On Thursday, New Mexico’s Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) celebrated the opening of its new Children’s Wellness Center. Located off I-40 in Albuquerque, the renovated facility will serve as a Receiving Center for children entering CYFD care, a visitation hub for families, and a headquarters for over 400 CYFD employees.

The event, attended by Governor Susana Martinez and CYFD Cabinet Secretary Monique Jacobsen, was the culmination of an intensive design and construction process. Facing a hard deadline to get out of its previous leased space, CYFD chose HB Construction and Dekker/Perich/Sabatini to complete its project in under five months.

CYFD Cabinet Secretary Monica Jacobsen praised the project team. “It is evident that passion, heart and soul went into this project.”

Using the Design-Build delivery method, HB and DPS were able to meet CYFD project goals as a close-knit team. Multiple work packages were used so that construction could begin before 100% design completion. Subcontractors and material suppliers were involved early during design, creating budget and schedule clarity.

HB Project Manager Charles Rolison reflected on the project. “It took a team. Believe it or not, that simple phrase is at the heart of what made it happen.”

The project is the first phase of the consolidation of all CYFD services onto a single campus. In all, the campus is expected to provide over 230,000 sq ft of space between five office buildings.