Fire Suppression System Planned at Algodones Business Park

Sandoval County and GeoBrugg North America LLC aren’t just partnering on plans for the company to expand operations at the Algodones business park.

In a deal separate from the $500,000 LEDA grant benefitting GeoBrugg the county commission is supporting, the company has agreed to donate land to the county to allow it to install a fire suppression system to serve the area.

The county’s Economic Development Director Dora Dominguez introduced the proposal at the Aug. 23 meeting of the commission.

“In addition to their $8.8 million expansion, the project’s added contribution toward infrastructure needs within the Algodones Business Park include the donation of land for the county’s use to locate a water tank required as part of the construction – this is a future project – of a fire suppression hydrant system to support the growing number of companies that are located in that growing business park,” Dominguez announced.

Currently, Sandoval County firefighters would have to either haul water from its nearest substation in Placitas or purchase water from Bernalillo and haul it from there.

There was also testimony that businesses in the area have to pay inflated insurance rates because there is no fire suppression system serving the area. It was reported that rates are so high, businesses in the business park are willing to repay the costs over a 10-year period.

Conceptually, the project is simple enough, consisting of a well to feed the water tank and roughly 150 yards of pipeline to connect to a hydrant on Centro Road.

The total cost estimate comes in at just under $1 million, and at the same meeting the commission approved two cash transfers that would seem to cover the cost.

Both transactions move $500,000 from other funds to the Economic Development Department. One comes from the Capital Projects Account and the other from American Rescue Act funding.