Belen, NM

Belen Teacher Made a Bad Decision

This is a continued focus on New Mexico Education. Here is a case where a young girl was put in an uncomfortable situation because of the decision of a teacher

"Ashley Lopez never showed up for her after school martial arts class, across town from La Merced Elementary, where she started 5th grade this week. Ashley went to get on board the van in the school pick-up lane, but a teacher wasn't satisfied with the permission slip. Ashley said the teacher made her get on a school bus instead - the wrong bus."

Click this link to Checkout the KOBTV Video:

Here are my Monthly Belen NM Monthly Real Estate Stats for August 2010. These are the most current, comprehensive and specific market statistics that I know of for Belen NM.

Brief Summary-Year to Date Stats

• Total sales (13) was about the same as last year.
• The average sales price stat ($115,885) was down.
• The average days on market stat (95) was down.
• The average price per square foot stat ($72) was down.

Total Sales in Belen NM

• Total sales remained stable. There were 12 sales in August 2009 and 13 sales in August 2010.

Average Sales Price in Belen NM

• The average sales price decreased from $120,458 in August of 2009 to $115,885 in August of 2010.

Average Days on the Market in Belen NM

• Average days on the market decreased significantly from 182 days in August of 2009 to 95 days in August of 2010.

Average Price per Square Foot in Belen NM

• The average price per square foot was up slightly from $68 per square foot in August 2010 to $72 per square foot in August 2010.

Summary

Please check back here for another market report next month. In the meantime, search Belen NM Houses for Sale or Bosque Farms NM Realty.

Currently, the dishes are not operating on weekends or holidays, due to a lack of off-site operation capabilities. However, according to DeCamillo, the city will save even more once the dishes begin operating 7 days a week.Since January, Belen has seen $1,000 savings on its electric bill, thanks to its new solar dishes, installed last July. By the end of the year, officials estimate the dishes will save almost 50 percent on the city's electric bill-- that's nearly $20,000.

According to Andrew DeCamillo, planning and zoning director for Belen, "The money ... goes into a general fund for other expenses that we have. The credits are accumulating."

But saving on the electric bill isn't the only bright side to the solar dishes. They're also an ideal eco-friendly energy source for the city of Belen, and they are capable of generating a good deal of energy for their relatively small size.

The dish manufacturer, Infinia Corp., also supervised implementation of solar dishes in four other public sites nationwide, including Sandia Laboratories in Albuquerque.

The solar dishes are widely visible to the public, and, according to Charlie Walker, director of U.S. commercial sales for Infiniti, that's a positive. "People want to see the dishes operating. The city of Belen is an excellent visual representation of how the units operate."

Currently, the dishes are not operating on weekends or holidays, due to a lack of off-site operation capabilities. However, according to DeCamillo, the city will save even more once the dishes begin operating 7 days a week.

Young horsewomen of Valencia County, take notice! You could be a queen or princess!

The Valencia County Fair Rodeo Royalty competition for the 2009-2010 year will kick off soon, and entries are due by Friday, July 10th. There will be an orientation meeting and practice session on Friday, July 17th at the Belen Sheriff's Posse Arena, and the actual competition will be held on August 7th and 8th. Personality Competition and Personal Interviews will be held on August 7th at Calvary Chapel in Belen, while the Horsemanship competition will be located at the Sheriff's Posse Arena and held on August 8th.

This is a great event that my daughters really enjoyed competing in when they were younger. As I recall, Queen candidates were aged 17-22, Princess candidates were 12-16, and those 11 and under competed for the title of Valencia County Rodeo Sweetheart. The Valencia County Rodeo Queen then goes on to represent Valencia County at the New Mexico State Fair Rodeo Queen competition.

Cowgirls, here's your chance! Saddle up, put on your biggest smiles, and come on out and compete! To get your entry forms, contact one of the coordinators:

Sherlene Romero at (505)550-0536, Alexandria Romero at (505)261-4607, or Shirley Baca at (505)350-0241.

For more information about greater Albuquerque area horse properties and equestrian information just visit my Albuquerque horse properties website, or contact me any time by cell phone or email: (505)239-4796, nmbroker@earthlink.net.

We've got our own "Little Town of Bethlehem" right here in New Mexico. It's actually called "Belen," which is Spanish for "Bethlehem." And this year, the Greater Belen Chamber of Commerce is promoting an idea that is quaint, charming, and also (in our current era of political correctness) definitely gutsy and maybe risky. Here's the idea:

This Christmas season, the Chamber will host its first ever "Nativity Scene Contest." The idea grew from the town's name (Belen=Bethlehem), and is designed to "help make this city a tourist destination," according to a quotation from Deputy Chamber Director Cindy Clark that the Valencia County News Bulletin included in its recent article about the event.

The Chamber is encouraging residents to display nativity scenes in front of their homes or businesses as part of the contest. Entries are due at the chamber by Dec. 19, and there is no fee. No live people or animals may be used in the contest. Displays will be judged on Dec. 22 and 23, with winners announced Dec. 27. There will be plaques for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place entries.

Organizers hope that residents will get behind the idea as a way to capitalize on the "little town's" namesake, as vistors marvel at the spectacular sights of "Christmas in Bethlehem (Belen)."

I love the idea! It's unique, and quaint, and historic, all rolled into one. But hey, this is, after all, the country where a lawsuit was filed to try to force another NM town (Las Cruces) to remove the two crosses from its city logo on the grounds that any two crosses must be a violation of church and state. What would those folks make a a little town actually sponsoring creches, complete with Mary, Joseph, and the Baby?

I'll be waiting to see how this works out. I'm with the Belen residents who hope that this will truly make folks say, in the words of the old Spanish carol, "Vamos Todos a Belen."

Merry Christmas, Everybody!