The walls are going up on Ignacio’s new grocery store.
Farmers Fresh Market has a projected opening date of July 1, said Amos Lee, operations manager for the store. Lee admitted the opening date may be a little optimistic, but the warm, dry weather has helped construction.
Lee provided the update Tuesday morning at a meeting of the La Plata County Economic Development Alliance.
Ignacio has been without a grocery store since Shur Valu Market closed in June 2014.
The store’s opening date has been pushed back from earlier estimates. Lee said financing had been difficult to obtain because of a lack of good comparable properties in the area.
The grocery store has received a loan from the Colorado Fresh Food Financing Fund to cover 90 percent of the store’s equipment costs.
“We’re excited about the project,” Lee said. “It’s going to fill a need; obviously, we all need to eat. So that’s going to be good for the community of Ignacio.”
The grocery store will span 22,000 square feet and include a deli, pharmacy and liquor store. Lee said the store is “not huge, but I think it’s the right size for the town.”
The store will employ 35 to 40 workers, Lee said.
Also expected to open soon in Ignacio are a Subway and a Family Dollar store. The Ignacio Chamber of Commerce is hosting a major event in late spring – the Southwest Colorado Outdoor Expo is scheduled for May 30-31.
“There’s a lot of activity in Ignacio right now,” said Roger Zalneraitis, executive director of the Economic Development Alliance. “The town’s just buzzing along.”
Among other updates from the economic-development meeting:
Some operators are beginning to shut in old natural-gas wells that have become unprofitable, said Christi Zeller, executive director of the La Plata County Energy Council. That will result in lower production and reduced county tax revenues in future years, as well as affecting royalty payment to landowners.
Natural gas has fallen to $2.64 per thousand cubic feet at the San Juan-Blanco Henry Hub.
“I’ve never seen a weirder year,” she said.
Some large operators are also trying to sell their natural-gas assets. And last year, BP America spun off its onshore natural-gas and oil operations.
Fort Lewis College is building a new facility for its Geosciences, Physics and Engineering programs. Doug Lyon, dean of the School of Business Administration, said engineering had been particularly profitable, with 225 students majoring in the field.
Bayfield is at work on another ballot issue to pay for road repairs.
“We’re trying to fix those roads and keep them fixed out in Bayfield,” said Bayfield Mayor Rick Smith.
Durango will host the Downtown Colorado Inc. annual conference Oct. 6-9.
cslothower@durangoherald.com
