SANDOVAL PLACITAS PRSRT-STD BERNALILLO U.S. Postage Paid Placitas, NM CORRALES Permit #3 SANDOVAL Postal Customer or COUNTY Current Resident SignPOSt ECRWSS NEW MEXICO A N INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER S INCE 1988 • VOL. 31 / NO .2 • FEBRUARY 2020 • FREE IVEN Candidates campaign D ILL for Town offices —B ~SIGNPOST STAFF The March 3 municipal election promises at least one new face on the Bernalillo Town Council, following the retirement of Councilor Ronnie Sisneros. “We’ve come a long way in Bernalillo,” Sisneros said of his 18 years on the council. “The biggest thing is the council and mayor working well together.” Since Mayor Jack Torres was elected in 2010, the town cleaned up years-old accounting issues, made improvements to water and sewer systems priorities, and boosted salaries to retain and attract qualified employees. Getting the financial house in order makes the town eligible for state grants, while living within its means freed money for the purchase of the Roosevelt School property behind Town Hall, Sisneros said. The property now known as the Roosevelt Complex has become home to the Martha Liebert Public Library, the non- profit Rebuilding Together Sandoval County, and a company that provides training for emergency responders. There also It’s the evening commute through the U.S. Highway 550 construction zone, and a is space to train for the town police and fire departments. Bernalillo Police Department officer is stopping an alleged traffic violator. BPD has begun “There are a lot of little things our constituents don’t see us an ongoing enforcement program following a flood of complaints about bad driving. working on,” Sisneros said. “They aren’t big steps but phases, since we can only do so much with the funding we have… We put the people first.” Patience runs out for traffic scofflaws Sisneros retired at the end of 2018 after 28 years with the Sandoval County Assessor’s Office. With his wife also in U.S. 550 construction zone recently retiring, he said, it’s time for them to do other things. He’s glad several people are showing interest in succeeding ~BILL DIVEN him on the council, he added. Two months into the two-year rebuild of U.S. Staff from the town Public Works Depart- The candidates, all Bernalillo natives, running for two posi- Highway 550 through Bernalillo, drivers set- ment also added speed bumps to Old High- tions on the council are: tled into the new routine, and it wasn’t way 44, a narrow residential street lined with • Incumbent Councilor Marian Jaramillo—who also serves pretty. trees and mobile homes. as mayor pro-tem, running council meetings when Torres is While many simply dealt with the realities, In the first eight days, officers wrote more absent. Jaramillo owns Marian’s Child Development Center others let frustration and anger get the best than two hundred citations for moving viola- and is seeking her fifth four-year term on the council. of them and stopped appreciating traffic tions, lack of insurance or vehicle registra- • Alonzo Lucero: Bernalillo’s municipal judge from 2000- laws. Beyond speeding—tough during con- tion, defective equipment, children not in 2007 who also worked for the county assessor, retiring after gested commute hours—running red lights safety seats, and adults not in seatbelts. 28 years. Lucero currently hosts The Bernalillo Show, week- or blocking intersections as signals turned “It runs the gamut, including arrests for day mornings, on KUPR 99.9 FM, where he’s been a volun- red became common. driving on suspended licenses, possession of teer disc jockey since the Placitas station began broadcasting Complaints also flowed into the Bernalillo marijuana or drugs,” Romero said. “We’ve in May, 2015. Police Department about drivers zipping also made some arrests on outstanding war- • Sharon Torres-Quintana is giving up her current position through parking lots to bypass congested rants.” as Bernalillo municipal judge to run for the town council. A intersections. Add a DWI arrest as well. past alternate judge, she was elected to the judgeship in 2008 “We tried to give motorists time to get The next step, the chief said, was to bring and 2018. She is retired from Sandoval County where she used to it and drive courteously and friendly, officers in on overtime using traffic-safety worked with the DWI Prevention program. and that didn’t seem to be working,” BPD grant funds. Beyond that, if things don’t set- • Phillip A. Valverde owned and operated Bernalillo Tire Chief Tom Romero said during the January tle down, other area agencies may be asked for 25 years where he said he earned the confidence of cus- 13 Town Council meeting. “So based on the to help out, he added. tomers in his hometown. Now retired, he’s running for the complaints we’ve been getting and all that’s By Signpost deadline, the number of council to give back to the community, he said. been happening out there, last Monday we citations had grown to 420 with more not Council candidates run at-large, so the two receiving the gave a directive to officers for strict enforce- yet logged into the BPD tracking system. most votes will be elected. Early and absentee voting at the ment.” The number of crashes and complaints about municipal clerk’s office in Town Hall begins on February 4, The directive sent officers when they road rage had decreased, Romero told the with early in-person voting ending at 6:00 p.m. on February weren’t handling calls to the construction Signpost. 