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Residents and council push to revive Interior Drain project as Safe Routes to School option
Summary
Public commenters and several councilors urged restarting a long-stalled interior drain project to preserve the corridor and create a low-impact Safe Routes to School path; council agreed to reconstitute a committee to pursue a minimalist design and to meet with MRGCD and DOT for approvals and funding options.
Rick Thaler, a longtime resident who said he helped form the original Interior Drain committee, urged the council to "restart the process and get the interior drain project back on track," arguing the drain should be preserved as a low-impact corridor for wildlife, fire safety and children walking to school. "We don't want a big fancy urban park. We want the drain to be the way it is in perpetuity," Thaler said during the public comment period.
The exchange came amid broader council discussion about Safe Routes to School. Administrator staff told the council they have been coordinating with the New Mexico Department of Transportation and that DOT runs a partner meeting for the Safe Streets for All program; invitations to that meeting are by the DOT. A councilor suggested initial village budget support—"maybe the $25,000 to start with"—to help relaunch programming tied to the Safe Routes effort.
David Janney, newly appointed to the village Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, told the council he would prefer to keep bicycles off Corrales Road and develop Loma Larga or a completely separated bike path where possible. Councilors and staff discussed a narrower strategy: identify a designated crossing on Corrales Road and use the interior drain corridor and adjacent access routes to form part of a Safe Routes map that can be shared with parents if MRGCD approves access. Administrator staff said MRGCD allows access but will not permit the village to advertise an MRGCD-managed ditch bank as a recreational trail unless additional approvals and possible ADA upgrades are completed.
Councilor Murray (functional label) proposed reconstituting the interior drain committee and pursuing a "minimalist design" specifically to include Safe Routes to School connections to the school and Rec Center. Administrator staff said they had already reached out to Jason Kasuga at MRGCD to set up a meeting and would add the new mayor to that conversation so the mayor can ask questions directly. Staff cautioned that improvements to MRGCD-managed property will require MRGCD sign-off under the village's Joint Powers Agreement.
Next steps: council directed staff to pursue the reconstituted committee approach, meet with DOT and MRGCD representatives in the coming weeks, and return to the council with options and potential costs. Staff said they will include Safe Routes funding as a candidate for the upcoming budget cycle and explore grant and metropolitan transportation funding opportunities.
