Bringing City Hall to the Community

Welcome to fall in ABQ! Who needs to check the calendar when you can smell fresh chile roasting in the air!

In this Community Hall, you'll find information on how we're combating gun violence, working to prevent child abuse, bringing new electric vehicles to the City, and our continued efforts to support those experiencing homelessness and provide meaningful solutions to this challenge.

This past month we launched our Consumer Financial Protection Initiative, installed solar panels at the ABQ BioPark, commemorated Labor Day, joined leaders from over 50 local organizations to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, found that behavioral health related calls to APD are decreasing due to outreach efforts, honored 9/11 first responders, worked with the state and District Attorney to combat wage theft, found out that our city ranks high for work-life balance, stood with hundreds of young leaders during the #GlobalClimateStrike, had a barbershop conversation with local small business owners and opened our new Small Business office, spoke to the Greater ABQ Chamber of Commerce about great new city projects with no new taxes that will be on the ballot this November, saw progress from our prioritization of clearing the rape kit backlog, spoke to the NAACP about our work to make Albuquerque more diverse and inclusive, celebrated downtown at SOMOS ABQ 2019, and helped sponsor the ABQ International Festival (in my former Senate District!) to showcase one of the most diverse areas of our state.

And of course we're in full swing for the International Balloon Fiesta! Be sure to learn more about changes to this year's parking and transportation options as well as new security measures, and you can always check CABQ social media for daily updates.

Thank you for staying up to date with all that's going on in our city. Together, we are One Albuquerque!

-Mayor Tim Keller

P.S. - Residents from all across Albuquerque are stepping up to get more involved in the community. Click below to join these great opportunities!

• One Albuquerque Ambassadors
• Boards and Commissions
• Community Policing Councils
• Volunteer

Balloon Fiesta is Back!

Important changes to park and ride, security measures being implemented for first time this year.

Working in collaboration with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the City of Albuquerque wants to make sure that residents and visitors have the most up to date and accurate information about their event this year.

✔️ Download the official Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Mobile App

✔️ Visit the official Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta website

✔️ Call (505) 821-1000 or 1-888-422-7277

Driving to Balloon Fiesta Park

Parking is $15 CASH ONLY. In order to expedite entry into the park, Balloon Fiesta will not process credit or debit cards to pay the parking fee. Officials ask that guests have the exact cash ready, before reaching the parking fee collection areas to speed up the collection process.

Guests traveling from Santa Fe and areas of Albuquerque east of Interstate 25 will access the park by way of Tramway and Alameda. Drivers approaching from the east side will be parked north and east of Balloon Fiesta Park.

Guests traveling from areas west of I-25 and the valley will access the park by way of Alameda Boulevard. Drivers will be directed to parking areas south of Balloon Fiesta Park on either side of Alameda.

Fiesta Express Park & Ride

Fiesta Park and Ride includes parking at one of several locations throughout Albuquerque, bus to and from Balloon Fiesta Park, admission for one Balloon Fiesta session, and expedited route to bypass heavy traffic. ABQ RIDE does not administer Park and Ride for the Balloon Fiesta.

You MUST purchase Park & Ride tickets online in advance. There are no walkup sales for Park & Ride this year.

Park and Ride Loading Times and Pricing

Morning Sessions – Each park and ride location will have two waves of shuttles to Balloon Fiesta Park loading approximately at 4 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. for morning sessions.

Buses will start return service to the Park and Ride locations at 8 a.m.

Afternoon/Evening Sessions – Each Park and Ride location will have two waves of shuttles to Balloon Fiesta Park loading approximately at 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. for afternoon sessions. Buses will start return service to the Park and Ride locations at 7 p.m. and will run until 10 p.m.

Park and Ride tickets include transportation and admission for a specific session. The pricing is:

• Adults $15 (13-61)
• Seniors (62 & Older) $12
• Children (6-12) $7
• Children 5 and younger are free

Pricing, locations, schedules and discounted tickets are available online at balloonfiesta.com/Park-Ride.

Ride Share

Guests will easily be able to once again utilize ride share programs like Lyft and Uber, when accessing Balloon Fiesta Park. The drop-off and pick-up location will remain near Alameda Boulevard and Horizon, south of the Launch Field.

