a third well to be drilled on the south side of Interstate 40.
    After the short presentation, the roughly 35 people attending the meeting were encouraged to fill out paperwork to show interest in tying in to the water system.
    Residents who commit to hooking into the system during construction will be charged $30. Those who wait until after construction will be charged around $1,200 to $1,900, according to Chavez.
    Monthly bills are expected to be $10 for the first 1,000 gallons and $3 for each additional 1,000 gallons, or any portion of 1,000 gallons.
    Pressure throughout the system should be between 30 and 80 pounds per square inch (psi) at all times, but may go down to 20 psi if the water is needed to fight a fire, Kelly said.
    "If your neighbor's house is on fire," he said, "you may have a small drop in pressure."