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Commissioners approve MOU for Telluride youth hangout, county to contribute capital and operations support
Summary
Board unanimously authorized the chair's signature on a memorandum of understanding to support a Telluride youth hangout; town will waive rent, the county will provide capital funding and Tri‑County Health Network will manage operations invoicing.
San Miguel County commissioners voted unanimously March 5 to authorize the chair to sign a memorandum of understanding that commits the county to financial support for a planned youth hangout in Telluride.
Telluride town manager Zoe Denal and Ryan McGovern, the parks and recreation facilities manager, described the project as a shared youth space built in part from tenant improvements in a town commercial property. Tri‑County Health Network’s Communities That Care (CTC) will provide program oversight; Dawn Katz (CTC mobilizer) and Ryan Daigle (CTC youth coordinator) described youth advisory efforts and proposed programming.
Denal told commissioners the town is waiving rent for the space and is leading the capital tenant‑improvement work. “The town of Telluride does, we are waiving the rent of the space,” she said, noting the town’s direct subsidy is not part of the county’s operational split. County staff described anticipated capital and short‑term operational costs and said capital contributions would be subject to annual appropriation in future budgets.
Commissioners said they had been cautious at an earlier hearing but praised the additional detail in the latest memo and supporting materials. Commissioner Brown said the memo provided the “full picture” and that the IGA includes a mechanism to reconsider the county’s share if use data indicate the unincorporated county is not being served. Several commissioners commended Ryan McGovern for progress on construction and the youth advisory board for planning programming.
The motion approved authorizes the chair to sign the requested memorandum of understanding and signals the county’s intent to contribute capital funds and to participate in future operational funding subject to annual appropriation. The county finance staff said the town of Telluride will invoice the county for capital contributions; Tri‑County Health Network or Communities That Care will invoice for operational contributions.
Ending — Project partners said construction is on track for a late‑spring opening, pending final invoices and supplemental budget action as needed. Commissioners requested continued updates on final budgets and usage data once the space opens.
