The Montezuma County commissioners want to sell the aging Justice Building in Centennial Park, but there are some obstacles.
On January 30th, the commissioners voted to immediately list the building for about $1.3 million. But Cortez City Manager Shane Hale tells KSJD there are issues to be worked through first. He says although the county owns the actual building – a former jail that now houses county court, probation offices, and evidence for the sheriff’s office – the land around it is jointly owned by the city. Hale says he is working with the county to negotiate what would remain in city hands – possibly including landscaped areas, sidewalks along Empire and Mildred and a police access road. The building is part of the “open district” under the city’s land-use code and potential uses are limited. City planner Tracie Hughes says in addition to certain public facilities, uses could include a single-family residence, church, fitness club, golf course, or community garden. The county’s decision to sell means the Bridge Emergency Shelter, which provides overnight housing there for the indigent during winter months, may have to move. On Thursday, Bridge board member Doug Greene released a letter asking the community to “come forward with suggestions or possible solutions that will help assist the homeless and make Cortez a generous and compassionate place to live.”
