Bike trail dedicated to ‘community champion’
No, John Myers has not passed away. The stones bearing his name along the Paseo del Bosque bicycle trail from Central to Alameda are not memorials or tombstones.
But a few people worried they were, after they were installed recently in honor of Myers — who was present at the dedication ceremony — as a celebration of the “community champion and avid cyclist.”
“I got a few emails,” he said, laughing.
He said the three plaques placed along the bike path he loves so much are “incredible.”
“I don’t know that I deserve this, but it was certainly flattering and if there is anything I’d like to have my name associated with, it’s certainly that bike trail,” Myers said from his law office in Albuquerque.
Myers, described on the plaques as an “avid cyclist, trail advocate and community champion” has worked in real estate law for 40 years.
The plaque dedication was led by the Urban Land Institute New Mexico, a group that “provides leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide,” in partnership with the
City of Albuquerque’s
Parks and Recreation Department.
The institute has also created a John A. Myers Award for Leadership in
Urban Excellence.
“John has had his hand in most substantial real estate projects in the Albuquerque metropolitan area,” the institute said in a news release about the dedication, which was held Oct. 7 and attended by Mayor Richard Berry. “Mr. Myers, whose knowledge, wisdom and genuine concern for fair and equitable outcomes, have made some of the city’s most significant development projects possible.”
Myers has had a hand in some of the region’s most prominent development projects, including Mesa del Sol, Tanoan Estates, Mariposa and Taylor Ranch. He has also represented several governments and community groups.
Myers lives with his wife of 41 years, Alice, and shares time with his children, Matt, Lucas and Katie, and his grandchildren, “the twins” Zoe and Julian and Haeleigh and Mela, according to the Urban Land Institute.
“I rode that trail every day for 20 years, to work, to softball games, to tennis games. I’d ride it anywhere,” Myers said.
A recent health challenge has limited his bike riding, but he said the trail is still “a gem.”
“I’m extremely appreciative of what was done, and I thank all the people who were involved and were willing to give me that nice honor.”