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APS presents Taylor/Taft rebuild plan; neighbors press for clearer traffic and communication plans
Summary
Albuquerque Public Schools told Los Ranchos trustees it is rebuilding Taylor and repurposing Taft (to Coronado K–8), describing phased two‑story construction, a traffic-impact study and plans to remove portables; neighbors raised concerns about traffic, two‑story height, synthetic turf, and access to project plans; APS pledged more neighborhood meetings and shared files.
Albuquerque Public Schools presented its plan for rebuilding Taylor Middle School and repurposing Taft as Coronado K–8, telling the Village of Los Ranchos trustees on June 24 that the work will be done in phases to limit disruptions and that traffic mitigation is part of the design.
"We're moving out portables and building a two‑story administrative building first," said Kazitoeni, who identified himself as the executive director for APS's capital master plan. He described the first phase as a $15 million administrative/multiuse building and said a subsequent two‑story classroom block will follow so children can remain in place without extensive portable relocations.
APS officials said a traffic‑impact study has been completed and that the district is working with village staff through a shared Dropbox to post site plans, traffic circulation proposals and scheduling. "We did a traffic impact study which came up with some solutions which we are implementing," Kazitoeni said, adding that APS will hold neighborhood meetings and an open house so neighbors can see non‑technical summaries of circulation, pickup/drop‑off plans and construction timing.
Neighbors and trustees said they feel blindsided by the scope and speed of change. A letter read into the record from a resident who lives across from Taylor said a two‑phase, $40 million project and an increase in enrollment could double traffic on two‑lane Guadalupe Trail and make residential streets more congested and less safe. "A doubling of the traffic along two‑lane Guadalupe Trail ... will make residing on Guadalupe Trail considerably less bucolic," the letter said.
Trustees and residents pressed APS on the plan to use synthetic turf for fields and the two‑story height. Kazitoeni said synthetic turf was chosen in part because natural grass is costly to maintain year‑round in the high‑desert climate; turf reduces water use and recurring maintenance costs and the district is studying best practices for minimizing heat and environmental impacts. He said solar panels, improved drainage and landscaping to preserve sight lines are part of the design.
APS also confirmed students from Taft will be eligible for district busing and that interim pickup/drop‑off procedures will be used while long‑term circulation improvements are built onto APS property. "There's an interim plan for pickup and drop off and then there's a long‑term plan which will bring all that traffic totally within our property and get it off Guadalupe and all the other streets," Kazitoeni said.
APS agreed to provide direct file access to the shared project Dropbox for village staff and adjacent neighbors, to schedule a neighborhood meeting within weeks and to host an open house at Taft/Coronado before the start of school to explain programming and answer parent questions. Trustees requested APS coordinate with the village administrator to ensure timely access to drawings and traffic plans.
What happens next: APS will coordinate a neighborhood meeting and an open house before school starts; the district will send updated Dropbox links and a schedule for construction activities to village staff.
