The move of two city departments from River City Hall to the former Big Picture High School building could be called a turning of a new leaf for the city of Durango.
On Saturday morning, movers with Green Apple Moving and Storage were transferring boxes into the old school building. Scott Shine, Community Development director, was onsite.
He’d spent the last week helping with the transition, rummaging through dozens of boxes filled with former City Planning Director Greg Hoch’s handwritten notes dated back to the 1970s and ’80s, and scanning and uploading the documents into digital storage.
“Going through all that and really taking it in – wow, we’re really inheriting like a legacy here and also kind of moving forward,” he said.
Shine said the move, brought about by a building trade agreement reached between the city and Durango Fire Protection District, presented his department a chance to reflect on and understand Durango Community Development’s history, while having a fresh start and getting excited about the future.
The opportunity to preserve old documents digitally and eliminate old physical papers allows the city to gear its available space toward people and less so to storage.
Shine said the move is just the city’s first step in realizing the concept of a much bigger civic campus.
“I hope the community will get real excited about seeing what we can do with this space,” he said. “When it’s spring and stuff we want to create outdoor seating opportunities, do some landscaping – make it a really nice place.”
Although Community Development and Engineering will occupy the Big Picture building for now, Durango Police Department will eventually move into the facility as the adjacent former Durango School District 9-R building is renovated and worked on.
Shine said the biggest quality-of-life upgrade for himself and his staff members is being closer to Buckley Park directly down 12th Street and being closer to Durango City Hall. Smiling, he said his team no longer has to cross the often busy Camino del Rio to get to city hall.
The Big Picture building is an upgrade in workspace and is a more welcoming facility to residents and customers, he said. The front entrance on the south side of the building opens into a reception area where customer kiosks will be situated.
Community Development staff members have larger conference room space than they did in River City Hall, another quality-of-life improvement.
City planning and housing staff members have more spacious offices with room for collaborative work and space for privacy.
Engineering staff members have offices on the second floor.
Shine said Community Development and Engineering are just two small pieces of a big puzzle. Long-term, their move is just the first step in eventually getting the police department moved to the Big Picture building, a key piece of someday realizing the former 9-R property as a community civic center.
“It’s not just about Community Development or Engineering, but about how the whole organization is advancing,” he said.
He said furniture is being delivered to the Big Picture building on Monday, and Community Development offices should be open again by Tuesday. He expects to have a slow start, but offices will be open.
About 40 parking spaces are available behind the Big Picture building, with more spaces that will be opened up at the administration building next door and on 13th Street in addition to street parking on 12th Street.
Shine said the city will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on Feb. 9. On Tuesday, he will share an update about the move with Durango City Council.
cburney@durangoherald.com
