The Board of Directors of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority will establish a welcome center for Spaceport America in downtown Truth or Consequences. The NMSA has agreed to lease an old fire station from the city government. A welcome center is also planned for the village of Hatch, which is on the southern approach to Spaceport America.

“We budgeted $500,000 for the Sierra County/T or C welcome center, and we will review renovating the approximately 6,000-sq-ft firehouse if we can,” says Steve Landeene, executive director of the NMSA. He adds if the building can’t be renovated economically, other options for the site may need to be explored. The city of T or C will invest $175,000 to grade and construct parking facilities capable of supporting a minimum of fifty spaces for the welcome center. The fire station location is highly visible in the downtown area, and the center is hoped to further the city’s downtown revitalization.