Bike Valet

Riding a bike to Balloon Fiesta Park is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to visit.

The Bike Valet is free and allows guests a safe place to park their bikes while visiting the Balloon Fiesta; this year there will be additional space, making room for more bikes to be parked. Pace Bike Share will again be offering its rental bike program, making more bikes available for guests to rent. Cyclists can take the bike trail that runs along the AMAFCA North Diversion Channel that crosses underneath Paseo del Norte and Alameda, ending just north of the Balloon Museum, in the Bike Valet parking station. The Bike Valet can accommodate more than 1,000 bicycles each session.

New Security Measures - Best Practices for Guests from the Balloon Fiesta.

There will be bag checks; the fewer items guests have, the faster they will get through the security line. Guests without bags to check will be able to get through the security process faster than guests with bags, chairs and coolers. In addition, Balloon Fiesta officials would like to provide this information and best practices for guests:

• Conceal Carry, weapons and knives are not allowed during the event.
• Metal detectors will be used at our public entrances. Each entrance will have six or more security lanes with marked “Bag Check” lanes and “Express” lanes (without bags or with only small, clear, plastic bags).
• All bags and coolers will be checked by Balloon Fiesta Public Safety Officers before being allowed onto Balloon Fiesta Park.
• Limit the number of items you bring to Balloon Fiesta Park.
• When possible, bring personal items in a clear or see-through bag or container. Use of a small, clear, plastic bag will allow you to utilize the Express Lanes into the Park.
• Children and their caregivers are often distracted with the balloon-filled sky. Visit the New Mexico State Police’s Tag-Your-Tots, station south of the Main Street Stage, when you arrive. Have a plan in place if you become separated.

Mayor Keller is Tackling Crime from All Sides

Plans to combat gun violence, bike cops, and a strong APD presence around the State Fair headline the past month.

Turning around Albuquerque's unacceptable crime situation won't happen overnight. But each month, Mayor Keller and the City's public safety teams are working nonstop to reduce all types of crime.

Bike Cops hit ABQ Streets

Watch KOAT’s story: Arrests are up and burglaries, auto-theft are down since Albuquerque Police Department bike cops hit the streets. We’re tackling crime strategically with neighborhoods and business owners to make our city safe for everyone.

Keeping Kids Safe

Recently Mayor Keller and APD announced “Project Guardian”, a proactive approach to mass shootings. These efforts include working with targeted communities, prediction and prevention, banning firearms and other deadly weapons at community centers that serve 200,000 kids a year.

The Project Guardian strategy includes addressing targeted violence by working with partners like Homeland Security, FBI, UNM and APS police to predict and prevent active shooters; conducting trainings and “hardening targets” like schools, businesses and places of worship, especially in coordination with communities who are being targeted by hatred; identifying and intervening with potential threats like stalkers; and more.

Read more from the Alibi here

Extra Training to Spot Child Abuse

APD officers recently took part in a three-day advanced training course, CARE, on how to spot signs of child abuse and neglect. This training was provided by APD’s Crimes Against Children Unit.

And just recently, an APD patrol officer who recently received this advanced training to investigate child abuse and neglect was able to use that training to help track down a missing child.

Officer Lea Lopez took on the primary role on Sept. 14 when APD received a call to check on a child that was reported to have visible injuries to his head. The child later ran away from the health care provider before officers arrived

Using her training and new designation as a CARE officer, Lopez gathered information that the child had a developmental disability and functions at a low level. She was able to create a plan for officers to patrol the area to look for the at-risk child.

Officer Lopez worked with CYFD to go to the child’s home to check on siblings and gather more information on him. Officer Lopez worked with Detective Vic Wiebe who created a flyer for the missing child. This flyer was provided to local media to broadcast to the public. The news story generated several leads that helped officers determine the location of the child.

The child was found safe.

Taking Aim at Gun Violence

Mayor Keller has made clear that each of us has a responsibility to do everything we can to make our kids safer, especially as our nation faces a targeted gun violence epidemic. That's why he is working to make sure residents know that our public safety agencies are doing proactive work to reduce risk in the community and predict and prevent attacks.

