With election season underway, Bernalillo County voters are being asked to consider six bond questions that could lead to $40.5 million in capital projects.
One of the questions seeks voter approval for $11.7 million in parks and recreation projects.
Whether development continues at the Mesa del Sol Regional Outdoor Sports Complex hinges on the parks and recreation question. Kathy Korte, the county’s chief of government affairs, said the complex will have 31 sports fields once completed, and will draw regional and national tournaments to Albuquerque.
Korte said the complex will provide local economic development opportunities and better access to quality fields for young athletes in the southern part of the county.
The 2024 bond package includes $2.2 million for Mesa del Sol. The county has already committed more than 75% of the $48 million total project cost.
Korte said 18 fields and related parking and infrastructure will be complete by the end of 2025. She said the remaining fields are expected to be completed by 2032 if funding and a favorable schedule can be secured.
The package includes $1.42 million for the Raymond G. Sanchez Community Center in the North Valley. Korte said passage would put the project more than halfway to its budget of $6 million. She said county staff hope to see the center fully funded with the 2026 bond issue, though state capital outlay dollars or other sources could also be found.
The work, she said, includes the complete design and construction and the renovation of the park landscape behind the community center.
Another $1.5 million would go toward the second phase of the Sandia Ranch Ag-Life Center project. Korte said the project is envisioned as the new location for the County’s Cooperative Extension and 4-H programs, along with a neighborhood park.
Construction on the neighborhood park will begin in December, will cost about $20 million and should be finished by next fall, according to Korte.
Los Vecinos Community Center, parts of which date back to the 1970s, is due for $1.5 million in improvements if the bond measure passes. Korte said some upgrades are underway, including parking and accessibility improvements. The full scope of the project will include replacement of the skate park, playing fields and playgrounds.
The county has already collected $5,358,000 of the $16.8 million project cost.
Other parks and recreation projects on the ballot include $704,000 for improvements at Tom Tenorio Park, $225,000 for renovation of the aquatics space at Paradise Hills Community Center, $150,000 for renovations at the Little League field at Vista Grande Community Center in Sandia Park and $100,000 for a new shade structure at Nick Vitale Park.
The other bond questions seek approval of spending for public safety facilities, fleet, and county buildings, transportation, storm drainage and utilities, libraries and public housing.Early voting is underway at the Clerk’s Annex, 1500 Lomas Blvd NW, Suite A. Information about polling places, sample ballots and voter programs can be found here.