OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Rio Rancho Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – August 17, 2026

Meeting PortalMonday, August 17, 2026
BodyRio Rancho, New Mexico
SessionMeeting Portal
DateMonday, August 17, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 32:06
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

The first item on the agenda is the approval of the June 15th, 2026 minutes.

0:08

I'm going to recommend that we postpone the approval of those minutes after a brief review.

0:15

I noticed that there were some inconsistencies, probably pertaining to a cut and paste from a prior prior month.

0:25

So may I have a motion to postpone the approval of those minutes?

0:36

Okay.

0:40

Noah, would you do a roll call for this?

0:42

Romero is a first, and then Ellen, you were the second, correct?

0:50

So uh roll call.

0:52

Uh Commissioner Romero.

0:57

Uh Commissioner Hereta.

1:00

Present.

1:01

Commissioner Edwards.

1:04

Present.

1:07

Commissioner French Barger.

1:10

Present.

1:12

Commissioner Leading.

1:15

I didn't see her on there.

1:20

She was coming.

1:23

And then Commissioner Marsh, who's absent.

1:26

He's absent.

1:32

So the minute the approval of the minutes for June 15th, 2026, which was our last meeting because we did not have a meeting in July, has been postponed until the September meeting, so that the minutes can be corrected.

1:49

Next on the agenda is staff presentations, reports, and comments.

1:53

First is projects update from Diane Sony, Project Division Manager.

2:00

Good evening, Commissioners.

2:06

Is that possible?

2:08

Some of the upcoming projects we have very very happening very soon.

2:14

Sorry, the first one would be we will be looking at holding public meetings about our multi-generation center, the conceptual plans.

2:24

And they will be coming up in the next couple of months.

2:28

And one of those meetings will be held here with the parks and rec commission.

2:32

So you can look forward to seeing that.

2:34

Once we have input from the public, it'll be taken into consideration with the work that was already completed with the overall conceptual plan in order to generate construction drawings for that facility.

2:49

Also, we are wrapping up the design for our King parking lot rehabilitation where it's a very large asphalt parking lot, very old.

3:00

It had had striped in it and placed goals for two basketball courts within the parking lot.

3:36

So hopefully it'll last a very long time.

3:41

So we look forward to seeing those changes.

3:47

Then also we are at 90% for our Sierra Norte 2 phase two playground or sorry park renovation or improvements, and that specifically would add a small grass turf area, a couple of shade structures near the playground and turf area, as well as eight pickleball courts and associated parking.

4:14

So we hope to get that design going and then finding additional funding so that we can construct that improvement to Sierra Norte Park.

4:26

In the past, I've talked about our upcoming expansion of the Animal Resource Center Kennels.

4:33

That was something that was being handled by our department, but at this time is being handed over to the building maintenance division.

4:41

The design has been completed, and hopefully they will be able to begin construction on that in the next few months.

5:04

And then we also have park impact fees that the city has been amassing for a few years so that we can build Sports Complex North Phase 3, which is another standard little league field that matches the size of the existing two fields at Sports Complex North.

5:21

It will also be artificial turf and basically look very similar to what's already there, meaning it would have field lighting, dugouts, bleachers, all of that.

5:50

And in the future phase six, so this is phase three, but in future phase six, there will be a larger field, kind of like at our high resort sports complex.

6:02

We have field seven, which adults can play on it, and like the older youth.

6:08

And this is doing some of literally laying some of the groundwork for that future field because there's economy of scale to do it now, and they're tied together.

6:18

Their contours will be somewhat tied together.

6:21

So we are just waiting for those grant agreements to come in.

6:27

Sometimes they come in in July, sometimes they come in in December.

6:32

We have answered all the state's questions, and this is funding that was approved in the 2026 legislature, and so we know it's on their on their plans to get it rolled out to us.

6:44

And as soon as we can create the budget for that, meaning we would have to take those grant agreements to the governing body, we will likely go out to bid for those improvements.

6:55

I don't anticipate it being completed until 2028.

7:04

Then we also have a state grant.

7:07

We're waiting for this agreement as well to replace the two basketball courts at Havasu Park.

7:14

Again, an asphalt park that was created in 2005-2006.

7:20

And we're moving towards trying to make them concrete because they hold up better.

7:26

They end up having fewer cracks, which means they maintain also their ADA compliance, and then also looking at striping those basketball courts, even the ones at the King Park parking lot for a pickleball as well.

7:40

So if the public wishes to bring their net and come out and play, they'll already have courts striped for their use.

7:48

So that's also at Habasu Park.

7:51

And then we will also be utilizing city funds to make similar improvements, but more like half-court type improvements with one pickleball court at Clayton Meadows Park and at Enchanted Hills Park.

8:06

Both of those basketball courts are very, very old and they are very, very rough.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation█████████████████████████████████████████████60%
Community Engagement█████████████17%
Procedural███████████15%
Personnel Matters████5%
Youth Programs██3%
Summary of Proceedings

Rio Rancho Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – August 17, 2026

The Rio Rancho Parks and Recreation Commission met on August 17, 2026, at 1:00 PM. The meeting included staff updates on capital projects, park operations, aquatics, and upcoming events. Commissioners postponed approval of prior meeting minutes due to inconsistencies and discussed a proposal to change the meeting cadence from monthly to bi-monthly.

Consent Calendar

  • No consent calendar items were presented.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public signed up to speak.

