NM fairgrounds redevelopment board approves property acquisition, begin new planning phase - by Patrick Lohmann,
People living around the New Mexico State Fair grounds in the heart of Albuquerque should start imagining the 236-acre state-owned site, now mostly covered in asphalt and concrete and surrounded with tall stucco walls, with open green space, an inviting entrance, a park and a pond.
Those stood among the common elements of early design concepts for the site during a presentation by design firm Stantec Thursday to a newly created state board that the Legislature endowed with up to $500 million in bonding capacity for a fairgrounds redevelopment project.
Legislative leaders and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham touted the creation of the new district board as a way to convert the site where the State Fair currently happens once a year into a year-round income generator or site for mixed-income housing. In a statement after , the governor said redevelopment could provide 鈥渂adly needed new housing for the workforce, while spurring massive private investment.鈥�
Stantec officials , who are drafting a master plan, stressed that no design decisions have been made 鈥� particularly whether to move the State Fair from its home for more than 80 years 鈥� but they called on the public to imagine a transformation at the fairgrounds. It鈥檚 one that could be the impetus for change at the International District.
The area surrounding the fairgrounds has some of the deadliest intersections for pedestrians in New Mexico, and a recent Albuquerque police presentation detailed its high crime rates. It鈥檚 also a food desert, thanks in part to recent closures of a nearby CVS, Walgreens and Walmart, and a 鈥�,鈥� due to the lack of tree canopy and green space. The Trust for Public Lands also rates it as one of Albuquerque areas with the highest need for a public park.
Nonetheless, the proposed redevelopment has proven controversial with some neighbors who told Source New Mexico that they are concerned the funding will do little to help the neighborhood, will and will, redevelopment, be a flop. According to the Albuquerque Journal, about the project at a meeting Stantec held Monday.
Stantec designer Nancy Locke also released the results of a recent neighborhood survey, which found that nearby neighbors most want 鈥渟afe, welcoming neighborhoods;鈥� 鈥渆conomic prosperity for neighborhood residents;鈥� and 鈥減ublic health and social services.鈥�
Instead of the current layout of the fairgrounds, which is 93% pavement, Locke listed off possibilities for the master plan, including designs for 鈥渓ivable density, incorporating agriculture, farming, youth programs, commercial areas that act as like a third place鈥� as well as 鈥渙pen space, bike paths鈥� and other transportation solutions that 鈥済et people out of their cars and get people walking.鈥�
Given how closed off the fairgrounds are from Central Avenue and the International District neighborhoods just beyond them, Locke said the firm thinks it鈥檚 important to establish a greater connection between the grounds and the neighborhood, as well as establish a large green space that could be used for multiple purposes.
Board members of the new State Fair District board met Thursday. From left are: Albuquerque City Councilor Nichole Rogers, Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa, New Mexico Sen. Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque), former Albuquerque mayor Martin Chavez, neighborhood association coalition president Peter Belletto and NM Rep. Janelle Anyanonu. (D-Albuquerque) (Patrick Lohmann/Source NM) 鈥淚t ideally wears multiple hats,鈥� she said of the new Central Avenue connection. 鈥淚t serves multiple needs, and it will be driven, really, by what we鈥檙e hearing from the community going forward.鈥�
Now that it is wrapping up its 鈥渁nalysis鈥� phase, which includes market analysis and public engagement, the firm is moving toward its 鈥渕aster plan development phase,鈥� Locke said. Options abound, she said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a whole range of opportunities that we can start to imagine and start to lay the base for,鈥� she said Thursday.
The board on Thursday also approved spending up to $22.5 million to acquire an eight-acre area on the southeast corner of the fairgrounds, which currently has about 17 parcels and 13 condominium units. Doing so is a necessary step as the board seeks approval for future spending, according to former Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez, who is spearheading the project on behalf of Lujan Grisham.
is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Goldberg for questions: info@sourcenm.com.
Environmental groups call for removal of cabinet members in oil and gas water rulemaking - by Danielle Prokop,
Several environmental groups opposing a state water board鈥檚 oil and gas wastewater rulemaking on Thursday requested the board disqualify seven members and toss votes from earlier this year. The groups said the members鈥� 鈥渋mpartiality and fairness鈥� were 鈥渃ompromised by interference鈥� from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Santa Fe-based New Energy Economy filed two separate motions requesting the commission address the issue in October, and between members of the governor鈥檚 staff and cabinet members before a July meeting in which the board moved forward in efforts to roll back rules limiting expanded wastewater use.
