VIDEO: Rep. Stansbury, Mayor Hart, Moriarty Firefighters Break Ground on New Fire Station

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Today, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) joined Moriarty Mayor Ted Hart, Fire Chief Todd Hart, and State Representatives Matthew McQueen (HD-50) to break ground on the new Moriarty Fire Station. Rep. Stansbury celebrated how the $5.25 million in funding she secured for the Fire Station on her very first day in office will support local first responders and decrease emergency response times for rural communities in the East Mountains.

On her first day in office, Rep. Stansbury secured over $10 million in funding for Community Projects in New Mexico’s First Congressional District that combat crime and invest in public safety, economic development, education, and youth programs for communities across New Mexico. The $5.25 million secured for the Moriarty Fire Station was included in the larger FY 2022 budget signed into law by President Biden in March.

“Our brave firefighters in Moriarty deserve a top-of-the-line Fire Station as they work hard to serve communities across the East Mountains,” said Rep. Stansbury. “On Day One in office, I got straight to work to secure this funding and invest in our rural communities, and I am so proud to be breaking ground on Moriarty’s brand-new Fire Station today. I am determined to continue working to secure investments like these for our rural communities in Congress.”

“Our first responders deserve a station that they’re proud to call home, and I am glad I’ve been able to contribute to a new Fire Station for the City of Moriarty,” said State Rep. McQueen. “I am thankful to our Congresswoman for stepping up in a big way to make this happen, and I want to thank our first responders for everything they do each day.”

“I want to thank Congresswoman Stansbury and Representative McQueen for helping us get the funding we need for this facility—a state-of-the-art facility for a rural area that can be utilized throughout the entire county,” said Mayor Hart.

“We started this project a little more than five years ago,” said Fire Chief Hart. “With this new facility, our firefighters will have living conditions that are the same as their homes, because let's face it, this is their home away from home. The new facility will offer a decontamination room where carcinogens will stay out of the living areas, and be in the areas that are contained, to keep them safe and reduce the risk of cancer.”

The groundbreaking is the result of a years-long effort by members of the community to bring the project to fruition. The $5.25 million that Rep. Stansbury secured for the new facility provided the additionally funding to add onto $950,000 in capital outlay funding secured by State Rep. McQueen and state funding that Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham made available to local fire departments in the Fire Protection Fund. The new fire station will incorporate an improved air circulation system and decontamination facilities to protect firefighters from the carcinogens they are exposed to in the line of duty.

During this year’s FY23 federal budget process, Rep. Stansbury secured an additional $18 million for Community Funded Projects to benefit New Mexico’s First Congressional District. The funding is now under consideration in the Senate.