By Jesse Jones
The Town of Bernalillo will receive $5.4 million in state capital outlay to build a new fire station, the largest single investment in the town’s history.
During the Town Council meeting on April 15, Mayor Jack Torres announced a record-setting capital outlay award that will fund a long-anticipated fire station. The funding, secured with help from state legislators and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, represents a major milestone for the town. The agenda also included road project resolutions, new hires and a wastewater agreement presentation.
“One of the happier days for me was Friday afternoon when the governor signed capital outlay,” Torres said. “That’s the most money the town has ever received for capital outlay.”
According to Interim Bernalillo Fire Chief Mike Carroll, the new fire station will be built at the old Roosevelt School complex off Camino Don Tomas. It will replace Station One, the town’s main fire station since 1977, which is attached to Town Hall. That facility will be decommissioned, and the Roosevelt site will serve as the new main station and eventually will serve as the fire department’s administrative offices.
“Originally, the department was completely volunteer, and the bays were only really configured to hold two, maybe three pieces of apparatus,” Carroll said. “We have outgrown that space. The space we have there at the current Station One is crowded.”
Carroll said the funding comes from the junior bill, so the money should be available sooner than if it were tied to general obligation bonds.
He said the new station design includes six individual bunk rooms, an office for the duty lieutenant, a day room, a training room, a fitness room, a decontamination space and equipment storage. He believes the plan calls for four bays, though that detail isn’t confirmed. Consulting engineers are still finalizing the design.
Once plans are complete and funds are in place, the project could go out to bid by the end of the year, with construction taking 18 months to two years to finish, Carroll said.
Approvals
Councilors approved a project extension, funding requests, equipment disposal and new hires during the meeting.
Councilors approved a request to extend the Camino Don Tomas project by one year under a $263,600 cooperative agreement with the New Mexico Department of Transportation. NMDOT will cover $197,700, or 75% of the cost, and the town will contribute $65,900. The current termination date is June 30, with the new deadline set for June 30, 2026.
Councilors also approved three resolutions requesting Transportation Project Fund (TPF) money for street improvements on Calle Laguna, Camino del Bosque and Avenida Bernalillo.
The first request was for $65,838.95 to fund road work, drainage and pedestrian and traffic infrastructure on Calle Laguna. Terri Gray, the Town’s treasurer and finance director, said the town’s required match would come from a $200,000 cash balance already set aside.
The second resolution requested $80,639.75 for planning, design and construction on Camino del Bosque, focused on roadway rehab and drainage improvements in the area.
The third asked for $71,362.30 for similar upgrades on Avenida Bernalillo, including roadway rehab, drainage and pedestrian improvements.
Councilors approved the disposal of 12 scrubbed IT items, which will be taken to the Eagle Rock Convenience Center in Albuquerque.
The council approved two new hires: a parks maintenance worker and a police officer. Donald Hummel joined the team as the newest parks worker, and Buster Whitley was hired as the town’s latest certified officer.
Discussions
Councilors reviewed a proposed wastewater agreement with WashTub Laundromat, LLC at 501 U.S. Highway 550. No action was taken, as the item was for discussion only.
Businesses are usually billed for wastewater gallon-for-gallon based on water use, but studies show laundromats often reuse or lose a lot of that water during cleaning. To better measure actual discharge, the laundromat proposed installing a flow meter.
The agreement, already approved by the business and reviewed by the town’s engineers, attorney and water rights consultant, follows similar arrangements used in other municipalities.
Councilors agreed on a June 1 installation deadline for the meter, calling it a reasonable timeline. They also discussed whether missing the date would void the agreement.
The setup could affect how much the laundromat pays in sewer fees and whether it must transfer water rights. Town ordinance requires commercial users to transfer rights if they use more than 1.5 acre-feet of water a year.
The council is expected to revisit the agreement once it’s finalized.
Get involved
The next town council meeting is at 6:30 p.m. April 28 at the Town Hall Council Chambers, 829 Camino del Pueblo.