鈥淭hese commissioners and their subordinates need to be disqualified from this proceeding, that鈥檚 really the bottom line,鈥� Colin Cox, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, told Source NM. 鈥淭his is not how government is supposed to work 鈥� this is not fair, this is not impartial.鈥�
Both petitions noted State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard鈥檚 support. In an interview Thursday Garcia Richard told Source NM that the office, which leases out more than 2 million acres for oil and gas activity in the Permian Basin, would be impacted by the rules change.
鈥渋t鈥檚 pretty evident that there is a blatant effort to roll back or reverse the initial decision of the commission. That鈥檚 what I鈥檓 concerned about,鈥� Garcia Richard said.
She also described a 鈥渃onstant barrage of spills and that we are dealing with on state land.鈥�
The governor, along with oil and gas industry advocates, has for years cited the state鈥檚 limited water supplies as they pursue expanded uses for oilfield wastewater. They have faced pushback from environmentalists, along with the Legislature.
Garcia Richard she鈥檚 skeptical about the current science around treating wastewater.
鈥淯ntil I see something new that has come to light, I鈥檓 going to look at this new effort with suspicion,鈥� she said.
A request for comment from the governor鈥檚 office remained pending Thursday afternoon, but the office has issued previous statements .
The motion to recuse cabinet members from voting on the issue marks the latest development at the Water Quality Control Commission, which is currently reconsidering its own rules to the oilfield and specific treatment projects.
The issue was reopened in June, spearheaded by the WATR Alliance, (Water, Access, Treatment and Reuse) which has board members from oil and gas giants Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Occidental Petroleum and other industry interests. The group proposed a new rule that would allow 13 counties to use 鈥渢reated produced water鈥� for uses such as watering livestock, 鈥渘on-food crops,鈥� construction and releases into the environment.
Commissioners 鈥� including cabinet secretaries sitting on the board for the first time 鈥� voted to move forward with possibly reversing the rule and quashed
The motions requesting the mandatory recusal for five secretaries 鈥� Environmental Secretary James Kenney, Health Secretary Gina DeBlassie, Department of Game and Fish Director Michael Sloane, State Engineer Elizabeth Anderson and agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte 鈥� and two other members: Christopher Moander, chair of the oil conservation commission and the state parks division designee for Toby Velasquez.
鈥淭he standard the commission is held to is a very strong standard: they have to be fair and impartial, and if there鈥檚 any doubt about that, then they have to recuse themselves,鈥� said Cox. 鈥淭hese emails鈥ake it very hard to trust any of those commissioners, or the people who work for them.鈥�
The motions cited the Water Quality Commission鈥檚 which state that no commissioner 鈥渟hall participate in any action in which his or her impartiality of fairness may reasonably be questioned,鈥� and goes on to describe that recusal must be public.
A request for comment to the attorney for the WQCC board about board requirements for recusal and disqualification was pending Thursday morning.
WQCC Chair Bruce Thomson, when reached by phone on Thursday, said any comment on the motions themselves would be 鈥減remature,鈥� but also noted he has no qualms with the members of the cabinet and their actions taken on the board.
鈥淚 have no questions about their service on the commission, or at least I have no questions about their integrity, and their honesty,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e honorable people, they鈥檙e dedicated to the state of New Mexico and to public service.鈥�
Thomson said the board would likely set an agenda for the upcoming Oct. 14 meeting of the board next week.
鈥淚 suspect we will hear the motions to disqualify,鈥� Thomson said.
Environment department signs off on Bishop鈥檚 Lodge sewage plan - by Danielle Prokop,
New Mexico鈥檚 top environmental official on Thursday signed off on a wastewater permit requested by a luxury resort and nearby homes that has sparked ongoing objections by residents in nearby Tesuque Village.
Environment Secretary James Kenney gave allowing Bishop鈥檚 Lodge to put 30,000 gallons per day of treated wastewater into a new low-dose disposal field using a treatment plant installed in 2024. The previous permit allowed Bishop鈥檚 Lodge to discharge about 14,700 gallons per day into two disposal fields on the property.
鈥淏ishop鈥檚 Lodge鈥檚 water treatment system meets all standards under the Water Quality Act,鈥� Drew Goretzka, a spokesperson for NMED, said in a statement provided to Source NM. 鈥淭he Department retains the authority to conduct future testing and will do so to assure continued compliance for the protection of public health.鈥�
Kenney鈥檚 sign-off follows a Sept. 8 recommendation from a hearing officer after nearly a year of proceedings. An organization of residents called Protect Tesuque have mounted weekly protests, and filed objections during administrative proceedings and in the courts, claiming the method will pollute drinking wells downstream, and that state officials are unequally enforcing water treatment standards. In July, threw out an emergency petition to stop the permitting process.