Discussion Items

  • Approval of June 15, 2026 Minutes: Chair recommended postponing approval after noticing cut-and-paste errors. The motion passed, moving approval to the September 2026 meeting.
  • Staff Presentations:
    • Diane Sony (Project Division Manager) reported on upcoming projects: multi-generation center public meetings (location: southwest corner of Rockaway and Northern Boulevards, 13 acres); King parking lot rehabilitation (with basketball courts and pickleball striping); Sierra Norte 2 Phase 2 park improvements (turf, shade structures, 8 pickleball courts); Animal Resource Center kennel expansion (design complete, construction soon); Sports Complex North Phase 3 (little league field, awaiting state grant); Havasu Park basketball court replacement (concrete, with pickleball striping); Clayton Meadows and Enchanted Hills Park half-court improvements; Enchanted Hills trail design (50% complete); bond-funded skate park replacement and Sugar Park playground improvements.
    • Charles Fernandez (Superintendent) reported the department is 11 positions short, including a retiring supervisor. Weed control is manageable with drier weather. A large cottonwood tree at Cabazon Park fell after a windstorm; a 6-foot section was kept as a bench log. Another cottonwood at Trailhead Park was removed for safety. The department will plant 40 trees this winter.
    • Bianca Baca (Aquatics Manager) stated the summer season has two weeks remaining (weekends only). The Pooch Plunge is scheduled for September 12. Mayor’s Sunday Fun Day at Haynes Pool drew 200 participants. The FY26 capital project for Rainbow main drain repairs is planned for October.
    • Noah Trujillo (Deputy Director) reviewed recent events: Juneteenth (3,600 attendees), July 4th (9,000 attendees), summer camps (1,600 children). Upcoming: Pooch Plunge/counselor meet-and-greet, Food Truck Fiesta, youth basketball registration (450–500 participants), fall festival (October 24), Veterans Day parade, and Winter Fest (December 5).
    • Ryan Armijo (new Deputy Director) introduced herself and noted she is in her fourth week.
  • Commission Discussion on Meeting Cadence: Commissioner proposed changing meetings from monthly to bi-monthly to avoid cancellations due to lack of agenda items or quorum. Staff will provide data on cancellation history over the last three years. A formal vote is scheduled for the next meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Postponed Approval: Approval of the June 15, 2026 minutes was postponed to the September 2026 meeting.
  • Future Vote: The commission will vote at the next meeting on whether to change the meeting schedule to bi-monthly, pending staff data.
  • Public Events: Several community events were announced, including Pooch Plunge (September 12), Food Truck Fiesta (September 19), Fall Festival (October 24), Veterans Day Ceremony (November 11), and Winter Fest (December 5).
  • Tree Removals: Two cottonwood trees were removed from Cabazon and Trailhead parks; portions saved as bench logs. Tree planting of 40 trees planned for winter.

Meeting Transcript

The first item on the agenda is the approval of the June 15th, 2026 minutes. I'm going to recommend that we postpone the approval of those minutes after a brief review. I noticed that there were some inconsistencies, probably pertaining to a cut and paste from a prior prior month. So may I have a motion to postpone the approval of those minutes? Okay. Noah, would you do a roll call for this? Romero is a first, and then Ellen, you were the second, correct? So uh roll call. Uh Commissioner Romero. Uh Commissioner Hereta. Present. Commissioner Edwards. Present. Commissioner French Barger. Present. Commissioner Leading. I didn't see her on there. She was coming. And then Commissioner Marsh, who's absent. He's absent. So the minute the approval of the minutes for June 15th, 2026, which was our last meeting because we did not have a meeting in July, has been postponed until the September meeting, so that the minutes can be corrected. Next on the agenda is staff presentations, reports, and comments. First is projects update from Diane Sony, Project Division Manager. Good evening, Commissioners. Is that possible? Some of the upcoming projects we have very very happening very soon. Sorry, the first one would be we will be looking at holding public meetings about our multi-generation center, the conceptual plans. And they will be coming up in the next couple of months. And one of those meetings will be held here with the parks and rec commission. So you can look forward to seeing that. Once we have input from the public, it'll be taken into consideration with the work that was already completed with the overall conceptual plan in order to generate construction drawings for that facility. Also, we are wrapping up the design for our King parking lot rehabilitation where it's a very large asphalt parking lot, very old. It had had striped in it and placed goals for two basketball courts within the parking lot. So hopefully it'll last a very long time. So we look forward to seeing those changes. Then also we are at 90% for our Sierra Norte 2 phase two playground or sorry park renovation or improvements, and that specifically would add a small grass turf area, a couple of shade structures near the playground and turf area, as well as eight pickleball courts and associated parking. So we hope to get that design going and then finding additional funding so that we can construct that improvement to Sierra Norte Park. In the past, I've talked about our upcoming expansion of the Animal Resource Center Kennels. That was something that was being handled by our department, but at this time is being handed over to the building maintenance division. The design has been completed, and hopefully they will be able to begin construction on that in the next few months. And then we also have park impact fees that the city has been amassing for a few years so that we can build Sports Complex North Phase 3, which is another standard little league field that matches the size of the existing two fields at Sports Complex North. It will also be artificial turf and basically look very similar to what's already there, meaning it would have field lighting, dugouts, bleachers, all of that. And in the future phase six, so this is phase three, but in future phase six, there will be a larger field, kind of like at our high resort sports complex. We have field seven, which adults can play on it, and like the older youth. And this is doing some of literally laying some of the groundwork for that future field because there's economy of scale to do it now, and they're tied together. Their contours will be somewhat tied together. So we are just waiting for those grant agreements to come in. Sometimes they come in in July, sometimes they come in in December. We have answered all the state's questions, and this is funding that was approved in the 2026 legislature, and so we know it's on their on their plans to get it rolled out to us. And as soon as we can create the budget for that, meaning we would have to take those grant agreements to the governing body, we will likely go out to bid for those improvements.

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