The Mancos town government is considering purchasing a vacant property on North Main Street to create more office space for the Mancos Marshal and keep up with a growth in staff.
The property includes existing office space and a large plot of land beside it, totaling .3 acres.
The owners of 131 North Main St., which was at one time a custom print shop, an office supply shop and an optical goods store, offered the town a reduced price of $300,000 to support its work, Town Administrator Heather Alvarez told the town Board of Trustees at a meeting Wednesday evening.
“That’s a good price for that building compared to other properties downtown,” Alvarez said. “They’re good people.”
In a report to the board, Alvarez outlined research that showed that the purchase of a new property in Mancos would be less expensive than renovating the current town office space. In addition to the cost of the building, renovations are projected to cost between $125,000 and $150,000.
The price tag of $300,000 is within the town’s budget for the project, and would have to be paid in cash using general fund reserves. Alvarez said the town’s auditor reviewed and approved the potential purchase.
The owners agreed to vacate the building by mid-January, but the town would need grant funding to renovate the building with updated security features like fencing for the Marshal offices.
The town is unable to take out a loan on the purchase, as it needs the approval of citizens in order to take on debt in the general fund. The next municipal election does not take place until April 2022.
In the meantime, Alvarez suggested letting a private company such as the producers of the new television show being filmed in Mancos, “Badwater,” rent the property for a year or so during filming if it is picked up by a network.
The Board of Trustees approved the potential purchase of 131 North Main St. on Wednesday night, pending an agreement between the town attorney and the owners.
As the town grows, officials anticipate a growth in town staff as well, which includes the Mancos Town Marshal’s Office. The Board of Trustees decided earlier this fall to pursue the purchase of a property in town while the government can afford it, and before an influx of people moving in drives up the cost.
The move is also part of the town’s Capital Improvement Plan, which was approved in May of last year.
The price of $300,000 is a “screaming deal,” Mayor Pro-Tem Fred Brooks said.
Trustee Brent McWhirter said the town “needs to do this while we can afford something downtown.”
ehayes@the-journal.com
