SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
BY SFNF
Construction on the Santa Fe National Forest’s (SFNF’s) new Jemez District Office is scheduled to start sometime between March 1 and April 1, 2020, depending on weather.
While new facilities are under construction, the Jemez Ranger District will share space at the Administrative Office of the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP), located at 90 Villa Louis Martin about a half-mile south of the current ranger station in Jemez Springs. The office phone number – 575-829-3535 – will remain the same.
The Jemez office will be closed to the public Feb. 26-28 while operations are relocated to the VCNP offices and will reopen for business in the new location Monday, March 2.
Long recognized as obsolete and dysfunctional, the office compound at 051 Woodsy Lane was developed in the 1960s on the north side of Jemez Springs. Issues with the site include the age of the buildings, energy inefficiency, a faulty foundation, deferred maintenance and a few missing amenities, including no wheelchair access and no public restrooms.
The approved plans for the property, which is owned by the Forest Service, include demolition of the old infrastructure and construction of a new two-story office building, a building to house the district’s fire program and a warehouse for storage. The project is expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete.
“Although our current quarters definitely pose some challenges, the Jemez District staff has never let that interfere with the work and their commitment to taking care of the land and all its resources,” Jemez District Ranger Brian Riley said. “Once we get settled in our temporary office, that work will continue. We appreciate the public’s patience with our building project and look forward to welcoming you to our new facilities.”
For more information on the Santa Fe National Forest, visit the website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/santafe/ or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
