Repairs to Bernalillo County HQ may cost nearly $500K

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – So far, three arrests have been made after multiple windows were shot out at the Bernalillo County headquarters.

Noah Tapia turned himself in days after the incident, then Marcus Rowe and a juvenile were later arrested. BCSO said there are other suspects they are pursuing, but no other charges have been filed at this time.

As the sheriff’s office is tracking down suspects, the county is still calculating the cost of repair.

While Alvarado Square has reopened to the public, there is still visible damage inside the building.

“When you walk into Alvarado Square, yes, you can see the damage," said Tia Bland, Bernalillo County communication services director. "The lobby is an atrium lobby, it’s wide open and you have a lot a windows. So you just look up and see there is plyboard in places where windows used to be."

Officials initially expected repairs to cost about $45,000. However, that estimate is much higher now.

“We are looking at something in the neighborhood of half a million dollars to repair all the damage done from the gunshot,” Bland said.

The damage goes beyond broken windows –the falling glass from the windows went into the elevator shafts and into the HVAC system on the roof next door.

“It got into the heating and cooling unit, it damaged part of the roof, it got into the mechanical working of the elevator system,” Bland said. “It damaged the first floor customer service desk, it got into the carpet and destroyed the tile. The falling glass did most of the damage.”

But not all of that $500,000 will be coming out of the county’s pocket.

“The county has a $25,000 deductible which the county will pay, then two insurance carriers will pick up the cost to repair the damage,” Bland said.

In the meantime, new windows have been delivered and will be replaced after the first of the year. As for the rest of the damage, the county expects cleanup to last at least another six months.