At a rally with gun violence advocates, Mayor Tim Keller signed an administrative instruction banning firearms from all of the city’s community centers, which serve hundreds of thousands of local kids.ayor Keller cited the many gun offenses reported at community centers recently, and shooting that killed an 8-year-old girl at the Alamosa Community Center in 2013.

Learn more about the City's plan to combat gun violence here and watch coverage from KRQE here.

Successful State Fair Operations for APD

During the recent New Mexico State Fair, held Sept. 7th-15th, the APD Auto Theft and DWI Units made 48 auto theft arrests, and 96 DWI arrests. These statistics are from the APD's State Fair operation and do not represent the total numbers department-wide

Mayor Keller Sends Major Sports-Related Tourism Infrastructure Package to Council

Softball, soccer, track, baseball tournament fields, and convention center infrastructure projects build on lessons from City’s Senior Games; funded by proceeds realized from refinancing existing Lodger’s Tax bonds.

Mayor Tim Keller sent a package of proposed infrastructure investments to the City Council to grow the tourism and convention industry. The initiative supports local businesses who depend on tourism to make their living and create local jobs. The package would not increase taxes, drawing its funding from the proceeds from refinancing existing Lodger’s Tax bonds, which are required to be focused on tourism.

Included in the package are six projects that target locations or increase capacity to host major events and large numbers of visitors, with a specific focus on growing sports-related tourism. Projects include transforming Los Altos into a Softball tournament complex, a professional soccer field to bring back high school championships and provide professional team practice space, a new indoor professional track to keep the NCAA indoor track and field championships, additional fields to enable more baseball tournaments.

“The National Senior Games were a huge success with an estimated $34 million local impact, so we are seizing the opportunity to grow sports-related tourism,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “With our climate, our local love of sports and the outdoors, and a proven track-record of success, we are a few strategic investments away from making Albuquerque a top regional destination for sporting tournaments and events.”

Mayor Tim Keller Announces First Electric Vehicles in City Fleet, Sets Goal of 100% Alternative Fuels for All Eligible Vehicles

Transitioning to electric, hybrid and other alternative fuels will lower City’s carbon footprint, reduce harmful emissions, improve public health.

Recently, Mayor Tim Keller introduced the first-ever electric vehicles in the City of Albuquerque fleet and signed an Executive Instruction (EI) to shift all eligible vehicles to electric, hybrid, and alternative low-emission fuels.

The City is planning to transition 63% of its eligible light-duty vehicles to electric or hybrid-power as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ American Climate Cities Challenge by transitioning 50 vehicles by the end of 2020.

Around Town

Mayor Keller Addresses Crime and Homelessness at Neighborhood Association

Mayor Keller discussed his plans to attack crime from all sides and efforts combat homelessness, as well as other local issues. Check out their coverage here.

One Albuquerque Engage focuses on activating vacant space and improving public safety. One Albuquerque Engage launched September of 2018 and initially focused on Downtown Albuquerque. The initiative’s goals are to boost the local economy, provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to test their business ideas, and promote public safety by activating vacant and under-utilized spaces with temporary pop-up businesses and interactive art installations. The One Albuquerque Engage project partnered with organizations and businesses already making a positive impact through a variety of arts, performance, dining, and shopping experiences.

One Albuquerque Housing Fund in Action

This past month, local businesses Johnny Boards and Ambitions donated drink coasters to the City to help raise awareness around the housing fund. Check out coverage from KRQE here.

And thank you to everyone who has stepped up and supported the One Albuquerque Housing Fund - you are making a difference! Recently we announced that $8,000 of our funds raised helped two formerly homeless individuals get into apartments and receive access to other support services. That is truly the One Albuquerque spirit!

Over $17,000 has been raised into the Housing Fund so far through individual donations and from the sale of One Albuquerque Merchandise - purchases which also support our local businesses.

You can also read a recent editorial from the ABQ Journal that discusses the ballot question Albuquerque voters will get to decide in November to fund construction of a centrally located, low-barrier, 24/7 homeless shelter.