Neighbors for Green Space

“ . . . dedicated funds for protecting land and creating new parks already have been a casualty of fiscal belt-tightening in statehouses from Olympia to Albany – just when they could do the most good.  With red ink continuing to rise, even more drastic cuts are likely. There's a trickle-down effect, too. With less state support, county and municipal governments are being forced to slash their own budgets, so land preservation and parks often take another hit on the local level.

Why are these initiatives such easy deficit-reduction targets?  Because there's a presumption they are luxuries.  Sure, parks make us feel good and wildflower-filled meadows are pretty to look at, but they don't pay the bills.  That's the all-too-common perception among legislators and even the public at large.  Actually,  nothing could be further from the truth. ”

From: Isaac Benton, City Councilor, District 3
To: UNM Board of Regents
Cc: Neighbors for Green Space
Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Subject: North Golf Course Advisory Committee Report


Dear President Schmidly and University of New Mexico Regents:

I am writing to express my support for the North Golf Course Advisory Committee Report, which I understand you will be considering at your meeting on April 30. As the city councilor who represents the university area and neighborhoods adjacent to the North Golf Course, I am interested in seeing a resolution to the question of future development of the golf course that will benefit the university while preserving a unique and irreplaceable environmental asset of the city.

In January of this year, I attended an Advisory Committee meeting and offered my input on what I thought would be an appropriate compromise. I believe that the Advisory Committee Report represents a middle-of-the-road approach and contains comprehensive and reasonable recommendations.

Your leadership on this matter is absolutely critical. This is an opportunity for the university to partner with the community and seek a compromise that will provide assurances that all of our needs are met well into the future. I encourage you to accept the committee's recommendations and continue to work to build a relationship with the neighborhoods and people who care deeply about the future of the golf course.

I look forward to continuing to be involved in discussions about the development and preservation of the North Golf Course, and I hope you will call on me if I can be of assistance.

Best regards,

Isaac Benton
City Councilor, District 3

[excerpt]

Each year thousands of vocal and knowledgeable New Mexico distance running enthusiasts pack the North Golf Course to see their Lobos compete against some of the finest teams in the region and the country. The spectator-friendly course winds its way over gentle grassy slopes, around majestic trees and through the cheering crowd several times, giving athletes a tremendous boost. And with its ideal location, less than a mile from the main campus, many UNM runners can simply jog home after competition.

Built in 1942, the nine-hole UNM North Golf Course is a picturesque urban oasis that has been called "Albuquerque's Central Park."

What They're Saying About the UNM North Course

"There's nothing like running at home in New Mexico. Our crowd gives us so much support, it's unbelievable. I wouldn't rather race anywhere but here. The only place that I can compare it to in terms of the fan support was the Olympic trials. Our fans here support us so much. People want to come run here because of that."
- Five-time UNM All-American Matt Gonzales

read more

Mayor Chavez & President Schmidly,

My family and I currently live on Vista Larga Ave in the North Campus Neighborhood and LOVE it! My husband and I purchased a home which we have worked hard updating for our family to grow up in.

I was born in Albuquerque and grew up in the north valley on Campbell road. I have fond memories of running along ditch banks, playing in open fields and watching Matthew Meadows and Thomas Village become actual neighborhoods. I lived in the same house until my senior year of high school and graduated with the same kids I met in kindergarten, an experience I want my children to have.

When my husband and I looked at neighborhoods with the "small town Albuquerque feel" we were drawn to the UNM North area. I was excited to find a home we could afford in an area still offering the safety I experienced as a child. Our children (3 and 4 years old) have made friends with kids the same age and play on the golf course weekly. I feel safe letting my children run the greens at sunset with friends and neighbors. I love having my children request we take a walk on the golf course to look for "hiding balls" and pretty leaves. I look forward to watching my children grow up in our safe "small town" neighborhood I love.

I ask you please consider my family and the other young children when determining what is best for MY neighborhood and the north golf course. My concern is the exposure our neighborhood will receive with the current plans and my kid's safety. I'm terrified to think of the traffic and new visibility the new facility would cause. I'm scared my children won't be safe when learning to ride their bikes on our quite street.

I feel the regents and developers aren't considering the long term effects on our community and local neighborhoods with the building of another retirement community. The north golf course is a part of the community and needs to be maintained and preserved while the rest of Albuquerque is quickly developed. The golf course needs proper maintenance and new trees instead of a parking lot and retirement community.

I ask you to consider my family when making your decisions to alter my children's environment and safety.

Sincerely,

Noel Davis-Westlake

Letter to the Editor
(submitted to Albuquerque Journal)

April 2, 2008

Dear Editor,

I would like to reference the North UNM Golf Course Community Advisory Board’s
recent proposition. Their proposal explains a way to permanently protect the UNM North
Golf Course, create income for UNM, and recommends an outdoor classroom and
laboratory to benefit learners of all ages. I believe that it offers a win-win situation and
provides a way for all sides to come together for the betterment of all interested parties. I
am encouraged by this proposal. The Board of Regents have placed it on their agenda for
April 30th. I am hopeful of a positive decision regarding all of the Advisory Board’s
recommendations.

The North Golf Course is a place I have visited both as a golfer and a runner often since I
moved to Albuquerque in 1976. It is a wonderful place to play golf or to enjoy the
surrounding walking/running trail. It is an urban refuge which benefits all of the
residents of Albuquerque and I look forward to the prospect that it will be safeguarded
forever.

Sincerely,

John Vitale

From: Jim Dressler
Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2007
To: info@neighborsforgreenspace.com
Subject: North Golf Course

In the Sunday Journal, November 4, 2007, Dr. Schmidly is quoted as saying, "We're not a parks department. That's not our mission."

I hope Dr. Schmidly did not mean for that to sound as ugly as it does sound. Does he really want just a concrete university? What are his plans for the Duck Pond? We have all been on university campuses that are just bricks and mortar with no significant green space. We come away from such sterile campuses with the feeling that they are poverty stricken. One of the most attractive aspects of the UNM campus is the abundant green space all through the campus. Surely wise and cultured people can understand the enormous value of open green space in the midst of our concrete jungles. My wife and I have run and walked the golf course perimeter for 30 years. It is the foundation of our fitness program and a most wonderful way to start the day refreshed and energized.

I sincerely hope Dr. Schmidly's statement is not an insight into his true nature and long range intentions.

From: Alan Stopper
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Comments: Yesterday I sent the letter below to UNM Real Estate

Recently I've become aware of the intention of the University to develop a retirement community on the existing UNM North Golf Course. As a 24 year resident of the neighborhood, and one of the hundreds (or thousands) of neighborhood residents who utilize the golf course very frequently for various forms of exercise and recreation, I want to express my dismay, and my feeling that this is a horrible idea that will have a very negative effect on the quality of life in all the surrounding neighborhoods, as well as for many UNM students, faculty and staff.

Why do you -- well-meaning people, probably -- want to do something so destructive to our neighborhood? Is it for MONEY? ... it usually is, sad to say.

The golf course is sacred space to those of us who live around here.  It "restoreth our soul" when we walk in its green pastures.

Don't make this terrible mistake. Please. Please. Don't make this terrible mistake. This wonderful, open outdoor space means a great deal to many, many people around here.

Find another place to locate your planned facility.

Alan Stopper and Janis Zloto
(UNM MS Nursing/Midwifery, 2006)