During the city council meeting held on March 9, Clyde Strain, Gallup’s Planning and Development Director, presented a grant that would pay for a new public safety building to house the Gallup Police Department and the Gallup Municipal Court.

The grant by the State of New Mexico’s Department of Finance and Administration, totals $1.5 million.

The design for the new building is complete, and in an interview after the meeting, Strain said the city is now looking at funding for the project. He explained that it is a $16 million project, but that the city has been putting money aside for it for years, and that it is at about the halfway mark now.

The grant is for the design, construction, and to equip the new building.

With the design already complete, Strain said the grant would most likely go toward construction. He estimated that construction wouldn’t start for another two to five years.

The council approved the use of the grant, so now the city can move forward with continuing to collect funding for construction and equipment.

By Molly Adamson
Sun Correspondent