By: ABQ RAW staff
POSTED: 05/02/2023 @ 12:35PM
Downtown Albuquerque –
Coronado Park was once a popular hangout spot for families and where community members could gather and enjoy outdoor activities. However, in recent years, it was put in shambles by a large homeless encampment that has caused significant damage and disruption to the nearby area. The city of Albuquerque has recently announced plans to earmark $15 million dollars for the construction of a new Albuquerque Fire Rescue station and special operations area at the site of Coronado park.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, AFR Chief Emily Jaramillo, and a Wells Park community representative hosted a press conference to announce the new fire station 4 and special operations center. The funds for this project are to come from a combination of state and city funds and the fire station is expected to be completed in phases with no definite completion date.
While the press conference was in progress, a man in a lowrider Chevy truck yelled at the speakers while passing by:
“Give them a place to live!,” said the unknown man. It could be that he was referring to the displaced homeless from the closure of Coronado park
The facility will be built out in multiple phases, beginning with the construction of a new, five bay fire station. The training facility will be built out in the second phase to include a training tower, classrooms, and conference room. The existing fire station will be converted into AFR’s special operations equipment hub.
Funding sources for the project include:
• $5.25 million from 2023 Capital Outlay
• $8 million from 2023 GO Bonds
• $2 million earmark requested by Senator Heinrich’s office