March 28, 2023 |
Photo – Carbon County Interim Justice Center – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Interim Justice Center building is now vacant. Services were moved back into the nearly completed Carbon County Courthouse. The Board of Carbon County Commissioners discussed what to do with the three-decade old structure.
While lengthy remodeling was being done on the Carbon County Courthouse, the county’s court services were moved into a temporary location at 812 East Murray Street in Rawlins. With the renovations nearly complete, the circuit and district courts have returned to the old courthouse. During last Tuesday’s BOCC meeting, County Clerk Gwen Bartlett asked the commissioners to authorize the sale of desks and other furniture remaining in the empty Interim Justice Center.
Bartlett said she would allow department heads to do a once over, to ensure none of the items were still needed. A motion allowing the sale was made, seconded, and passed.
Clerk Bartlett said the commissioners need to think about what to do with the Interim Justice Center now that it is no longer needed. She said no other agencies have asked to move into the 33-year-old structure. The county could repurpose the building or sell it.
Bartlett was referring to the county’s Building and Grounds Manager Mike Newbrough.
Clerk Bartlett said the Sheriff’s Office could use the garage space to house evidence. She also suggested law enforcement training could be done in the building. Sheriff Alex Bakken said he didn’t think keeping the building open, just for his department, was a wise financial decision.
The commissioners asked Emergency Management Coordinator Lenny Layman if he could use the building as his headquarters. Layman said he was not interested in moving into the former Interim Justice Center.
An EOC is an Emergency Operations Center. Layman said upgrading the building into a functional EOC would cost the county over $100,000. He said the location wasn’t ideal either, with it being in the middle of a residential area. Layman said he would prefer to continue working out of the Road and Bridge building. The Emergency Manager said being in a county owned building would eliminate the air of independence his department has.
Clerk Bartlett said Fire Warden John Rutherford could use the former Interim Justice Center to eventually house the county’s Fire Prevention District. Carbon County IT Director Matt Webster said the building would need a complete technological overhaul before another agency moved in.
The county bought the Interim Justice Center to create a place for criminal justice activities while the courthouse was being remodeled. The commissioners said having everyone out of the old courthouse during construction saved the county almost $8 million dollars.
Clerk Bartlett said the courthouse renovations have postponed any new specific purpose tax funded construction by at least 10 years. She said the county should find a use for the building or sell it.
Commission Chairwoman Sue Jones asked Commissioner Byron Barkhurst to investigate selling the Interim Justice Building. Commissioner Barkhurst owns a local reality company and would have specific knowledge about the price the county could expect to receive for the building. He said he would have the information by next month’s BOCC meeting.
