general obligation funding could pay for the demolition of more than 30 year-old fire training tower at san juan college

San Juan College could see the demolition of a long-standing tower used for the school’s fire science program, as well as extensive roof replacement on various campus structures, if the state wide General Obligation Bond D is passed in November.

That $128 million bond will fund campus capital construction projects throughout New Mexico.

Of that amount, some $5.5 million will go for the tower demolition work.

School officials have long said that they want to remove the tower in order to make way for the $25 million construction of new student housing on the northwest corner of the main Farmington campus.

The school announced earlier this year that it would be building a new four-story replacement tower at another location on campus.

The older tower was built in the early 1980s.

The funding for this year’s New Mexico Obligation Bond D, by law, is designed to replace general obligation bonds that were passed in 2008 and designed for a 10-year life.

By Garry Boulard

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