Photo: The 23,500 square-foot ‘Camino Real’ store ay the west end of the City Market shopping center.
Read Part One
When faced with a “Yes or No” decision, we can almost always find reasons to say “Yes”, if we look for them.
Same with reasons for saying “No”.
When leaders close the doors to the public when discussing a decision, we may not ever find out the reasons for the “Yes” or “No”.
Apparently, the Archuleta Board of County Commissioners discussed a proposal related to an ongoing plan to — someday, somehow — build a County Administration building capable of housing most of the County offices.
In March 2025, the BOCC agreed to pay $2.5 million for a vacant 5.5-acre parcel located on Cornerstone Drive in the Aspen Village subdivision. Since then, the BOCC has delayed starting the design and engineering for a facility, in part because the building will require a sizable bond issue or Certificates of Participation (COP).
A bond issue would need to be approved by the voters, but it would provide the funding needed to repay the loan.
COP financing — if feasible — would not require voter approval, but would require the BOCC to divert the money from other County services, to fund the loan payments.
How much money?
$15 million? $20 million? $25 million?
We’re still shooting in the dark at this point, because we have no design, and no construction bids.
If the BOCC borrows money — bond or COP — the public will have to make interest payments on the loan. So a $15 million facility would actually cost maybe $25 million.
A $25 million facility would cost closer to $45 million.
But the BOCC might not need to build a new building. It could possibly ‘repurpose’ an existing building. This (thrifty?) approach fits with the popular ‘sustainability’ motto: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
It would also allow the BOCC to sell the vacant property in Aspen Village.
At the moment, three County elected officials are operating in a repurposed sales office on Village Drive, leased from Wyndham Resorts. Those three officials — County Clerk Kristy Archuleta, County Assessor Johanna Tully-Elliot, and County Treasurer Elsa White — and their staff have struggled to make the office spaces work, and have expressed unified support for a new, custom-built Administration Building. Someday.
The BOCC doesn’t seem inclined, currently, to purchase that Wyndham office building, and expand it. The commissioners have given reasons for their reluctance.
But this past spring, another “building recycling” opportunity has made itself apparent.
This was an opportunity that Commissioner John Ranson was promoting on August 11, at the BOCC work session.
A letter provided by local real estate consultant F. Scott Tonges, addressed to the Daily Post, explained the proposal:
August 11, 2026
Re: County Offices Options
Bill, here’s some background and, attached, a letter I gave to the County officials the day after there were two “No” votes at the August 4 meeting regarding purchasing a less expensive option.
About 10 months ago, I saw that the Camino Real Imports space (opposite end of the City Market complex) was being offered for lease by the building owner through their broker, both out of Denver. I realized that it might serve the County’s needs after the fire displaced them from downtown into leasing the Wyndham building across from McDonalds. The owner had no interest in selling, but I stayed in touch regularly.
After a Zoom call with Commissioner John Ranson, me, and the owners, earlier in the year, I began putting some details together. We were finally given a price this past May 11. I provided more info to the County folks after that, including a space use drawing.
This culminated in a private session of the County commissioners on August 4. Two of the three commissioners voted “No” on this matter. What’s going on is that the County can spend $6 million (all-in including purchase and interior build out) vs. $24 million for a new building that has been considered.
Seems like a choice to go the $6 million route makes sense, given other demands on the county like schools, roads, water, etc. Not to mention our tax burden we all get to share.
A few of us are mounting a public campaign to “encourage” at least one of the two rogue commissioners to approve the Camino deal and save the taxpayers $18 million over a new building. Ideally, at the next voting meeting, August 18.
Share as you wish.
Sincerely,
F. Scott Tonges, President
Southwest Property Trust, Inc.
I understand that no one particularly likes shooting in the dark. We know that the BOCC does not have a firm price estimate for a new 22,000 square-foot Administration Building on Cornerstone Drive. Might be $15 million? Might be $25 million?
We do know, meanwhile, that a $15 million loan, with interest payments, actually costs the taxpayers closer to $25 million.
Can we get closer to a firm price with this alternative approach — repurposing the Camino Real building into a slightly larger 23,500 square-foot County Administration Building?
Mr. Tonges asserts that a conversation about this Camino Real alternative was discussed behind closed doors. At the August 11 BOCC work session, Commissioner Ranson explained that the building owners had been hesitant to make the negotiations public… but have now decided to allow the taxpayers to hear about the project.
So the Commissioner posted some numbers on the video screen, for all to see.
I can’t pretend to know whether these numbers are accurate. But it looks like a conversion of the Camino Real building into a decent-size County Administration Building would cost the taxpayers about one-third the cost of new construction.
Is it possible that only one of our three County Commissioners thinks this is a reasonable option? Considering other needs in the community?
Let’s take a listen to the August 11 discussion.
Read Part Three… on Monday…