| Herb Takes A Walk In Conchas Park |
 and Vice President Kim Keller Survey Afternoon Activities On A Clear Fall Day In Conchas Park |
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CONCHAS PARK GETS ITS WISH
By Herb Howell
Conchas Park looks like most other Albuquerque parks on a sunny fall afternoon this November. Kids ride the merry-go-round, kids chase one another on the playground, and a kid�s soccer team is running through its paces. The older generations walk around the park as the golden leaves make their annual quest for the leaf heap. On the surface, all looks as normal as the day the Conchas Park Neighborhood Association began back in 1998.
Neighborhood Association President Louis Gallegos, and his wife Jo, took time to give me a rundown on what is finally becoming a reality - a vastly improved park and community recreation facility. It has taken 5 years, lots of frustration and some patience to get to the point where local residents are thinking that, SOON, things will become very different here. The Neighborhood Association has become disillusioned over the last few years - dwindling enrollment, declining neighborhood involvement, and waiting for the Park improvements that seemed like they would never happen. There have been some successes along the way, though. They held a successful picnic last May that drew over fifty attendees. The Traffic Committee has initiated a �Neighborhood Against Speeders� campaign.
Neighborhood Association Vice President, Kim Keller, talked about the benefits of upgrading the park for her neighborhood. First and most importantly, is that Conchas Park will become a better place to play for kids. The next benefit is that the improvements will make the park a better place to hold events. The handicapped parking is also expected to enhance the use of the park for a broader range of consumers.
It is the desire of the Neighborhood Association to add still more benches and picnic tables. The projected completion is sometime during the spring of 2003. The Neighborhood Association plans to have a dedication ceremony and celebration event with all the major dignitaries to be invited. �This has been a long wait but we are excited that we are finally getting what we wanted,� added Louis Gallegos.
What is planned is the construction of a trail around the park, a basketball shooting (half court) court, enhanced landscaping with trees and a group activity shelter. There will also be an improved sprinkler system and safer, upgraded, modernized gym sets in the playground area. This is an active park in terms of the large number of kids� soccer teams who come to the park for practice each day. Conchas Park is a lively, active place.
