Rural Sandoval centers get $2M for improvements

PEÑA BLANCA/COCHITI — Two community centers in rural Sandoval County were awarded $2 million combined in federal funds to help complete much-needed upgrades.

Peña Blanca Community Center and Cochiti Elementary/Middle schools held events Monday with Democratic U.S. Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, who secured funding for the projects and presented officials with ceremonial checks.

The community center will see numerous additions, including a new senior center. The schools — which are housed together — plan to renovate an existing gym and transform it into a cultural center.

Leger Fernández was effusive over the projects and the communities they serve in remarks at both locations.

"This project is an example of what we can do together," she said at Cochiti Elementary/Middle. 

In the community center, Leger Fernández said that project instills in her a belief: "We need to never forget about the importance of our rural communities."

Peña  Blanca

Peña Blanca Community Center provides recreation for all ages, ranging from children's activities to senior services, according to Jayme Espinoza, community services director for Sandoval County.

She said that the community center is in need of significant upgrades to due the time and wear of having been in existence for more than 30 years.

Improvements are part of a three-phase plan, two of which were funded by Leger Fernández, according to Espinoza. 

The first phase — already complete — included repaving the center's parking lot, she said.

The second phase will include demolishing an old building to make way for a community outdoor space. The space will include a new basketball court, a pickleball court and a walking trail as well as other renovations and additions, according to Espinoza.

The third phase will include building a new senior center, a facility separate from the community center, she said.

Several of the event's speakers, including Leger Fernández, mentioned pickleball's growing popularity and how much fun residents will have on the new court.

Peña Blanca-area resident John Johnson, who uses the community center for meetings with Cochiti Indivisible, said the facility is "a very big deal."  He appreciates the fact that the parking lot was repaved and he is looking forward to the new senior center. 

"It's exciting. Let's get it done," Johnson said. 

Cochiti

The cultural center will house the elementary/middle school's language program and act as a multipurpose area. Students will  learn their ancestral language through career-technical skills, ranging from drum-making to sewing, according to information provided by Bernalillo Public Schools. There will also be instructional space for Cochiti Keres, Santo Domingo Keres and Spanish, BPS stated.

In remarks at Monday's event, Bernalillo Public Schools Superintendent Matt Montaño said that getting the project funded was several years in the making and involved conversations with  Leger Fernández. 

"This appropriation represents far more than investment in infrastructure or programming. It is an investment in our students, our community and the enduring cultural legacy that shapes who we are,"  Montaño said. "This support helps us move toward a different vision, one where students do not have to choose between academic success and cultural identity, but instead find both working together in harmony."

Christine Suina and John Gurule, both alumni of the school who serve on the Bernalillo Public Schools Board of Education, praised the project's potential and the funding appropriation.

"It is when we work together to show up for our children and our students that we can — because you are an investment,"  Leger Fernández said to students in the bleachers. "You may not know what an 'investment' is now, but look it up."

To other attendees in the room, she said, "What you're doing is not just investing in your children, but in your culture."