Council talking trike park, industrial park

The Cortez City Council on Tuesday night will take up issues including a public hearing on the potential Kiwanis Club tricycle park on the northeast side of town, a vote on building modifications to recreational marijuana shop, the Herbal Alternative, and the selection of a Realtor to market and sell lots in the Industrial Park.

At a March city council workshop, the Kiwanis Club of Cortez presented plans to develop a tricycle park and story walk at a pocket park bearing their club’s namesake on the northeast side of town, pending city council’s blessing.

The Kiwanis Club would cover the entire cost of developing the park via grant funding. Council members were mostly in favor of the concept but did voice concerns about noise, as well as a lack of shade structure and restroom facility.

After a public hearing, the council will vote on whether or not to approve building modifications for local recreational marijuana shop, the Herbal Alternative. The Herbal Alternative was the first recreational shop to open in Cortez on Jan. 28. In addition to recreation and medical marijuana sales, the Herbal Alternative also grows their products on-site. Owner Garrett Smith told the Cortez Journal in January that the operation was currently very full, and an expansion in the future was a strong possibility. The site modification up for approval Tuesday night would entail moving the “drying room” to the current “growers office,” and the “growers office” would be moved to an unassigned future use area.

In February, the city began seeking request for proposals from commercial realtors interested in marketing and selling lots within the 19 acres that make up the Cortez Industrial Park.

The city has budgeted $800,000 for road, sewer, water and electric utility infrastructure installation in the area, work that the city expects to begin sometime after space is subdivided, annexed and zoned.

The broker contract is expected to be for two years, with the ability to renew on a year-by-year basis.

According to the council agenda, two responses to the RFP were received: one from Ken Williamson of RE/MAX and one from Barbara Smith of Southwest Realty.

The council meets at 7:30 tonight at City Hall, 210 E. Main St.