Kenney noted in his final order that Bishop鈥檚 Lodge completed the required sampling of the treated wastewater for a list of pollutants, the results of which showed undetectable amounts or ones below the standard. No additional testing will be required.
Bishop鈥檚 Lodge declined to give a comment Thursday. After the initial approval earlier this month, Chris Kaplan, the head of Asset Management at Juniper Capital, which owns the resort told Source NM: 鈥淏ishop鈥檚 Lodge has been in operation for more than half a century; and, as the report acknowledged, the evidence presented in the May 2025 hearing demonstrates that the Lodge鈥檚 upgraded wastewater treatment facility meets all New Mexico water quality standards and then some.鈥�
In a news release, Project Tesuque said the group was 鈥渄isappointed, not surprised 鈥� and absolutely undeterred.鈥� The news release said the group intends to 鈥渃ontinue pursuing a protective outcome that relocates and right-sizes wastewater disposal away from Little Tesuque Creek and the shallow groundwater, requires independent, periodic monitoring, and applies the strongest safeguards on the books to prevent contamination before it happens.鈥�
In a statement, Protect Tesuque Board member Bernadette Jaramillo-Romero, a self-described 鈥渓ifetime Tesuque resident,鈥� said that 鈥淓very homeowner is told to protect the water we all share. The same should apply鈥攅specially鈥攖o a luxury resort. Our community鈥檚 expectations are simple: keep wastewater away from Little Tesuque Creek and our aquifer, spread discharge over adequate, well-sited areas, and require monitoring that the public can trust. Anything less is a failure of fairness.鈥�
Bishop鈥檚 Lodge and members of Protect Teusque are currently embroiled in a separate lawsuit. The resort鈥檚 owners sued individual Protect Tesuque board members, a district judge ban protests in front of the resort within a 1-mile radius, claiming they are a danger to drivers and veers into harassment.
Protect Tesuque has said the claims are exaggerated and is a form of retaliation for opposing the sewage permits.
A Santa Fe judge scheduled a hearing for Nov. 3 in that matter.
Bernalillo County shuts down program providing health care at these four APS schools -
Bernalillo County has terminated its contract with Health Yeah!, a mobile clinic that has offered health care services to students at four Albuquerque Public Schools middle schools , at the cost of $1.5 million annually.
鈥淏ernalillo County terminated its contract with Wellness Equity Alliance after thoughtful consideration and due diligence on behalf of the county,鈥� Bernalillo County Manager Cindy Chavez said at Tuesday鈥檚 commission meeting. 鈥淲e are currently discussing a transition process, and the county looks forward to continuing to work with our partners, in particular APS, to explore new and innovative ways to continue to deliver health care services to our school-aged children.鈥�
She did not offer further explanation as to why the contract was terminated. The Wellness Equity Alliance is a that aims to provide health care to marginalized communities. Their initiative in partnership with Bernalillo County was sending the Health Yeah! Clinics to schools.
The Wellness Equity Alliance did not return phone calls seeking comment.
The mobile clinics serve McKinley, Roosevelt, Truman and Tony Hillerman middle schools.
鈥淭he county鈥檚 decision doesn鈥檛 impact the 14 brick-and-mortar school-based health centers currently operating in our schools,鈥� APS spokesperson Martin Salazar said in a statement. 鈥淭hat said, we are definitely open to partnering with the county to find a new provider.鈥�
Brandon Smith, who heads Health Yeah!, said he could not comment Wednesday.
However, in an o he wrote for the Journal published Sunday, Smith said the county鈥檚 decision amounted to 鈥渞eckless abandonment of the most vulnerable among us.鈥�
鈥淭hat is why Bernalillo County鈥檚 sudden decision to pull the plug on Health Yeah! is so alarming. No warning. No reason given. Just a notice that in less than 30 days, the work we have been doing for kids and families is supposed to end,鈥� he wrote.
Smith also pleaded with readers to show up, speak out against the move and 鈥減ack the room.鈥� Three of the five total public commenters 鈥� one of whom was Smith 鈥� at Tuesday鈥檚 meeting spoke on the issue.
鈥淚t鈥檚 my hope that this type of program can continue, even if there鈥檚 a different provider organization,鈥� Dr. Dale Alverson, a senior pediatrician for Health Yeah!, said at Tuesday鈥檚 meeting. 鈥淲e are all committed to a smooth, appropriate and effective transition, ensuring continuity of care for these students and their families.鈥�
Eric Olivas, who chairs the county commission, also hopes to implement a similar program.
