County, Meeker, Stories

Seeking Justice: County makes its pitch for justice center at elementary school site

RBC — With construction under way on the new elementary school, the future of the existing school site continues to generate discussion.
phrbcjusticecenterrenderingOwnership of the site reverts to the town of Meeker once the RE-1 school district’s lease ends. That “inheritance” leaves the town in a quandary: What to do with a leaky, asbestos-ridden, 70-year-old building on prime downtown real estate?
Several groups have approached the town with suggestions, including using it as a home for the chamber of commerce, a visitor’s center, new businesses downtown or as a Meeker site for Colorado Northwestern Community College. But none of the suggestions has stirred the blood of Meeker citizens like the county’s suggestion to turn the site into a justice center.
The county beat everyone else to the punch June 2, with a presentation to the Meeker Board of Trustees for a new justice center that would house the county jail, courtrooms, and increase administrative space in the congested county courthouse.
County Administrator Pat Hooker said, “With the elementary school coming available, we’d like to present this idea of a design for a justice center at that site.”
Jim Lichty, of Archetype Design Group, Inc., from Leawood, Kan., specializes in designing criminal justice facilities. He has worked with the county for the last six months on a “needs assessment” for a new county jail, and was part of the remodeling project at the courthouse last year.
The county created a seven-phase “wish list” with a redevelopment plan geared toward getting the county the space it needs and ADA compliance. The “wish list” included development of a new sheriff’s office and detention center in the back parking lot of the courthouse.
“In any event, there’s not enough room,” Lichty said. “We hit a brick wall. The pine trees, the historic significance of the courthouse area … ”
At that point, the county began researching the idea of a justice facility with a “could go anywhere” mindset.
The need for a new facility is clearly addressed, and not just by lack of space. Based on projected numbers from the county’s current and past criminal justice activity, Lichty said the county is teetering on the edge of going from a one-courtroom to a two-courtroom county. According to RBC Undersheriff Mike Joos, a 2006 study indicated a need for a 56-bed jail.
Safety is probably the greatest factor in the needs assessment.
The national standard for modern-day jails housing more than six inmates requires automatic release locks. The current county jail houses 16 inmates, without automatic locks.
Cost is another major factor in the needs assessment. Not the cost of building a new justice center, but the money spent by the county to manage an overcrowded jail.
“On a day-to-day basis they have multiple inmates at other jurisdictions at a cost to the RBC taxpayers, on top of that they have to go get those inmates and bring them here for court dates, meetings with public defenders, etc,” Lichty said.
In contrast, he explained, several counties across the country have built jails specifically as revenue generators, using their spare beds to “rent” rooms for inmates to other counties with overcrowing problems. In Goshen County, Wyo., for example, their justice center nets the county more than a million dollars a year in revenue.
Lichty said the elementary school site is “perfectly located for what we’ve seen around the country for criminal justice centers.”
He presented a computer-generated rendering of what the site might look like converted into a justice center. The proposed design includes a two-story building with 271 parking spaces. It would close Fifth Street between Main and Park streets, extending the green space around the courthouse, and providing a secure environment for law enforcement that would separate the public from uncontrolled contact with the inmates both outside and inside the building.
“When you move a justice facility away from the downtown hub, you take something away from the downtown area.”
“In some of these little towns that have moved their justice center out of town to avoid a fight, pretty soon a store goes up, and then they’re nailing up plywood on the fronts of the stores downtown. I don’t want to see that here. On court days, stores fill up, restaurants fill up,” said County Commissioner Joe Collins.
After reviewing the presentation, Meeker Mayor Mandi Etheridge said, “I think there is a huge misperception in our town of what the county is talking about when they talk about the need for the justice center. I think this building is gorgeous, but it’s going to be a hard sell.”
Collins agreed. “If the town decides this is a viable project, we can hold some meetings and explain to the community how we’ve come to this point.”
“When it’s a little bit controversial, the tendency is for the project to go to the industrial park,” Lichty added. “A jail is not something people usually think about.”
But people are thinking about it now. Even though they’ve walked, or driven, past the current county jail every day for months or years without a second thought.

