November Meeting Minutes
6:30pm | Preservation Station | Bonnie Anderson presiding | Prepared by Secretary Howard Dobin
APD Report
Lieutenants Higdon and Benevidez of the Valley Area Command attended. Kevin Hillskemper of City Market Lofts related a recent incident (Oct 22 or 23) when a homeless person was blocking the entrance to the building. This individual has been a problem and has a history of responding with rants at those who have asked him to move out of the doorway. 242-COPS was called, but there was a delay in handling the call along with poor communications. The call was referred to ACS (Albuquerque Community Services). There was no follow-up from them with Kevin. A meth pipe was left behind, retrieved and surrendered to the officers.
Lt. Higdon related that the communications unit, like most APD units, is currently understaffed. The goal of ACS is to provide resources, but those accepting help must be drug-free. Most of those referred to ACS decline to give up their drug habits.
Additional incidents in the neighborhood include: Spray paint graffiti on the steel doors of 600 Central SE. Reckless driving damaged the awning at the Rodeway Motel at 801 Central NE. A vandal broke storefront windows at the Nuve Salon at 401 Central NE. Someone cut out turf from a field at Eugene Field Elementary School at 700 Edith SE.
Carlos Michelen related that he has called APD about fast cars and cars with hidden missing plates to APD. Lt. Higdon said that with reduced staffing, it is a matter of how they direct their limited resources. The Traffic Unit will be assisting on some nights from 8pm-3am. The Valley Area Command is hopeful that they will receive at least 2 cadets from the current police academy staff. A new sergeant has started on the Swing Shift. The officers ask that we call the police at 242-COPS to report all non-emergency issues. There is a correlation between the number of calls/issues and the number of officers and resources allocated to a command. In general, we need a larger, fully staffed police department.
Lt. Higdon can be reached at shigdon@cabq.gov or by phone at (505) 761-8800.
Filling Board Position
David Tanner has resigned from our board. Bonnie thanked David for his years of service on the board, his work on our website, and coordination with the EDo board. Carlos Michelen, a climate scientist and advocate for walkable neighborhoods, was approved to fill the board position vacated by David.
Follow Up
701 Coal NE
Santiago Aceves asked for suggestions for possible retail business ideas if he were to reserve a 400-500 sqft area in front of the reception area of his developing project. There were questions and disagreements about whether his lot is zoned for a business. If anyone is interested in opening such a business or has any ideas or suggestions, Santiago can be reached at santiagoaceves@gmail.com.
Jane's Walk 2025
Bob Elwood, who has experience writing a script for a historic village, has volunteered to work on the rewrite of Tour II. He has started with research of the Albuquerque Press Club.
I-25 "S" Curve
The firm working on the “S” Curve proposal asked for a 2-3 hours to give an updated presentation to us on the current state of the project. The request was declined. Bob Elwood will be attending a meeting about the project and will be giving a report at the December meeting.
Holiday Hijinks 2024
The event will be at the Albuquerque Press Club on Saturday December 14th from 5:00-7:00pm. Bruce Redford believes that the website with items/descriptions should be up around November 21st and on-line bidding should begin on December 4th. There is no need to attend the event to bid or win. Along with many art pieces by local artists, there will be a Fendi evening coat and many other items.
Other Issues
There will be a meeting about the RailTrail followed by a presentation regarding the Lead/Coal project. Carlos will attempt to attend the Lead/Coal portion of the meeting and report back to us. Kevin was told that the Central Avenue pedestrian overpass is delayed because utilities that require the input of up to five separate agencies to be relocated. Howard had not had an update from Terry Brunner.
Scott Stine related proposed upgrades to the Albuquerque Press Club property. These include fencing, security and noise reduction.
Elijah Esquivel reminded any business owners to file a Beneficial Ownership Information Report (BOIR) before the end of the calendar year. This is a new requirement under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) for U.S. businesses. It's designed to increase transparency in business ownership and help combat financial crimes. There is a penalty of over $500/day for not filing.
David Johnson from Eugene Field Elementary is looking for volunteers to tutor students in reading. If you are interested, please contact the school.