General Membership Meeting, Elections and Picnic

The annual General Membership Meeting, elections and picnic (country western attire theme) will be held September 26 from 3-6 p.m. at Hyder Park. This will be a potluck; please bring your favorite dish and lawn chair (tables are also appreciated). All plates, cups, utensils, napkins, condiments and beverages will be provided by VHNA. Music will be performed by Apple Mountain Strings and Things. Elections will also be held for 5 board member positions. Membership is required for voting privileges. Membership forms will be available at the picnic. For additional membership information contact Steve Schroeder at 265-1839.

Membership Dues

Dues for Oct. 2004 to Oct. 2005, $10 per person ($20 per household), can be paid at the general membership meeting or can be mailed to VHNA, P.O. Box 40400, Albuquerque, NM, 87106-0400.

VHNA Needs New Board Members

Since our last election in 2002, we have lost two board members who moved out of the neighborhood and two members who will not be running for re-election. One member is up for re-election. The election for board members will be Sept. 26 at Hyder Park at the General Membership meeting from 3 to 6 p.m.

Board member responsibilities include:

·         Attending the board meeting at 6:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of every month (except 2 summer months and the month of December) at the Loma Linda Community Center.

·         Calling your block captains to pick up newsletters for distribution.

·         Helping write articles for the VHNA Newsletter.

·         Contributing your thoughts for projects, problems, and parties.

Service Projects

Is your organization (Boy/Girl Scouts, etc.) looking for a service project? VHNA has a number of ways your group can get more involved in improving our neighborhood. Contact Scott Sandoval at 242-5149.

Councilor Heinrich gave us a 6 month report on the work he has accomplished:

·         Introduced and passed a bill to amend the City’s Water Conservation Landscaping law

·         He’s working on the regional Water Utility Authority to develop ways to prevent water loss

·         Sponsored and passed an ordinance that restricts panhandling in certain public places

·         He is the Chair of the Ad Hoc Homelessness Committee (see important story below)

·         Sponsored and passed an ordinance requiring overnight lodging establishments to undergo nuisance abatement training

·         Introduced resolution requiring new or transferred liquor license within an East Central business district to first submit a nuisance prevention agreement

·         Working on an ordinance which will impose standards and fees upon vacant buildings in our City

New Homeless and Mentally Ill Property in our Community

The property, Sunport Plaza Apartments, at 1313 Wellesley SE (four three-story buildings) just east of the Puerto Del Sol Golf Course and at our eastern border, has been bought by the Albuquerque Mental Health Housing Coalition (144 Washington SE, Mark Allison, 255-3643). The plan is to take the “really run down” apartment complex to convert it for mentally ill people and homeless veterans.

Victory Hills Neighborhood association found out about the plan through the Albuquerque Journal on August 12. We received no official notification that another social service program is being put in our neighborhood, which is limited by City Ordinance. In response to our concerns about adding another social service site to our community, City Councilor Heinrich’s assistant emailed on August 20:

“…but in response to your concerns, our office will encourage him (Councilor Heinrich) to begin to engage in communication with your neighborhood as well. As you might be aware, the property located at 1313 Wellesley SE is zoned permissively R-3 for high-density residential use and continues to be restricted to low-income tenant occupation. However, along with a well-qualified staff and plans for significant improvements in management, conditions and security, we look forward to a marked change in the complex's presence in the surrounding neighborhood. From experience, we can tell you that Mr. Allison and his colleagues have a strong record of working closely with their surrounding communities to aggressively address concerns about issues such as crime.”

We have not heard anything more. Councilor Heinrich did not respond to our concerns about sex offenders being housed there, nor did he address the complex resident’s traffic going through our neighborhoods between this site and the other social services (i.e. probation offices, parole residences, food kitchens, methadone clinics, half-way houses, alcohol rehabs, and clothing banks). No reason was stated as to why we were not notified (since our eastern border backs up to their back doors). There was no response to the legitimacy of another social service site in our Planning Area 5. Our concerns about social service planning, impact, and abatement were also left unanswered.

Please call Councilor Heinrich, Chair of the Ad Hoc Homelessness Committee, 768-3100, or email or call Mark Allison at 255-3643 at the Coalition if you have any concerns or questions about security, crime, sex offenders or other issues you feel the Sunport Plaza Apartments might impact, in our community.

Property Inspections

In the last 2 months the City of Albuquerque, Traffic Engineering Division, has been inspecting property for violations of Traffic Code or Street Tree Policies. The City looks for problems with signs, clear vision to traffic control devices, making visually clear sites around traffic controls and sidewalks. Many of use have gotten violation notices, mostly for trees hanging too low or sidewalks that are obstructed. The City does these inspections usually every year and half. 

These inspections are different than the Weed and Litter violations. Complaints about weeds in people’s yards are handled by this group. You may call them at 857-8060. When ticketed, the owner must clean up their property or the City will do it and charge the owner. If not paid there is a lien placed against the owner’s property.

Traffic Violators

Traffic violations are an ongoing issue in our neighborhood. If you witness repeated instances of speeding, stop sign running, reckless driving, etc., note any patterns (such as a particular street/ intersection, days of the week or time of day) and call the APD Southeast Substation at 256-2050. Please note that the more specific the information, the more actionable it is for APD. A complaint such as “people are speeding through my neighborhood 24 hours a day 7 days a week,” does not give the police much to go on. If we can provide APD with a solid lead on when to look for the activity, they will send a patrol car and ticket any violators. We have noted police cars on Columbia watching Santa Clara west traffic in September.

Panhandling

Another persistent problem is panhandling. A new twist appears to be persons going door to door, offering to perform some menial task (pulling weeds, mowing the lawn) for a few dollars. Needless to say, the best policy is to decline. If you feel threatened, do not hesitate to call 911.

Low/No Cost Home Repair

United Way of Greater Albuquerque offers low/no cost home repairs for qualified homeowners. Repairs should be routine in nature such as broken screen doors, leaky faucets, etc. Contact United Way at 247-3671 for details.

Street Lights

Crime rates go down where the light shines. Please report any streetlights that are burned out or flickering to Steve Schroeder at 265-1839 and press 1 when you hear the voice mail prompt. Please report any lights you see on during daylight hours so we can help curb the electric bill the city (and the taxpayers) have to pay.

Safety

The cost of safety may be something you may want to budget for the future. Police resources are being stretched even further. City revenue is shrinking and demand for services is increasing. The police cannot come to our homes every time there is a problem. But it is imperative that you report crime. These reports go to a database that establishes priority areas for service. Buying deadbolts, locking doors, garages and windows are just some of the things necessary for us to do today. We will need to look after our community and our neighbors.