Taos Pueblo breaks ground on massive development
TAOS PUEBLO — Heavy machinery worked in the distance as tribal officials and community members offered blessings and gratitude Tuesday before breaking ground on a new development that will see the construction of many new governmental and community buildings on Taos Pueblo.
Their first step will be generating infrastructure for a new police station and then a wellness center, according to the tribe.
Shawn Duran, chief operations officer for Taos Pueblo, said the development will bring many necessary structures to the pueblo. In addition to the wellness center and police station, the development has future plans for a library and educational center; a judicial complex with a courthouse and possible detention center; administrative offices; and safe houses for victims of crime.
“It’s really going to be the heart and core of the future justice plan we’re unrolling,” Duran said. “It’s really looking at how we’re going to be implementing core values of the tribe into justice system development.”
Crispin Kinney, the on-call engineer for Taos Pueblo, has been working on the project for the past decade. He said the current phase will see the formation of infrastructure for the police station and the building’s construction, estimating the building phase will be completed within the next 18 months. Then they plan to build the wellness center, which will include a gym, natatorium and exterior playing fields.
“It’s like a dream come true,” Lt. Gov. Joseph Romero said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “Let’s not wake up until it’s completed.”
Of all the projects involved with the development, Kinney said the construction of a new police station was one of their highest priorities. Tribal police are currently housed in a 42-year-old building, and according to Duran and Kinney, the structure has suffered damage over those decades.
Taos Pueblo Police Chief Summer Mirabal joked at the groundbreaking she and her officers will soon have to wear helmets to work in anticipation of the ceiling caving in.
“It’s really terrible,” Kinney said. “It’s an old building that they can barely function in. [The new facility] will bring the status and level of respect for Taos Pueblo Police Department. Kind of like we’re doing with everything, we’re bringing it up to a new level. For years and years they’ve just made do, and now they’re going to have a fully functional police department.”
The massive new development was first considered in the early 2000s but only began to take shape in 2014, when Kinney and other officials embarked on the Comprehensive Indigenous Land Use Plan, which he called the “critical document” for the project.
They surveyed tribal members to gather their input about what spaces were most needed. The plan also required funding, which Kinney said was “cobbled together” over the years.
Everything included, the project is estimated to cost $12.2 million. The price tag on the police station is $1.2 million, whereas the wellness center will cost $500,000. In total, infrastructure will cost around $5.1 million. Kinney and Duran said a challenge they anticipate will be improving infrastructure for water access, although they did not comment further on the matter.
“This is part of a bigger vision for the tribe, of exerting their sovereignty,” Kinney said. With the completion of the project, tribal members will have more immediate access to vital resources and facilities. Duran expects construction will be ongoing for at least 10 years before the entire project is complete.
As tribal members expressed their thanks Tuesday, they stood before a group of golden shovels leaning against the bucket of an excavator. Before they broke ground, Kinney reached down and grabbed a handful of soil.
“I got to wake up and realize this is reality,” he said, holding back tears. “I know we’re going to break ground in a minute, but thank you for allowing me to feel this dirt so I remember the day this dream became true.”
Aside from administrative and community structures, Kinney said they also aim to build a nearby housing subdivision in the future, adding a minimum of 24 new homes. According to Duran, it has been around 30 years since the pueblo has seen new housing developments.
“It’s a huge, visually changing thing to help people of Taos see that this is who we are now,” Kinney said. “We’re no longer taking leftovers. It’s not just a police station; it’s a statement that Taos Pueblo is moving forward with a vision.”