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Historic‑courthouse group asks trustees to reallocate $10,000 for emergency electrical planning
Summary
Buena Vista Heritage (BVH) asked trustees to permit reallocation of $10,000 previously approved for a second exit to instead reimburse engineering drawings for urgent courthouse electrical work; trustees approved the request to use the funds toward engineering invoices to allow contractors to proceed.
Buena Vista Heritage asked the Board of Trustees July 22 to allow $10,000 previously reserved for a second emergency exit at the historic Chaffee County Courthouse to be used instead to reimburse completed electrical engineering and construction documents that BVH said are needed to begin urgent electrical upgrades.
Why it matters: BVH said November engineering revealed hazardous cloth‑wrapped wiring and a small electrical fire in an exhibit room underscored immediate safety risks. The group said the State Historical Fund grant application requires engineering documents; if awarded the grant would cover roughly 75% of the documented electrical work and BVH would provide the 25% match.
BVH executive director Lisa Wagner asked trustees to permit the redeployment of the $10,000 previously approved for courthouse safety work to reimburse engineering costs already incurred and to enable contractors to begin repairs in September. BVH said it had already spent about $10,000 on engineering drawings and is prepared to submit the grant application to the State Historical Fund.
Trustees agreed they would not make a formal decision during the public comment period; later in trustee‑staff interaction the board approved BVH’s request. Staff noted the initial town authorization had already allocated $10,000 and the trustees voted to allow BVH to apply that approved amount toward the engineering invoices and urgent electrical work.
Ending: Trustees approved reallocation of the previously authorized $10,000 to reimburse BVH for the electrical engineering invoices and to support urgent courthouse electrical work that will form the basis of a State Historical Fund grant application.
