A new multimillion-dollar building will replace the cramped quarters at the Durango Parks and Recreation shop and offices at Greenmount Cemetery.
Offices for the parks, natural lands, trails, forestry and cemetery staff are in a 1,300-square-foot building that can be a zoo at times, said Scott McClain, city parks manager.
“It’s a two-bedroom renovated house that the 35 of us live in during the summer,” he said. The building houses about 14 staff members in the winter.
The staff also uses a series of shops and sheds clustered near the edge of the cemetery for storage and workspace.
All of them are old and served different purposes at one point and before the city refurbished them, Parks and Rec Director Cathy Metz said.
The office building and some shop space will be replaced by a new 9,460-square-foot building. A loop road and additional parking is also planned. The building will be designed this winter, so the plans could change slightly, Metz said.
Construction could start in the spring, and it is expected to wrap up late this year or in early 2018.
The project is estimated to cost $2.3 million, and it will be funded through sales taxes dedicated to parks and rec projects.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board backed the project in 2015 because of safety concerns. An engineering assessment showed, one of the old shops could collapse under a heavy snow or high wind, Metz said.
“Certainly, we didn’t want any kind of issue to occur,” she said.
The cemetery will stay open during construction, but the staff will move into temporary work trailers during the project.
The office and at least the shop that has structural problems will be torn down as part of the project. Other buildings could be torn down as well, McClain said.
The new shop could make staff members more productive because they currently have equipment and parts spread out among different buildings, he said.
It will also create space for all of the city’s equipment to be stored inside. Right now, staff members move equipment out of the only heated shop to make room to work during the day. The city is also using temporary trailers for storage.
The new building will also have dedicated space for staff members to help people with cemetery records searches and more office space.
The city landscape architect works in a job trailer and several staff members share offices, which can be distracting.
“There’s times when it’s challenging to be productive,” McClain said.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
