Painted Pianos and Bike Parks

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  For the past three years, pianos decorated by local artists and concerts by local musicians have graced the streets of Aztec, but the Chamber of Commerce needs help from volunteers to continue the project. The spate of storms over the holidays gave the Farmington area a much needed boost in moisture. A grant from the New Mexico Economic Development will enable the City of Farmington to start work on the Juniper Basin Recreation Area. You’re watching the Local News Network, brought to you by Distil Beer Wine Spirits and SunRay Park & Casino. I’m Haley Opsal. The storms that blew through Farmington over the holidays helped push the total precipitation for the year above the 30-year average. According to the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, 1.29 inches of precipitation fell at the Four Corners Regional Airport between December 25th and January 4th. That pushes the total amount of annual precipitation to 7.47 inches, enough to push over the 30-year average of 7.44 inches. The storms also heralded good news for the snowpack of southwest Colorado. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, snowpack in the San Miguel, Dolores, Animas, and San Juan river basins is at 125% of normal as of January 4th. See upcoming forecasts and check precipitation and snowpack levels at the National Weather Service at weather.gov. On January 9th, the Outdoor Recreation Division of the New Mexico Economic Development Department announced $2 million for 19 projects around the state of New Mexico, including $99,999 for the Juniper Basin Recreation Area project in Farmington. Located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Foothills Drive and Hood Mesa Trail, the Juniper Basin Recreation Area will provide additional space for biking and expansion of trails to and from Farmington Lake. The funding will allow construction to begin on 10 acres of the project, including a bike recreation area, parking area, and a half-mile of single-track trail. Work on the Juniper Basin project began about one and a half years ago with public input and designs from the International Mountain Biking Association to better serve the growing popularity of biking in Farmington. While the first phase of the project is designed for use by beginner cyclists, future plans will incorporate more challenging features for more advanced cyclists. Learn more about the Juniper Basin project and view updates on the Outdoor Recreation Industry Initiative page at fmtn.org. Three years ago, Roselyn Fry asked a local Aztec artist to paint a donated piano and the Painted Piano Project began. The project, a collaborative opportunity for local artists and musicians, takes donated pianos with original painting designs and displays them around Aztec. Last summer, the city of Aztec hosted events featuring pianos and local musicians. The Aztec Chamber of Commerce is now looking for volunteers to continue to future of the Painted Piano Project for years to come. Interested volunteers are invited to contact the Aztec Chamber of Commerce at [email protected]. To see examples of pianos and a map of where to find them, visit aztecnm.com/aztec/paintedpianos. Thank you for watching this edition of the Local News Network. I’m Hayley Opsal.

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