Rio Rancho Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting - May 19, 2025
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Rio Rancho Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting - May 19, 2025
The Parks and Recreation Commission of Rio Rancho met on May 19, 2025, at 6:00 PM. The meeting included approval of minutes, staff reports on parks projects, facilities updates, aquatics, summer camps, and upcoming events. No public comments or commission deliberations were held. New District 1 Commissioner Romero was welcomed.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes of the April 21, 2025 meeting were approved with a roll call vote: Commissioners Herrera, French Barger, and Marsh voted yes; Commissioner Romero refrained (having not been in attendance). The motion passed 3–0–1.
Staff Reports
- Projects Update (Diane Sonier): Campus Park is near completion (95%+) with a dedication plaque planned for the July 4th event. Broadmoor Senior Center Phase 2 construction has broken ground; multipurpose room and outdoor terrace expected by January 2026 (contractor optimistic for October). Vista Grande playground replacement and shade structure anticipated to start in July/August, complete by end of year. A 30x30 shade structure funded by CDBG‑COVID funds is pending federal fund stability. Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful events: Great American Cleanup (April 18, May 10) with over 200 volunteers picking up 5,720 lbs of litter; tree seedling giveaway (April 19) distributed nearly 300 trees; Clean Campus Contest had five applicants (Maggie Cortevet ES 1st); a backyard refuge class drew 26 residents.
- Parks & Facilities Update (Charles Fernandez via Zoom): Division still short‑staffed; interviews ongoing. Weed control and aeration nearly complete. Graffiti cleanup underway at Park Above and Rainbow (police called). Mariposa sidewalk repairs complete; basketball court resurfacing (including pickleball lines) to start soon. Trash cans and benches being installed at Roadrunner playground.
- Aquatics Update (Noah Trujillo for Bianca Baca): Lifeguard recertification completed May 3‑4 with 30 returners. Seasonal hiring 80% complete (65 positions, 50 lifeguards). Leadership training for seasonal staff May 21. Splash pad repainting at Park Above this week. Aquatic center closed May 26 for Memorial Day; outdoor pools open 12‑6 on that day. Summer hours begin May 27.
- Deputy Director Report (Noah Trujillo): Summer camp starts June 2‑August 1; 31 counselors, 11 junior counselors, 4 site supervisors hired. Campus Park continues to be a valuable event space.
- Director Report (Connie Peterson): Welcomed new Commissioner Romero (appointed April 10 by Mayor Hall). Past events: Park and Bar Car Show (April 26) with 190 cars; Mother’s Day Tea (May 3, 50 participants); Shop Local (May 10, 100+ vendors); Largest Yard Sale (May 10). Upcoming: Memorial Day Ceremony May 26 at Veterans Memorial Park. Summer camp full (180 kids/day). Outdoor pool passes information provided.
Public Comments & Testimony
- None.
Discussion Items
- The commission had no additional discussion or deliberation items.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the April 21, 2025 meeting minutes.
- Received and filed staff reports on projects, facilities, aquatics, and recreation.
- Welcomed new Commissioner Romero to the commission.
- Meeting adjourned at 6:31 PM.
Note: The accompanying minutes provided are from the Arts Commission meeting on May 8, 2025, and appear to be from a different meeting. The transcript reflects the May 19, 2025 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting as specified.
Meeting Transcript
The May meeting of the Real Rancho Parks and Reps Commission is now called to order. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. So we will wait to see because we are expecting at least one more member. Hang on out there. Commissioner Herrera has arrived. She is on Zoom, so we can proceed with our meeting. The first item on our consent calendar is approval of the minutes of the uh April twenty first meeting. Do I have a motion to approve them? I make a motion to approve the minutes. Do I have a second? I cannot because I wasn't in attendance. Can you hear me? Yes. Thank you, Commissioner. So I guess the approval would just be for the two of them, right? Yeah, I'll call the roll. Um Ellen, do you approve the minutes? Commissioner Herrera. Approve. Uh Commissioner French Barger. Approved. Oh, I can't because I wasn't here. Sorry. Commissioner Marsh. Yes, approved. Commissioner Romero. Refrain. The minutes are approved. Next item uh is staff presentations, reports, and comments. And the first one is projects update from Diane Sonye, our project's division manager. Good evening, Miss Chairwoman, Commissioners. Um I don't have too many projects to give an update on, and that we have wrapped many of them up last month. If you happen to come down King Boulevard or Civic Center Circle, you may have seen how much more progress has been made on campus park. And as of Friday, this Friday, we are hoping to do our substantial completion walkthrough, which means things are close to ninety-five percent complete or more. So there will be a dedication plaque for both phases. Yes, so there will be a dedication plaque for both phases, and that will happen at the 4th of July event, and then it will be really done, and I'll be happy that it's really done. We also happen to have the Broadmoor Senior Center phase two construction underway. They broken ground, but we won't see too much more activity this week. It'll mostly start the following week. Um they've ordered materials to start the construction of the multi-purpose room, and there will be some additional groundwork done to start the outdoor terrace, and that's a programming terrace. So we are hoping that the majority of that work will be completed by January. The contractor says maybe October. I think they're overly optimistic, and I'd like to be proven wrong. Um, but I am always cautiously optimistic and say maybe January, February, and we hope that it will go smoothly. And again, so that will add the multipurpose room, the outdoor programming space, which will have kind of like an outdoor terrace with shade over much of the terrace. There'll be an artificial turf area so people can take like yoga classes, um, they can go out there and feel like they're in the grass without being in the grass, and they'll be under the shade. So that's one thing out here. We've got perpetual wind and sun. Um, so at least that will allow them to maximize the use of that facility. We have some other projects I mentioned last time, such as the Vista Grande playground replacement and shade structure installation.
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