Peralta looking to fund a new fire station; drainage plan

Peralta —Topping the list of priorities is to build, furnish and equip a new 11,500-square-foot fire station for the Peralta Fire Department.

The fire station will be on an 18,000-square-foot facility and will also have a helipad for air ambulances. The building will have five equipment bays, a decontamination room with restrooms/showers, a watch room, a locker room, a training room, a kitchen/laundry, two offices, restrooms and support spaces including storage, mechanical and electrical rooms.

So far, the fire station has received $300,000 in funding. However, the town is now requesting $4,087,500 to construct the fire station within the next four years. The funding is crucial now because the federal government denied the almost $8 million in funding the town was hoping to get to build the fire station.

The second priority on the town’s list is a drainage and flooding control project. The plan is to design and construct drainage and flood control for Peralta.

Initially, the project was going to be funded for only one year at $1 million, but the town council decided to cut it in half and only ask for $500,000. To date, there has been $550,000 funded to this type of project.

The project is to design and construct larger drainage ponds and culverts. The plan is to make larger drainage ponds that are made to carry flood water and debris in the highest flood zone areas. The culverts will be installed to divert runoff away from homes and off the streets.

No. 3 on the ICIP list is traffic and roadway improvements for Peralta. The plan is to design, construct or resurface roads.

According to the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration, upon incorporation, Peralta acquired about 26 miles of roads and 20 local streets that have not had any sort of maintenance in 20 years.

To date, there has been almost $5.5 million in funding for traffic and roadway improvements in Peralta. Over the next five years, the town is requesting $3 million for the improvements.

The fourth priority is to continue the town’s wastewater collection system. The wastewater system is a project that will take a considerable amount of time to complete. Currently, the project is in its first phase, which is almost 95 percent finished.

The project will continue until the nearly 1,500 residential homes and commercial businesses in Peralta are connected, the wastewater will be sent to the Bosque Farms wastewater treatment center.

The town is requesting funding amounting to $3.2 million to cover a period of five years. This will be in addition to the $8,283,000 that has already been secured.

The fifth project Peralta is trying to acquire funding for is to upgrade the town’s administrative facilities. The plan is to expand the interior offices, acquire new furnishings and install an updated ventilation system. Additionally, it aims to secure more parking spaces for town personnel to the east of the building, complete with adequate lighting.

“We’re kinda cramped in here,” says Steve Robbins, the town treasurer, about the administrative building.

The town is requesting $500,000 for the upgrades to the administrative building. To date, Peralta has received $710,560 for other administrative facilities.

The remaining projects on the town’s ICIP wish list are:

• Community center: $6,750,000
• Fire facilities: $400,000
• Recreation/park improvements: $700,000
• Public works equipment: $150,000
• New public safety equipment (police and fire): $600,000
• Emergency management plan and equipment: $700,000

Editors Note: Correction — In the article about the town of Peralta’s Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan in the Sept. 21 edition of the News-Bulletin, it was reported the federal funding for the fire station had been denied. The information was given to the News-Bulletin by Steve Robbins, the town’s treasurer and deputy clerk. Kori Taylor, the town clerk, said the funding has not been denied, and they are awaiting approval.