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SANTA FE, N.M., May 8, 2026—A yearslong project has come to fruition, and Santa Fe County staff invite the community to celebrate. The long-awaited Turquoise Trail #3 Fire Station and Cerrillos Senior & Community Center officially opens with a ribbon cutting and wet down ceremony May 27 beginning at 1:00 p.m. The multipurpose center, located at 16 Main Street in Cerrillos, serves the Highway 14 corridor, including Cerrillos, Madrid, and surrounding areas.

“We have talked about more services for residents and senior citizens in the Madrid/Cerrillos, Hwy 14/Lone Butte area ever since I served on the Santa Fe County Commission (2009 to 2016). I am pleased that the state, the county, and the community came together for this very important project. Seniors will have the opportunity to gather, socialize, eat, and participate in a healthy atmosphere. Let's make sure there will be New Mexico farm fresh food offered at this site,” said Senator, District 39, Elizabeth “Liz” Stefanics, one of the speakers scheduled for the ribbon cutting.

The 7500 square-foot facility combines a fire station on one side and a senior center on the other, separated by a firewall. Funding for the fire station came from two bonds authorized by the public for this purpose, in addition to regular county taxes, and the senior center was paid for through county taxes and a state special appropriation, for a total of $5,026,858.

“It’s beautiful—people are going to love it. It feels roomy and has great views of the arroyo and Ortiz Mountains,” said Santa Fe County Project Manager Dan Anderson.

The facility functions as a senior center on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is equipped with a full commercial kitchen to prepare and serve senior meals with delivery service for homebound seniors. There’s also a kitchenette with an induction stove and dishwasher, available for visitors to use. There are several gathering areas, including a quiet reading room, a projects area, and an assembly room. The senior center will host activities, including exercise and art classes, with an onsite kiln for ceramics. County services help seniors stay active and independent by providing transportation to and from senior centers, medical appointments, and essential errands. Find activity schedules, menus, and more on the County Senior Services webpage.

Outside of senior center hours, community members can rent the facility for events, like graduation and birthday parties. More information about renting facilities is on the County Community Centers webpage.

The design incorporates community feedback from the outreach and planning meetings that took place beginning in 2017. The building is decorated with donated art, and the stucco colors were chosen to match the Cerrillos area. One of the community’s concerns was what kind of impact the building’s lights would have on night skies. The new facility has fully shielded, low temperature lights that are set on timers, and the design follows the outdoor ordinances found in the County’s Sustainable Land Development Code. Other sustainability features include a rainwater cistern that passively irrigates drought tolerant plants through a drip irrigation system.

The 2500 square-foot fire station is replacing the older station off First Street in the Village of Cerrillos, and the County will repurpose the slab of the older station into a shaded picnic area for the public. The new station allows volunteer firefighters easy access to three bays and has more space for trucks and office space, and there is room to expand if needed.

“It’s important to keep a presence of a fire department in the Village, because there’s a long history of volunteer firefighters here,” said Santa Fe County Fire Department Deputy Chief Jeffery J. Carroll. “For anyone interested, we’re always accepting volunteers,” he added. For information on when volunteers meet and how to join, visit the County Fire Districts and Member Info webpage.

Guests may enjoy light refreshments at the ribbon cutting, and firefighters from the Turquoise Trail Volunteer Fire District will perform a wet down ceremony to dedicate the new fire station by spraying the new station with water from their firefighting equipment. Special guests Senator, District 39, Liz Stefanics and Santa Fe County Commissioner, District 3, Camilla Bustamante will share comments.

“This new center represents dignity, connection, and care for our seniors. It reflects the belief that our elders deserve spaces that are safe, welcoming, and rooted in community,” said Commissioner Bustamante.

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