Lander County to fund Austin Community Center after SHPO cultural-report concerns

Lander County commissioners directed the county manager on March 13 to proceed with construction of the Austin Community Center using county funds after consultants’ cultural-resource recommendations raised the prospect of lengthy State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) mitigation and design conditions that could delay or significantly change the project.

County staff described an SHPO-related cultural-resource report that identified multiple historic-era structures near the proposed site and included broad mitigation options. The consultant’s draft language raised the possibility of requiring design changes or larger-scale mitigation measures such as a multi-year historic survey or interpretive trail and kiosks; county staff said the narrative in the report risked prompting a more expansive SHPO review of a larger portion of Austin.

The project under current design is a timber-framed community center with a commercial kitchen, meeting rooms and community spaces located near the park and pool and with onsite parking. The county has sought federal grants (HRSA and HUD) to help fund construction; those grants carry cultural-resource compliance requirements that trigger SHPO review. County staff and consultant presentations said SHPO review can range from a straightforward mitigation (kiosks or trail) to more extensive requirements that would push the schedule out months or longer.

To avoid an uncertain multi-month delay at the cost of program requirements, commissioners voted to proceed with county funding and start construction this year. Commissioners said they preferred a contemporary, durable building that supports civic use and raises the area’s overall appearance rather than redesigning to match a historic streetscape; several commissioners expressed concern at extending preservation controls across the town.

County staff said moving forward with county funds would not preclude later work on interpretive or mitigation elements if SHPO or other stakeholders still requested them, but it would allow construction to begin on a schedule that fits summer building seasons. Commissioners instructed staff to begin procurement and budgeting steps immediately and to report back with cost estimates and timelines.

What happens next: staff will finalize construction documents, solicit bids and report estimated county costs and schedules to the board. The county will continue to coordinate with SHPO and, if necessary, add mitigation features post-construction or in parallel where feasible.