Dear Chair Veronica Medina and Commissioners Warren Brown and John Ranson:
I am a resident who drives Piedra Road regularly. You should each drive it out to Jack’s Pasture today. It is terrible. Maybe even come talk to me, or one of my retired neighbors, around mailbox time 3-4pm daily. Many are always out riding on their UTVs sharing their diverse opinions. Maybe ride on a grader for a summer day to experience just what Eric is up against. I urge you to pause the proposed new administration building. We should put Roads First and pursue digital-first service improvements before committing taxpayers to a ~$20 million facility.
I complement Eric McRea for actually attempting to add pressure into the system to force tough choices that prioritize roads — which is the most impactful responsibility you have to the citizens of the county. Why not Invest in an autonomous grader, roller, water truck not a shiny office building to heat and maintain. Test innovative road surface treatments. Become a dirt road test site. Invest in a Mag Chloride competitor and approve an emergency gravel pit to drive down our cost — perhaps create a local business.
Invest in autonomous remote first government services. Perhaps smaller, more distributed office space rather than one big shiny office. Archuleta county does not need a Jefferson County type office Building. Lead the transformation of services not additional government overhead.
Roads Come First. Archuleta County has a huge backlog of deferred road work (over $40 million according to pagosadailypost.com). Each summer, drivers struggle on rough roads like Piedra Road. Building a large new office now risks siphoning money from Road & Bridge – as happened in 2020, when the jail’s COP debt forced ~$800,000 away from other needs and drained road reserves from $9 million to $2 million (pagosasun.com.) We can’t let that happen again: limited funds must fix roads before funding new offices.
Digital Services & Virtual Work. Before adding brick-and-mortar space, the County can modernize services to reduce needed office space. Many tasks can move online. For example, an AI chatbot and online permitting (with e-forms and e-signatures) could handle most inquiries and applications remotely sharply cutting in-person visits. We should also expand remote/hybrid work for staff: if some employees work from home a few days a week, the County can use shared “hot desks” and smaller offices distributed throughout county. These steps can maintain service while shrinking space needs by 10–30% — saving millions in costs.
Smarter Space Options. Fully evaluate cheaper options like renovating, distributed services with existing buildings, or leasing space. Consider underused properties like the former Wyndham offices on Talisman or buy the First Southwest Bank building that could be remodeled at a fraction of the cost of new construction. Lease-to-own is another flexible way to avoid over-building. If a new facility is still needed after these efforts, it can be smaller and timed after we verify real space requirements and public support.
Please consider the following actions:
Pause new building design contracts until a “Roads-First, Digital-First” analysis compares the costs of a new build vs. remodel vs. lease
Prioritize Road & Bridge funding by setting a dedicated maintenance budget floor and clear targets for road improvements. Recruit and approve a Gravel Pit.
Declare a Dirt Road INNOVATION TEST TRACK Enterprise Zone, perhaps establish a research center with CU or CSU. The future of roads is Dirt!
No COP debt without voters. Pledge not to use COP financing for this project without robust public input or an advisory vote.
Pilot digital services and telework; measure results (e.g. fewer counter visits, faster permit approvals) and refine plans.
I’m not saying “no” to investment – I ask that we focus on the AI Autonomous future that is coming, not build more buildings to maintain. Let’s innovate on our roads and digital services first, then decide just how small we can go on a county office building. This will avoid unnecessary debt, improve services, and build public trust.
Thank you for considering these ideas.
Sincerely,
Barney Debnam
Pagosa Springs, CO