Corrales approves $51.3 million plan, fire safety tops priorities

Corrales has quietly put a $51.3 million blueprint on the table for what the village may repair, replace or build over the next five years, and fire safety sits at the top of the list. The Village Council approved Resolution 26-37 on June 9, giving initial backing to the 2028-2032 Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan, but administrators said the ranking can still be adjusted before the plan is due July 1.

The first three priorities all center on the fire department and fire suppression, a clear sign that officials are still focused on wildfire risk near the bosque. That emphasis follows years of planning around the village-wide fire suppression system, including a 2022 resolution seeking up to $5 million in low-interest Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan funding for the fire suppression line and an Angel Hill water tank. In April, village updates said crews were boring a pipeline under Corrales Road as part of that system, tying the Rec Center well and pump into the network for redundancy.

Beyond fire protection, the list points to everyday needs that shape life in a small village. Other high-priority projects include stand-alone bathrooms across Corrales, road maintenance and paving, drain maintenance, wastewater bypass work, water equipment for the fire department, and renovations to older buildings such as the Old Bank and Fire Station 1. The document also includes longer-range ideas like solar panels on municipal buildings and electric car charging stations, showing the village is trying to balance preservation with modernization.

Melanie Romero told councilors they could still revise the list before it is submitted, and the timing matters because ICIP projects often help determine what gets pursued for state funding next. New Mexico’s Department of Finance and Administration describes the ICIP as a planning tool that sets priorities for anticipated infrastructure projects, and its Infrastructure Planning and Development Division provides planning and funding assistance for the projects included in the plan. For Corrales, that makes the approved list less of a final budget and more of a map for the next round of capital requests.

The council’s vote also fits an annual pattern. Corrales adopted similar ICIP plans in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and the village has been weighing road priorities at the same time, including Coronado Road repaving and flood mitigation, stand-alone bathrooms and Reclining Acres Road repaving. The latest plan suggests that, in Corrales, the most urgent work is still the most basic: keeping water moving, roads passable and fire risk under control.