Want the space to build a new judicial center
by Brian Orr
WALSENBURG — The Huerfano County Commissioners are sending a letter over to the Walsenburg City Council this week, formally asking the city for permission to shut down and rearrange a section of the downtown.For over a year now, the commissioners have been working toward building a new judicial center, to relieve the overcrowding in the current combined building that houses the county offices and the county courts.
After looking around at potential sites and buildings to put or build the proposed center, they have decided the best placement is in the middle of the street.
By vacating 5th Street between Main Street and Albert Street, the commissioners would like to create a campus, leading from the current courthouse (which would continue to house county offices) over to the county jail. A proposed parking lot north of the new judicial center would link 5th St to Albert St, but even that is planned to be closed in future expansions.
In the letter sent to council, the commissioners state “We feel that vacating 5th Street would be beneficial to the county and the city. The county would benefit from a reduced exposure for inmates in transit and additional parking available as a result of the street vacation. The city would benefit from a new centerpiece in its downtown.
“The judicial building is not the only development at this location; it is only the first phase in developing a new civic center. We know the jail is nearing the end of its useful life, as is the city building and Social Services. We are still in the process of developing a comprehensive development plan for the area and once designed, will incorporate those potential uses into the plan.”
The letter concludes, “If approved, we anticipate that no disruption of traffic would begin until spring of 2017. There will potentially be small interruptions for locating the existing utilities through potholing but, no large scale construction until we have fully developed the design and engineering documents. Your consideration of this request and a favorable decision would be greatly appreciated.”
Walsenburg City Council will meet Tuesday, which will be first chance the council will have to discuss and debate the proposal.
At the commissioner’s weekly meeting, Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center President Todd Oberheu gave an in-depth presentation discussing proposed legislation regarding hospital provider fees. The upshot of the presentation is the Colorado Hospital Association would like to see these hospital provider fees taken out of the state budget, and moved into their own enterprise fund. He asked the commissioners for a letter of support to send on to the Colorado Legislature, which the commissioners agreed to do.
In other business, county administrator John Galusha announced the county will receive a $40,000 grant from the Best and Brightest program to hire an intern for the county for a two year period. Galusha said the likely intern will be Dominic Martinez, from Denver.
