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Huerfano County commissioners accept jail safety grant, join opioid settlement and approve change orders; public raises road, EMF and detention concerns
Summary
At a public meeting, Huerfano County commissioners accepted a $564,000 Department of Local Affairs award for jail safety upgrades, approved participation in an opioid settlement, authorized construction change orders and heard public comments on county roads, electromagnetic fields and concerns about potential detention center use.
The Huerfano County Board of County Commissioners took several administrative actions and heard a range of public comments during a regularly scheduled meeting.
Votes at a glance: the board accepted a $564,000 award from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs to fund jail security and safety renovations, approved participation in the national opioid settlement administrator program to access settlement funds, approved a scholarship invoice and several vendor change orders for a county facility project, and accepted a package of construction change orders for the county building at 129 Kansas.
The Department of Local Affairs award is intended to fund upgrades including replacement of the jail fire alarm system and camera and masonry work inside the facility. County staff said the award amount is $564,000; the county originally applied for $750,000 and staff will return to the board with a finalized project scope and budget. A commissioner moved to accept the grant and the motion passed unanimously as recorded in the meeting.
The board also voted to join the national opioid settlement administrator program so it can receive and manage proceeds from litigation settlements related to opioids, the county attorney noted. Commissioners approved the county’s participation and directed staff to complete the administrator forms.
Separately, the board approved change orders related to the McKinstry contract for the 129 Kansas project. Staff presented a tracking log showing the project’s original extension amount of $200,000, commitments to date totaling $167,403.20 and a remaining balance of $32,596.80; the board approved change orders 1 through 8 as presented.
An invoice and scholarship payment tied to the Adams State University Foundation and a “COSI” scholarship were also approved on the consent agenda. County staff said the scholarship awardee list included individual recipients; precise dollar amounts discussed in the meeting packet were not consistently read into the record and remain documented in the county’s financial attachments.
Public comments touched on several topics. Ray Garcia, a Gardner resident and former commissioner, urged the county to explore reuse of asphalt millings from Colorado Department of Transportation paving projects for local chip-seal and road preservation work. Garcia described how crushed millings covered with oil-based binders can extend pavement life and reduce long-term grading costs; he recommended that the county consult local contractors experienced with mill processing.
Mary Jensen, a Gardner resident, raised health concerns about electromagnetic fields and cell towers, describing an incident she said exposed a friend to high EMF readings inside an apartment complex. Jensen asked the county to consider zoning and inspection implications related to tower siting; she said she will pursue further action and left materials with county staff.
Kristen Aldrete, a third-generation county resident, urged commissioners to oppose reopening the county’s correctional facility to detain immigrants under contracts with private prison operators. “The record of private companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group in operating immigrant detention facilities is abysmal,” Aldrete said, and asked the board to protect the county’s immigrant heritage by not hosting such a facility.
Other public comments asked the county to improve meeting acoustics and public access to online materials. Residents thanked the board for completing the Thorn Ranch MOU and for other county work.
The board appointed local 4‑H ambassadors and accepted the semiannual treasurer’s report as part of the consent agenda. Later in the meeting, the board approved a motion to enter an executive session for the purpose of receiving legal advice regarding the sheriff’s office budget under the Colorado Revised Statutes section cited in the meeting; the board stated no actions would be taken following the executive session.
Materials presented at the meeting — including the grant award summary, change-order log, scholarship documentation and the opioid settlement participation forms — are included in the county’s meeting packet and the administrative record.
