Grand opening for new public library in Rio Communities

RIO COMMUNITIES — The grand opening of the brand new Rio Communities Public Library and Makerspace is set for 10 a.m., Saturday, July 30.

The long-awaited library has been open since May, but city staff, library board members and volunteers have been working diligently on the final touches for the big day.

Lisa Adair, the city clerk, said funds — $50,000 — to build the library were allocated to the city through a junior bill presented by N.M. Rep. Matthew McQueen two years ago.

“We had to get a library board established and establish an ordinance for the development of a library,” Adair said. “We had a few months to order all supplies, books and equipment to build the library.”

The initial stages of the library began when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, which initially made city officials a little hesitant about ordering supplies. Adair said they were told everything was fine and the library was a go.

“It did take us almost two years before everything was completed,” Adair said. “We only have one public works employee and even though we did a little contract work, he did a lot of the work.”

The Rio Communities Library Board — Bobby Caldwell, Lisa Tabet Chavez, Lisa LaManna, Merita Wilson, Deborah Benavidez and Rita White — were appointed in September 2021, and have been meeting twice a month to develop policies for the library.

The library is not just for Rio Communities’ residents. It’s available for people in the surrounding areas, including Mountainair.

“We’re not putting any restrictions on who can come visit our library,” Adair said.

The Rio Communities Public Library not only offers books for children and adults, but a computer room for patrons to go online and to borrow books via the interlibrary system.

Adair said patrons won’t be charged for not returning books on time, but if a book doesn’t come back at all, they will charge to replace the book.

“We are so excited to open our library. We thank our legislators, especially state Rep. Matthew McQueen,” said Rio Communities Mayor Joshua Ramsell. “This entire undertaking was made possible through a junior spending bill.

“City staff have been amazing; from the design, which was done in-house, finance office ensuring purchases were made correctly and on time, and our public works department doing the demo and building,” he added. “We also thank our library board who have taken this endeavor very seriously. They achieved a lot in one year.”

Ramsell also sends his appreciation to the staffs at the Belen and Los Lunas libraries along with their volunteers for helping and offering assistance, as well as everyone who has donated books to the library.

“This is a great thing for our community,” the mayor said. “Everyone from all ages will be able to come and enjoy books, DVDs and technology. We will be looking to expand the library in the future to offer more selections.”

Adair said the Makerspace has been used throughout the summer once a week by the children attending the Belen recreation program. The rooms are filled with everything from colored crayons and sewing machines to drones and a 3-D printer.

The Rio Communities MakerSpace was designed specifically for community programs. Not only did the city want to provide something for everyone — no matter what age and skill level — they also wanted programs that could give residents ideas for future careers and businesses.

“We wanted to have the capability to host a wide variety of programs in one space, as an extension of the library,” said Amy Lopez, assistant to the city manager.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at the library, which is located in city hall, before an open house, which will include tours, a reading circle for children, crafts, refreshments and the Rio Communities Fire Department will bring some trucks for the public to view.