santa fe may see construction of fresh foods facility

A project that could ultimately cost $27 million in terms of total capital investment will see the development of an innovative facility in Santa Fe for the storage of fresh foods.

Members of the Santa Fe City Council’s finance committee have voted to approve $18 million in industrial revenue bonds for the facility, which will belong to a new company called New Mexico Fresh Foods, LLC.

According to city documents, the company will re-convert a portion of an existing 42,000 square foot structure at 1549 Sixth Street in midtown Santa Fe in order to create a “custom designed water reclamation system” that will “recycle 90 percent of process water for continuous use.”

Food scraps will be composted at the site through a closed anaerobic digester that captures methane gas to be converted to electricity.

The facility is being billed as “close-looped, zero waste, and solar powered,” and is expected to process well over 100 million pounds of fresh food products over the next ten years, generating in the process roughly $2.5 billion of new revenue for area and regional food producers.

The resolution, passed by the finance committee, declares the city’s intention to fully back the “acquisition, construction, renovation, installation, and equipping,” of the new facility.

A public hearing on the bond is scheduled for September 25.

By Garry Boulard

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