鈥淭he county remains committed to serving students and families in need across the community through perhaps a similar type of program,鈥� he said in an interview Tuesday night. 鈥淭he (county) manager has committed to engaging with APS and relevant partners to really determine sort of what that service looks like.鈥�
He added that the agreement between the county and the Wellness Equity Alliance allows either side to terminate the contract without cause.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not placing any blame or finding any explicit wrongdoing or anything like that,鈥� Olivas said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a part of the contract that says, the county or the vendor can give 30 days鈥� notice and just say we鈥檙e parting ways.鈥�
Haaland urges higher wages for medical residents, wading in on UNM-union dispute -
this week sent a letter to the governing board of New Mexico鈥檚 flagship university urging it to increase salaries for incoming resident doctors and preserve anti-discrimination language in ongoing union negotiations.
The University of New Mexico鈥檚 with the resident physicians union, called the Committee of Interns and Residents, expired on Aug. 31. While the contract remains in effect during negotiations, the union and university are still negotiating the levels of pay for residents at the state鈥檚 sole academic medical center.
鈥淎t a time when our state is grappling with the second-worst physician shortage in the nation, with a third of our physicians expected to retire by 2030, failure to invest in resident physicians now is a decision with long-term consequences,鈥� Haaland wrote in the Sept. 23 letter to the UNM Board of Regents.
are projected to impact states across the U.S. in the next few years, but New Mexico is ranked to have the second-highest rate per capita, according to 2020 data published by the National Institutes of Health.
Resident physicians are doctors who have graduated medical school and are now in training to specialize in their fields of choice鈥攐ften for relatively low pay and long hours.
Rupali Gautam, a third-year resident training in pediatrics and the regional vice president of the UNM resident physician union chapter, says enacting competitive salaries and benefits for new doctors will help address the state鈥檚 shrinking pool of physicians. According to a , the state has seen a 30% decline in primary doctors in recent years.
鈥淲ith the growing physician shortage in New Mexico, the best way to recruit residents is to provide those incentives for them to apply here,鈥� Gautam said.
In her letter, Haaland contended that UNM has the lowest-paid residency salaries in the Southwest Region, with a for a first-year student. The American Association of Medical Colleges from 2024 shows mean stipends for first-year residents at western schools (New Mexico Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming) was just over .
The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center disputed that New Mexico鈥檚 pay for residents is one of the lowest in the region. Chris Ramirez, the director of communications for UNM Health Sciences Center, supplied data from other universities, in Utah, Arizona and Texas. Ramirez noted that the third-year resident鈥檚 salary, which he called 鈥渕ore representative,鈥� is on par with the national median of 10 other area universities and the national median from the American Association of Medical Colleges.
Ramirez said UNM Hospitals appreciated Haaland鈥檚 letter.
鈥淲e are always happy to keep our community leaders informed on the issues affecting the University and its constituents, while also making sure we are compliant with all applicable laws governing confidentiality and collective bargaining,鈥� Ramirez said in a statement.
The University has also proposed removing specific anti-discrimination language in the contract鈥檚 non-discrimination clause, Gautam said, pointing to by the federal government to
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 because of the Trump administration pushback that a lot of institutions are getting from a federal level if they are using the words diversity and inclusion,鈥� Gautam said.
Ramirez said he could not speak to UNM鈥檚 position on contract negotiations.
鈥淚t is unlawful for either party to publicly discuss any terms of the proposals made by either party before it is ratified by the parties,鈥� he wrote in response to Source NM鈥檚 inquiry. 鈥淗owever, UNM and UNM Hospital are committed to ensuring compliance with state and federal anti-discrimination laws.鈥�
Haaland said removing the language jeopardizes 鈥渁 safe, inclusive and equitable environment,鈥� for not only new doctors but also their patients.
鈥淯NM鈥檚 mission in providing care is rooted in serving Native American, Hispanic, and other underserved people of Bernalillo County. That mission depends on fostering a workforce that reflects the people it serves and can provide care that is not only clinically sound but culturally competent,鈥� she wrote.
In a statement, Haaland said New Mexico is 鈥渦niquely vulnerable to Trump鈥檚 attacks on our healthcare,鈥� noting concerns about
鈥淚f we鈥檙e serious about lowering costs and expanding access, we have to make smart moves like paying our medical residents. It keeps doctors local to the area at a time when we cannot afford to fall farther behind,鈥� she said.
A voicemail for Board of Regents Chair Paul Blanchard had not been returned as of Wednesday afternoon.. An emailed request for comment to Ben Cloutier, the head of communications and marketing at UNM, to whom Ramirez referred board questions, also remained pending.
