La Plata County Commissioners are preparing to appoint a new county surveyor to replace Larry Connolly, who recently died.

Connolly, 58, died of natural causes Monday. He was first elected in 2000 and was serving his fourth term in office.

The commissioners will appoint a replacement who will serve until January 2019. The board started accepting applications Friday.

The county surveyor represents the county during boundary disputes and notifies the board of boundary discrepancies.

The official also files surveys, field notes, calculations, maps and any other records involving work authorized and financed by county commissioners.

The deputy surveyor will be filling in for Connolly until a replacement is selected, said Joanne Spina, assistant county manager.

mshinn@durangoherald.com