Park County officials discussed moving multiple county offices into the B Street building to reduce lease costs and consolidate county space, but made no formal decision at the meeting.

County staff described a plan to relocate the health department, MSU Extension and the county attorney’s office into the B Street building once Northwestern Energy vacates the site, and outlined immediate needs including roof repairs, an Americans with Disabilities Act–accessible restroom and IT network connections.

The discussion matters because county staff estimated the move could produce annual rent savings and free up leased space, but it depends on Northwestern Energy’s timetable, available renovation funding and resolving records‑storage and IT requirements.

County staff said the county originally acquired the B Street property in a multi‑party trade years ago; the building sits across roughly 11 lots and has substantial parking, which staff proposed could be partly rented (20–25 spaces) to offset utilities and operating costs. Staff described capital work that would be needed before occupancy: roof repair, installing an ADA toilet, cabling and network equipment, and door fobs and internet service for the building to join the county’s wide area network.

Participants discussed sequencing moves. Several speakers urged prioritizing MSU Extension because its server is reportedly failing, which could save the county the cost of replacing that hardware if Extension is moved onto the county network first. County staff said much of the IT infrastructure could be ordered and staged in advance so a move could happen quickly once Northwestern Energy leaves.

Speakers raised implementation constraints and risks. The primary contingency is when Northwestern Energy vacates the building; staff said Northwestern Energy expected to leave in October but that timing was uncertain. Funding timing was also discussed: participants mentioned multiple potential funding sources, including existing facility allocations and grant programs, but no funding commitment was made during the meeting. One staff member noted an existing pool of funds tied to preliminary architectural reports (PARs) and said about $110,000 could remain available after those reports are completed.

Record retention and vault capacity prompted concern. A county official said the county vaults are nearing capacity and discussed converting records to a cloud retention system as a possible long‑term solution, but gave no timeline or firm decision.

Speakers also discussed long‑term planning for a consolidated Law and Justice Center. Several participants said the B Street building could be reconfigured in the future to support an additional district court if funding becomes available, but they emphasized that adding a court would require major renovation and temporary relocation of court functions.

No formal motion to relocate offices or to expend renovation funds was presented or voted on during the discussion. Staff said they would return to the commission with more information and suggested placing the item on a future commission agenda for formal action. The meeting concluded with a separate motion to adjourn, which passed.

Next steps identified by staff included refining cost estimates for roof and ADA repairs, developing a staged plan for IT and cabling, surveying potential funding sources and coordinating timing with Northwestern Energy’s lease termination.