ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A popular park in the Barelas neighborhood has undergone a long-awaited makeover. Talks of having renovations at Barelas Park started six years ago. Albuquerque Parks and Recreation Director Dave Simon said renovations started in February 2021, costing a total of $1.6 million.
“We’ve got one of the city’s coolest playgrounds here in Barelas, we have a brand new multi-use court with beautiful art on the court. We planted over 120 trees in this park – refreshed all the grass,” said Simon.
Shauna Snyder said her friend told her about the new basketball court, so she went to check it out.
“I was very surprised on how nice the park was as far as the basketball court was. I’m always looking for a park that has really nice basketball courts, so this was a great surprise, to be honest,” said Snyder.
The Barelas Park project hit some roadblocks during the pandemic. As construction costs skyrocketed, the city decided to divide the project into two phases. Simon said the next phase will consist of more features families can enjoy.
“So phase two is going to bring some super additional elements to Barelas Park, including three new pickleball courts, outside exercise equipment for our seniors, and wonderful family community amenities for the park,” said Simon.
Simon said it’s estimated phase two will cost between $700,000 and $800,000. This project won’t start until the city has sufficient funds – which may come from voters and the state.
“Those include the proposed general obligation bond package that will go before the city voters this fall in November,” said Simon.
This summer, the city will be working on the west parking lot; that project will cost $200,000. The city still doesn’t have a time frame on when phase two could start.
