Durango School District 9-R has sold its downtown Administration Building parcel to the Durango Fire Protection District.
The sale closed Friday, the district said Tuesday.
“We’re really excited to be able to pass the building on to another public entity, as it has been in public hands for possibly 100 years,” said Board of Education President Kristin Smith.
DPFD purchased the Administration Building with the goal of turning the historic structure into a new fire station.
The fire district purchased the 3.08-acre property for $5 million, with about $1.9 million of the sale being in in-kind contributions, such as allowing the district to use the building through 2022.
Smith said proceeds from the sale will partially go toward projects such as the Miller Middle School rebuild. Some of the proceeds will go into the district’s general fund.
As part of the sales contract, Big Picture High School will finish its 2021-22 school year in its current building on the property. School district employees will continue to occupy the Administration Building through Dec. 31, 2022.
DFPD Chief Hal Doughty said more information about plans to convert the Administration Building into a downtown public safety facility are on the horizon now that the sale has closed.
“I made it abundantly clear, which has been part of the public frustration, that we weren’t willing or able to tear into the work of the project until we were able to get through the real estate deal,” he said.
This fall, more than 800 people signed an online petition requesting a public forum to provide more transparency about the potential sale and the fire district’s plans for the site. The school district hosted a forum Dec. 14. Out of 30 public commenters, only one spoke in support of the sale.
Critics of the sale said there was not enough planning about the viability of a station at the East 12th Street location.
“What due diligence did the fire district do before they bought the property?” Durango resident Greg Hoch said Tuesday. “They did no due diligence as to how they could make the facility work on the property.”
The Administration Building parcel will allow the fire district to move out of Station No. 2, at 1235 Camino del Rio, next to River City Hall. Doughty has said Station No. 2 is too small.
Doughty said the project’s next steps will include developing a site plan and remodel of the building.
“We are looking forward to the opportunity to move forward with those things we know the city’s planning and development (office) will require of us, like a traffic study and making applications and going through the planning process to gain the approval,” he said.
Doughty said an engineering firm has been selected for the traffic study, but because contracts are being considered, he could not name the firm. Doughty said the local firm Reynolds Ash + Associates Architect and Engineering has been chosen for the remodel of the Administration Building.
“We want to respect and honor the history of this building that we’ve acquired, and make it so that our presence really enhances what that site means to the community rather than being a detriment or loss to the community,” Doughty said.
Durango Mayor Kim Baxter said the fire district must meet requirements to get the permits it needs.
“The city will be looking out for the community’s best interest,” Baxter said. “We respect what 9-R and the fire department need to do, but our commitment is to the community.”
The city is continuing to work with the school district on purchasing Buckley Park. Earlier this year, the city granted the school district a subdivision on its property so it could sell the Administration Building separately from the park.
Doughty said the fire district learned a lot from the public forum Dec. 14.
“Walking away from that public forum, both I and my board heard loud and clear that our public is upset with us about transparency and our willingness to share the plan,” he said. “I would like for us as the fire district to start sponsoring a monthly community forum where we have a formalized opportunity to share with the community where we are on this project.”
Hoch said he and other residents are cynically optimistic about how transparent the fire district will be with the public now that the sale is complete.
“We want to prevent these undercover discussions from continuing to be the norm for this project, ” he said. “There are many questions that we still want answers to.”
njohnson@durangoherald.com
