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Rio Blanco County de‑obligates DOLA grant for Columbine Park expansion, cites runaway construction costs
Summary
The county returned a DOLA Tier‑2 grant for a planned Columbine Park emergency operations center/evacuation‑site expansion after bids and subcontracted cost estimates far exceeded the county’s available matching funds.
Rio Blanco County commissioners voted July 22, 2025, to de‑obligate DOLA (Colorado Department of Local Affairs) grant EIAF‑08372 for a proposed Columbine Park emergency operations center and evacuation site project, citing escalating construction costs and insufficient county funds to complete the project as originally scoped.
County staff explained that the project began as a modest office expansion (roughly 900 square feet added) and interior upgrades, intended to improve office space and allow the site to serve as an emergency operations center and evacuation site. The county sought and received a DOLA Tier‑2 grant that matched a $100,000 county contribution, producing a $200,000 project budget.
Design work was completed using in‑house project coordination and consultant contracts for architecture and engineering (Civic Form, Big Horn Engineering, SGM). When the project was publicly bid, the low construction bid was approximately $525,000 and the high bid exceeded $1,000,000. The county then pursued a subcontractor approach, which reduced the cost to roughly $375,000 but still left an estimated $175,000 funding gap. Staff said the construction cost escalation since 2020 has been severe and that even removing natural‑gas heating (which DOLA’s energy‑efficiency guidelines require in some cases) would not close the gap.
Staff reported that DOLA advised returning the grant when completion on the originally scoped project was infeasible. The county’s DOLA contact indicated they preferred funds returned so the money could be reallocated. The board moved and approved a motion to de‑obligate the DOLA funds so the county can return the award in DOLA’s portal.
Recorded votes noted Commissioner Scratchfield Aye and Commissioner Overton Aye; the motion passed.
County staff said they will notify DOLA through the portal and that county staff will pursue alternative approaches for Columbine Park when construction costs and scope permit.
