Sunlight streamed across the board room Monday as La Plata County commissioners tested their new monitors and sound system.
“I am just really pleased. It’s functional. It’s bright. It’s an excellent place to have public meetings,” Commissioner Gwen Lachelt said.
The new La Plata County Administration Building at 1101 East Second Avenue opened Tuesday after about 35 county employees moved in Monday.
One of the priorities for the commissioners was creating a more engaging boardroom for public meetings. As the commissioners practiced with the sound system, the contrast compared to the dark and narrow Anasazi Room in the courthouse was apparent.
The former lobby of the Vectra Bank has an airy atmosphere with seating for 140 people and big projector screens to allow for the public to read presentations more easily, said Joanne Spina, assistant county manager.
The commissioners also have large new monitors to watch presentations, while sitting at the dais.
“I wish this was a spaceship, because it feels like it,” joked Commissioner Julie Westendorff.
The $3.9 million remodel of the former Vectra Bank building transformed about 16,147 square feet into space for the county manager, assistant county manager, the Assessor’s Office, county commissioners, the Finance Department and the Procurement Division.
The county received a $1.5 million grant from the Department of Local Affairs to help pay for the remodel, and it paid for the rest with savings.
The building itself carried a $2.7 million price tag when the county bought it outright in 2011.
As part of the remodel, the county replaced the wiring, plumbing, windows, in addition to other improvements. The intent is for the building to be LEED Gold-certified and use both energy and water more efficiently. For example, it will use about 45 percent less water.
“It’s not gold-plated; it’s very practical,” Lachelt said.
On Monday, the building was bustling as employees and the commissioners moved into their new spaces. The county Assessor’s Office, in the basement, was the only office open to the public.
The move helps to make way for the federal court offices to take over space in the La Plata County Courthouse. The county’s building, planning and human-services departments also are moving from the courthouse, but those departments will be going to the Tech Center later this year.
While the courthouse is partially vacant, the county is planning to renovate it. Work is expected to start in early 2016, and it is expected to last most of the year.
When the renovations are complete, the federal court offices can move from their office in Bodo Industrial Park into the courthouse.
This remodel also will create more space for the La Plata County Combined Courts.
All of these renovations are part of a 10-year plan to update county facilities.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
This story has been updated to reflect the building’s correct LEED status.
