ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The City of Albuquerque has spent millions of dollars over the last six years to spruce up Civic Plaza. Recently, a visitor posted a picture of a crumbling walkway on 311, saying Civic Plaza needs some attention.
“I’d say keep the trash under control. There’s pretty often people here that sit out here, or they are going to the bathrooms out here because there are no bathrooms accessible around here,” said one Albuquerque parent.
Six years ago, the city spent around $4 million on upgrades to the plaza. Those upgrades included a new fountain, lighting, sound system upgrades, and a new playground.
However, some noted the plaza has seen better days. Because now, the area is seeing chunks missing from the walkways, holes in the rubber surface on the playground, graffitied walls, marked-up picnic tables with burn marks, broken fences, and remnants of a homeless encampment on the corner of the plaza.
“It’d be better if we could take care of the area a little more for our community members,” said Sarah Peterson, who works near the plaza.
A Municipal Development spokesperson said crews do daily walkthroughs of the area to spot any issues that arise. In addition to events like Food Truck Fridays and movie nights, the city said they are trying to bring in more events in the summer to encourage more people to visit Civic Plaza.
