Lujan office hours

Rep. Ben Ray Luján will hold open office hours from 2 to 4 p.m., on Monday, at the Rio Rancho Economic Development offices. Luján will meet with constituents, discuss important issues before Congress, and listen to their concerns.

The Rio Rancho Economic Development offices are located at 1201 Rio Rancho Drive Southeast, Suite C. Learn about Habitat for Humanity

Members of Habitat for Humanity and its youth affiliate, Youth United of Greater Albuquerque, will offer an informational talk from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., on Monday, July 6, at Loma Colorado Library Auditorium, 755 Loma Colorado Dr. NE.

The free event is for persons who are interested in helping provide affordable shelter for families in need. Join William Allen, former president and current Youth Coordinator for YUGA, as he discusses the organization’s sponsorship of the construction of two Habitat homes in the Albuquerque area. The group is currently raising funds for a third.

For information, call 891-5013, ext. 3030.

City has low litter index

The results from the city’s 2009 Litter Index have yielded the lowest score on record.

Conducted by the city’s Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful Division on June 22, this year’s score of 1.14 is a decrease from the 1.63 mark recorded in 2008. Scores are based on a scale of one to four where one is equivalent to no litter.

“I commend the staff from the city’s Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful Division for their efforts to minimize the amount of litter in our community,” said Mayor Tom Swisstack. “This year’s score is an indication that city programs targeting litter removal are having an impact.”

The litter index is conducted by a five-member team of evaluators who assess the amount of visible litter along more than 30 miles of Rio Rancho roadways. Each year the information collected from the litter index is used to determine areas of need in the city and help plan future litter prevention programs.

For more information, visit the city’s Web site, ci.rio-rancho.nm.us, or call 891-5015.

Locals graduate from leadership program

Leadership New Mexico announced that Chris McNamara, general manger of Brycon Corporation, and Liz Shipley, communications and education manager of Intel, are among the 46 statewide leaders who recently graduated from the Leadership New Mexico Core Program.

The graduates of the Leadership New Mexico Core Program attended six educational sessions for the 2008-09 Core Program, which identified the issues, needs, challenges and trends across New Mexico. The program sessions are held in various locations within New Mexico and represent multiple issues facing the state. Each program session features speakers and panelists that are knowledgeable leaders in their specific field.  Participants have the opportunity to engage in a discussion with speakers and to explore the issues in-depth. 

Support the troops

RioVision, the City of Rio Rancho’s public, education and government cable channels, and Rio Rancho Blue Star Mothers have teamed together to produce a DVD for care packages being sent overseas to members of the U.S. military who are from Rio Rancho or have family living in the area.

Inspired by Steven Gallegos, a community member who has become a volunteer RioVision producer and parent of a son serving in Iraq, the DVDs contain messages from troop family members. In addition, the DVDs also contain a Rio Rancho City Center update with project information on Hewlett-Packard’s facility, the construction of two new college campuses, and the opening of Cleveland High School this August.

To make the DVDs possible, Rio Rancho Blue Star Mothers contacted organization members and other entities about the opportunity to record messages for loved ones serving overseas. RioVision recorded the messages, helped produce the final DVD that was created and made copies for distribution. 

A total of 150 DVDs, funded by Rio Rancho Blue Star Mothers, were placed in care packages recently mailed out.

For more information about Rio Rancho Blue Star Mothers, visit rioranchobluestarmothers.org.

For more information about RioVision, call 896-3388, ext. 240, or visit riovision.tv.

City, Cable One seek feedback

The city of Rio Rancho and Cable One are seeking resident feedback via an online survey regarding the city’s public, education and government cable channels — RioVision channels 15 and 22.

The survey is accessible by visiting either Cable One’s Web site, cableone.net, or the city’s Web site, ci.rio-rancho.nm.us. The survey is available now and can be taken through the end of July.

Input that is being sought includes data as to how often residents watch RioVision, what specific content they are viewing and what they would like to see in the future.

Vacation Bible school

Mesa Baptist Church, at 1411 Golf Course Rd., in Rio Rancho, will host a Vacation Bible School, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., July 26-30. There will be free bus transportation.

Call 892-0511 for more information.

Peer Counselors wanted in Sandoval County

Sandoval Senior Connection, a program of Outcomes, Inc., is looking for peer counselors for older adults.

Training is free and begins July 8 and ends July 29. Topics range from exploring what’s normal in aging processes, chemical dependency, and death and dying. The training sessions are three hours long, and summer sessions will be conducted on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings in Rio Rancho.

No experience is necessary; life experience and a listening ear is all that is needed. Sandoval Senior Connection serves older adults in Sandoval County but peer counselors can live in other counties. The organization is especially seeking Spanish speaking volunteers who understand the culture of our Hispanic populations. 

Training sessions are open to the public, no commitment is necessary to become a peer counselor. Call Samantha Apodaca or Cindy Anderson at Outcomes, Inc., at 243-2551, to register for a session or for the whole program. 

Code Adam at the library

Code Adam, the missing child alert program from the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, is now in place at the Rio Rancho Public Libraries.

The library staff is trained in procedures for locking down the facility to quickly locate children who have gone missing from their parents while visiting the library. The library would like to remind patrons that in order to minimize risk to young children, children 10 and under must be supervised by a parent or guardian while on the premises.

For more information about Code Adam or library policies, contact Loma Colorado Main Library (755 Loma Colorado Drive NE) at 891-5013 or Esther Bone Memorial Library (950 Pinetree Road SE) at 891-5012.

Sunday is Funday

Preparations are underway for the fourth annual mayor’s picnic — Sunday is Funday — which will take place on August 16, from noon until 4:30 p.m., at the Loma Colorado Park located at 755 Loma Colorado Drive.

This year’s event will again feature inexpensive food — fifty cent hot dogs, hamburgers, water, and soda — along with other family entertainment, vendor booths, and a pentathlon competition which will be expanded to include games for businesses, kids, and seniors.

Parking for this event will cost $2 per vehicle and will be located at Rio Rancho High School which is adjacent to the park.

Individual and business sponsors are needed to continue to make this event a success. The fee to have a booth space at the event is $50 and sponsorships are $100 and up. Sponsors will be recognized at the event and in local print advertisements.

The Pentathlon Challenge will be a five-event relay of fun athletic events. Sponsoring your own team or the team of a nonprofit organization helps to fund Sunday is Funday. The fee to participate in the pentathlon is $200 and up and includes sponsorship for the event and booth or banner space. Trophies will be provided to the winning teams.

For more information, to secure a booth, or to register a pentathlon team, please contact Dave Heil at 228-7189 or daveheil16@msn.com, or Tony Popper at 892-0325 or tpopper@qwest.net. You can also visit the city’s Web site at ci.rio-rancho.nm.us/SundayisFunday for more information. Booth and sponsor fees should be mailed to Rio Rancho Kiwanis, 160 Itasca Rd., Rio Rancho, NM 87124.

This event is sponsored and coordinated by the city of Rio Rancho Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, Rio Rancho Kiwanis, the Rio Rancho Civitan Club, and Elks Lodge #2500. 

Any resulting proceeds, after paying expenses, will benefit youth programs in Rio Rancho including: scholarships for the city’s parks and recreation programs, the Rio Rancho Boys and Girls Club, the Sandoval County Juvenile Justice Program, the Sandoval County YMCA, and the Elks Lodge Boy Scouts.