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  • It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
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  • It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
  • Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
  • Read part three of the story of M.T. Streeter in this week’s edition of History Lessons! Find it in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
  • Meeker FFA Chapter members competed at the District Leadership Development Event in Craig, Colorado, this month. Top row from left to right: Eva Scritchfield, Charlie Rogers, Alan Rivera, Trent Sanders, Koy Weber, Orion Musser, Said Rodriguez, Carlos Carrillo, Aidan Tapia, Hayden Garcia, Tristan Rollins, Mathew Willey, Quentin Simpson. Middle row: Sidney Keetch, Aurora Stallings, Sydnie Ross, Ava Nay, Lili Piper, Leah Wood. Bottom Row: Jaicee Simmons, Kailynn Watson, Cody Richardson, Kayla Castillo, Braydin Raley, Autumn Stallings, Aimee Shults, Emily Hamm. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
  • Choose-your-own-adventure…. Hear from our Editor in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
  • A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
  • Black Sulphur Tavern held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for their new business at 364 Seventh St. The space has been renovated with several TVs and games and provides a fun, friendly atmosphere to watch your favorite sports team and enjoy a burger and wings. Owners Frank Maestas and Pat Maestas are pictured with their new staff and Chamber of Commerce representatives Stephanie Hanson, Trudy Burri and Margie Joy. Follow Black Sulphur Tavern on Facebook. Their hours are Wednesday and Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. - 1 a.m., Saturday 11-1 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight.
  • The winning teams and individuals for the 18th annual White River Community Association Buy-Fly Fishing Tournament are as follows. Individual top weight catch was Dave Metrovich and longest fish was Kevin Massey. First place team won by Rio Blanco Abstract: Erik Eckman, Adam Parrett, Dave Metrovich and Wayne Kirkpatrick. Second place team was Drake Consulting: Travis Kaiser, John Douglas, Tony Bartolomucci and Bob Brandeberry. Third place team Mr. Rogers and the Hood (accepted by Doug Rogers) Gary Rogers, Mark Beauchamp, Kyle Schutte and Rick Gunter. The white fish have been frozen and will be served at the annual White River Community Association fish fry fundraiser in June.
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
2 days ago
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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View on Instagram |
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Read part three of the story of M.T. Streeter in this week’s edition of History Lessons! Find it in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
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Meeker FFA Chapter members competed at the District Leadership Development Event in Craig, Colorado, this month. Top row from left to right: Eva Scritchfield, Charlie Rogers, Alan Rivera, Trent Sanders, Koy Weber, Orion Musser, Said Rodriguez, Carlos Carrillo, Aidan Tapia, Hayden Garcia, Tristan Rollins, Mathew Willey, Quentin Simpson. Middle row: Sidney Keetch, Aurora Stallings, Sydnie Ross, Ava Nay, Lili Piper, Leah Wood. Bottom Row: Jaicee Simmons, Kailynn Watson, Cody Richardson, Kayla Castillo, Braydin Raley, Autumn Stallings, Aimee Shults, Emily Hamm. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
3 days ago
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Choose-your-own-adventure…. Hear from our Editor in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
Choose-your-own-adventure…. Hear from our Editor in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
4 days ago
View on Instagram |
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A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
5 days ago
View on Instagram |
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Black Sulphur Tavern held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for their new business at 364 Seventh St. The space has been renovated with several TVs and games and provides a fun, friendly atmosphere to watch your favorite sports team and enjoy a burger and wings. Owners Frank Maestas and Pat Maestas are pictured with their new staff and Chamber of Commerce representatives Stephanie Hanson, Trudy Burri and Margie Joy. Follow Black Sulphur Tavern on Facebook. Their hours are Wednesday and Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. - 1 a.m., Saturday 11-1 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight.
Black Sulphur Tavern held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for their new business at 364 Seventh St. The space has been renovated with several TVs and games and provides a fun, friendly atmosphere to watch your favorite sports team and enjoy a burger and wings. Owners Frank Maestas and Pat Maestas are pictured with their new staff and Chamber of Commerce representatives Stephanie Hanson, Trudy Burri and Margie Joy. Follow Black Sulphur Tavern on Facebook. Their hours are Wednesday and Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. - 1 a.m., Saturday 11-1 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight.
5 days ago
View on Instagram |
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