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Commissioners weigh options after fire‑station costs rise; county pursues NRCS flood funds and airport parking award
Summary
The board discussed a volunteer fire station project that has exceeded its loan budget by roughly $600,000, reviewed options to revert the loan and considered alternative responses; commissioners also reviewed a large NRCS emergency watershed protection award with a $1.7M local match and approved staff recommendation for an airport parking‑lot construction award.
County planning staff and commissioners spent substantial time on Feb. 10 discussing a proposed Dos Gallegos volunteer fire station, matching‑grant constraints and related capital projects.
Staff said the station site, chosen under a 2022 resolution and funded by a 2023 NMFA loan, faced steep site‑preparation and utility costs that pushed construction estimates well above initial figures. Planning staff reported previous bids and schematic revisions that left the county roughly $600,000 short of the lowest feasible construction estimate. "We were ready at about $1,000,000 and now we're seeing figures around $1,500,000 to $1,900,000 depending on scope," planning staff said, summarizing the design and bid history.
Commissioners raised two linked concerns: whether volunteers will be available to staff a new station if built and what happens to the NMFA loan and any money already spent if the project is shelved. County staff said they are researching loan reversion options with the New Mexico Finance Authority and will return with a comprehensive packet assessing volunteers, response distances, equipment mandates and lifecycle costs before any final decision.
Separately, the commission reviewed a notice of award from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for emergency watershed protection (EWP) work related to the Trout Fire, with a federal portion covering about $5.4 million of project costs and a local match obligation of roughly $1.7 million. Staff described the EWP scope as sediment traps at Bear Canyon Reservoir and mitigation work in several canyons to reduce future flood risks; the award is conditional on securing the local match and environmental compliance technical assistance dollars included in the award will be paid by USDA.
On a smaller project, staff recommended awarding an airport parking lot and resurfacing contract to James Hamilton Construction using a mix of FAA, state and capital‑outlay funding. The board discussed grant matches and accepted staff's recommendation to proceed with the award.
No final decisions were made on the volunteer station at the meeting; staff were directed to compile a packet with cost breakdowns, volunteer rosters and options for the board to consider at a future meeting.
