County sells courthouse

ALAMOSA — The old Alamosa County Courthouse is one step closer to having new ownership.

Alamosa County Commissioners opened three bids for the historic structure during their meeting on Wednesday.

Three bids were submitted before the November 13th deadline, and two other interested parties withdrew from the bidding process.

Commissioner Darius Allen opened the first bid from Gilbert and Alice Duran for a total of $500,028.20 with the required $5,000 deposit enclosed. Commissioner Michael Yohn opened the second bid from San Luis Valley Brewing Company for a total of $351,831,which also included the $5,000 deposit. Commissioner Helen Sigmond opened the final bid from Michael Kruse for a total of $341,000 along with the $5,000 deposit.

The commissioners voted unanimously to award the bid to the Durans. The process of contract negotiations will now begin. If the negotiation process is successful, the building will be turned over by January 1st, 2019. The deposits will be returned to the bids that were unsuccessful.

The county did not require the bidders to detail what they planned to do with the building, and the Durans did not share their future plans for the building.

The county had set a minimum bid of $289,000. The courthouse had served as a courthouse for 80 years until it was recently vacated when the new justice center was completed.

Other items of note from the Wednesday meeting included the first update from the new San Luis Valley Regional Airport Manager Will Hickman. The wildlife barrier fence project is ongoing. The project is 95 percent funded by the FAA and will span eight miles around the airport property with a total cost of $2.9 million.

The proposal to lease hangar space to Depot Avionics was also discussed during the update. It was determined that the services that are provided by Depot Avionics are a valuable asset to the airport and the local economy. Because the commissioners found it important to retain the company, they unanimously approved the lease. Hickman is seeking to take a more proactive approach to airport operations and the commissioners seem to be pleased with the work that has been done thus far.

With important items nearing finalization, the county is beginning to look ahead to 2019.