Gautam said she was grateful for Haaland鈥檚 letter lending attention to the negotiations and said the union wants to reach a resolution with the university to address the physician shortage.
鈥淧atients traveling to other states to get their care are going months, even up to past a year,to get specialty care within different fields,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a pediatrics resident and a lot of our pediatric specialists are seeing patients months to years out from their initial referral 鈥� that鈥檚 not great.鈥�
A centuries-old map is returned to Mexico after it was recovered in Santa Fe -
A map drafted centuries ago as Spanish settlers solidified their presence in what is now Mexico and the southwestern United States has been returned to the Mexican government, marking the end of a yearslong effort to bring the historic document home.
FBI agents and Mexican officials were joined by historians and archivists Tuesday at the consulate in Albuquerque for a celebratory handoff of the map. FBI Special Agent in Charge Justin Garris said it was more than simply ink on paper and Mexican officials described it as a significant part of their history and cultural heritage.
"This document not only enriches our collective memory but also strengthens the ties that unite Mexico and New Mexico through a shared history," said Patricia Pinz贸n, Consul of Mexico in Albuquerque.
She mentioned the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro as one of those links. The 1,600-mile (2,560 kilometer) route once served as a lifeline between Mexico City and Santa Fe and is depicted as a central feature that snakes through the map. The names of communities are artfully scripted along the route as other lines radiating from the route mark rivers.
The names of Native American communities are tucked into the dots and darkened scallops that represent the valleys, mesas and mountains that span what is now central New Mexico, Taos and areas near the Colorado border.
Unlike maps of today, this one is orientated with north to the right and west at the top.
The map is one of thousands of archaeological and cultural items reclaimed by Mexico in recent years, Pinz贸n said. Just last month, a nearly 500-year-old priceless manuscript page signed by Spanish conquistador Hern谩n Cort茅s was returned.
DISSAPEARANCE AND DISCOVERY
Archivists in Mexico City first realized the map was gone in 2011. It was among 75 pieces that were taken from records belonging to the national archives. The physical evidence included a scar inside one volume where pages had been removed.
About five years passed with no leads.
Then came a call from a librarian at the Fray Ang茅lico Ch谩vez History Library at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe, who was doing background research on a map that was presented to the library for sale. The librarian found evidence that the document may have been stolen, said Billy Garrett, executive director of the museum.
Mexican archivists used negatives and microfilm copies to prove that the document in Santa Fe was genuine.
It took years to work through international protocols and laws that relate to returning material stolen from other countries, but during that time Garrett said the library took great care to protect the map in a climate-controlled environment. It's scribed on paper made of rag pulp.
The FBI held the map over the past year while final arrangements were made for Tuesday's handoff.
"We're very glad that it's gone back to its rightful owners, and we were glad we got to take care of it for a while," Garrett said.
Federal investigators say it's not surprising that the map turned up in Santa Fe, given that the city is a major hub for dealers and collectors who are fascinated with Native American and Spanish colonial art. While they didn't divulge any details about their investigation, they say no charges will be filed.
PIECE OF A BIGGER PUZZLE
Manuel Garc铆a y Griego, a history professor at the University of New Mexico, recalled photographing a computer image of the map about a decade ago while conducting research at the Archivo General de la Naci贸n in Mexico City. When he first stumbled upon it, he knew it was important.
Joseph S谩nchez, who founded the Spanish Colonial Research Center at UNM, had photographed a copy of the map decades earlier for his own research.
"We both found it interesting that independently we had seen this map in Mexico and considered it so important, and now we discover that it has been recovered in Santa Fe," Garc铆a y Griego said before the ceremony.
During the event, S谩nchez shared several old maps that included areas far beyond the borders of present-day New Mexico, saying there's more to the state's history than the recovered map shows. Still, he said the map being returned to Mexico "is something quite, quite unique and it shows a different type of settlement pattern."
IMMERSED IN HISTORY
Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber crouched down for a better look at the map. While appreciating the fine details, he said everyone in his city is a history buff. After all, Santa Fe 鈥� founded in 1610 as the seat of Spain's Nuevo Mexico 鈥� is the oldest capital in the United States.
"We live history. It's not something in the past. It's part of our daily lives," Webber said, adding that the map helps to illustrate what he described as a very old story built upon many generations and many families.
For Webber, the map also documents a sense of place that is overwhelming and still present today.
"There are lots of places that are suffering from sameness and Santa Fe and New Mexico are not places that suffer from sameness," he said. "They are unique and special and this map bears testimony to it already having been a remarkable place."