Sandoval County breaks ground on $8.74 million Animal Resource Center near Bernalillo

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury and Sandoval County officials gathered near Bernalillo on Feb. 19 to break ground on an $8.74 million Animal Resource Center, marking the formal start of construction activity for the county's new facility. County leaders, local elected officials and contractors attended the official groundbreaking ceremony at the site sited just outside Bernalillo.

Sandoval County organized the event to move the project from planning into action; contractors at the ceremony prepared to begin construction on the roughly $8.74 million project immediately following the ceremony. The county described the event as an official groundbreaking, and representatives from local government stood alongside the federal lawmaker as construction crews mobilized.

The project budget is set at $8.74 million for the Animal Resource Center located near Bernalillo, and county officials emphasized the transition to the construction phase during the Feb. 19 ceremony. Attendance by local elected leaders and county officials signaled coordinated support between county government and municipal partners for the site selected near Bernalillo.

Contractors present at the Feb. 19 ceremony were prepared to begin work on the site, moving from ceremonial groundbreaking to on-the-ground construction activity. Sandoval County's decision to hold an official ceremony on Feb. 19 highlighted the county's commitment to advancing the project and beginning contractor work near Bernalillo without extended delay.

With the Feb. 19 groundbreaking complete and contractors prepared to begin construction, Sandoval County has begun turning months of planning into physical development for the $8.74 million Animal Resource Center near Bernalillo. U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury's presence at the ceremony underscored federal interest in the project as local officials and contractors proceed with construction.