29. Voting on Election Day, also, is at Town Hall—829 South zone during high-traffic periods. They also Signs posted in the project warn motorists Camino del Pueblo. checked side streets like Spartan Alley, traffic fines are doubled in construction Bernalillo is also electing a new municipal judge, although Camino Don Tomas, and Old Highway 44, zones. alternate judge Geoffrey Rinaldi is running unopposed for which draw motorists hoping for shortcuts Councilor Tina Dominguez said she saw the position. around construction. the plan in action while in the northbound —continued on page 7 —continued on page 5 Find the Signpost online at www.sandovalsignpost.com iinnvitesnvnvivitititetteses yyouyoou too jjoinjojoioinin uss foforfor mumusicususiusicsiic andanandd artarart ini thethhe foofoooothillsotoththihilillllsls “Sandias Post-Storm” Photograph by Erica Wene del-Oglesby The Placitas Arttists Series Continues itts 33rd Seeason! Beyon Canadian Acoustic Roots Ensemb Sunnday, Febru Concert ge ability QQJOH 1MB[B 1MBDJUBT FM 1VFCMP #FSOBMJMMP TUVEFOU UISPVHI (SBEF NBZ CF hurchc onHHwy. 165 in Placitas. info@o PlacitasArtistsSeries.org rts, a division of the Deppartment of Cultural Affairs,i owmentfor the Arts PAGE 2 • FEBRUARY 2020 • SANDOVAL SIGNPOST • SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1988 CONTENTS Up Front—1 Sandoval Arts—20 NEW YEAR’S Business-7 Calendar—22 505-771-3937 SPECIAL!!! Public Safety-10 Night Sky-23 Buy First Pair Around Town-11 Gauntlet-24 of Lenses with Eco-Beat-13 Senior Center—25 Transition 8 & Real People-14 Youth-26 Crizal No Glare. Health-19 Animal News—26 Get a second pair Time Off 19 Classified Ads—28 of Crizal No glare lenses FREE with purchase of MAIL: 2 new frames. Signpost, P. O. Box 889 Expires 3/31/20 Placitas, NM 87043 PHONE: (505) 867-3810 WEBSITE: www.sandovalsignpost.com NEW YEAR, NEW LOOK EMAIL: [email protected] Eye Health Examinations • Eyeglasses • Contact Lenses CALENDAR: [email protected] Prescription Sunglasses • Computer Eyeglasses ADVERTISING: [email protected] Laser Vision Correction DEADLINE: Dr. Deidra Casaus, Board Certified Optometric Physician The 20th of each month, prior to month of interest DROP BOX: 160 Camino Del Pueblo, Bernalillo On the wall inside The Merc, at Homestead Village, Call for an appointment today! 221 Highway 165, Placitas, Two miles east off I-25 Exit 242. www.thevisionstorenewmexico.com SIGNPOST STAFF: PUBLISHERS: Barb and Ty Belknap EDITOR / BUSINESS MANAGER: Ty Belknap EDITOR / CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Barb Belknap NEWS EDITOR: Bill Diven COPY EDITOR / PROOFREADER: Evan Belknap NIGHT SKY FEATURE WRITER: Charlie Christmann MASTHEAD & DESIGN SUPPORT: Gary Priester CARTOONIST: Rudi Klimpert (in memorium) AD SALES: Office Staff WEBMASTER: Bunny Bowen DISTRIBUTION: Office Staff Sandoval Signpost is published monthly by dinine in or carry out Belknap Publishing, Inc, P. O. Box 889, Placitas, NM 87043. Bulk postage is paid at Placitas, New Mexico. As a local newspaper of general circulation for Placitas, Bernalillo, Corrales, Rio Rancho and other areas of southeastern Sandoval County, we invite 505.588.2143 readers to submit stories, ideas, articles, letters, poetry, and photographs of artwork for publishing consideration. We welcome advertising of interest to 200 S. CAMINO DEL PUEBLO · BERNALILLO,, NM our readership area. Ad and submission deadline is the twentieth of the month prior to the publication month. FEBRUARRYY 20020 This issue of the Sandoval Signpost has been mailed to every home in Placitas (2,600 direct-mail), LIZARD RODEO LOUUNGE and delivered for free pickup at over forty locations STARTING AROUNND 7 in the Placitas-Bernalillo-Corrales and southeastern AND TO WAWAIT OUT THE TRAFFIC ON 550 Sandoval County area, totalling about 5,600 copies. 1 COWBOY WAWAYAY.Y.weestern Copyright © 2019-2020, by Belknap Publishing, 6 OPEN JAM.hosted by DeRangers Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permis- 7 STRAAYY DAAWWGS.bluuegrass sion is prohibited. The opinions expressed in articles 8 SILLVVER CROW ASYASYLUM.YLUM.blues/funk appearing in the Sandoval Signpost are those of 13 OPEN JAM.hosted by DeRangers the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect 14 THE CUMBERLANDS.folk rock & love songs those of the publishers. The Sandoval Signpost is 15 TOM WILLIAMS.country/honkeytonk printed with soy ink on recycled newsprint.