County pulls out of talks on old school

MEEKER I The county has apparently determined the site of the old Meeker Elementary School building is not “suitable” for its needs.
The town had invited county officials to participate in a meeting to discuss the future of the site, and received a message from the county that the commissioners declined the invitation, and that the county is “exploring other options” to meet their needs.
The town has yet to receive the full results of the engineer’s findings on the structural integrity of the 70-year-old building, but Town Administrator Day said what they’ve heard so far from the engineer is that “the building is in good structural condition and that the asbestos issue may not be as much of a problem as originally thought.” The full report is expected within the next few weeks.
In other business, RBC Administrator Pat Hooker said the county is close to having plans to remodel the former library space in the Fairfield Center complete, and requested the town consider waiving the administrative portion of the building permit fee.
“Any help we can get in keeping the cost down would be appreciated,” Hooker said.
Based on precedent, when another tax collecting entity asks the town to waive the administrative part of the fee, the town generally complies.
Town Administrator Sharon Day said plans for the Ute Road improvements were 40 percent complete as of Jan. 19.
“We’re proceeding, we’re still trying to shoot for the schedule so we’ll be out to bid in April.”
Day added that with the assistance of other grants, the town should be able to use its own funds to pay for the sidewalks on Ute Road and along Sulphur Creek Road, at a cost of approximately $919,640 to the town.
“I think it’s a huge safety issue and we need to get it done,” Day said. “There’s no reason why we can’t get the sidewalks in this year if we use our own money.”