- Executive director of the Bridge Emergency Shelter says their Justice Building facility is more needed than ever.
- Cortez City Council considers a request to remodel and reopen a former Circle K convenience store as a liquor outlet.
As Montezuma County and the City of Cortez ponder what to do with the aging Justice Building at Mildred and Empire, the executive director of the Bridge Emergency Shelter – which operates out of that building – says it is needed more than ever. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Laurie Knutson said although the shelter has been open less than a month this season, it has already served 91 different people. That’s compared to a total of 282 individual clients in all of last season. One-third of clients this year are women, compared to fewer than 1 in 5 in the past. The shelter is open nights during winter months and now is open Sunday afternoons as well so sober people, who make up the majority of residents, can watch football. Knutson told the council, “I can’t tell you how much people appreciate having a normal afternoon when they don’t have to walk around in the cold.” The building’s daytime occupants, which include county court, may leave if the county builds a new courthouse.
Also on Tuesday night, the Cortez City Council heard a preliminary request from a Mancos couple to remodel and reopen the former Circle K convenience store at 2503 East Main Street as a liquor outlet. The problem is, there is a Head Start preschool closer than 500 feet to the proposed liquor store, something forbidden by city regulations. The council has several options: granting a one-time exemption, decreasing or eliminating the distance requirement, or just saying no to the store. The council will take up the matter at a later date.
